2023 BZC Calendar of Events
(revised, 4/26/23; subject to change; see monthly calendar below to confirm. Also note details about whether an event is hybrid, in person only, or online only.)
2023 Spring Practice Period Calendar
Events in June 2023
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Practice Period Class: Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Practice Period Class: Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
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Thu, Jun 1, 2023This spring our practice period class will draw upon the riches of Suzuki Roshi’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. Beneath the warm and inviting tone of Suzuki Roshi’s words are boundless depths that appear anew with each reading. Over nearly fifty years of teaching, Sojun Roshi never reached the limits of this book’s Zen wisdom. So, we begin again.We will share a selection of chapters, which will be announced. Practice period members, in fact all BZC practitioners ought to have a copy of this book. And a pdf of the whole text can be found at this link. https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/Zen-Mind.pdfClasses will be held in the zendo and online at 7:15pm, for five Thursday evenings from May 18 to June 15. Suggested class fee is $50 or whatever you can afford. See you in class.Please register for the class by clicking this ink: Class – Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind – Sign upCOVID restrictions will apply. If you have questions, you could reach out to the Class Coordinator Ryushin Andrea Thach at andrea.thach@gmil.com. -
Way Seeking Mind Talk: Shuso Sue Oehser
Way Seeking Mind Talk: Shuso Sue Oehser
–
Fri, Jun 2, 2023BZC 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 Zazen on the First Friday of the month.
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Bodhisattva Ceremony
Bodhisattva Ceremony
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Sat, Jun 3, 2023Lecture: Abbot HozanLecture: Abbot Hozan
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Sat, Jun 3, 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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Open Discussion
Open Discussion
–
Mon, Jun 5, 2023There will be an open discussion in the online zendo right after a shorter period of zazen:
7:30 am: zazen
8:00 am: open discussion
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Founders’ Ceremony
Founders’ Ceremony
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Wed, Jun 7, 2023Wednesday Night Drop-in Sitting and StudyWednesday Night Drop-in Sitting and Study
–
Wed, Jun 7, 2023The Wednesday Drop-in group is a weekly event, now in person, that goes from 7:10 to 9:00 PM. It includes a 30-minute period of Zazen meditation and a brief service in the zendo, followed by tea and refreshments and an hour of reading and discussion in the Community Room. The group particularly welcomes newcomers to Zen Buddhist practice and/or new to Berkeley Zen Center. It also provides an opportunity for practitioners to sit and study together on an ongoing basis. We meet every Wednesday except for the five-day Spring Practice Period sesshin(retreat) in June, the annual seven-day Buddha’s Enlightenment sesshin in December and during the two-week interim period during the December holidays. We also maintain a google group to share reading materials we are studying, announce other BZC events and issues related to logistics. The groups is facilitated by a BZC Priest, Ikushin Gerry Oliva. Gerry can be contacted at gryoliva@gmail.com for further information.
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Practice Period Class: Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Practice Period Class: Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
–
Thu, Jun 8, 2023This spring our practice period class will draw upon the riches of Suzuki Roshi’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. Beneath the warm and inviting tone of Suzuki Roshi’s words are boundless depths that appear anew with each reading. Over nearly fifty years of teaching, Sojun Roshi never reached the limits of this book’s Zen wisdom. So, we begin again.We will share a selection of chapters, which will be announced. Practice period members, in fact all BZC practitioners ought to have a copy of this book. And a pdf of the whole text can be found at this link. https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/Zen-Mind.pdfClasses will be held in the zendo and online at 7:15pm, for five Thursday evenings from May 18 to June 15. Suggested class fee is $50 or whatever you can afford. See you in class.Please register for the class by clicking this ink: Class – Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind – Sign upCOVID restrictions will apply. If you have questions, you could reach out to the Class Coordinator Ryushin Andrea Thach at andrea.thach@gmil.com. -
Practice Period Bansan - "Tea" - and Discussion
Practice Period Bansan - "Tea" - and Discussion
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Fri, Jun 9, 2023A traditional practice period event.
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Lecture: Shuso Sue Oehser
Lecture: Shuso Sue Oehser
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Sat, Jun 10, 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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All-Sangha Work Day
All-Sangha Work Day
All day
Sun, Jun 11, 2023Please save the date and join us for our All-
Sangha Work Day on Sunday, June 11. The daywill open with coffee and pastries at 8:00 a.m.,
then zazen from 8:15 to 8:40, work circle at
8:45, with work starting at 9:00. Lunch will be
provided by our tenzos from noon until work
circle at 12:45 p.m., and we’ll wind up with
informal zazen at 3:45‒4:00. Mary Duryee will
be the work leader for the day.
Please come and join the festivities of caring
for our temple property. Whether you are here
for part or the entire work day, all who enter
through our gates reap the benefits of our
efforts! -
Way Seeking Mind Talk: Ron Nestor
Way Seeking Mind Talk: Ron Nestor
–
Mon, Jun 12, 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.
-
Wednesday Night Drop-in Sitting and Study
Wednesday Night Drop-in Sitting and Study
–
Wed, Jun 14, 2023The Wednesday Drop-in group is a weekly event, now in person, that goes from 7:10 to 9:00 PM. It includes a 30-minute period of Zazen meditation and a brief service in the zendo, followed by tea and refreshments and an hour of reading and discussion in the Community Room. The group particularly welcomes newcomers to Zen Buddhist practice and/or new to Berkeley Zen Center. It also provides an opportunity for practitioners to sit and study together on an ongoing basis. We meet every Wednesday except for the five-day Spring Practice Period sesshin(retreat) in June, the annual seven-day Buddha’s Enlightenment sesshin in December and during the two-week interim period during the December holidays. We also maintain a google group to share reading materials we are studying, announce other BZC events and issues related to logistics. The groups is facilitated by a BZC Priest, Ikushin Gerry Oliva. Gerry can be contacted at gryoliva@gmail.com for further information.
-
Practice Period Class: Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
Practice Period Class: Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
–
Thu, Jun 15, 2023This spring our practice period class will draw upon the riches of Suzuki Roshi’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. Beneath the warm and inviting tone of Suzuki Roshi’s words are boundless depths that appear anew with each reading. Over nearly fifty years of teaching, Sojun Roshi never reached the limits of this book’s Zen wisdom. So, we begin again.We will share a selection of chapters, which will be announced. Practice period members, in fact all BZC practitioners ought to have a copy of this book. And a pdf of the whole text can be found at this link. https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/Zen-Mind.pdfClasses will be held in the zendo and online at 7:15pm, for five Thursday evenings from May 18 to June 15. Suggested class fee is $50 or whatever you can afford. See you in class.Please register for the class by clicking this ink: Class – Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind – Sign upCOVID restrictions will apply. If you have questions, you could reach out to the Class Coordinator Ryushin Andrea Thach at andrea.thach@gmil.com. -
In Person Shosan Ceremony with Abbot Hozan
In Person Shosan Ceremony with Abbot Hozan
–
Fri, Jun 16, 2023Traditional practice period event - formal question and answer ceremony - in person only.
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Lecture: Abbot Hozan
Lecture: Abbot Hozan
–
Sat, Jun 17, 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
Practice Period DinnerPractice Period Dinner
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Sat, Jun 17, 2023 -
Board Meeting
Board Meeting
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Sun, Jun 18, 2023 -
Online Shosan Ceremony with Abbot Hozan (begins at 7:30)
Online Shosan Ceremony with Abbot Hozan (begins at 7:30)
–
Mon, Jun 19, 2023Traditional practice period event - formal question and answer ceremony. Instructions will given at the beginning of the ceremony.
-
Five-Day Sesshin (End Practice Period)
Five-Day Sesshin (End Practice Period)
–
Wed, Jun 21, 2023These sesshins will generally follow our
winter format, with three periods of zazen in
the morning followed by a dharma talk, then a
midday break for lunch, rest, and work period,
then three periods of zazen in the afternoon.
A modified oryoki lunch will be served at tables
in the courtyard. To purchase a set of oryoki
bowls and/or to sign up for an oryoki training
class, click here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSei
9bsUsz0ewOBbO9by2oR-
Xj5Q3X6bUnTzY1n69saxxhrxaA/viewform
For all in-person participants, Covid
protocols will apply. You must be fully
vaccinated and boostered, and must wear a
KN94, N95, or KN95 mask indoors. We also
ask that you get tested within 48 hours of the
start of sesshin (an antigen rapid test will
suffice), and also that if you have any Covid
symptoms such as fever, cough, etc., that you
shift to online participation.
When paying for sesshin, please indicate
on your check or in the PayPal note field that
your donation is related to the May 13 or June
21‒25 sesshin. The suggested donation is $25
per day for in-person attendees, and $15 for
online participants (or whatever you can
afford). Mail a check to the BZC Office
Manager at 1931 Russell St., Berkeley 94703, -
Five-Day Sesshin (End Practice Period)
Five-Day Sesshin (End Practice Period)
–
Thu, Jun 22, 2023These sesshins will generally follow our
winter format, with three periods of zazen in
the morning followed by a dharma talk, then a
midday break for lunch, rest, and work period,
then three periods of zazen in the afternoon.
A modified oryoki lunch will be served at tables
in the courtyard. To purchase a set of oryoki
bowls and/or to sign up for an oryoki training
class, click here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSei
9bsUsz0ewOBbO9by2oR-
Xj5Q3X6bUnTzY1n69saxxhrxaA/viewform
For all in-person participants, Covid
protocols will apply. You must be fully
vaccinated and boostered, and must wear a
KN94, N95, or KN95 mask indoors. We also
ask that you get tested within 48 hours of the
start of sesshin (an antigen rapid test will
suffice), and also that if you have any Covid
symptoms such as fever, cough, etc., that you
shift to online participation.
When paying for sesshin, please indicate
on your check or in the PayPal note field that
your donation is related to the May 13 or June
21‒25 sesshin. The suggested donation is $25
per day for in-person attendees, and $15 for
online participants (or whatever you can
afford). Mail a check to the BZC Office
Manager at 1931 Russell St., Berkeley 94703, -
Five-Day Sesshin (End Practice Period)
Five-Day Sesshin (End Practice Period)
–
Fri, Jun 23, 2023These sesshins will generally follow our
winter format, with three periods of zazen in
the morning followed by a dharma talk, then a
midday break for lunch, rest, and work period,
then three periods of zazen in the afternoon.
A modified oryoki lunch will be served at tables
in the courtyard. To purchase a set of oryoki
bowls and/or to sign up for an oryoki training
class, click here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSei
9bsUsz0ewOBbO9by2oR-
Xj5Q3X6bUnTzY1n69saxxhrxaA/viewform
For all in-person participants, Covid
protocols will apply. You must be fully
vaccinated and boostered, and must wear a
KN94, N95, or KN95 mask indoors. We also
ask that you get tested within 48 hours of the
start of sesshin (an antigen rapid test will
suffice), and also that if you have any Covid
symptoms such as fever, cough, etc., that you
shift to online participation.
When paying for sesshin, please indicate
on your check or in the PayPal note field that
your donation is related to the May 13 or June
21‒25 sesshin. The suggested donation is $25
per day for in-person attendees, and $15 for
online participants (or whatever you can
afford). Mail a check to the BZC Office
Manager at 1931 Russell St., Berkeley 94703, -
Five-Day Sesshin (End Practice Period)
Five-Day Sesshin (End Practice Period)
–
Sat, Jun 24, 2023These sesshins will generally follow our
winter format, with three periods of zazen in
the morning followed by a dharma talk, then a
midday break for lunch, rest, and work period,
then three periods of zazen in the afternoon.
A modified oryoki lunch will be served at tables
in the courtyard. To purchase a set of oryoki
bowls and/or to sign up for an oryoki training
class, click here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSei
9bsUsz0ewOBbO9by2oR-
Xj5Q3X6bUnTzY1n69saxxhrxaA/viewform
For all in-person participants, Covid
protocols will apply. You must be fully
vaccinated and boostered, and must wear a
KN94, N95, or KN95 mask indoors. We also
ask that you get tested within 48 hours of the
start of sesshin (an antigen rapid test will
suffice), and also that if you have any Covid
symptoms such as fever, cough, etc., that you
shift to online participation.
When paying for sesshin, please indicate
on your check or in the PayPal note field that
your donation is related to the May 13 or June
21‒25 sesshin. The suggested donation is $25
per day for in-person attendees, and $15 for
online participants (or whatever you can
afford). Mail a check to the BZC Office
Manager at 1931 Russell St., Berkeley 94703,Lecture: Abbot HozanLecture: Abbot Hozan
–
Sat, Jun 24, 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
-
Five-Day Sesshin (End Practice Period)
Five-Day Sesshin (End Practice Period)
–
Sun, Jun 25, 2023These sesshins will generally follow our
winter format, with three periods of zazen in
the morning followed by a dharma talk, then a
midday break for lunch, rest, and work period,
then three periods of zazen in the afternoon.
A modified oryoki lunch will be served at tables
in the courtyard. To purchase a set of oryoki
bowls and/or to sign up for an oryoki training
class, click here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSei
9bsUsz0ewOBbO9by2oR-
Xj5Q3X6bUnTzY1n69saxxhrxaA/viewform
For all in-person participants, Covid
protocols will apply. You must be fully
vaccinated and boostered, and must wear a
KN94, N95, or KN95 mask indoors. We also
ask that you get tested within 48 hours of the
start of sesshin (an antigen rapid test will
suffice), and also that if you have any Covid
symptoms such as fever, cough, etc., that you
shift to online participation.
When paying for sesshin, please indicate
on your check or in the PayPal note field that
your donation is related to the May 13 or June
21‒25 sesshin. The suggested donation is $25
per day for in-person attendees, and $15 for
online participants (or whatever you can
afford). Mail a check to the BZC Office
Manager at 1931 Russell St., Berkeley 94703,Shuso HossenShuso Hossen
–
Sun, Jun 25, 2023This traditional question and answer ceremony is the culmination of the Shuso's (Head Students) training period.
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Zendo Holiday - Informal Zazen Online Only at 7:30 am and 5:40 pm
Zendo Holiday - Informal Zazen Online Only at 7:30 am and 5:40 pm
–
Mon, Jun 26, 2023There will be no formal program this morning, as it is the day after our 5-day Sesshin.