Join Us On Site @ SMZC | Sunday, September 5 | Fall Workfest

 

Join Us On Site @ SMZC | Sunday, September 5 | Fall Workfest

Help Realize the Dharma! Breathe new energy into the center with friends and family of the Sonoma Mountain Sangha. Come and join us in maintaining temple grounds in the spirit of together-action. We'll be cleaning up around the shop. Bring a pair of work gloves if you have one. Light lunch will be provided afterwards.   RSVP Online Now

September 4 | Saturday Community Student Talk (Online & On Site)       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 Tom Jakuryu (寂龍) Huffman, a student of Kwong-roshi since 2008, following 10:30 am zazen. Jakuryu (Silent Dragon) has served as Land Stewards (weed whacking) and in the process has become very attached to this sacred 80 acres of land on Sonoma Mountain. His Midwestern college years were augmented by many hitchhiking excursions some of which took him cross country. He spent four years as a serious student of wolf behavior, closely working and interacting with a pack of captive gray wolves.

This experience was further enhanced by the dynamic presence of the pack's alpha leaders who accepted him and became his teachers. Two years in art school were also spent as an apartment manager for an eclectic group of tenants in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury. His career in the North Bay Area consisted of landscape and land management positions for the State of California, including 25 years managing and restoring tidal salt marshes. Raised as a Roman Catholic, he was an altar boy who knew the Latin responses for the Mass. He was introduced to the Buddha Dharma by an interesting group of Bodhisattvas including H.D. Thoreau, Ram Dass, Gary Snyder, Allen Ginsberg and Alan Watts ultimately leading to Shunryu Suzuki-roshi and his American student Jakusho Kwong-roshi. Tom received Jukai from Kwong-roshi in 2014 and remains grateful and honored to be a student of Kwong-roshi who continues to clarify the lifetime practice of dropping off body and mind.   Register to Attend Online

Free pre-registration required to attend Saturday Community starting this Saturday both online and on-site.   On-Site: We are open to the fully-vaccinated public with limited zendo capacity. Sign our covid waiver and pre-register for each Saturday Community you plan to attend.   Donate to Saturday Community. To sustain SMZC and its program offerings, please donate for the Saturday Community program ($10 suggested for non-members).   Register to Attend On Site

Fall Study Group (Week 1 of 12) Tuesday, September 7, 7:30-9:00 pm PST First Talk: Things-As-It-Is (Page 25–36)   An opportunity to explore the fundamental teachings of Buddhism and build a foundation for daily practice through discussions on the book "Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness: Zen Talks on the Sandokai" by Shunryu Suzuki-roshi. This 12-week course occurs every Tuesday from 7:30 to 9:00 pm PST starting September 7.   $12/week. Register to attend week one online or on-site.   View Syllabus   Register Online

Daily Meditation Schedule You are welcome to sit one period of zazen as your schedule permits.Participate in the daily schedule as much as you are able. Continuous daily practice helps strengthen your resolve. If attending partially, please leave or enter during kinhin (walking meditation). Download daily sutras to partake in the service.   Practice Online

5:15 a.m. Morning Zazen 5:50 a.m. Kinhin 6:00 a.m. Zazen 6:35 a.m. Sutra Chanting & Service 7:30 p.m. Evening Zazen 8:10 p.m. Kinhin 8:20 p.m. Zazen 8:55 p.m. Recite Bodhisattva Vows

Join SMZC Sangha Today   SMZC is a lay residential training practice center. We rely on membership dues, income from our programs, and contributions to support and maintain the Dharma on this ancient mountain. Please consider joining SMZC Wisteria Sangha. Your generosity makes it possible for us to survive and serve.    Become A SMZC Member

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

Join Us Online | Sat, August 28, 11am | Ango Closing Ceremony

 

Join Us Online | Sat, August 28, 11am | Ango Closing Ceremony

Shuso Revealing The Dharma Ango Closing Ceremony 10:30 a.m. Zazen / 11:00 a.m. Ceremony     Please join us online. Ango practice participants will ask Shuso (head student) Kevin Shindo (心土) Souza dharma questions to reveal the truth of practice. We encourage all members to close the practice period with us.​ On-site participation is closed, reaching the maximum number of pre-registrations.   Saturday Zoom Link

Donate to Saturday Community To sustain SMZC and its program offerings, please donate for the Saturday Community online program ($10 suggested for non-members).   No Meditation Instruction on Saturday, August 28th due to Ango Closing Ceremony   Introducing New Interactive Event Calendar Beginning in September, SMZC will introduce its new interactive online event calendar. We are excited to offer this new streamlined registration feature to you. The calendar will contain dynamic links leading to a registration page where you can sign up to attend all SMZC events hosted either online or on site. Since we remain dedicated to bringing you programming both online and on site as we continue to reopen, you will find two registration links on the calendar for most events to select either online or on-site participation. Once you have pre-registered, a confirmation email will be sent to you either containing a Zoom link for online participation or a ticket for joining us on site. Please note that the current Saturday Zoom link will be discontinued and replaced with the link you receive in your confirmation email via the free registration process. On-site Zendo capacity is still limited, and signing a Covid waiver with a proof of vaccination is required to attend events in person.

Daily Meditation Schedule   Please enter the virtual zendo a few minutes early to get settled (seated and logged in before the starting bell). When joining partially, please log in during kinhin (walking meditation).   Download Daily Sutras   Sit with Us Online

5:15 a.m. Morning Zazen 5:50 a.m. Kinhin 6:00 a.m. Zazen 6:35 a.m. Sutra Chanting & Service 7:30 p.m. Evening Zazen 8:10 p.m. Kinhin 8:20 p.m. Zazen 8:55 p.m. Recite Bodhisattva Vows

Online Zazen Reflection I am grateful for the opportunity to participate online in the Summer Ango Practice Period at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center.

Although I have studied Buddhism for a very long time, I have resisted making the commitment to practice. The online sessions provide an accessible environment in which to begin to hone my practice without travel, become familiar with the service rituals, and to feel connected to the Sangha. Saying good morning and good night at the close of Zazen is a small but powerful part of the day. —Jo Beyeler, Napa, CA SMZC Sangha Member since 2021

Saturday Community Talk replays are available on YouTube. Please subscribe to our channel, add your comment, and share with your family and friends!

SMZC Sangha Treasure     Kevin Shindo (心土) Souza in Berkeley, CA for donating his time and energy away from his family and work for the entire month of August to serve as our Shuso (head student) for the summer ango practice period. Shindo has been a student of Kwong-roshi and a member since 2008.   Become A SMZC Member

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