About the Ceremony of Gratitude, Sunday, November 19
Gratitude is the living heart of Zen practice and of our American tradition of Thanksgiving. You’re invited to join us tomorrow morning in the zendo at Arnold Park or online at 8:30 am (EST) for zazen, hearing personal expressions of gratitude from fellow Sangha members, and sharing your own.
The ceremony includes a circumambulation of the zendo with a powdered incense offering at the altar. During the circumambulation, online participants may do kinhin and offer incense at their home altar, or simply watch the ceremony.
For chanting, chant books will be passed out at Arnold Park. If you’re participating online, below is a link to the chant book, the list of chants we’ll do during the ceremony, and their page numbers:
https://www.rzc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/RZC-chant-book.pdf
- Abbreviated Ancestral Line, page 24
- Ten-Verse Kannon Sutra, page 13
- Four Vows, page 36
Lastly, both in-person participants and Zoomers will have the opportunity to make brief, oral statements of gratitude. Whether or not you’re able to participate, you may also contribute a written statement of gratitude to be read aloud by one of the speakers during the ceremony. Statements may be left in the bowl in the Link or emailed to Jissai by midnight on Saturday, November 18.