Meditation retreat Oct. 29&30

This Saturday and Sunday, October 29 & 30, was a meditation retreat weekend. On beautiful sunny October days, dedicated practitioners joined for half-day or full-day sittings. The two day program included opening and closing ceremonies, zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin (walking meditation) and a dharma talk by Rev. Kenzan. October 29th was also Rev. Taihaku's birthday and sangha members donated to a birthday gift card for the vegetable garden seeds and movingly sang "Happy Birthday".

Full Moon Meditation program & Jukai

This past Sunday, October 9th, 2022, on the day of the October full moon, was a full morning of sitting& walking meditation, a garden vegetable lunch and a Jukai(Precept) Ceremony.  The Jukai (Precept) Ceremony was for several of Taihaku-Roshi's students who have chosen to officially establish a teacher-student relationship with Kenzan also.  This was also an opportunity for all present to inwardly renew their own intentions.

Kenzan with Kinsho, JikiRin and Chogetsu.

Annual Remembrance Ceremony2022

 

This year the Annual Remembrance Ceremony took place Wednesday evening October 5th.  The evening ceremony is surrounded by candles and firelight.

There was time to honor deceased loved ones, the spiritual lineage, and those who are interred in the Shao Shan Temple Cemetery.

The evening included a candlelight procession up to the cemetery, drums and cymbals, and chanting. 

Garden harvest-ceremony-potluck

 

On a perfect weather October 1st, we gathered to for a garden work day, season-closing ceremony and a harvest potluck.  Many hands pulled carrots, beets and rutabagas and filled wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of withering by-gone vegetable plants.  Work time was followed by a Garden-Closing Ceremony - expressing gratitude for all that had made the garden possible and apologies to all beings harmed in the gardening process. A yummy Harvest Potluck around the fire (with s'mores!) was enjoyed by all.

Harvesting Carrots

Baskets of Beets!

Our Garden apology at the end of the season

Plants and animals of the garden

We ask your forgiveness and understanding

We recognize your worth and remember you today:

·        The Japanese Beetles, metallic green shiny, that we removed from feasting on asparagus and pole beans

·        The frogs and grasshoppers inadvertently run over by the lawnmower

·        The little hoppy flea-beetles that we deterred from the leafy greens with unfriendly-named products such as “Dead Bug”

·        Spiders and moths who drowned in the tubs of water that we left in the garden

·        The tender little plants that we deemed “weeds” that we ripped out and discarded

·        The broccoli-loving groundhog who we relocated without consent – may you have settled in to your new home far away.

To all the beings large or small that we injured or harmed intentionally or unintentionally, we apologize now.

We acknowledge in our interconnectedness that we have much to learn from each of you.

May we recognize each encounter with each of you as a Dharma Gate – an opportunity to learn about our own true nature.

(written for Shao Shan Temple, modelled on one used at Green Gulch Farm)

Beets as big as your head!