Day of Zazen. Including afternoon practice discussion period. Please bring lunch to share. Meets on the third Sunday of every month from 09:00 AM to 04:30 PM.
Celebrations & Memorial Dates 2010
24 Jan Dogen's Birthday Celebration
5 Feb Bodhidharma Celebration
16 Feb Parinirvana Ceremony
02 Apr Buddha's Birthday
Celebration
29
Oct Sejiki Ceremony
03
Dec Suzuki Roshi Celebration
07
Dec Rohatsu All Night Sitting
Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th December 2010
3 Day InterFaith Retreat with Robert Kennedy SJ Roshi
Robert
Kennedy is an engaging Zen teacher who leads retreats in Europe and
America. He is a Christian Priest & Theologian, and Consultant
Psychiatrist as well as a Zen teacher in the White Plum lineage.
He studied Zen with Yamada Roshi in Kamakura, with Taizan Maezumi Roshi in Los Angeles, and with Bernie Glassman Roshi in New York. He received dharma transmission from Glassman Roshi in 1997.
During
Zen retreats Kennedy Roshi teaches only Zen in his public talks.
However he is generally willing to answer questions on other subjects
during one to one dokusan practice interviews. This may be a particular
advantage to those who combine Christian faith with Zen practice. He is
the author of Zen Gifts to Christians and Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit.
His approach to Zen combines some aspects of both the Soto and Rinzai traditions.
Tuesday 24th August - Monday 6th September 2010
Visit by our teacher Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi
Schedule of Public
Events
Please note Sharing Circle * is only open to those who can commit to all six mornings
All events
held at BMZC except where otherwise stated
24th August
Tuesday
25th August
Wednesday
26th August
Thursday
27th August
Friday
28th August
Saturday
29th August
Sunday
30th August
Monday
31st August
Tuesday
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing
Circle *
8.15-9.00am
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing
Circle *
8.15-9.00am
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing
Circle *
8.15-9.00am
Sangha Day
9.30am-12.30
Annual General Meeting
2-4pm
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing
Circle *
8.15-9.00am
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing
Circle *
8.15-9.00am
Arrival
Zazen & Dharma Talk
7pm-9pm
Zazen &
Dharma
Talk
7pm-9pm
1st September
Wednesday
2nd September
Thursday
3rdSeptember
Friday
4th September
Saturday
5th September
Sunday
6th September
Monday
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing
Circle *
8.15-9.00am
Sesshin
at Benburb
Priory
Sesshin
at Benburb
Priory
Sesshin
at Benburb
Priory
Sesshin
at Benburb
Priory
Departure
Sesshin at Benburb
Priory
Sesshin
at Benburb
Priory
Sesshin
at Benburb
Priory
Sesshin
at Benburb
Priory
Sesshin
at Benburb
Priory
Wednesday 1st - Sunday 5th September 2010
Autumn Sesshin with our teacher Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi
Check their weblink for a map and directions, as well as images of the secluded location and beautiful grounds.
Haller Roshi is
one of the foremost living Zen masters and is also the only senior
Buddhist teacher to be born and raised in Northern Ireland, kind in
manner and speaking with the wisdom and compassion that come
from decades of zazen and study.
Practice
at this Sesshin will be in the Soto Zen tradition. This residential
retreat will be silent for the most part but there will be periods of
teaching, and one to one dokusan interviews with Roshi will be
available.
This will be a popular sesshin so please let us know if you want to book a place as soon as possible.
We
encourage people to register early and for an entire five day period.
Those who wish to come for less than five days will have their names
added to a waiting list and will be accommodated as space allows.
Shared accommodation is in use on this Sesshin to allow us to accomodate more of those who wish to attend.
Unfortunately single accommodation cannot be guaranteed except in exceptional circumstances.
Food and bedding provided. Suggested donation to cover costs £220 Wednesday to Sunday, £150 Friday to Sunday.
We do need a completed booking form for you to be registered on Sesshin even if your place has already been confirmed,
and you will be asked to complete one at registration if you have not already done so.
We regret that only Weds to Sun or Fri to Sun bookings are available.
Wednesday registrations will be accepted from 3.00-5.00pm and 9.00-9.30pm.
Friday registrations will be accepted from 8.30-10.00pm.
It will not be possible to register and be allocated your room outside these times.
If you arrive outside these times you must speak with the Ino during a break in the schedule
before taking your place in the Zendo.
The Ino will be identified on a notice of Zendo Officers, beside the schedule outside the Zendo.
Day drop-ins cannot be accomodated due to limited space.
THIS SESSHIN IS NOW FULLY BOOKED - NO PLACES ARE AVAILABLE.
Practice Week with Ingen Breen Tuesday 3rd to Sunday 8th August 2010 Theme: The Noble Eight Fold Path
Practice Week
Practice periods have their
roots in the "rains retreats" during the time of Shakyamuni Buddha in
India - a time when the monks gathered together, intensifying their
meditation and study under the guidance of their teacher. This
pattern of periodically intensifying our practice continues to this
day. After taking root in China, then Korea and Japan, it is now an
integral part of the calendar in many Western Zen centers.
In
Japanese, this seasonal coming together is called Ango, or peaceful
dwelling. Dogen Zenji opened a Practice Period in 1245 with the
following words:
"During this practice period, make each moment
the top of your head. Don't regard this as the beginning. Don't
regard this as going beyond. Even if you see it as the beginning,
kick it away. Even if you see it as going beyond, stomp on it. Then
you are not bound by beginning or going beyond"... Dogen took
up the whisk, drew a circle, and said, "Dwell peacefully in this
nest."
You are all invited to join in as much as you can.
"So although the kind of place
and practice we treasure most is quiet and ordinary daily zazen, work,
moment by moment "showing up", we also value "turning the burner up"
occasionally and getting the soup rolling. It blends the
ingredients and thickens the pot."
Ingen Breen, originally from
Dublin, trained at San Francisco Zen Centre and Tassajara Mountain
Monastery, and received Dharma Transmission from Norman Fischer Roshi.
Ingen will be with us at BMZC to lead Practice Week in August.
You
may know Ingen from his previous visits, where he has manifested a calm
intimate compassionate wisdom, and become a good friend to many of us. The theme for Practice Week will be 'The Noble Eight-Fold
Path'.
The Noble Eightfold
Path describes the way to freedom from samsara, as
it was laid out by Shakyamuni Buddha. It is
a practical guideline to ethical and mental development which can
free the individual from attachment and delusion and lead to
understanding the truth of existence.
Together with the Four Noble
Truths it constitutes the essence of Buddhism.
The eight aspects of the path are
not to be understood as a sequence of single steps, instead they are
highly interdependent principles that have to be
seen in relationship with each other.
Check their weblink for a map and directions, as well as images of the secluded location and beautiful grounds.
Haller Roshi is
one of the foremost living Zen masters and is also the only senior
Buddhist teacher to be born and raised in Northern Ireland, kind in
manner and speaking with the wisdom and compassion that come
from decades of zazen and study.
Practice
at this Sesshin will be in the Soto Zen tradition. This residential
retreat will be silent for the most part but there will be periods of
teaching, and one to one dokusan interviews with Roshi will be
available.
This will be a popular sesshin so please let us know if you want to book a place as soon as possible.
We
encourage people to register early and for an entire five day period.
Those who wish to come for less than five days will have their names
added to a waiting list and will be accommodated as space allows.
Shared accommodation is in use on this Sesshin to allow us to accomodate more of those who wish to attend.
Unfortunately single accommodation cannot be guaranteed except in exceptional circumstances.
Food and bedding provided. Suggested donation to cover costs £220 Wednesday to Sunday, £150 Friday to Sunday.
We do need a completed booking form for you to be registered on Sesshin even if your place has already been confirmed,
and you will be asked to complete one at registration if you have not already done so.
We regret that only Weds to Sun or Fri to Sun bookings are available.
Wednesday registrations will be accepted from 3.00-5.00pm and 9.00-9.30pm.
Friday registrations will be accepted from 8.30-10.00pm.
It will not be possible to register and be allocated your room outside these times.
If you arrive outside these times you must speak with the Ino during a break in the schedule
before taking your place in the Zendo.
The Ino will be identified on a notice of Zendo Officers, beside the schedule outside the Zendo.
Day drop-ins cannot be accomodated due to limited space.
Booking forms are available from BMZC or can be emailed upon request to
Visit by Myo Dennis Lahey
'Can You Hear The Dragon Song?'
7pm to 9pm each evening @ BMZC. All wellcome.
Rev. Myo Denis Lahey is a
Soto Zen priest practicing in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki-Roshi.
Myo is practice leader at Hartford Street Zen Center in San Francisco
and at Iron Bell Zendo in Sacramento, California.
A Dharma heir of Tenshin Reb Anderson, he serves on the Board of Directors
for the Soto Zen Buddhist Association of North America (SZBA)
and is a member of the Association for Soto Zen Buddhism of Japan (ASZB).
Myo was drawn to religion and spirituality at an early age and found Zen
Buddhism in his teens. He began sitting in 1969 with Shunryu Suzuki-Roshi at San Francisco Zen Center, and later with
Issan Dorsey at Hartford Street Zen Centre.
12th March - 14th March 2010
Dharma Weekend @ BMZC with Ingen Breen.
Originally from Dublin, Ingen trained at San Francisco Zen Centre and Tassajara
Mountain Monastery for over a decade, and has previously led Practice Periods
at BMZC.
No doubt many of you who know Ingen from his previous visits will
appreciate the opportunity to sit togther with him again. Manifesting a calm
intimate wisdom, Ingen will be leading several events at BMZC over the
next few months.
Fuller details of eventsare available in the Centre and everyone is very
welcome to attend.
Friday 12th March 2010
7.00pm to 8.30pm Zazen & Dharma Talk Saturday 13th March 2010 7.00am to 9.00pm One Day Intensive Sesshin An intensive day of zazen, Dharma talks, and questions & answers.
To book your place please email treasurer@blackmountainzencentre.org
2 Entry points - 9.30am & 1pm
2 Exit points - 1pm & 6pm
Full Day: £30 (waged), £10 (unwaged)
Half Day: £15 (waged), £5 (unwaged)
Half Day: 7am-12.30pm or 1.30pm-9pm
**Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner provided in-house for Full day participants
**Half Day participants (Breakfast or Dinner provided)
Fees help pay for the cost of the visit and the core running costs of BMZC,
allowing us to offer our daily schedule on an ongoing basis throughout the
year. Sunday 14th March 2010
9.00am to 12.30pm
'Everything you ever wanted to know about (Za)Zen but were afraid to ask'
3rd March - 7th April 2010
Zen Mind Beginner's Mind Reading Group
A six week reading group will meet from 7pm to 9pm each Wednesday from
3rd March onwards.
The book will be the classic text on Zen practice by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.
Discussion and tea & biscuits. All welcome.
BMZC are pleased to welcome back our good friend Ingen Breen in 2010.
Originally from Dublin, Ingen trained at San
Francisco Zen Centre and Tassajara Mountain Monastery for over a
decade, and has previously led Practice Periods at BMZC.
No
doubt many of you who
know Ingen from his previous visits will appreciate the opportunity to
sit togther with him again. Manifesting a calm intimate wisdom,
Ingen will be leading several events at BMZC over the next few months.
Details of events in
February and March will be confirmed and announced shortly. Meanwhile
please find below details of his January visit this coming weekend. All
are very welcome and we look forward to seeing you there.
Saturday 16th January 2pm-5pm
Zazen Posture & Practice Workshop A £10 fee applies. Scholarships are available to the unwaged.
Sunday 17th January 9am-4.30pm Dharma Day A special day of zazen and teachings, discussion, questions and answers, and a few surprises. A £20 fee applies. Scholarships are available to the unwaged.
Fees help pay for the cost of the visit and the core running costs
of BMZC, allowing us to offer our daily schedule on an ongoing basis
throughout the year.
Friday 11th to Sunday 13th December 2009
3 Day InterFaith Retreat with Robert Kennedy SJ Roshi
Robert
Kennedy is an engaging Zen teacher who leads retreats in Europe and
America. He is a Christian Priest & Theologian, and Consultant
Psychiatrist as well as a Zen teacher in the White Plum lineage.
He studied Zen with Yamada Roshi in Kamakura, with Taizan Maezumi Roshi in Los Angeles, and with Bernie Glassman Roshi in New York. He received dharma transmission from Glassman Roshi in 1997.
During
Zen retreats Kennedy Roshi teaches only Zen in his public talks.
However he is generally willing to answer questions on other subjects
during one to one dokusan practice interviews. This may be a particular
advantage to those who combine Christian faith with Zen practice. He is
the author of Zen Gifts to Christians and Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit.
His approach to Zen combines some aspects of both the Soto and Rinzai traditions.
Visit by our teacher Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi
Tuesday 25th August to Monday 7th September 2009
Schedule of Public Events
Please note Sharing Circle * is only open to those who can commit to all five mornings
All events held at BMZC except where otherwise stated or where noted as ** which means venue to be confirmed
Sangha members who wish to volunteer to assist with sesshin duties or doanryo, or at other times during Roshi's visit, are very welcome and should email contact@blackmountainzencentre.org or use the sign-up sheet in BMZC. Thank you.
For more details on Sesshin, on BMZC Annual General Meeting, on N.I. Sangha Day, or on the public workshops,
please see the info below the following schedule. Please enquire for further details on any event.
25th August
Tuesday
26th August
Wednesday
27th August
Thursday
28th August
Friday
29th August
Saturday
30th August
Sunday
31st August
Monday
1st Sept
Tuesday
Sesshin
@
Benburb
Sesshin
@
Benburb
Sesshin@ Benburb
Sesshin
@
Benburb
Sesshin
@
Benburb
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing
Circle *
8.15-9.00am
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing
Circle *
8.15-9.00am
Arrival
Sesshin
@
Benburb
Sesshin
@
Benburb
Sesshin
@ Benburb
Sesshin @ Benburb
Sesshin
@
Benburb
Annual General Meeting
1pm-4pm
Talk @ Newcastle Zen Group,
Newcastle Centre, 10-14 Central Promenade
7.30pm-9pm
2nd Sept
Wednesday
3rd Sept
Thursday
4th Sept
Friday
5th Sept
Saturday
6th Sept
Sunday
7th Sept
Monday
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing
Circle *
8.15-9.00am
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing
Circle *
8.15-9.00am
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing Circle *
8.15-9.00am
Mindfulness Workshop
10am-12.30pm
N.I. Sangha
Day @
Ballymena Zen Group
10am-4pm
Departure
EveningTalk @
N.I. Inter-Faith Forum **
Zazen & Dharma
Talk
7pm-9pm
Zazen & Dharma Talk
7pm-9pm
Zen & Poetry
Workshop
1.30pm-4pm
Sunday 13th September 2009
Video Presentation to the Green Living Fair, Castle Espie Wetland Centre, 3-4pm
Dr Peter Doran of Queen’s University and the Black Mountain Zen Centre in Belfast will convene a workshop on tapping the wisdom of our spiritual traditions for the development of personal and collective resilience in the face of ecological change and uncertainty. Representatives of the Zen tradition will be joined by Benedictine monk, Bro. Anthony Keane OSB, Glenstall Monastery, and Ursula Laeubli of Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company. The workshop will feature a special prerecorded video interview with the Co-Abbot of the San Francisco Zen Centre,Paul Haller, who was brought up in Belfast.
Sunday 6th September 2009 @ Ballymena Zen Group
N.I. Sangha Day with our teacher Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi
Practitioners from each of the BMZC related groups will gather for a Northern Ireland Sangha Day.
Often we begin the day with zazen and a Dharma Talk, leading into group discussion and feedback about each groups needs and our shared vision.
During and after lunch, we'll have the opportunity to socialise and get to know practitioners from other groups better,
all those we might normally only encounter on silent sesshins!
The afternoon will see a period where our creative self expression is explored before we close the day with zazen.
All the N.I. Sangha is very welcome and encouraged to attend.
Please do come along if you can, bring lunch to share, and join the fun...
Saturday 5th September 2009
Public Workshops with our teacher Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi
@ Institute of Governance, 63 University Rd, Belfast
10.00am - 12.30pm
Meditation & Everyday Life : Stress Reduction & the Art of Mindful Living
Mindfulness is a way of learning to relate directly to whatever is happening in your life, a way of taking charge of your life,
a way of doing something for yourself that no one else can do for you - consciously and systematically working with your own stress, pain, illness, and the challenges and demands of everyday life.
Restoring within yourself a balanced sense of health and well being requires increased awareness of all aspects of self,
including body, mind and spirit.
Mindfulness based stress reduction is intended to ignite this inner capacity and infuse your life with awareness.
Fortunately, mindfulness is not something that you have to "get" or acquire.
It is already within you - a deep internal resource available and patiently waiting to be released
and used in the service of learning, growing, and healing.
(* Suggested Donation -Waged £20 for morning or afternoon, £30 for both - Unwaged £10 for morning or afternoon, £15 for both)
1.30pm - 4.00pm
The Zen of Poetry : Zen Meditation and the Poetics of Waking Up
Explore the relationships between poetry and meditation, poet and 'self', and word and use.
As Zen became popularized in the West through writers and poets who translated the great works of East Asian literature,
a natural affinity has been assumed between Zen and poetry.
On the other hand, many of the traditional Chinese and Japanese poets influenced by Zen
were troubled by the relationship between literature and Zen practice.
After all, Zen emphasizes direct experience beyond words and repeatedly asserts that language distorts the fullness of reality.
Roshi will investigate how poetry may convey meaning beyond words, and what function literature fulfils in the context of Zen,
leading you in an exercise of creative self expression.
(* Suggested Donation -Waged £20 for morning or afternoon, £30 for both - Unwaged £10 for morning or afternoon, £15 for both)
Monday 31st August 2009
BMZC Annual General Meeting with our teacher Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the AGM.
All the N.I.Sangha is very welcome and encouraged to attend.
We will be presenting the BMZC Annual Report which will update you on a lot of behind the scene progress at BMZC,
and presenting you with a vision for BMZC's future.
We will also be unveiling our calendar of events for the next year,
which has been based on the input of Sangha members present at the previous N.I Sangha Day
and of those who completed our Survey earlier in the year. Thank you all.
We will also be electing a new Committee of Trustees for 2009/2010.
In order to vote, nominate candidates, propose motions, etc, you do need to be a member of BMZC or an affilated group in N.I.
Your nominees to Committee and your specific Office Holder nominees (2 Co-Chairs, 1 Hon.Secretary, and 1 Treasurer)
need to have been members of BMZC or an affiliated group for at least one year.
Nominations, and proposed motions to AGM, should be received by the Hon.Secretary at least 7 days prior to the AGM.
Proposed motions which involve alteration to the BMZC Constitution should be received by the Hon.Secretary at least 21 days prior to the AGM.
You can download a copy of the Governing Constitution from the 'Governance' page of the website. Link below.
Just as importantly this is a wonderful opportunity for the wider Sangha to meet together and have input into the future direction of BMZC and its Events, as well as catching up with friends and enjoying some tea and cake.
Wednesday 26th to Sunday 30th August 2009
5 Day Sesshin with our teacher Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi
Check their weblink for a map and directions, as well as images of the secluded location and beautiful grounds.
Haller Roshi is one of the foremost living Zen masters and is also the only senior Buddhist teacher to be born and raised in Northern Ireland, kind in manner and speaking with the wisdom and compassion that come from decades of zazen and study.
Practice at this Sesshins will be in the Soto Zen tradition. This residential retreat will be silent for the most part but there will be periods of teaching, and one to one dokusan interviews with Roshi will be available.
This will be a popular sesshin so please let us know if you want to book a place as soon as possible.
We encourage people to register early and for an entire five day period. Those who wish to come for less than five days will have their names added to a waiting list and will be accommodated as space allows.
PLEASE NOTE: Shared accomodation may be in use on this Sesshin to allow us to accomodate more of those who wish to attend.
Unfortunately single accomodation cannot be guaranteed except in exceptional circumstances.
Food and bedding provided. Suggested donation to cover costs £220 Wednesday to Sunday, £150 Friday to Sunday.
We do need a completed booking form for you to be registered on Sesshin even if your place has already been confirmed,
and you will be asked to complete one at registration if you have not already done so.
We regret that only Weds to Sun or Fri to Sun bookings are available.
Wednesday registrations will be accepted from 3.00-5.00pm and 9.00-9.30pm.
Friday registrations will be accepted from 8.30-10.00pm.
It will not be possible to register and be allocated your room outside these times.
If you arrive outside these times you must speak with the Ino during a break in the schedule
before taking your place in the Zendo.
The Ino will be identified on a notice of Zendo Officers, beside the schedule outside the Zendo.
Day drop-ins cannot be accomodated due to limited space.
Booking forms are available from BMZC or can be emailed upon request to
Zesho Susan O’Connell has been practicing Zen since 1987, and was ordained as a priest by Tenshin Reb Anderson in 1999. Following a period as shuso at Green Dragon Temple, she currently serves as vice president of San Francisco Zen Center.
Before moving to Zen Center, Susan was a feature film producer and, when young, a film and television actress in Hollywood and New York. She has a son and two granddaughters.
"When we first encounter Buddhism, we may think that the successful understanding and practice of the teachings is dependent on following cultural norms and customs from Asia, where the Dharma has been nurtured and developed from its initial expression by Shakyamuni Buddha over 2500 years ago. I would like to suggest that the Dharma is alive and well in our own Western culture."
During the week Susan may speak on some of the following themes:
1) Taking Refuge, Study and Kindness
2) How to practice in times of extreme change
3) The positive and negative aspects of Hope
4) How to grow the Baby Buddha in each of us
5) Zen is more than stress reduction techniques, it offers liberation
13th June
Saturday
14th June
Sunday
15th June
Monday
16th June
Tuesday
17th June
Wednesday
18th June
Thursday
19th June
Friday
20th June
Saturday
Zazenkai
10am-4pm
inc.
Dharma Talk
Q & A
Zazen
10.30
-11.45am
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing Circle
8.15-9.00am
Zazen
7am-8.15am
(to be confirmed)
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing
Circle
8.15-9.00am
Zazen
7am-8.15am
(to be
confirmed)
Zazen
7am-8.15am
Sharing
Circle
8.15-9.00am
Dharma Study& Practice
10am-1pm
Zazen
7pm-7.30pm
Dharma Talk
7.30pm-8.15pm
Newcastle
7pm-9pm
Zazen
7pm-7.30pm
Dharma Talk
7.30pm-8.15pm
Zazen
7pm-7.30pm
Dharma Talk
7.30pm-8.15pm
Wednesday 22nd to Sunday 3rd May 2009
Schedule with our teacher Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi @ BMZC
Wednesday 22nd to Sunday 26th April - Sesshin
Monday 27th April - Morning Zazen 7am to 8.15am & Practice Circle 8.15am to 9am
Tuesday 28th April - Morning Zazen 7am to 8.15am & Practice Circle 8.15am to 9am
Tuesday 28th April - Evening Zazen & Dharma Talk 7pm to 8.30pm
Wednesday 29th April - Morning Zazen 7am to 8.15am & Practice Circle 8.15am to 9am
Thursday 30th April - Morning Zazen 7am to 8.15am & Practice Circle 8.15am to 9am
Thursday 30th April - Evening Zazen & Dharma Talk 7pm to 8.30pm
Friday 1st May - Morning Zazen 7am to 8.15am & Practice Circle 8.15am to 9am
Friday 1st May - Dokusan 10.30am to 4.30pm (sign up in advance)
Friday 1st May - Evening Zazen & Dharma Talk 7pm to 8.30pm
Saturday 2nd May - Sangha Day 10am to 4pm
Sunday 3rd May - Posture, Bodywork & Meditation Workshop 10am to 1pm
Friday 19th to Sunday 21st December 2008
3 Day InterFaith Retreat with Robert Kennedy SJ Roshi
Robert Kennedy is an engaging Zen teacher who leads retreats in Europe and America. He is a Christian Priest & Theologian, and Consultant Psychiatrist as well as a Zen teacher in the White Plum lineage.
He studied Zen with Yamada Roshi in Kamakura, with Taizan Maezumi Roshi in Los Angeles, and with Bernie Glassman Roshi in New York. He received dharma transmission from Glassman Roshi in 1997.
During Zen retreats Kennedy Roshi teaches only Zen in his public talks. However he is generally willing to answer questions on other subjects during one to one dokusan practice interviews. This may be a particular advantage to those who combine Christian faith with Zen practice. He is the author of Zen Gifts to Christians and Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit.
His approach to Zen combines some aspects of both the Soto and Rinzai traditions.
Friday 7th to Sunday 9th November 2008
Visit by Ajahn Vajiro
(hosted and organised by Claire Ferry Yoga Group)
Venerable Vajiro was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1953. Upon graduating in England in1974, he began attending Buddhist meditation retreats.
Soon therafter he went to meet with Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho in1977, and in 1978 asked to join the community as an anagārika. He left for Thailand in 1979 and in October that year he became a samanera, receiving upasampada from Ajahn Chah in June 1980.
Venerable Vajiro returned to England in 1984, and assisted with the establishment of Amaravati Buddhist Centre. From 1985 to 1986 he resided at Harnham Buddhist Monastery and from 1986 to 1993 he lived at ‘Cittaviveka’. Then between 1993 and 1998 he led the community in Bodhinyanarama before spending the following three years living quietly in the hermitage ‘Sanghaloka’. He now resides at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England.
Friday 7 Nov
7-10pm An evening sitting (meditation and talk/questions)
at rooms above Crysalis shop on Woodstock Rd, where Jampa Ling Belfast meet.
Saturday 8 Nov
8-10am Morning sitting at Black Mountain Zen Centre
10.30am-1pm Dana at Peace House, Lisburn Rd
(Giving of food. Please bring along a little food to offer to Ajahn and then to share - rice will be provided. Also time for short meditation/chanting.)
7-10pm Evening sitting at BMZC
Sunday 9 Nov
Morning - private visit
2-4pm Afternoon sitting at Black Mountain Zen Centre
7.30-9pm Evening sitting at Black Mountain Zen Centre
Please contact Claire Ferry for further information
"IMPERMANENCE: The Claws of Mara & the Lotus Blossom"
Practice Period has its roots in the "rains retreats" during the time of Shakyamuni Buddha in India - a time when the monks gathered together, intensifying their meditation and study under the guidance of their teacher. This pattern of seasonal intensive practice continues to this day. After taking root in China, then Korea and Japan, it is now an integral part of the calendar in many Western Zen centers. In Japanese, this seasonal coming together is called Ango, or peaceful dwelling. Dogen Zenji opened a Practice Period in 1245 with the following words:
"During this practice period, make each moment the top of your head. Don't regard this as the beginning. Don't regard this as going beyond. Even if you see it as the beginning, kick it away. Even if you see it as going beyond, stomp on it. Then you are not bound by beginning or going beyond...Dogen took up the whisk, drew a circle, and said, 'Dwell peacefully in this nest'. "
You are all invited to join in as much as you can. All of us may benefit from "turning up the burner" of practice and from the wisdom and clarity of our visiting Zen teachers. This is a precious opportunity to increase our practice at the zendo, at home, at work....
"So although the kind of place and practice I treasure most is quiet and ordinary daily zazen, work, moment by moment "showing up", I also value "turning the burner up" occasionally and getting the soup rolling. It blends the ingredients and thickens the pot."
Ingen Breen, a Zen priest originally from Dublin who has been trained at San Francisco Zen Centre and Tassajara Mountain Monastery for over a decade, will be resident at BMZC during October 2008. Many of you will know Ingen from his previous visits. Manifesting a calm intimate wisdom, Ingen will be leading practice at the Centre and visiting all the outlying practice groups.
The October schedule with Ingen Breen is below.
All activities at BMZC unless otherwise stated
(Lunchtime sittings are open sitting - there is no fixed start and end time, feel free to call in and sit on your lunchbreak)
A letter from Ingen is copied here below the schedule.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
8th October
9th
10th
11th
12th
Ingen arrives
7-8pm Zazen
7-9am Zazen
12.30-2pm open sitting Zazen
7-9.30pm Zazen Welcome & Talk
10am -5pm Workshop
“Posture & The Physicality of Zazen”
7pm
@ Ballymena Zen Group
13th
14th
15th
16th
17th
18th
19th
7-9am Zazen
12.30-2pm open sitting Zazen
7-8.30pm Zazen & Service
7-9am Zazen
12.30-2pm open sitting Zazen
7-9pm Zazen
& Fundamental Dharma Class One
Dublin
Dublin
7-9pm Zazen
& Fundamental Dharma Class Two
9am-4.30pm Zazenkai
20th
21st
22nd
23rd
24th
25th
26th
7-9am Zazen
& Sharing Circle
12.30-2pm open sitting Zazen
7-8.30pm Zazen & Service
7-9am Zazen
& Sharing Circle
12.30-2pm open sitting Zazen
7-9pm Zazen
& Fundamental Dharma Class Three
7-9am Zazen
& Sharing Circle
12.30-2pm open sitting Zazen
7.30-9pm @ Newcastle Zen Group
7-9am Zazen
& Sharing Circle
12.30-2pm open sitting Zazen
7.30-9pm @ Larne Mindfulness Group
7-9am Zazen
& Sharing Circle
12.30-2pm open sitting Zazen
7-8.30pm Zazen & Service
2pm-7pm Workshop
“ Impermanence : The Claws of Mara”
10am-4pm Workshop
“Impermanence : The Lotus Blossom”
27th
28th
29th
30th
31st
1st November
2nd
7-9am Zazen
12.30-2pm open sitting Zazen
7-9pm Zazen
& Fundamental Dharma Class Four
7-9am Zazen
12.30-2pm open sitting Zazen
7.30-9.30
@ Coleraine Zen Group
7-9am Zazen
12.30-2pm open sitting Zazen
7-8pm Zazen
7-9am Zazen
12.30-2pm open sitting Zazen
7-9pm Zazen
& Fundamental Dharma Class Five
Ingen departs
"Dear Friends, greetings.
I am looking forward to my visit next week, to seeing some familiar faces and meeting some new ones, looking forward to sitting with the BMZC Sangha again.
My visit will be for about three weeks. The committee and I have come up with an engaging schedule and I ask you to look at the schedule and attend as much of it as possible – make the three weeks into a retreat or ‘practice period’ (a period of time where you/we pay more attention to our practice and make a commitment to practice more deeply for a given amount of time (3 & 1/2 wks) - sitting more, attending classes & talks and one-day sittings, deepening our understanding and harmony. It is a practice period for me as well as for you!
The five classes being offered are progressive, each one building on the previous one, but I think they also stand alone; it would be great if you can attend all five, but if not, feel free to come to one or two. They offer a good introduction and a good overview/review of the Buddha’s basic teachings.
I will also be offering daily bodywork sessions. Basically, you sign up for these, sign up for a session between 9am and 12:15pm, or between 2:15 and 4:30pm. If these times do not work for you, then we can check our diaries and figure out a time that will work for both of us. Feel free to email me if you have any questions about the bodywork sessions that I am offering, and see the flyer too. The Acupressure that I’ve been trained in is very gentle and perhaps should not be called bodywork – ‘mindwork’ might be a better term. The Shiatsu and Ashiatsu forms are bodywork. I am offering these by donation rather than by fee. The Acupressure takes about an hour, the Shiatsu and Ashiatsu about an hour and 20.
I am also available for meeting with you one-on-one to discuss your practice (“practice discussion”). Again, please see me to set a date and time.
AUGUST 2008 SCHEDULE WITH RYUSHIN PAUL HALLER ROSHI
Please do avail of this wonderful opportunity to attend events and for the Sangha here in N. Ireland to experience the Buddha Dharma together with our Teacher.
We look forward to seeing you and to continuing in the warm heart of practice together one step at a time, one breath at a time, with no gaining idea...
Tuesday 19th7pm - Zazen at BMZC
Friday 22nd7am - Zazen & Sharing Circle at BMZC
Friday 22nd 7pm - short Talk and N. Ireland Sangha Tea & Social at BMZC
Saturday 23rd 10am-1pm at Institute of Governance, 63 University Rd, Belfast
Meditation & Everyday Life : Stress Reduction & the Art of Mindful Living
Mindfulness is a way of learning to relate directly to whatever is happening in your life, a way of taking charge of your life, a way of doing something for yourself that no one else can do for you - consciously and systematically working with your own stress, pain, illness, and the challenges and demands of everyday life. Restoring within yourself a balanced sense of health and well being requires increased awareness of all aspects of self, including body, mind and spirit.
Mindfulness based stress reduction is intended to ignite this inner capacity and infuse your life with awareness. Fortunately, mindfulness is not something that you have to "get" or acquire. It is already within you - a deep internal resource available and patiently waiting to be released and used in the service of learning, growing, and healing.
(* Suggested Donation -Waged £20 for morning or afternoon £30 for both - Unwaged £10 for morning or afternoon £15 for both)
Saturday 23rd 2pm-5pm at Institute of Governance, 63 University Rd, Belfast
The Zen of Poetry : Zen Meditation and the Poetics of Waking Up
Explore the relationships between poetry and meditation, poet and 'self', and word and use. As Zen became popularized in the West through writers and poets who translated the great works of East Asian literature, a natural affinity has been assumed between Zen and poetry. On the other hand, many of the traditional Chinese and Japanese poets influenced by Zen were troubled by the relationship between literature and Zen practice. After all, Zen emphasizes direct experience beyond words and repeatedly asserts that language distorts the fullness of reality. Paul will investigate how poetry may convey meaning beyond words, and what function literature fulfils in the context of Zen.
(* Suggested Donation -Waged £20 for morning or afternoon £30 for both - Unwaged £10 for morning or afternoon £15 for both)
Sunday 24th 10am-1pm Zazen, Dharma Talk and Posture workshop at BMZC
Sunday 24th 2pm-4pmAnnual General Meeting at BMZC (see below)
Monday 25th 7am - Zazen & Sharing Circle at BMZC
Monday 25th 7pm - Zen Workshop at BMZC
Tuesday 26th 7am - Zazen & Sharing Circle at BMZC
Tuesday 26th 7pm - Zazen & Dharma Talk at BMZC
Wednesday 27th 7am - Zazen & Sharing Circle at BMZC
Wednesday 27th - Sunday 31st - Sesshin at Benburb Priory (see below)
Sunday 31st circa 8pm - After Sesshin Meal
Wednesday 27th to Sunday 31st August 2008
5 Day Sesshin with our teacher Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi
Check their weblink for a map and directions, as well as images of the secluded location and beautiful grounds.
Haller Roshi is one of the foremost living Zen masters and is also the only senior Buddhist teacher to be born and raised in Northern Ireland, kind in manner and speaking with the wisdom and compassion that come from decades of zazen and study.
Practice at the Sesshin will be in the Soto Zen tradition. This residential retreat will be silent for the most part but there will be periods of teaching, and one to one dokusan interviews with Roshi will be available.
This will be a popular sesshin so please let the Centre know if you want to book a place as soon as possible.
We encourage people to register early and for an entire five day period. Those who wish to come for less than five days will have their names added to a waiting list and will be accommodated as space allows.
PLEASE NOTE: Shared accomodation may be in use on this Sesshin to allow us to accomodate more of those who wish to attend.
Unfortunately single accomodation cannot be guaranteed except in exceptional circumstances.
Food and bedding provided. Suggested donation to cover costs £190 Wednesday to Sunday, £140 Friday to Sunday.
Just as importantly this is a wonderful opportunity for the wider Sangha to meet together and have input into the future direction of BMZC and its Events, as well as catching up with friends and enjoying some tea and cake.
Wednesday 23rd April to Sunday 4th May 2008
Schedule with our Teacher, Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi
Weds 23rd to Sunday 27th April - Sesshin (see below for details)
Monday 28th April to Friday 2nd May each morning 7AM - 8.30AM at BMZC
During this week Roshi will lead morning sitting followed by tea ceremony and class. Each morning Roshi will introduce a topic with which to practice during the day, for discussion the following morning. If possible it would be useful for those attending to commit to the full five morning sittings.
Tuesday 29th April 7PM Zazen & Teisho at BMZC
Roshi will lead zazen, followed by service and a Dharma talk.
Wednesday 30th April 7.30PM Public Talk 'Spirituality and Passion'
with Newcastle Zen Group
Friday 2nd May 7PM Zazen & Teisho at BMZC
Roshi will lead zazen, followed by service and a Dharma talk.
Saturday 3rd May 10AM to 4PM - Northern Ireland Sangha Day
at Drumalis Retreat Centre
Practitioners from each of the BMZC related groups will gather for our first Northern Ireland Sangha Day. We'll begin the day with zazen and a Dharma Talk, leading into group discussion and feedback about each groups needs and our shared vision. During and after lunch, we'll have the opportunity to socialise and get to know practitioners from other groups better, all those we might normally only encounter on silent sesshins! The afternoon will see a period where our creative self expression is explored before we close the day with zazen. Please do come along if you can...
Sunday 4th May 9.30AM to 12.30PM Introduction to Zen Practice at BMZC
The morning will have an emphasis on the foundations of practice and will be suitable for newcomers and experienced practitoners alike.
Wednesday 23rd to Sunday 27th April 2008
5 Day Sesshin with our teacher Ryushin Paul Haller Roshi
Check their weblink for a map and directions, as well as images of the secluded location and beautiful grounds.
Haller Roshi is one of the foremost living Zen masters and is also the only senior Buddhist teacher to be born and raised in Northern Ireland, kind in manner and speaking with the wisdom and compassion that come from decades of zazen and study.
Practice at the Sesshin will be in the Soto Zen tradition. This residential retreat will be silent for the most part but there will be periods of teaching, and one to one dokusan interviews with Roshi will be available.
This will be a popular sesshin so please let the Centre know if you want to book a place as soon as possible.
We encourage people to register early and for an entire five day period. Those who wish to come for less than five days will have their names added to a waiting list and will be accommodated as space allows.
Food and bedding provided. Suggested donation to cover costs £190 Wednesday to Sunday, £140 Friday to Sunday.
Saturday 16th to Sunday 17th February 2008 Zen Weekend with Eido Michael Luetchford at Ballymena Zen Group
FINDING ZEN
An evening with a modern Zen Master
Saturday February 16th 7.30 pm
Michael Eido Luetchford studied with Nishijima Roshi in Japan for more than twenty years. He will tell the story of that journey, describing how the practice of zazen and the study of Dogen have impacted on his life.
THE MEANING OF THE MIDDLE WAY
A day of Zen Practice and teaching by Eido Michael Luetchford
will lead a day of Zen practice in St John's Hall, Ballymena.
The theme of the talks and discussions will be “The Meaning of the Middle Way” :
- Explanation of the Buddha’s original discussion on this subject in the Pali Sutras - Nagaruna’s interpretation of the middle way - Dogen’s interpretation of the middle way - Following the middle way in today’s society
Michael is an exceptionally clear and accessible zen teacher. His book Beyond Heaven and Earthis a translation of Nagarjuna from the Sanskrit with a commentary drawing on Dogen's writings which he translated from medieval Japanese.
EQUIPMENT - We have some spare zafus, zabutons and kneeling stools but if you have your own please bring them along.
FOOD - Tea, biscuits etc will be provided. Please bring a packed lunch to share.
BOOKINGS - Please e-mail ballymenazen@yahoo.ie to reserve places. We can also e-mail you our directions and schedule.
--------
THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR ADMISSION. AN AVERAGE DONATION OF £15-£20 WOULD COVER THE COST OF ROOM HIRE, TRANSPORT, DANA ( a gift to the teacher) etc.