Roshi’s CoronaCast: Roshi’s latest podcast, recorded yesterday, July 15.

Chapin Mill Workday

Our second Chapin Mill workday (half-workday, really) of the season will be this coming Saturday, July 18. The weather forecast calls for high heat later in the day, but we’ll be wrapping things up by 12:30. Come pitch in with the light landscaping that day, and help maintain the robust complement to Arnold Park – our country sanctuary.

Please RSVP Trueman (trueman@rzc.org) if you plan to attend. Also make sure to read the guidelines & schedule from the June 19 Sangha email, especially if it’s your first Chapin Mill work day since the pandemic began (bring a mask; practice social distancing; Retreat Center building is closed to non-residents). Bring your own lunch once again.

Sitting at Arnold Park

Group sittings via Zoom have been a big hit, but people who miss sitting on the Center’s premises are welcome to do zazen outdoors there (while maintaining social distance) during the residents’ sittings. This idea came up in April, when it was too cold for most people, and then many of us discovered the Zoom sittings.

One obvious place to “join” residents would be on the deck behind the dining room, where outdoor sitters could most easily hear the bells from the zendo. Another is simply on the ground near there, or even on the deck at the rear of the property – what came to be known as Yaza Plaza while sesshins were still held at Arnold Park. But really, anyplace behind the Center would be fine.

If you haven’t been to the Center in a while, come and be reminded why so many visitors over the years have been swept away by the tranquil beauty of the back garden – an urban sanctuary. Few hands are around now to keep it up, but you wouldn’t know by strolling through it. Whether strolling or sitting, it’s yours to savor.

Black Lives Matter Book Discussion

The Seeing Through Racism group is organizing a series of Zoom discussions around Ruth King’s Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism From the Inside Out (Sounds True, 2018). We’ve chosen this book because it’s a rare combination of a Black Buddhist teacher writing about both meditation and anti-racist activism, with expertise, compassion, and practicality.

Zoom discussions will be every two weeks at the most – beginning Saturday, August 8, from 3:30 – 4:30 PM (EDT). The first meeting will focus on the book’s introduction. Please email Donna Kowal at donna@rzc.org by Sunday, August 2, if you’re interested in participating. For more information, see Black Lives Matter Book Discussion.

Finding Your Seat is cancelled this Saturday, July 18, due to the Chapin Mill workday.

Teisho for the next two Sundays: July 19 and 26.

Seeing Through Racism meeting, Sunday, July 19, 11:00 am EDT. For Zoom account details, please email Trueman at trueman@rzc.org.