Rohatsu Sesshin 2024

 The Rohatsu Sesshin is a meditation retreat the first week in December.  This is a time of concentrated practice to commemorate Shakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment upon seeing the morning star.  Temples around the world join in this practice.

The sesshin consisted primarily of sitting and walking meditation and also included oryoki breakfasts, lunch with food offering walks, an opening ceremony (Ryakufusatsu), brief dharma talks, and a celebratory closing ceremony.  

This year was the snowiest Rohatsu in memory with an estimated 15" snow total by the end of Sesshin!

The Dharma Talks focused on the 5 Faculties of Awakening: Conviction, Perserverence, Mindfulness, Concentration and Discernment.

Courage & Kindness - November Children's Program

For November's online Family Program, we explored the themes of courage and kindness. 

We began by sharing our names and something we had been noticing about the natural world, such as the colder temperatures, windy days, bare trees of "stick season," and many shades of brown. 

We then discussed courage and bravery - when we feel scared or anxious, but choose to do the thing we feel afraid of anyway because it is important to us. We read and acted out the book Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall, in which a young boy, Jabari, feels nervous about going off the diving board, but through the support of his father, some back and forth, taking a deep breath, and reframing something scary as a surprise, Jabari finds the courage to take the plunge. Our group shared stories of times we have acted with courage and bravery in the face of fear.

And we practiced loving-kindness meditation, which, as the story goes, the Buddha offered as a practice to some monks who were feeling afraid of sleeping in the forest. We ended with the ringing of the bell and a group "OM."

October Meditation Retreat

October 18-20, 2024 was Shao Shan Temple's Autumn Sesshin(meditation retreat). The weekend sitting was accompanied by full moon nights and brilliant sunny days.

Garden Closing - Work, Ceremony & Potluck

 

 On a October 12th, we gathered to for a garden work day, season-closing ceremony and a harvest potluck.  We filled buckets with the harvest of carrots, beets and rutabagas.  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. This was followed by a delicious Harvest Potluck around the fire (with s'mores!).

Annual Remembrance Ceremony 2024

This year the Annual Remembrance Ceremony took place Saturday evening, October 5th.  The beautiful evening ceremony was surrounded by candles and firelight took place both in front of the Temple and in the cemetery. 

The Annual Remembrance Ceremony is a time to honor deceased loved ones, our spiritual lineage and those who are interred in the Shao Shan Temple Cemetery.

This ceremony also includes elements of the Japanese Obon Ceremony - a time to honor the ancestors and to invite them to be with us for a celebration.