Roshi’s CoronaCast: June 25, on wearing masks.
July Sesshin
Our next online sesshin, of 5 days, will take place July 27-31, the same week it had been scheduled for before the pandemic, but shorter (application deadline: Saturday, July 25). And as planned, Sensei Amala Wrightson will be leading it, but now from New Zealand. Auckland is 16 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time, so she has ruled out participating live in the morning hours of the sesshin. Instead she will send recordings of her daily teishos, to be played at the usual sesshin time. She will give afternoon and evening dokusan, by Zoom, and John Pulleyn will offer private instruction during the morning block of sitting, which will run from 6 am – 8 am. Here is the schedule in full:
| Monday | |
| 2:00 – 4:00 pm | tea ceremony, opening words, zazen |
| 4:00 – 7:00 | dinner / break |
| 7:00 – 9:30 | zazen with dokusan |
| Tuesday – Thursday | |
| 6:00 – 8:00 am | zazen with private instruction |
| 8:00 – 9:30 | breakfast / break |
| 9:30 – 12:30 | zazen with teisho |
| 12:30 – 2:00 pm | lunch / break |
| 2:00 – 4:00 | zazen with dokusan |
| 4:00 – 7:00 | dinner / break |
| 7:00 – 9:30 | zazen with dokusan |
| Friday same as above, except ending at 4:00 pm (with closing words). | |
Chapin Mill Work Retreat
Reminder: The work retreat is scheduled for the mornings of this Friday and Saturday, June 26-27, with spaces still available; don’t forget to RSVP Trueman if you’re planning to attend either or both days (cpt0628@gmail.com). The current forecast shows rain throughout Saturday morning, so we may need to move the second work day to Saturday July 11 (not July 4, because of Independence Day). But Rochester-area weather is capricious, so we’ll wait another day or two before cancelling Saturday, if we have to. We’ll let everyone who’s signed up for Saturday know if it’s go or no-go by Friday evening.
Roshi Away
Roshi will be on vacation in Maine, July 3 – 11. The first dokusan after July 2, then, will be on Monday, July 13.
Seeing Through Racism News
The Seeing Through Racism Group will be meeting via Zoom this Sunday, June 28, at 12:30. We will be brainstorming ways for the Center to address racism. The login and password are the usual ones used for online sittings. All are welcome. If you have questions, please contact Dené Redding at dagrange@syr.edu.
In addition, we have two new Google Groups. For those who prefer minimal amounts of group email, there is an announcements-only “RZC Seeing Through Racism” Google Group. For those interested in online discussions, there is an “RZC Talking About Racism” Google Group. If you would like to join either or both, please contact Anna Belle Leiserson via receptionist@rzc.org.
Finding Your Seat Resumes on Saturday, July 11
Because of the work retreat (June 27) and Independence Day (July 4), FYS is cancelled for the next two Saturdays. If rain forces us to call off Saturday’s work day, we’ll hold FYS as usual from 11:00 am to noon. You can text or call Trueman (585-721-5757) Saturday morning to see if FYS is happening.