Ken Kraft Memorial Service

On Saturday, May 4, at 3:30 pm, there will be a memorial service for Kenneth Kraft, who died last fall. Ken was a member of the Center for almost 50 years, and proved to be a valuable resource to us as a Zen Bow contributor, a member of the Center’s Board of Trustees, and in questions of Japanese translations. He was a professor of Buddhist studies and Japanese religions who also taught environmental ethics, and was the author of several books on Zen and contemporary Buddhism. He is sorely missed, most of all by those of us who personally knew him.

Ken’s family and some friends and colleagues will be coming from out of state, and those in the Sangha are also welcome. For the memorial service as well as for the reception at the Center that follows, we need to know how many to expect. So please, let the Center know by May 1st if you plan to attend (receptionist@rzc.org).

Coming-to-the-Path Talk

Long-time Center staff member and priest Sudama Ngo will give a Coming-to-the-Path talk on Sunday, May 5. Sudama will be leaving staff after Buddha’s Birthday this year to be with her family in California. She plans to keep coming back though!

Seeing Through Racism Meeting

The next meeting will on Sunday, April 28, 11:00 a.m. (after teisho and brunch) in the library.

Roshi Kapleau Symposium at Duke University

As some of you may know, Roshi Kapleau’s collected papers have been delivered to Duke University in Durham, NC, for archiving and availability to scholars and interested others (https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/findingaids/kapleauphilip/). Duke is assembling a major archival collection of materials relating to American Buddhism, including the American papers of Dr. D.T. Suzuki, and has told the Center that it considers the acquisition of Roshi Kapleau’s papers an important event. So under the leadership of Professor Richard Jaffe, the Director of Duke’s Asian/Pacific Studies Institute, Duke will be conducting a symposium of scholars and Buddhist teachers on Roshi Kapleau’s work and legacy on the weekend of October 11-13, 2019. Among the speakers will be Bodhin-roshi and Roshi Mitra Bishop, another of Kapleau-roshi’s Dharma heirs.

In order to provide input to Duke as to the desired size of the venue for the symposium, we need to ascertain how many Center members and former members plan to attend. We cannot guarantee that there will be space for everyone if we receive a very large positive response, but we will certainly try to obtain symposium space for as many as possible.  Attendees will need to make their own hotel and meal arrangements, although it is possible that one or more meals may be provided at the symposium.

With that in mind, would you please RSVP to the Zen Center (receptionist@rzc.org) at your earliest convenience, and in any event before April 30?

All-day Sitting this Sunday

Here’s the schedule:

6:15 am	Zazen
7:30	Breakfast (Center will provide)
8:30	Zazen & teisho
~10:30	Brunch
11:00	Zazen
12:50	Lunch break (bring your own)
1:30-3:00	Zazen, ending with the Four Vows

 

You’re welcome to come for any block of sitting, including our regular 8:30 to 10:30 slot, which will include Roshi’s teisho.