zcpHeadDec2010
DECEMBER 2010, Vol. 2 No.11
WELCOME:

Welcome to the final newsletter for 2010. Each December, we commemorate Shakyamuni Buddha's enlightenment by sitting for seven days. You can read more about Rohatsu Sesshin below. It is not too late to commit to joining us for some part or all of the sesshin. Dosho Port will be joining us for a portion of the sesshin. Rev. Dosho trained under Dainin Katagiri with Kyoki's teacher, Nonin Chowaney. Contact Kyoki to discuss your options for the retreat. This will be the first year that Rohatsu Sesshin is held at the Zen Center of Pittsburgh. Please join us!

After marking the beginning of the month with Rohatsu, our Sangha invites you to celebrate the New Year with us at our annual New Year's Eve Celebration. We will recognize many Soto Zen traditions including burning of that we wish to be free of in the coming year and eating soba noodles served by the resident priest for prosperity.

We are still accepting applications for the mediation training taking place the first week of January 2011. Please see the reprinted article below and contact Kyoki for more information or an application.

If you are a past donor, you will be receiving our annual fundraising letter in the mail soon. You can always make a donation via the Paypal links in this newsletter, but if you would like to setup a monthly pledge please contact Kyoki.

Make a Donation

IN THIS ISSUE:
Zen Practice
Weekly Zazen Schedule
Location Schedules
Mediation Project
Search, Shop and Donate?
ZEN PRACTICE:

Earlier this year, Kyoki wrote a series of articles on beginning Zen practice. These are now available on the Zen Center of Pittsburgh webpage here.

From time to time we all have questions regarding our spiritual practice. When this happens, we encourage you to meet with either Jisen (jisen@deepspringzen.org) or Kyoki, (kyoki@deepspringzen.org) for assistance. They are usually available Tuesday - Saturday 9:00am-4:00pm. Did you know that you can do a retreat at our temple and follow Kyoki's daily schedule?
WEEKLY ZAZEN SCHEDULE:
Please arrive 10-15 minutes before starting time.

schedule
  • Deep Spring Temple: 124 Willow Ridge Road Sewickley, PA 15143 (map)
  • Zen Friends: 4836 Ellsworth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (map)
DEEP SPRING TEMPLE:
  • Rohatsu Sesshin: Wednesday, December 1 - Tuesday, December 7
    • This annual seven-day sesshin commemorates the enlightenment of the Buddha. Come mornings for zazen and service, come in the evenings, come for one day or all seven. Just come! Sitting quietly together for seven days will completely change your life.
    • Please discuss with Kyoki how you would like to participate.
    • Please consider a donation commensurate with your participation.  Donate
       
  • Precept Renewal (Ryaku Fusatsu): Tuesday, December 21; 6:00-7:00pm
    • This evening of the full moon ceremony offers practitioners an opportunity to renew their commitment to the sixteen Bodhisattva precepts. All are welcome to attend.
    • Read more about Ryaku Fusatsu here.
  • New Year's Eve Celebration: Friday, December 31; 6:00pm-12:30am
     
    • Please join us for any or all of our annual celebration. We begin at 6:00 p.m. with a potluck meal, music and dancing. The rest of the schedule is as follows:
      • 9:00pm - Zazen and burning of that we wish to be free of.
      • 10:00pm - Participants help strike the Bansho (our large outdoor temple bell) 108 times signifying the removal of delusion.
      • Midnight - Soba noodles with sauce and toppings are served by our resident priests representing prosperity in the coming year.
  • Zen Center Closings:
    • December 8th - 11th
    • December 24th - 30th
    • January 1st
       
ZEN FRIENDS:
  • Wednesday evening zazen; 6:00pm-7:15pm. Friends Meeting House (map).
ZAIKE TOKUDO - LAY INITIATION

Zaike tokudo is a lay initiation ceremony for "one who stays home to practice the Way." Over the past few months, Sangha member Steven Bend has sewn a rakusu. This small version of the Buddha's robe, which looks somewhat like a bib, is worn by Zen Buddhist priests and laypeople. While sewing, Steven also undertook an intense study of the 16 Boddhisatva Precepts. Upon completing the rakusu, he presented it to Kyoki so that she could make a few finishing touches such as the addition of his Dharma name, Kozan (meaning Illuminate Mountain), the date of his zaike tokudo and calligraphy of the phrase "Just This". On Sunday, November 19, Kyoki lead a ceremony where Steven received the Precepts from Kyoki along with his Dharma name and the completed rakusu. During the ceremony, Steven's daughter Shinki Molly Forrest served as Kyoki's jisha or attendant. Molly received her Dharma name meaning Deep Spirit, a wagesa (another small version of the Buddha's robe), the 3 Refuges and the 3 Pure Precepts during a similar ceremony last year.

layinitiation1
Steven receiving his rakusu from Kyoki
layinitiation2
Kyoki, Molly, Steven and his wife Ann

MediationMEDIATION SERVICES - A PROJECT OF THE ZEN CENTER OF PITTSBURGH

The Zen Center of Pittsburgh is starting a mediation service specializing in mediations, facilitations, and interventions for spiritual communities and other non-profits around the country. We hope you will consider applying for one of the mediator training positions.


We are searching for trainees with a Buddhist background from different parts of the country in order to create mediator teams and are especially interested in lay practitioners. Training will be offered at Deep Spring Temple Jan 3-8, 2011. Trainees will receive a 32-hour Basic Mediation Training and an additional sixteen hours of training in facilitation and in interventions for clergy misconduct. We will be charging $500 for this training which includes all materials as well as food and lodging for the week. This fee is far below the current basic mediator training fee. In return for this low training fee, we are asking that if you are selected to be part of our mediation team, you will agree to:

  1. Attend the entire training.
  2. Perform three training co-mediations under our supervision for which you will not be paid except for your expenses.
  3. Make yourself available for an additional three paid co-mediations within the following 24 months. For this you will receive a daily rate (yet to be determined) plus expenses.
Our lead trainer is attorney Deb Brownyard. She is the director of the Office of Dispute Resolution for the State of Nebraska. Deb has over twenty years of mediation experience and has overseen the training of most of the mediators in Nebraska. She will be assisted by Judy Dye, a United Methodist pastor in Lincoln, Nebraska. Judy is trained as a church mediator and has worked with churches in conflict since the 1980's. Both Deb and Judy bring their deep spiritual practices to the art of mediation.

For more information or to apply to be accepted into the project, please contact Kyoki:
GIVING WHILE SEARCHING OR SHOPPING

Did you know you can support Zen Center of Pittsburgh by using the Internet? We are registered with Goodsearch.com, which is based on the Yahoo search engine. By making Zen Center of Pittsburgh your charity, each search done on the site earns a 1 cent donation. You can take this a step further by using GoodShop when making online purchases. You can support Zen Center with purchases from online stores including Amazon, Ebay, Apple, and even airfare by first going to the Goodshop page on their website. So if you would like to support Zen Center while you surf or work, please use this service and make every click count.

So far this year, we have raised $27.61 just by people searching the internet and buying through Goodshop. You can track our progress here.
UNTIL NEXT TIME:
  • Please check out the latest edition of Prairie Wind Online, the quarterly newsletter offered by Abbot Rev. Nonin Chowaney.
  • Visit the e-Newsletter archive to read past editions.
     
  • To make a tax-deductible contribution to the Zen Center of Pittsburgh, please click the 'Make a Donation' button. We are deeply grateful for your generosity.
     
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