Join Us Online | Saturday, May 29th | Saturday Community Online | Introduction to Zen 4-Week Course

 

Join Us Online | Saturday, May 29th | Saturday Community Online

Wednesday, June 2, 9 & 16, 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm PST (Online) Saturday, June 26, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm PST (On Site)

Week 1: Posture and Forms The posture of Zazen, seated meditation, is the cornerstone to Zen practice. This is the radical act of just sitting. In sitting, we experience the embodied reality of the dropping off of the mind and returning to things as they are. Learn the principles of breath and seated positions as a foundation for spiritual practice.

This workshop will be taught by Koten (孤天) David Price and Jibun (自分) Jesse Brunette.   BY DONATION $20/session suggested   DONATE to Register

Saturday Community, May 29       10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.   Zazen 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.   Student Talk       Student talk will be given by Dan Kajin Landault, a student of Kwong-roshi, following 10:30 am zazen. Dan started practicing Zen since the late 80s and has been a student of Kwong-roshi since 2007. Dan received Jukai from Kwong-roshi in 2012 and was given the dharma name Kajin (Good Person). Born in France, he has travelled and lived in numerous countries. He lives in Oliver, British Columbia with his wife Dawn and cat Bodhi. He was an avid mountain climber, ice climber, telemark skier and golfer and now an avid cyclist.

He enjoys writing and especially Haiku and Waka poetry focused on Zen. He leads “The Zen Circle," a sitting group based in Oliver, BC.   DONATE to Saturday Community To sustain SMZC and its program offerings, please donate for the Saturday Community online program ($10 suggested for non-members).   Saturday Zoom Link

Saturday Meditation Instruction   9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.   Drop in for meditation instruction, designed for those who are new to Zen or needs brushing up.   Photo by Koten (孤天) David Price SMZC Resident since 2006   Meditation Instruction Link

Watch Morning Conversations Series "Being Dissatisfied" on YouTube and please leave your comment and share with your family and friends. Thank you!

Morning Zazen Reflection   The famous Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn used to say “A good situation is a bad situation; a bad situation is a good situation.” It seems that the time of the pandemic is a perfect example of how true this teaching is. We are in a bad situation. We are getting sick with a new disease, and it is hard to say how each individual will react to the virus. So maybe we are a bit scared and unsure as people die.

We have been deprived of the possibility (which often feels rather like a right) to travel, eat out, or visit our family members at hospitals. Our personal worlds have shrunk. And yet, they have also expanded! While sitting in the center of Warsaw, Europe, I can hear the roosters crowing to wake us up and the birds chirping in California, America! It is a great treat, a reminder of my spiritual roots but also of the fact that I am not alone, not separated. I truly am a part of something bigger. It opens up and warms my heart. Especially when followed by Roshi’s “Dzień dobry”. Sitting with Roshi and SMZC in the middle of the day— just after 3–4 classes of teaching kids online and before the next classes—is a wonderful “rest” for my busy mind.

I want the pandemic to be over, but I also want the together INTERNATIONAL zazen to continue...—INTERNATIONAL, INTERCONNECTED, INTERSTELLAR! Thank you to all of you who sit and who create the container to make these sits possible. This zoom practice makes us connected FOREVER!   —Małgorzata Myoju (明珠) Sieradzka, Warsaw, Poland Received Jukai (Bright Jewel/Pearl) from Kwong-roshi in 2006

Morning meditation in the rain Eases the pain    Keeps me sane Kihnin along the shore Helps me to endure   Poem & Photo by Ira Leibin, Oakland, CA SMZC Sangha Member since 2010   Join Us Online

SMZC Sangha Treasure   Thank you, Tim Zenun (禅雲) Metzger in Glen Ellen, CA for filming and promoting the “Beyond A Dream: Father & Son Conversations” film series during the temple closure. Tim has been a student of Kwong-roshi and our longtime sangha member since 2002.   Register today for the Part II film premiere on Saturday, June 19!   Become A SMZC Member

Online Programs Are Open to All. Thank you for your support! Our temple gates are always open to those who wish to practice Zen.

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   DONATE ONLINE

We encourage submissions of your zazen reflections, Zen-related poetry, prose, photo, and art.  Let us know how we are doing. Your comments, suggestions or feedback are always welcome!

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