☔️ TOMORROW: Join us for Saturday Community Talk with Lizbeth Myoko ☔️

THIS WEEK: Saturday Community Talk by Lizbeth Myoko

Talk will be given by Lizbeth Myoko (妙光) Hamlin, a student of Kwong-roshi and Secretary of SMZC Board of Trustees, following 10:30 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. Zen Dust Store will be open from 12:30 to 1:30 pm.   About Speaker Lizbeth Myoko returned to Genjoji after attending the Groundbreaking Ceremony in Fall of 2012. She was pulled back into the fold of zazen that came from the longing for stillness, discipline and community. Kwong-roshi was her first meditation teacher in 1972 while attending graduate studies at Sonoma State University. She had come to SMZC in the early years, but family and professional life kept her focus. Myoko (Profound Light) received Jukai from Kwong-roshi in 2016. She continues to practice in-depth and trauma-oriented psychotherapy. She also has a love of poetry, movement, haiku, photography and beauty.

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

$15 admission per person (Members: Please log in first to receive your discount.)

NEXT WEEK: Kids Community Monthly

Children are welcome to spend a fun morning at the Zen Center while parents have the opportunity to enjoy meditation and talk. We are offering age-appropriate activities and study possibilities for older children. We will explore the surroundings of the Zen Center together. Please register all attending kid(s) and accompanying parent(s) and meet at the Sangha House.    About 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.

Sign Up for Kids Community

$15 admission/child or parent (Members: Please log in first to receive your discount.)

NEXT MONTH: Rohatsu 5-Day Sesshin

Sesshin, literally “to touch the Mind,” is a period of time set aside for an intensive meditation retreat to let go of the conditioned self and resume our original nature. This special time of practice will allow us to dive into the core of Zen training. This silent meditation intensive to still the mind from moment to moment, manifesting the realization of the Way is for experienced practitioners who have done multi-day sesshin in the past.   Each day, the schedule begins at 5:00 am, includes 11 periods of meditation, chanting, and mindful work, and ends at 9:00 pm. The retreat begins at 7:30 pm on Monday and ends at 4:00 am on Saturday. You are welcome to attend partially if you cannot attend the entire retreat due to work commitments. In the spirit of Buddha’s enlightenment, on Friday night we will be in tetsuya, which means we will “sit through the whole night,” from 12:00 am to 4:00 am.   On-site retreat begins with informal dinner in the sangha house on Monday at 6:00pm (check-in between 5:00 and 6:00pm) and ends on Saturday at 8:00am (or after closing breakfast in the sangha house). You are welcome to attend partially as long as you can close with us on Saturday. Onsite day practice option is also available without overnight stay. View Sesshin Schedule.

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

$85/night & up (Members: Please log in first to receive your discount.)

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