🎊 Don't Miss the Summer Ango Closing Ceremony & Mondo with Tokan Stepanek

 

COMING UP: Summer Ango Closing Ceremony with Tokan

Join us for Summer Ango Closing Ceremony with Shuso Tokan (当観) Craig Stepanek, following 10:30–11:00 am zazen. Open to the public.   There will be no meditation instruction before the ango closing ceremony. If you live within driving distance, please register to attend on site. Zen Dust Store will be open 12:00–1:30 pm. Fall study group book is on stock! Informal vegetarian lunch will be provided at 12:15 pm in Sangha House.   About Shuso

Tokan worked as a nuclear engineer in the Navy for six years, studied at California State University, Stanislaus, and worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta while traveling around India one summer. There, he met Fr. Bede Griffiths at his Benedictine monastery. These experiences led him to search for the enlivened community of simplicity, harmony, and well-being he had experienced in India. He had a chance encounter with the Rev. Joan Halifax who pointed him to Jakusho Kwong-roshi. Within a month, he was living at SMZC as a resident. He received Jukai from Kwong-roshi in 1991 and spent nearly five years as a resident before meeting his future wife. After more than 25 years working as a landscape/gardening contractor and raising his family, he has returned as a resident and was ordained in 2023. He enjoys sailing and gardening when time permits.

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

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

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

NEXT SATURDAY: Kids Community

Discover All Colors of the Rainbow in the Garden Join us for a delightful morning, watercoloring in the garden here on the mountain. Get inspired by the colors and shapes of the fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Led by our sangha member Kristin 'Misan' Nichols. Please register both kid(s) and accompanying parent(s) together.

About the Host Kristin Misan (未散) Nichols is a German Zen practitioner since 2016 when she was still living in Zurich, Switzerland. Shortly after she left to live at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center studying Zen under Kwong Roshi for one year. Her stay resulted in big live changes: She moved permanently to Sebastopol, got married, had two children, and changed her career from engineering to architectural design. Her children are now 1 and 4 years old, she pursues her architectural license working for MAD Architecture in Petaluma, and she and her husband are renovating their family home according to the most stringent environmental standards.

$15 admission/child or accompanying parent(s) (10-20% Member Discount)

NEXT MONTH: September 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

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

Fusatsu Ceremony 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

📿 THIS WEEK: Sesshin Talks by Jakusho Kwong-roshi, Nyoze Kwong & Tokan Stepanek

 

COMING UP: Summer Ango Sesshin Talks THIS WEEK

Join us for Summer Ango Sesshin Talks by Shuso Tokan (当観) Craig Stepanek; Nyoze Kwong, Abbot; and Jakusho Kwong-roshi, Founder, following 3:00–3:30 pm zazen this week. $15 admission per talk. Registration required. Open to the public.   Ango Theme: The Place of Practice There will be no meditation instructions this Saturday during the 7-day sesshin. If you live within driving distance, please register to attend on site. Formal oryoki meals are provided for sesshin participants only. Zen Dust Store will be closed this Saturday during the 7-day sesshin.

About Shuso Tokan worked as a nuclear engineer in the Navy for six years, studied at California State University, Stanislaus, and worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta while traveling around India one summer. There, he met Fr. Bede Griffiths at his Benedictine monastery. These experiences led him to search for the enlivened community of simplicity, harmony, and well-being he had experienced in India. He had a chance encounter with the Rev. Joan Halifax who pointed him to Jakusho Kwong-roshi. Within a month, he was living at SMZC as a resident. He received Jukai from Kwong-roshi in 1991 and spent nearly five years as a resident before meeting his future wife. After more than 25 years working as a landscape/gardening contractor and raising his family, he has returned as a resident and was ordained in 2023. He enjoys sailing and gardening when time permits.

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

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

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

Summer Practice Period: August 3–August 31

Join Us ON SITE or ONLINE for Zazen

SMZC's Summer Practice Period is in full swing. Come and join us in practice: If you live within driving distance, come sit in the zendo. To attend all Summer Ango events on site or online, register via the Summer Practice Period page. Please email your commitment form to office@smzc.org. The Shuso interview is booked now and no longer available.

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

Donate to Summer 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