Zen Teacher Sanctioning Ceremony, October 16

The sanctioning ceremony for Donna Kowal will take place this Sunday at Chapin Mill. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. It’s relatively short, and light refreshments will follow. There are no sittings scheduled in the zendos at Arnold Park, Chapin Mill, or on Zoom on Sunday.

Dharma Reflections for Sunday, October 16, been canceled.

Zen Buddhist Priests’ Ordination Ceremony, October 23

On Sunday, October 23, at 3 pm, Sensei Amala Wrightson will formally ordain Kathryn Argetsinger and Jeanette Prince-Cherry as Zen priests. The ceremony will take place in the Buddha Hall and will be broadcast on Zoom. Refreshments will be served afterward in the dining room and backyard. If you plan to attend and want to wear a robe, that’s great but not necessary.

New Priests’ Names

Newly-minted priests Scott and Dene Redding, in accordance with Buddhist tradition, will now be using the Dharma names they received in last Saturday’s ordination.

Dene is now LILA (pronounced LEE-la), meaning “divine play.”

Scott is now DANAN (pronounced DAY-nan), derived from the Buddhist word dāna: “giving,” or “generosity.”

Roshi’s Online Dokusan

As Roshi’s October 25 departure draws nearer and his remaining time in Rochester fills up with packing and essential meetings, Roshi regretfully feels compelled to suspend his online dokusan. He’ll be ready to resume scheduling dokusan for his students near the end of this month, after he lands in the Hurricane State.

Sesshin Deadline and Acceptance Dates Extended

The deadlines for applications and decisions for the October 29 to November 5 seven-day sesshin led by Sensei Amala Wrightson have been pushed back a bit. The new application deadline is now October 20, and sesshin acceptances will be sent October 21. Anyone who has been to an introductory workshop may apply to attend in person or online.

RZC’s Nonviolent Communication Group Reopening for a Rare Opportunity

RZC’s Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Group is reopening next week for a rare opportunity to undertake in-depth training with Certified NVC Trainer and widely-respected Buddhist teacher Oren Jay Sofer.

Because we are participating as a group, we’re eligible for the lower group rate of $200 per person. For those needing financial assistance, there are scholarships. Quoting Oren: “If you want to take this course, I want to find a way to have you there. We offer Continued Education Credits, certificates of completion, and scholarships.”

Starting October 20, the RZC NVC group will meet online most Thursdays from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. ET to do course practices. Classes with Oren begin on October 19 and are recorded, so can be viewed at any time. To learn more and sign up, please see https://www.rzc.org/news/nvc-group/

Other Upcoming Activities

Saturday, October 15, 11 am, Finding Your Seat
Monday, October 17, 1 pm, Sangha Hike at Corbett’s Glen Nature Park
Wednesday, October 19, 7 pm, Uprooting Racism Silent Reading Room
Thursday, October 20, 5 pm, Sangha Sandbox with Rachel

RZC now on Spotify: Like, Follow, Subscribe!

RZC teisho and Dharma talks from the last 4 years are now available on Spotify (as well as Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms, where they’ve been for a while). If you’re a Spotify user, please search for “Rochester Zen Center” and give us a follow. After you’ve listened to a few episodes on the Spotify platform, you’ll have the option to rate our podcast.

High ratings and a sizable number of Spotify followers will actually go a long way in helping our Zen talks rise to prominence and reach a wider audience.

Need help doing this on your device? Please email Luka.