CoronaCast This Week: December 17, 2020.

This Just In: Teisho

A change in schedule: Roshi will squeeze in a teisho this Sunday, December 20, at the usual time, 9:30 am. Topic: pandemic melting and freezing of time.

Center Closed Next Week (December 20 -26)

The Center’s annual one-week break starts this Sunday, December 20, after the morning teisho. Though there are no formal sittings at Chapin Mill and Arnold Park that week – and thus the Center’s audio-livestreaming (Mixrl) will be inactive – the Zoom sittings will continue with the following exceptions: no sittings Thursday evening (Christmas Eve) or on Friday (Christmas Day). You can refer to the Center’s schedule if you’re unsure.

No Dokusan Next Week

Roshi is suspending dokusan for next week. This pause is not related to Christmas, but is to give him the space to dig out from a growing backlog of other work. (He also will be volunteering some time at a local Covid-testing site.)

Finding Your Seat, Next Three Saturdays

If you are new to Zen practice (or not!), it can be a challenge to maintain daily sitting, especially over the holidays. But not to worry: Finding Your Seat is here to help. There will be three Saturday sessions in a row: December 19, December 26, and January 2, all from 11 am to noon (EST). No need to RSVP; just show up. Contact Dené Redding (dene.redding@gmail.com) for the Zoom meeting ID and password (or link).

Stick Around

Got the pandemic blues? Feeling lonely, missing family that you haven’t seen in too long? Worried about what the winter will bring? We’ve got you. The online Zendo is still open every day of the week. When sittings finish, stick around to wish everyone good morning (or good evening), then hang out and chat for a while before you move on with your day. It’s a great time to connect.

Sittings are Monday through Friday, 7:00 to 8:00, mornings and evenings. Saturdays are also 7:00 to 8:00 a.m., but without an evening sitting. Sundays are from 8:30-10:30 am (no evening sitting), often with extended sittings.

Extended Sitting and Dharma Talk

After the holiday break, the Center will kick-start its formal sittings (and the Center’s audio-livestreaming (Mixrl)) on Sunday, December 27, with an Extended Sitting and Dharma Talk by John Pulleyn. A note about sitting and listening to the Dharma Talk: you can sit either facing the wall (ideally keeping your screen out of sight) or facing your device to glance at the zendo altar photo, displayed prominently on your screen. The view of the zendo altar was recently added during sesshin teishos, and many participants have found it an inspiring connection to the home temple.

New Year’s Celebration

In case there is any doubt, there will be lots of zazen and a scaled-down, virtual ceremony on New Year’s Eve. As is our tradition, we start at 8:00 pm with – you guessed it – zazen. Details about the ceremony proper will be sent out after the holiday break.