Events in August 2023
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Way Seeking Mind Talk: Chronic Health Issues Dharma Group
Way Seeking Mind Talk: Chronic Health Issues Dharma Group
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Fri, Aug 4, 2023The 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.
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Bodhisattva Ceremony
Bodhisattva Ceremony
Sat, Aug 5, 2023Lecture: Zengyu Paul DiscoeLecture: Zengyu Paul Discoe
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Sat, Aug 5, 2023Saturday 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
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Founders’ Ceremony
Founders’ Ceremony
Mon, Aug 7, 2023Way-Seeking Mind Talk: Susan MarvinWay-Seeking Mind Talk: Susan Marvin
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Mon, Aug 7, 2023There 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 ClassPali Suttas Online Class
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Mon, Aug 7, 2023Enlightenment Stories from the Pali Canonsign up here:https://forms.gle/zZ9rT5eZ7U7a7TVw8The 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.
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August One-day Sesshin
August One-day Sesshin
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Sat, Aug 12, 2023We 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 Center1931 Russell StreetBerkeley, CA 94703Attention: Office Manager, Helen ChengAdditional 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 RutschmanSesshin Lecture: Dave Rutschman
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Sat, Aug 12, 2023Non-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
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Board Meeting
Board Meeting
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Sun, Aug 13, 2023 -
Way Seeking Mind Talk: Mark Copithorne
Way Seeking Mind Talk: Mark Copithorne
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Mon, Aug 14, 2023There 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 talkWhat 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 ClassPali Suttas Online Class
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Mon, Aug 14, 2023Enlightenment Stories from the Pali Canonsign up here:https://forms.gle/zZ9rT5eZ7U7a7TVw8The 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.
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Lecture: Ryushin Andrea Thach
Lecture: Ryushin Andrea Thach
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Sat, Aug 19, 2023Saturday 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
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Half-Day Sitting
Half-Day Sitting
All day
Sun, Aug 20, 2023Berkeley 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
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Mon, Aug 21, 2023There 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 talkWhat 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 ClassPali Suttas Online Class
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Mon, Aug 21, 2023Enlightenment Stories from the Pali Canonsign up here:https://forms.gle/zZ9rT5eZ7U7a7TVw8The 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.
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Lecture: Abbot Hozan
Lecture: Abbot Hozan
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Sat, Aug 26, 2023Saturday 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
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Way Seeking Mind Talk: Jake Van Akkeren
Way Seeking Mind Talk: Jake Van Akkeren
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Mon, Aug 28, 2023There 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 talkWhat 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.