Extended Sitting and Teisho

The next Extended Sitting and teisho is this Sunday, December 6. In anticipation of next week’s annual ceremony in honor of the Buddha’s enlightenment, Roshi will be giving a teisho about that seminal event and Awakening in general.

December 2-day Sesshin: Deadline Reminder

The deadline for the upcoming 2-day sesshin (December 11-13, Eryl Kubicka), is Monday, December 7.

This Week’s CoronaCast (December 2): “Second Verse, Same As the First.”

A look back at the waves – and people’s reactions to them – in the last pandemic, so remarkably similar to today.

Buddha’s Enlightenment Ceremony Next Tuesday

With the Center’s recent online ceremonies (Jukai and Ceremony of Gratitude) having been well attended, we’ll extend our run with an online version of the Buddha’s Enlightenment, or Rohatsu, Ceremony, on Tuesday evening, December 8. Rohatsu literally means “the eighth day of the twelfth month,” the date attributed in Japan to Siddartha Gautama’s realization of Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi, or Supreme Perfect Enlightenment. More details about the ceremony will follow in the next Sangha email.

Sitting4Daniel

The Elders and Allies supporting Free The People Roc are conducting weekly one-hour meditations near the place Daniel Prude was killed by Rochester police, to bring a compassionate, healing presence and return the merit of our Joriki (the energy developed while meditating) to healing the community, and for Daniel’s journey through the Bardo.

The meditations are in Jefferson Terrace Park at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Dr. Sam McCree Way, each Monday, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM. Weather-proof sitting mats and cushions will be available, and ground cloths as necessary for those with cloth cushions and mats.

These outdoor sittings are being led by James Thompson and Dwain Wilder. Please contact Dwain with any questions or concerns about weather, clothing recommendations for outdoor zazen, hand-warmers, etc. at 585-288-5031 (mobile) or email dwain@bearmeadow.com.

Silver Maples at Chapin Mill

Just over a month ago, the Zen Center received twenty silver-maple (Acer saccharinum) saplings from the regional Sierra Club as part of a climate change project aimed at planting 1,000 trees in one day. On Saturday, October 24, the saplings were planted in a tree nursery at Chapin Mill. Gratitude to Sangha member Notch Miyake for his work in facilitating the Center’s participation in this project!

When the saplings are ready to be transplanted, they’ll be moved to an open field at Chapin Mill, along with several dozen, mixed-variety evergreens that were donated by a neighbor. Although silver maples are prone to storm damage, they provide shelter to cavity-nesting birds and mammals, including owls, woodpeckers, opossums, and raccoons, to name a few.

Stay tuned for a Sangha tree-planting party in the not-too-distant future!