Calendar

2024 BZC Calendar of Events

Weekly Schedule

Events in August 2023

  • Way Seeking Mind Talk: Chronic Health Issues Dharma Group

    Way Seeking Mind Talk: Chronic Health Issues Dharma Group


    Fri, Aug 4, 2023

    The Chronic Health Issues Dharma Group (CHI) will share their conversations with the rest of the sangha.

    BZC schedules a Way-Seeking Mind Talk on the First Friday afternoon of each month. The talk, followed by Q&A, begins at 5:45pm after five minutes of zazen and runs until 6:25pm. Please note, our First Friday afternoon WSM Talks are online only. The zendo is closed for in person Zazen on the First Friday of the month.

     

  • Bodhisattva Ceremony

    Bodhisattva Ceremony


    Sat, Aug 5, 2023

    Lecture: Zengyu Paul Discoe

    Lecture: Zengyu Paul Discoe


    Sat, Aug 5, 2023

    Saturday Morning Schedule

    • Zendo opens:       8:20 am
    • Zazen:                      8:30 – 9:10
    • Service:                   9:10 – 9:30
    • Kinhin/break       9:30  – 9:40
    • Zazen:                      9:40 – 10:10
    • Lecture:                  10:15 – 11:15
  • Founders’ Ceremony

    Founders’ Ceremony


    Mon, Aug 7, 2023

    Way-Seeking Mind Talk: Susan Marvin

    Way-Seeking Mind Talk: Susan Marvin


    Mon, Aug 7, 2023

    There will be a way-seeking mind talk in the online zendo right after a shorter period of zazen:

    7:30 am: zazen

    8:00 am: way-seeking mind talk

    8:30 am: end

    Pali Suttas Online Class

    Pali Suttas Online Class


    Mon, Aug 7, 2023

    Enlightenment Stories from the Pali Canon
    sign up here:
    https://forms.gle/zZ9rT5eZ7U7a7TVw8

    The Pali Suttas are considered the earliest words of Shakyamuni Buddha, memorized by the monks and passed on through word of mouth for several generations before being written down.

    This body of literature includes many different types of teachings - a favorite type for me is when the Buddha addresses lay people whom he meets serendipitously on his travels.  I'll share a little historical background, but the main time of the class will be reading the suttas (one per class) aloud and sharing our responses.

    The class will be on three Monday nights, 7:15 to 8:45, August 7, 14, and 21.  The suggested donation is $30, or whatever you can afford. Note that this class will be online only.

  • August One-day Sesshin

    August One-day Sesshin


    Sat, Aug 12, 2023

    We invite you to join us for a One-Day Sesshin at Berkeley Zen Center, Saturday, August 12, from 7:50 AM to 5:30 PM. This sesshin will be led by Dave Rutschman.
    1.  Deadline to sign up is Noon on Thursday, August 10.  In-person attendance will be limited to 33 people.  Those who sign up after we reach the 33-person limit will be placed on a waiting list.
    SIGN UP BY CLICKING HERE:
    2. The sesshin will also be offered online (sign up with the same form as above).
    3. For in-person sesshin attendees, proof of vaccination and booster shots are required to participate.  Indoor masking is now optional, but social distancing protocols will still be observed.
    4. Lunch will be served outdoors at tables in the courtyard, using a modified oryoki form.  To purchase a set of oryoki bowls and/or to sign up for an oryoki training class, check our website for a link.
    5. We will have a short work period, so please bring work clothes you can change into.
    6. Dave Rutschman will offer practice discussion, both for in-person and online participants.  Practice discussion will also be offered by a senior student, both in-person and online.
    7. The sesshin fee is $25 for in-person attendees, and $15 for online participation.  You may pay online, or you can send a check to BZC at:
    Berkeley Zen Center
    1931 Russell Street
    Berkeley, CA 94703
    Attention:  Office Manager, Helen Cheng
    Additional donations may be made at https://berkeleyzencenter.org/support-bzc/.

    If you have questions, please contact the Sesshin Director, Rob Lyons at robertlyons2305@gmail.com

    Sesshin Lecture: Dave Rutschman

    Sesshin Lecture: Dave Rutschman


    Sat, Aug 12, 2023

    Non-sesshin participants, please join us online: 

    • Zendo opens:       8:20 am
    • Zazen:                      8:30 – 9:10
    • Service:                   9:10 – 9:30
    • Kinhin/break       9:30  – 9:40
    • Zazen:                      9:40 – 10:10
    • Lecture:                  10:15 – 11:15
  • Board Meeting

    Board Meeting


    Sun, Aug 13, 2023

  • Way Seeking Mind Talk: Mark Copithorne

    Way Seeking Mind Talk: Mark Copithorne


    Mon, Aug 14, 2023

    There will be a student talk in the online zendo right after a shorter period of zazen:

    7:30 am: zazen
    8:00 am: way-seeking mind talk

    What is a "way-seeking mind" talk?  See below.

    Way-Seeking Mind at Berkeley Zen Center

    “Way-Seeking Mind” talks by practitioners at Berkeley Zen Center have been a regular event on Monday mornings for more than thirty years. Each of us came to Zen practice as a seeker, with a spirit of inquiry. Each of us arrives at BZC from our own diverse backgrounds—social, familial, educational, religious, and so on. The idea of our way-seeking mind talks is for students to share how it is that they came to practice. Each person tells his or her own story in a unique way that often blends autobiography, spiritual biography, and the practice questions that each of us is engaged with.

    The talks are by invitation, and last about twenty-five minutes, including time for presentation and short question & answer period. For newer students, this is a chance to meet and hear those we are sitting with. Those invited to talk have been sitting steadily at BZC; for them it is an opportunity to tell their story and be seen and heard. One of the teachers or senior students is available for advice in shaping one's talk, should that be useful.

    Pali Suttas Online Class

    Pali Suttas Online Class


    Mon, Aug 14, 2023

    Enlightenment Stories from the Pali Canon
    sign up here:
    https://forms.gle/zZ9rT5eZ7U7a7TVw8

    The Pali Suttas are considered the earliest words of Shakyamuni Buddha, memorized by the monks and passed on through word of mouth for several generations before being written down.

    This body of literature includes many different types of teachings - a favorite type for me is when the Buddha addresses lay people whom he meets serendipitously on his travels.  I'll share a little historical background, but the main time of the class will be reading the suttas (one per class) aloud and sharing our responses.

    The class will be on three Monday nights, 7:15 to 8:45, August 7, 14, and 21.  The suggested donation is $30, or whatever you can afford. Note that this class will be online only.

  • Lecture: Ryushin Andrea Thach

    Lecture: Ryushin Andrea Thach


    Sat, Aug 19, 2023

    Saturday Morning Schedule

    • Zendo opens:       8:20 am
    • Zazen:                      8:30 – 9:10
    • Service:                   9:10 – 9:30
    • Kinhin/break       9:30  – 9:40
    • Zazen:                      9:40 – 10:10
    • Lecture:                  10:15 – 11:15
  • Half-Day Sitting

    Half-Day Sitting

    All day
    Sun, Aug 20, 2023

    Berkeley Zen Center will have a half day sitting on Sunday, August 20 from 8:00am to noon. We’ll have five periods of zazen with kinhin and a tea break. 
     
    A donation of $10 is suggested. Our safety practices will be observed.
     
    To sign up or ask questions, please email me.
    Mark Copithorne
  • Way Seeking Mind Talk: Daryan Rezazad

    Way Seeking Mind Talk: Daryan Rezazad


    Mon, Aug 21, 2023

    There will be a student talk in the online zendo right after a shorter period of zazen:

    7:30 am: zazen
    8:00 am: way-seeking mind talk

    What is a "way-seeking mind" talk?  See below.

    Way-Seeking Mind at Berkeley Zen Center

    “Way-Seeking Mind” talks by practitioners at Berkeley Zen Center have been a regular event on Monday mornings for more than thirty years. Each of us came to Zen practice as a seeker, with a spirit of inquiry. Each of us arrives at BZC from our own diverse backgrounds—social, familial, educational, religious, and so on. The idea of our way-seeking mind talks is for students to share how it is that they came to practice. Each person tells his or her own story in a unique way that often blends autobiography, spiritual biography, and the practice questions that each of us is engaged with.

    The talks are by invitation, and last about twenty-five minutes, including time for presentation and short question & answer period. For newer students, this is a chance to meet and hear those we are sitting with. Those invited to talk have been sitting steadily at BZC; for them it is an opportunity to tell their story and be seen and heard. One of the teachers or senior students is available for advice in shaping one's talk, should that be useful.

    Pali Suttas Online Class

    Pali Suttas Online Class


    Mon, Aug 21, 2023

    Enlightenment Stories from the Pali Canon
    sign up here:
    https://forms.gle/zZ9rT5eZ7U7a7TVw8

    The Pali Suttas are considered the earliest words of Shakyamuni Buddha, memorized by the monks and passed on through word of mouth for several generations before being written down.

    This body of literature includes many different types of teachings - a favorite type for me is when the Buddha addresses lay people whom he meets serendipitously on his travels.  I'll share a little historical background, but the main time of the class will be reading the suttas (one per class) aloud and sharing our responses.

    The class will be on three Monday nights, 7:15 to 8:45, August 7, 14, and 21.  The suggested donation is $30, or whatever you can afford. Note that this class will be online only.

  • Lecture: Abbot Hozan

    Lecture: Abbot Hozan


    Sat, Aug 26, 2023

    Saturday Morning Schedule

    • Zendo opens:       8:30 am
    • Zazen:                      8:40 – 9:20
    • Service:                   9:20 – 9:30
    • Kinhin/break       9:30  – 9:40
    • Zazen:                      9:40 – 10:10
    • Lecture:                  10:15 – 11:15
  • Way Seeking Mind Talk: Jake Van Akkeren

    Way Seeking Mind Talk: Jake Van Akkeren


    Mon, Aug 28, 2023

    There will be a student talk in the online zendo right after a shorter period of zazen:

    7:30 am: zazen
    8:00 am: way-seeking mind talk

    What is a "way-seeking mind" talk?  See below.

    Way-Seeking Mind at Berkeley Zen Center

    “Way-Seeking Mind” talks by practitioners at Berkeley Zen Center have been a regular event on Monday mornings for more than thirty years. Each of us came to Zen practice as a seeker, with a spirit of inquiry. Each of us arrives at BZC from our own diverse backgrounds—social, familial, educational, religious, and so on. The idea of our way-seeking mind talks is for students to share how it is that they came to practice. Each person tells his or her own story in a unique way that often blends autobiography, spiritual biography, and the practice questions that each of us is engaged with.

    The talks are by invitation, and last about twenty-five minutes, including time for presentation and short question & answer period. For newer students, this is a chance to meet and hear those we are sitting with. Those invited to talk have been sitting steadily at BZC; for them it is an opportunity to tell their story and be seen and heard. One of the teachers or senior students is available for advice in shaping one's talk, should that be useful.