COMIMG UP: Winter Ango Shuso Talk by Shinei Brown - Join Us On Site or Online | 7-Day Sesshin

 

COMING UP: Winter Ango Shuso Talk by Shinei Brown

Join us for Winter Ango Shuso Talk by Shuso Shinei (神英) Brown, following 10:30–11:00 am zazen. Open to the public.   For those who are new to Zen or need a refresher, please register for meditation instruction from 9:00 to 10:00 am (8:50 am check-in at the Sangha House). If you live within driving distance, please register to attend on site. Informal vegetarian lunch will be provided at noon in Sangha House.

Comparable to the Great Ocean: Vairocana A great enlivening peace, vibrant and gracious, Vairocana is the open fresh impartial quality of a mind that remains fluid in difficult moments. Not favoring pain or pleasure, not building a story around old memories, it's a mind that can see and permit what is new and possible. There is a great ocean dreaming. I speak to the influx of a bodhisattva imagination—a great conversation between all beings and not just human beings. The Avatamsaka is a pure land, a realm you enter by being present, true to our original vow, our original face. Who are you: utterly. . . within and through? —Koji Shin'ei Alison Brown

About Shuso Shinei began her zen practice in 1997, taking Jukai in 1998. She became a disciple of Abbot Kyogen Carlson in 2001, maintaining a close teacher-disciple relationship with him until his death in 2014. After moving to Eugene, Oregon in 2017, Shinei began practicing with Abbot Ejo McMullen, becoming his formal disciple in 2020 and then taking Koji ordination in 2023. She was given the dharma name Shinei which means “Sacred Flower.” Zen practice, zazen and the creative arts have been essential to her life. Her quest originally motivated and sustained through difficult early experiences and the integration of her painting and writing with formal zen practice.

Attend On Site (in Zendo) Attend Online (on Zoom)

$15 admission (10-20% Member Discount: Please log in first to receive the discount.)

THIS MONTH: "Actualizing the Way" 7-Day Sesshin

Sesshin, literally “to touch the Mind,” is a period of time set aside for an intensive meditation retreat to let go of the conditioned self and resume our original nature. This special time of practice will allow us to dive into the core of Zen training. A silent meditation intensive to still the mind from moment to moment, manifesting the realization of the Way; for beginners as well as experienced practitioners. A rigorous schedule that begins at 5:00 a.m. includes 11 periods of meditation, chanting, mindful work, and a Dharma Talk. Days end at 9pm.

Retreat begins Sunday, Feburuary 11 at 7:30pm and ends Sunday, February 18 at 4:45pm. You are welcome to attend partially as long as you can close with us on Sunday, February 18. We will contact you to arrange your stay and accommodation.   View 7-Day Sesshin Schedule

Attend On Site (in Zendo) Attend Online (on Zoom)

On Site: $85–$160/night / Online: $280 / 10-20% Member Discount

Winter Ango Practice By Donation: Please support SMZC to sustain our practice.

In order to continue to offer these programs and ensure the future of SMZC, we are asking for your support. Your donation is tax deductible. Sonoma Mountain Zen Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Tax ID #23-7304793

6367 Sonoma Mountain Road, Santa Rosa, CA, 95404 (707) 545-8105 Share on social www.smzc.org