One Step Back

In response to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases and the increasing prevalence of the extremely contagious Delta variant, the Center is following CDC and Monroe County recommendations that everyone, including fully-vaccinated people, return to wearing masks indoors in public settings. If you come to the Center without a mask, you’ll be able to find one in the Link when you enter.

  • If you are fully-vaccinated, you can join the Arnold Park zendo for any of the sittings. No need to RSVP, just show up. Please provide your name, vaccine type (Pfizer, Moderna, or J&J) and vaccination date (of your second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna, or the single shot of J&J). You’ll find a sign-in sheet for that in the Link on the table below the bulletin board; you only need to do this once.
  • Wear your mask at all times except when actually sitting on your mat in the zendo. You can also remove your mask in the dokusan room during dokusan or private instruction, where the mats and chairs have again been placed farther apart. The general guideline is: WHEN IN MOTION, WEAR YOUR MASK.
  • A built-in high-tech ventilation and filtration system has been installed in the zendo for air purification.
  • Chanting services have been suspended again. However, we will continue to chant the Four Vows at the end of sittings, since the cushions in the zendo are spaced 6 feet apart. 

Picnic at Chapin Mill! Saturday, August 15, 11:00 to Whenever…

After this past year, we all deserve it! Everyone is invited: members, friends of members, children, dogs, mothers-in-law, you name it. As usual, we will have swimming, volleyball, and other games. And this year there will be a special surprise for the children! Lunch is served at 1:00.

You’ll get another email early next week with all the details. In the meantime, mark your calendars. There are just a few weekends left in the summer, and we hope that this one will be spectacular.

Coming Up at the Center

Our annual two-week, end-of summer-break will begin Wednesday morning, August 25, and we’ll start back up Wednesday morning, September 8. In the meantime, there’s a lot on the docket:

  • This Sunday, August 8, John-sensei will give teisho.
  • The sanctioning ceremony for Sensei John Pulleyn is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 21.
  • Sunday, August 22, is our annual Founder’s Day, and we will be playing a recorded teisho by Roshi Philip Kapleau as part of our regular Sunday sitting.
  • We expect that at least some of our regular Zoom sittings will continue during the break, and we will confirm dates and times in an upcoming email.