Please join us at New York Zendo as we gather to honor and celebrate our departed loved ones. For our Segaki service, we will collectively create an altar with photos, ihais, and mementos of our deceased family and friends. We will then share a period of silent meditation before beginning our chanting service. Each participant will have the opportunity to offer incense and to include the names of their dearly departed in our dedication. After our chanting service, there will be a short period of cleaning before we gather in the dharma hall for an informal lunch.

Doors open at 9:30 a.m. There is no need to register in advance. Contributions in the form of monetary offerings, food, sweets, beverages, or flowers are very welcome.

ZSS Health Protocols apply.

Exploring Identities, Complexes and Compassion with Jifu Devyani Sadh.

Please call me by my true names, so I can wake up and the door of my heart could be left open, the door of compassion. — Thich Nhat Hanh

This transformative workshop is an introspective exploration of the profound impact of our various identities on our experiences and our journey toward transcending all identities.

We will begin with a brief period of Zazen followed by an investigation of the superiority complex, a formidable barrier to authentic human connection. Together, we will aim to unveil the origins of this complex and discern effective strategies for disentangling its grip. Our exploration will continue as we navigate the terrain of insecurities and self-doubts, addressing the pervasive inferiority complex. We will illuminate ways in which this complex shapes our lives and facilitate the discovery of methods to unburden ourselves. At the core of our workshop, we confront the equality complex. We will examine this through the lens of Thich Nhat Hanh and Rinzai Zen, contemplating the delusion of the separate self and exploring ways to unlock the door of compassion.

Facilitating this transformative experience is Jifu, a psychologist and dedicated Zen practitioner of over 25 years, deeply immersed in both the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition and Rinzai Zen. Her unique blend of insights, grounded in her reception of the precepts in both traditions, will help guide our collective dialogue, unraveling the complexities of our human experience. Join us on this illuminating journey as we navigate the intricacies of our identities and nurture the seeds of compassion within.

A $10 donation is encouraged, but not mandatory. The workshop is designed for a small group of people and space is limited, so please register early!  ZSS Health Protocols apply.

Shinge-shitsu Roko Sherry Chayat Roshi and the Zen Studies Society Board of Directors request the honor of your online presence at the installation of Chigan-kutsu Kyo-On Dokuro R. Jaeckel as Abbot of the Zen Studies Society.

Please join us at this auspicious event at the link provided below.  No registration is required.

Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 83138795298
Passcode: Abbot

Please make a contribution in honor of the Installation of Chigan-kutsu Kyo-On Dokuro R. Jaeckel as Abbot of the Zen Studies Society.

 

The Shoboji Temple Committee will meet this afternoon in the Dharma Hall.

For this particular meeting, we welcome sangha members who are not formally part of the Committee.

To take this posture itself is the purpose of our practice. When you have this posture, you have the right state of mind, so there is no need to try to attain some special state. —Suzuki Roshi

Are you uncomfortable or in pain when you meditate? Is it challenging to sit for long periods of time? Or is it just hard to stay present? Discover how being fully present and at ease in your body transforms your practice and your life!

Being upright is not just an arbitrary shape; it’s a perfect expression of meditation itself. In this day-long workshop, Hope, a master teacher of the Alexander Technique, will help you discover ease and non-striving in meditation and other activities. Her hands-on work makes subtle adjustments to the head, neck and back to access effortless, balanced posture — both light and grounded.

The process teaches awareness of habits that result in pain, fixed posture and mind-set, and shows us how to shift to a more open, balanced way of being that is our birthright. It’s not about improving or getting away from anything. Rather, by learning about and honoring the many moments of response that are our habits, we become actively engaged in the process of befriending ourselves.

The workshop includes instruction on basic body mechanics and alignment, experiential exercises and hands-on from the instructor to help improve your posture and release unnecessary tension in your meditation practice and in your life. There will be a break midday for lunch (not provided). New and experienced meditators are welcome.

Hope Martin has taught the Alexander Technique for over 35 years and operates Hope Martin Studio in New York City. She is a Senior Teacher who trained Alexander teachers for 25 years at the American Center for the Alexander Technique. She is also a Meditation Instructor and a Focusing trainer. Hope had a 20-year teaching partnership with David Rome where they developed and taught Embodied Listening bringing together Meditation, the Alexander Technique and Focusing.

She has been a close student of Pema Chodron for 30 years. Hope specializes in working with meditators, bringing more ease to their practice. She has taught in meditation halls and zendos throughout the U.S. and Canada. Her particular passion is in helping her students discover how easeful, upright posture is an expression of their human dignity, confidence and innate wakefulness.

No one will be turned away for lack of funds; please email the NYZ office at office@newyorkzendo.org for assistance. ZSS Health Protocols  apply.