New Year’s Eve
Staff is back, and we’re getting ready for the New Year’s Eve zazen and celebrations. There’s a lot to do, and extra help would be awesome! If you can help out tomorrow (Saturday, December 28) or on Monday morning, December 30, give us a call or email Trueman (trueman@rzc.org).
On Tuesday evening (that’s New Year’s Eve), we’ll start with sitting at 8 pm and wind up just after midnight. If you’re not able to come for the entire evening, it’s OK to arrive or leave at the tea-and-coffee break that happens at about 10 pm.
Here’s a link to our schedule.
This is a great way to usher in the New Year!
Home Purification Ceremony
An additional way to usher in the New Year is the home purification ceremony. The purpose of the ceremony is to ritually cleanse one’s household of any obstructive energies, and in Buddhist countries it is typically done at the approach of the New Year. A team of two staff or senior members helps conduct the ceremony; all you need do beforehand is
- Have some noise-makers for family members to play, such as bells, pots and pans, rattles, drums
- Clean your house (the cleaning is a way of getting into the spirit of purification, but “perfection” is not required – do whatever feels appropriate to your circumstances)
- Have a small home altar ready (if you don’t have a Buddha or bodhisattva figure, a flower, candles and incense pot are fine).
Your visitors will usually be glad for a hot drink before they head off to their next port of call. If you would like to have a team visit your house, or just want to hear more about this ceremony, contact Trueman (trueman@rzc.org). We’ll contact you to confirm the time of the visit. There’s also a signup sheet in the Link.
Calling All Cooks, Part Deux!
There is still time for you to contribute your thoughts about and recipes for festive holiday dinners for vegans and vegetarians. It’s just a 5-minute survey.
Here’s the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8Y9DLMT