Joining the 7-day Rohatsu Sesshin (January 8-15)

The regular schedule of morning and evening Zoom sittings is cancelled during sesshin. However, to remind people who are not attending sesshin, you are welcome to join any parts of the sesshin (though without dokusan). If you do, please enter before the block of sitting begins or during a kinhin so as to minimize distraction. Likewise, if you cannot stay for the entire block of sitting, exit Zoom during one of the kinhins whenever possible. Here is the schedule so you know what times to enter and join (the rounds are 35 minutes long with a 7-minute kinhin in between). If you have questions, please contact Trueman Taylor (trueman@rzc.org). Note: the sesshin (including teishos) will NOT be broadcast on the Center’s audio-livestream but will be streamed on Zoom only.

The regular Zoom sittings will resume Saturday morning (7:00 – 8:00), January 16.

Term Intensive Begins January 21

The winter five-week Term Intensive begins Thursday, January 21, and runs through Thursday, February 25. A few details:

• We won’t attempt formal opening or closing ceremonies. Our first session will be an opportunity to share our commitments, and the last will be our final reports.
• Because living out of town is no longer a barrier to attending the meetings, out-of-towners need not email their reports to Roshi as in the past.
• TI participants are expected to attend every meeting, but may not get a chance to report at every meeting. Since accountability is an integral feature of the TI, if at any particular meeting you don’t get a turn to report live on Zoom, please send a report to Trueman (trueman@rzc.org), and we’ll send out minutes as we’ve done in the past.

As always, the core commitment of any TI is to step up your zazen, since, as Zen master Hakuin reminded us, “Upholding the precepts, repentance, and giving, the countless good deeds, and the way of right living all come from zazen.” Within that context of sitting more, you may, as always, choose any number of secondary commitments as outlined in the instructions on the website.

Community Supply Drive, Sunday, January 10

Rochester Mutual Aid Network, Roc Food Relief, Rochester Homeless Union, and Black in the Burbs have teamed up to collect supplies to be distributed to our neighbors in need. You can drop off your donations this Sunday, January 10, from 10am to 3pm at the Flying Squirrel Community Space (285 Clarissa Street). Check out the What We Need list for this event to see what you can donate. Feel free to ask if there’s anything you have that isn’t listed.

Even before last March, Rochester was already in crisis: poverty, homelessness, and layoffs had already been a feature of life for years. As always, all of these groups are taking dollar donations to keep our communities fed and warm.