great plains zen center · 2012-08-22 · great plains zen center sangha newsletter august through...

Great Plains Zen Center Sangha Newsletter August through October, 2012

Fundraising Drive Underway – Please Help Enclosed, you will find details about a very important fund raising drive that is underway to fund the remodeling of our zendo at Myoshinji. A donor has pledged to match all donations that are received by September 1. For example, your donation of $100 will bring us $200 closer to our goal of $3,600 for the project. Please see the enclosed letter for more details.

Zazenkai at Myoshinji – August 17 - 19 Our next retreat will be held August 17-19 at Myoshinji. The retreat begins on Friday evening, and runs through Sunday morning. The cost of this retreat is $75 and includes overnight lodging Friday and Saturday, as well as all meals. Beginner’s Mind Sesshin – September 14 - 16 Those who are in the early stages of their practice are encouraged to join us for our Beginner’s Mind Sesshin in September. Sesshin (intensive practice retreats) are an important part of Zen practice. This retreat will introduce students to the formal practices that are integral to sesshin, including: sitting and walking meditation; liturgy; taking meals in the traditional, formal oryoki style; and work practice. Roshi will help students understand the many components and aspects of retreat practice, offering opportunities to ask questions about Zen practice and to explore the important student-teacher relationship. The cost of this retreat is $75 and includes overnight lodging Friday & Saturday, as well as all meals 3-Day Sesshin at Myoshinji – October 5 - 8 Our October retreat will be begin on Friday evening, Oct. 5, and run through Monday morning, the 8th (Columbus Day). The cost for each 3-day sesshin is $150 for current Practicing Members; $180 for others. Fees include meals and overnight lodging. Participants may attend any sesshin on a part-time basis ($50 per day for current Practicing Members; $60 per day for others). Registration for GPZC Events To register, for GPZC events, please register/pay online at www.greatplainszen.org. Please register for any sesshin, zazenkai or workshop at least 1 week prior to the start. This allows us to assign positions and arrange other logistics for the event. If you are unable to meet this deadline, please contact us to make arrangements and check on availability of space. Late cancellations are subject to a $35 non-refundable fee.

Taking the Precepts (Jukai) Ceremony - Oct. 21 Please join us on Sunday, October 21 at 7:00 pm, when Nataly Kercher, Anneliese Vandre, Lorrie Kountz and Tom Janiec will receive the Buddhist Precepts at our usual Sunday evening meeting at Countryside Church, 1025 N. Smith Rd., Palatine, IL. This is an important practice step, affirming their intention to actualize the Buddha Way in all aspects of their lives in a way that is visible to others. This practice includes Sila (Precepts) – awareness of maintaining harmony within and without, Jo (Concentration) – a regular sitting practice and careful attention throughout all daily activities and work practice, and E (Wisdom) – nurturing the vow to awaken in self and others through study with a teacher and diligent practice. The four jukai recipients have made rakusu in the nyoho-e style and will receive a Dharma name and lineage chart during the ceremony. Friends and family are welcome to attend the ceremony. Refreshments will follow.

Expanded Schedule at Myoshinji We are pleased to offer an expanded schedule at Myoshinji. We now have early morning sitting at 5:30 on Thursdays and Fridays with a morning service following. Evening zazen takes place Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM. The Saturday schedule will remain the same (Zazen at 9 AM followed by talk or discussion) except that there will be an optional morning service at 8:30 AM for those who wish to learn traditional Soto Zen Buddhist liturgy. This will be an opportunity to learn the service positions we do during sesshin and practice them on a regular basis.

Sangha Newsletter August through October, 2012 - 2

Congratulations to Gendo Sensei On the evening of June 14, 2012, Gendo Sensei received Dharma transmission from Myoyu Roshi, authorizing him as a Zen Teacher and allowing him to perform jukai (giving the precepts), tokudo (ordination of a monk or nun), weddings, funerals and other functions of a full priest. In the Zen tradition, a practitioner must be given direct face-to-face transmission before he or she is allowed to become a teacher. This precious and powerful ceremony affirms and protects the depth, clarity and authenticity of our practice and assures that the title of Zen Teacher is not conferred casually or worse yet, self-appointed. The event of a new Dharma successor is a very significant milestone for Great Plains Zen Center. Seisen Roshi from Sweetwater Zen Center, located in National City, California witnessed the ceremony and was the Guest Precept Instructor. Gendo Sensei will now be eligible to become a member of the White Plum Asanga, an affinity group of Maezumi Roshi’s Dharma descendants. Gendo Sensei has been studying Buddhism since 1977. He received jukai from Dennis Genpo Merzel, Roshi, in August of 1992 and has been studying with Myoyu Roshi since 2001. He leads the Great Wave Zen Sangha in Ludington, Michigan. Gendo teaches writing and literature courses at West Shore Community College. He has published numerous poems in a variety of magazines and in the anthology Beneath a Single Moon: The Legacy of Buddhism in American Poetry. He is the author of the forthcoming book, The Driftwood Shrine: Zen Essays on American Poetry, a collection of Dharma talks based on the works of several American poets. Gendo is married to Tandy Hoen Sturgeon, and the father of Ben, Jordan and Jessamyn.

Work Practice at Myoshinji Myoshinji now has open office/work hours every Thursday and Friday all day and most Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. You are welcome to come and participate in a variety of outdoor and indoor projects including gardening, carpentry, environmental restoration, cleaning, sewing, office work and more, for whatever amount of time you would like. Your help would be much appreciated. You are also welcome to come by during those times to talk informally with Myoyu Roshi, receive help on rakusu sewing, instruction on service positions, etc. Feel free to stop by! To make sure that we are not out on an errand, it is helpful (but not necessary) to call first (608-325-6248). Residential Training at Great Plains Zen Center Short-term residential training is now available for students who wish to deepen their practice and experience daily monastic life. This program is offered at our retreat center, Myoshinji, in Monroe, Wisconsin. To learn more about residential training at Myoshinji, please visit our website, greatplainszen.org. Implementing the Way of Council After Seisen Roshi’s wonderful introduction to the practice of Council during June sesshin, there has been interest in training facilitators to lead this practice at Great Plains Zen Center on an ongoing basis. The Ojai Foundation defines Council as follows: “Council is a practice of speaking and listening from the heart. Through compassionate, heartfelt expression and empathic listening, council inspires a non-hierarchical form of deep communication that reveals a group's vision and purpose.” Councils could be very helpful in connecting us more deeply, teaching us how to really listen to each other, and form a very direct opportunity to support each other in the practice of Right Speech. Please let us know if you are interested in becoming a facilitator. We hope to make Seisen Roshi’s introductory comments from June sesshin available through a link on the website. We would also encourage those interested to obtain The Way of Council, 2nd Edition by Zimmerman and Coyle. Please talk to Myoyu Roshi at 608-325-6248 or e-mail her at [email protected]

Sangha Newsletter August through October, 2012 - 3 Upcoming Teisho: Chinese Zen Masters Upcoming talks by Myoyu Roshi will focus on the activities and challenges of great Chinese Zen masters as it relates to our practice today. We will look at the development of Zen practice from the time of Bodhidharma through various important Chinese Zen masters, such as Huineng (Sixth Ancestor), Mazu (Baso), Yunmen (Ummon) and Zhaozhou (Joshu). We can learn much from the inspiring practice of these great teachers. Many historical situations and innovations made during this important era of Zen can help us understand and respond to the challenges we face in practice today. We are not practicing alone in time or space. In fact we are part of a remarkable flow of practice through several thousands of years and many cultures and contexts, all of which converge and inform our practice today. We will use Making Zen Your Own: Giving Life to Twelve Key Golden Age Ancestors by Janet Jiryu Abels, as a reference text. This book was published by Wisdom Publications this year. Jiryu is a dharma cousin and co-founder of the Still Mind Zendo in New York City. This series will begin with the Teisho on August 5.

Upcoming Dates: • August 17-19 Three-Day Sesshin • September 14-16 Beginner’s Mind Sesshin • October 5-8 Three-Day Sesshin • November 9-12 Zazenkai • December 6-9 Rohatsu Three-Day Sesshin

Weekly Schedule in Palatine at CCUU Zazen (Zen meditation) is held every Sunday at 7:00 PM at Countryside Church - Unitarian Universalist, 1025 N. Smith Road, in Palatine, Illinois. We welcome new friends to join us any Sunday. A standard schedule includes a 30-minute period of zazen, 10 minutes of kinhin (walking meditation) and a second 30-minute period of zazen. Each month, the Zen Center holds Fusatsu, the Renewal of the Vows ceremony (in place of the second zazen period). Everyone is welcome whether or not they have formally received the Buddhist Vows. One Sunday sitting each month will feature teisho (a formal dharma talk) by our teacher, Susan Myoyu Andersen, Roshi, followed by group discussion. Also, once a month, members and friends are invited to gather for informal Talk & Tea at 6:15. See the calendar for specific dates for these activities. Introduction to Zen Practice Workshops Great Plains Zen Center will continue to hold monthly Introductory Workshops at Countryside Unitarian Church, 1025 N. Smith Road, Palatine, Illinois, and at Myoshinji in Monroe, Wisconsin. Each workshop provides basic, practical information including how to do zazen (Zen meditation), how to practice at home and throughout the day, the aims of practice, and what opportunities for additional or more advanced practice are offered at GPZC. • Workshops in Palatine (Illinois) will be held Saturdays, August 18, September 8 and October 20 and run from 8:30-11:30 AM, followed by an informal lunch. • Workshops at Myoshinji (Wisconsin) will be held Saturdays, August 11, September 29 and October 27. Workshops run from 8:30-11:30 AM. The cost for each workshop is $25 per person ($15 for students and seniors; free for repeating participants). Visit http://greatplainszen.org/workshops to register, or call us at (847) 274-4793 or (608) 325-6248. Please note that workshops are held in two different locations (Palatine, Illinois and Monroe, Wisconsin). Be sure to note the location carefully when registering

Sangha Newsletter August through October, 2012 - 4 Membership in the Great Plains Zen Center There are four levels of membership in the Sangha of the Great Plains Zen Center: Practicing Membership ($50 per month) is for anyone who will be practicing zazen with the sangha on a regular, weekly basis. Practicing Members receive a discounted rate for sesshin (retreats). Affiliate Membership ($30 per month) is for sangha members who live at a greater distance from the regular sittings, and who are not able to attend on a regular basis. Friend of GPZC (any amount per year) is for anyone who wishes to support the Zen Center and be included in all special communications. Sustaining Member, is for anyone committing to any amount, $75 and above, per month. Any of these levels of dues can be submitted at our website: http://greatplainszen.org/membership/dues Membership helps deepen one’s commitment to practice, helps support the center and helps make the practice available to more people now and in the future. Please join us.

Contact Us By phone: (847) 274-4793 By e-mail: [email protected] Myoshinji (Monroe, Wisconsin): (608) 325-6248 Find out more about the Great Plains Zen Center on the web at: greatplainszen.org Seeking Donation: Vacuum Cleaner If you have a full-size vacuum cleaner in good condition that you would be willing to donate for use at Myoshinji, please contact Myoyu Roshi at (608) 325-6248. Thank you!

Schedule Change at Myoshinji Please note this new schedule: Early Morning Sitting at 5:30 AM on Thursdays & Fridays, followed by morning service; Evening Sitting Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings at 7 PM; Saturday Morning Zazen continues to be offered at 9:00 AM, followed by teisho, zendo position instruction or discussion, ending about 11:00 AM with optional morning service at 8:30 AM. [See calendar for exceptions.] Myoshinji is located at W7762 Falk Rd, Monroe, Wisconsin 53566

GPZC P.O. Box 3362 Barrington, IL 60011

Great Plains Zen Center – Myoshinji (Subtle Mind Temple) – Monroe, Wisconsin W7762 Falk Rd • Monroe, WI • 608-325-6248

August 2012

1 7:00p Zazen

2 5:30a Zazen & Service 7:00p Zazen


4 8:30am Service 9am Zazen

5

6

7

8 7:00p Zazen



11 8:30 am Intro Workshop

12

13

14

15 7:00p Zazen


17 5:30a Zazen & Service Zazenkai

18 Zazenkai 9am Zazen

19 Zazenkai

20

21

22 7:00p Zazen




26

27

28

29 7:00p Zazen



1 (Sept.) 8:30am Service 9am Zazen

September 2012

2

3 Labor Day

4

5 7:00p Zazen




9 10

11

12 7:00p Zazen


14 Beginner’s Mind Sesshin

15 Sesshin 9am Zazen

16 Sesshin

17

18

19 7:00p Zazen




23

24

25

26 7:00p Zazen




30

October 2012

1 2

3 7:00p Zazen


5 5:30a Zazen & Service Sesshin

6 Sesshin 9am Zazen

7 Sesshin

8 Sesshin Columbus Day

9

10 7:00p Zazen




14

15

16

17 7:00p Zazen




21 22 23

24 7:00p Zazen




28

29 30

31

Great Plains Zen Center – Countryside Unitarian Church – Palatine, Illinois 1025 N Smith Rd • Palatine, IL • 847-274-4793

August 2012

1

2

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4

5 7 pm Zazen & Teisho

6

7

8

9

10

11

12 7 pm Zazen

13 14 15

16 17 Zazenkai

18 Zazenkai 8:30 am Intro Workshop

19 Zazenkai 7 pm Zazen

20

21

22

23

24 25

26 6:15 Tea 7:00p Zazen pm Fusatsu

27

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31

1 (Sept.)

September 2012


3 Labor Day

4

5

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7


9 7 pm Zazen

10

11

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14 Beginner’s Mind Sesshin

15 Sesshin

16 Sesshin 6:15 Tea 7 pm Zazen

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23 7 pm Zazen Fusatsu

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30 7 pm Zazen &

October 2012

1 2

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5 Sesshin

6 Sesshin

7 Sesshin 7 pm Zazen

8 Sesshin Columbus Day

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21 6:15 Tea 7 pm Jukai

22 23

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28 7 pm Zazen & Fusatsu

29 30

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great plains zen center · 2012-08-22 · great plains zen center sangha newsletter august through...

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