THIS SATURDAY: Saturday Community - Join Us On Site or Online | Upcoming Nyoho-e Sewing Gathering

 

THIS SATURDAY: Join Us for Saturday Community

Dharma talk will be given by Kashin Julie Kwong, senior student of Kwong-roshi & ordained nun, following 10:30-11:00 am zazen.   If you are new to Zen, please register for meditation instruction from 9-10 am. If you live within driving distance, please register to attend on site. Informal vegetarian lunch will be provided at noon in Sangha House. Zen Dust Store will be open from 12:30 to 1:30 pm.   About the Speaker

Kashin Julie Kwong has been a student of Jakusho Kwong-roshi since 2001. She was born in Korea and adopted at the age of 7 to Denmark, where she grew up. She worked in the fashion industry in New York and London. She served as Shuso (head student) for the Winter Ango in 2007. Kashin has been a tea student of Mouri-sensei in the Omotesenke tradition for more than 15 years. Kashin trained for five months under Shundo Aoyama-roshi at Aichi Senmon Nisodo Training Nunnery in Nagoya, Japan in 2018 and was formally recognized by Soto School of Zen in Japan the following year. Kashin has served as Geido (arts & aesthetics) for Sonoma Mountain Zen Center. She lives at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center with her husband Nyoze, her son Ejo, and their cat Myoji.

ON SITE or ONLINE | $15 Admission* | Open to the public

*10-20% Member Discount (Please log in first to receive the discount.)

NEXT WEEK: Nyoho-e Sewing Gathering

Buddha’s Robe for Nyoze's Shinsanshiki (Mountain Seat Ceremony) Monday, April 17 –  Friday, April 21, 2023 (View Schedule)

The Buddhadharma connects us through the thread. In honor of our incoming abbot Nyoze Kwong, our sangha is getting together to sew his okesa by hand. Sewing Buddha’s Robe stitch by stitch is a way for our sangha to connect with each other, to learn from and to encourage each other’s practice. This special sangha gathering explores the Self through the traditional practice of sewing called nyoho-e. Taking the backwards step with each stitch, we manifest the mind-to-mind transmission of our ancestors going back to Shakyamuni Buddha.

About the Fabric The special fabric was hand-picked by Hoitsu Suzuki-roshi—the son of Shunryu Suzuki-roshi and abbot of Rinso-in, Shunryu Suzuki-roshi’s temple in Japan. He has recently held Tanto (Head of Practice) at Eiheiji, the main Soto Zen temple in Japan. He will be visiting SMZC as an honored guest to officiate the Shinsanshiki on September 2.

Nyoho-e Lineage Learn the traditional way of sewing Buddha’s robe in the lineage of Eishun Yoshida-roshi, Tomoe Katagiri-sensei’s teacher. In 1994, Katagiri-sensei led a sewing sesshin, transmitting the lineage of sewing to Shinko Kwong at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center (SMZC). We will learn to hand-sew panels of cloth together stitch by stitch to create the Buddhist Okesa in support of Nyoze Kwong who will become the 2nd abbot of SMZC this fall.

Schedule Participants will learn in the group sewing of okesa for our incoming abbot Nyoze Kwong. Two periods of instructions from the sewing teacher and hands-on sewing will be scheduled in morning and afternoon blocks. Our whole sangha is encouraged to participate in this sewing practice in various ways: come for morning zazen, sign up for morning and/or afternoon sewing practice throughout the week, join us for one to four full days, or however this practice fits your daily schedule.

Instructor Kashin Kwong has been leading SMZC’s sewing practice for many years and will be giving instructions and guiding us throughout this gathering.   Everyone is welcome. No sewing experience is necessary. Materials and sewing instructions will be provided.

Day or Overnight Practice by Donation (View Schedule) Morning sewing (9:00–12 noon) plus informal lunch (12:05pm) Afternoon sewing (2:00–5:00 pm) plus informal dinner (6:00pm) Evening sewing (7:30–9:00 pm) plus informal dinner (6:00pm)   Overnight lodging provided by donation. RSVP to attend each day.

RVSP by Day: Mon 4/17 | Tue 4/19 | Wed 4/19 | Thu 4/20 | Fri 4/21

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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