My Calendar

Week of May 8th

  • Founders’ Ceremony

    Founders’ Ceremony


    Mon, May 8, 2023

    Way Seeking Mind Talk: Simone Brumis

    Way Seeking Mind Talk: Simone Brumis


    Mon, May 8, 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.

  • One-Day Sesshin to Open Practice Period

    One-Day Sesshin to Open Practice Period


    Sat, May 13, 2023

    We invite you to join us: Saturday May 13  from 7:50 AM to 5:30 PM. This sesshin will open the Spring Practice Period, and will be led by Hozan Alan Senauke.
    1.  Deadline to sign up is Noon on Thursday, May 11.  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.  Social distancing protocols will be observed and all attendees will be required to wear an N94, KN94 or KN95 mask.
    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. Hozan Alan Senauke will offer dokusan 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
    Lecture: Abbot Hozan

    Lecture: Abbot Hozan


    Sat, May 13, 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