Photo courtesy of Chobo-Ji.Chobo-Ji, Beacon Hill’s Zen Temple, is offering a four-part series on the basics of Zen philosophy and meditation, starting on Tuesday, October 15.
Classes are Tuesday evenings from 7:30-8:45 p.m. Here’s what will be included:
Oct 15 Zazen: the basics of meditation
Oct 22 Meditation in motion: walking meditation, working meditation, chanting, tea ceremony
Oct 29 Roots of Rinzai Zen philosophy: with Abbot Genjo Marinello on the basics of “koan practice” and the role of the “Zen Master”
Nov 5 Zen Meals: the special place that cooking and eating has in Zen practice and life
Sunday, Nov 10, 5:00 am- 11:30 am “Mini-Sesshin”: a half-day sampling of what a traditional week-long Zen retreat is like including, chanting, personal interviews with the abbot, a formal meal, meditation, and a Dharma talk
Cost of the series is just $20, or $40 including the half-day on Sunday. All are welcome regardless of ability to pay. Come to one class, or all. For further questions, contact Tobin Fudo Youngs at 425-351-3929.
Photo courtesy of Chobo-Ji.Neighbor Tobin from Chobo-Ji sent us this announcement about an upcoming event on North Beacon Hill:
Chobo-Ji, the Zen temple on S. Horton, has a three-day meditation retreat that is aimed at beginners and older folks interested in getting a more intimate experience of what Zen meditation is.
It is from Friday-Sunday August 23-25 from 7am-8pm, ending at 4pm on Sunday. Three vegetarian meals will be provided. Cost is $100. The description from our website is as follows:
“Odayaka†means peaceful in Japanese and this Sesshin is a little less arduous with more dialogue than our weeklong sesshins. It is especially suited for Dharma Dragons (practitioners over 60) and others looking for a more spacious daily schedule. Each day begins with zazen at 7AM, followed by a flexible schedule with breakfast at 8AM, lunch at noon, dinner at 6PM and close at 8PM. Sunday the sesshin will close at 4PM. A vegetarian breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served each day with zazen, kinhin (walking meditation) dokusan (private interviews with the Abbot), teisho (dharma talk), chanting, qi gong, dialogue and personal time for reflection and integration. Cost is $100. To hold a spot please send a deposit of at least $25 as soon as possible. For more information email zen@choboji.org.”
Zen Radicals, Rebels, and Reformers is the featured book at the upcoming Chobo-Ji book club.The Chobo-Ji Zen Temple at 1733 S. Horton St. in North Beacon Hill has some upcoming events, including Zen meditation classes, a book club, and a three-day meditation retreat. Read on for the details:
The Zen Meditation class series is a four-week introduction to the spiritual practice of Zen on Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., followed by a Sunday retreat. The schedule includes:
4/16 Zazen: the practice of Zen Meditation
4/23 Meditation in Motion: tea service, chanting, bowing, walking meditation
4/30 Zen Meals: cooking and eating in Zen
5/7 Rinzai Zen with Rev. Genjo Marinello
Sunday, 5/12, 5-11:30 a.m. A half-day Zen retreat
Interested folks are welcome to attend one or all classes. The suggested donation is $20 for the class series, and $40 for the classes and the half-day retreat. More info is on the class flyer here.
The Chobo-Ji Zen Book Club will be reading the book Zen Radicals, Rebels and Reformers by Manfred Steger and Perle Besserman, and meeting at Chobo-Ji to discuss it from April 11 to June 6, every Thursday evening at 7:00-8:30 p.m. Detailed information about the schedule is in the flyer here. Each session will mix dialogue and meditation. The suggested donation is $5 per meeting, and guests may attend all sessions, or individual classes. Cookies and tea will be provided.
On Friday to Sunday, April 19-21, Chobo-Ji will host a 3-day Odayaka Sesshin Zen meditation retreat. Odayaka means gentle and peaceful, and sesshin refers to a period of meditation. According to the info from Chobo-Ji, “This Zen meditation retreat will be structured and conducted in a less rigorous style than our usual retreats. There will be more dialogue, movement, accommodationfor physical limits, and a less intense schedule. It is open to young and old; anybody who wants serious spiritual practice without the sometimes limiting severity of a typical zen retreat.”
To register for all or part of the retreat, email zen@choboji.org to confirm your spot.
The Dai Bai Zan Cho Bo Zen Temple at 1733 S. Horton Street (Chobo-Ji) will host a lecture and several classes over the next few weeks for Beacon Hill neighbors and friends who have an interest in Zen Buddhism.
The first event is this Saturday, January 12, from 9-10:30 a.m. Zen priest Rev. Kojun Hull will give a talk on Zen Master Dogen and his teachings. She is a Zen teacher from the Great Vow Monastery in Clatskanie, Oregon. Donations are welcome; they will be used to cover Reverend Kojun’s transportion costs and the rest will go to the monastery.
Chobo-Ji is also the site of a series of classes over the next few weeks, open to all interested neighbors. Classes in the Introduction to Zen series will run each Tuesday through February 5 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. The series will be followed by a Sunday retreat on February 10 from 5-11:30 a.m.
The class schedule:
Tuesday, Jan 15: Zazen: seated meditation
Tuesday, Jan 22: Meditation in Action: chanting, bowing, walking, working
Tuesday, Jan 29: Zen Meals: preparing and eating food mindfully
Tuesday, Feb 5: Roots of Rinzai Zen: koans and the Zen Master with Rev. Genjo Marinello Osho
Sunday, Feb 10: 5-11:30 a.m. Half-day Zen retreat, or sesshin
Neighbors are welcome to attend all or part of the series. There is a suggested donation of $20 for the Tuesday night series, and $40 for the series including the half-day retreat. For further information, contact Muken Rick Proctor at 206-817-4410.
Rev. Kojun Hull, Director of Training, Great Vow Monastery. Photo courtesy of Chobo-Ji.
This is the proposed Findlay Street Christian Church building on South Bayview Street. However, the project has not been able to move forward.Findlay Street Christian Church sent us this announcement Tuesday:
Findlay Street Christian Church has desperately wanted to move into the Beacon Hill area for years and this weekend (January 29th), we’ll be holding a trial service at The Garden House (2336 15th Ave. S.) 10:30am to check out the space and to introduce ourselves to the neighborhood. All are welcome—we have been an open and affirming congregation since 1987—and we’d love to meet you!
A bit more about the church, Findlay Street Christian Church sold its property six years ago with hopes of moving into the Beacon Hill area. Three years ago, we purchased property on the corner of Bayview and 14th Ave S, we designed an ambitious, forward looking, mixed use building that included worship space and multi-unit affordable housing. Unfortunately, we have run into a number of unforeseen setbacks and have so far been unable to get the project off the ground.
Despite numerous hurdles regarding this building project, we’re still eager to move into the Beacon Hill neighborhood and so we are excited to worship this Sunday.
