COMIMG UP: Winter Ango Opening Ceremony & More - Join Us On Site or Online

 

COMING UP: Winter Ango Opening Ceremony

Join us for Summer Ango Opening Ceremony with Shuso Shinei (神英) Alison 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.   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.)

Winter Practice Period: January 27–February 24

Join Us ON SITE or ONLINE for Zazen

SMZC's Winter Practice Period will begin tomorrow. Come and join us in practice: If you live within driving distance, come sit in the zendo. To attend all Winter Ango events on site or online, register via the Winter Practice Period page. Please email your commitment form to office@smzc.org. and meet with Shuso in person or on zoom to support your practice. Availability is limited so please submit your commitment form today!

Cover Sheet   Commitment Form   Weekly Schedule Daily zazen periods are open to the public. Please support our practice community by donating to the Winter Practice Period.

Donate to Winter Ango

By Donation: Please support SMZC to sustain our practice on the mountain.

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

COMIMG UP: Winter Sangha Gathering & Potluck - Join Us On Site or Online

 

COMING UP: Winter Sangha Gathering & Potluck

The Intimacy of the Relative & Absolute—Buddha, Dharma & Sangha Fostering a Sense of Belonging. We are hosting an informal get together for Sonoma Mountain Zen Center's sangha members. This is an opportunity for members to connect, give feedback and hear about SMZC's direction and plans for the future. We would love to see and hear from you. Bring a good dish to share & your family too! “One bright coal on its own will go out. However, many bright coals coming together will make a warm fire.” —Nyoze(如是) Kwong

Attend On Site Attend Online

Please bring your favorite dish (for 6-8 people) to share with everyone!

LATER THIS MONTH: January Fusatsu Ceremony

Traditional Monthly Renewal of Vows Atonement Ceremony is a Buddhadharma training—blessing from the teacher and a ritual of chanting, bowing, purification, and renewal of vows/direction. Traditionally practiced on the full moon, Fusatsu is one of the most beautiful and profound ceremonies in the Zen tradition. Together, we acknowledge our karmic entanglements and hindrances, at-one for the beginningless greed, anger, and ignorance—restoring harmony and happiness.   7:30–8:00pm Zazen / 8:00–9:00pm Ceremony

Full Wolf Moon: People from different cultures gave Full Moons names that represented the peculiarities of the lunar month in which they occur. Throughout cold January nights, the howling of wolves could be heard around villages in both Europe and America, so the January Full Moon became widely known as the Wolf Moon. —excerpt from an article "Wolf Moon 2024: The Full Moon In January"

Attend On Site Attend Online

By Donation (Please support SMZC to sustain our practice on the mountain.)

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

Saturday Community Talk - Join Us On Site or Online | Upcoming Events

 

COMING UP: Saturday Community Talk - On Site or Online

Dharma talk will be given by Nyoze Kwong, abbot of SMZC, 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 afterwards in the Sangha House.   About Speaker

Nyoze received a degree in Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz. He worked as a fundraiser in Stanford University’s Engineering Department. Nyoze has a background in Socially Engaged Buddhism and has trained with well-respected teachers in Japan and United States and has over 30 years of meditation experience. In 2012 he finished his formal Zen training at Eiheiji, oldest monastery and head temple of the Soto Zen School in Japan. In 2015 he was certified and recognized by Sotoshu as a Zen teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki-roshi. Currently Nyoze serves as Abbot (the head of meditation practice) and Executive Director of Sonoma Mountain Zen Center. He lives at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center with his wife Kashin and his son Ejo.

Attend On Site Attend Online

Below: Shinsanshiki (Mountain Seat Ceremony) on September 2, 2023. Read more.

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

NEXT SATURDAY: Winter Sangha Gathering & Potluck

Fostering a Sense of Belonging. We are hosting an informal get together for Sonoma Mountain Zen Center's sangha members. This is an opportunity for members to connect, give feedback and hear about SMZC's direction and plans for the future. We would love to see and hear from you.

Attend On Site Attend Online

Please bring your favorite dish (for 6-8 people) to share with everyone!

LATER THIS MONTH: January Fusatsu Ceremony

Traditional Monthly Renewal of Vows Atonement Ceremony is a Buddhadharma training—blessing from the teacher and a ritual of chanting, bowing, purification, and renewal of vows/direction. Traditionally practiced on the full moon, Fusatsu is one of the most beautiful and profound ceremonies in the Zen tradition. Together, we acknowledge our karmic entanglements and hindrances, at-one for the beginningless greed, anger, and ignorance—restoring harmony and happiness.   7:30–8:00pm Zazen / 8:00–9:00pm Ceremony

Beaver Moon: November is when beavers prepare for the cold: they build dams and stock up on food in their lodges. Maybe that’s why the Native Americans named the Full Moon in their honor, observing the activity of these industrious animals. The other possible reason is that during this month, the hunters traditionally set beaver traps to get the fur. —excerpt from an article "Supermoon 2024: Why Is The Moon So Big Tonight?"

Attend On Site Attend Online

By Donation (Please support SMZC to sustain our practice on the mountain.)

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