Author: samuelreggio

Just a quick update, everyone.

Our book club, which was supposed to meet this coming Sunday to talk about One Bird, One Stone has been postponed.  We’ll be talking about the book at the Oct 12 retreat in Maryland.

Thanks folks!

Sam

Call to Artists! All Beings Zen is announcing a call to artists for the 2015 Sangha calendar project. Drawings, paintings, photography, poetry, brief writings, and other forms are now being considered. Please submit up to three works by September 30, 2014, either in person or via e-mail to:bagheerayoga@verizon.net

Background: Zen has a long history of embracing and inspiring art. Following in this tradition, All Beings Zen Sangha is proud to display member’s work in calendars, web sites, and other media. Founded by a small group of dedicated Zen students in 2004, All Beings Zen Sangha serves as a warm space for the Zen Dharma practice in Washington DC. Visit us on the web at: http://allbeingszen.org/

Thank you.
May all beings be happy!
Inryu Bobbi Ponce-Barger
bobbi@bagheerayoga.com
www.bagheerayoga.com
www.allbeingszen.org

Hi there!

Hope everyone is well where they are, and enjoying this mild DC summer.

Two updates from us at All Beings.

First, long-time member Illaria is moving to the west coast, and she will be sorely missed.  On Thursday, 8/14, she’ll be giving a short talk at the regular Thursday night service – do stop by!

Second, One Bird, One Stone will be the next book we’ll read for the book club discussion group.  Here’s some information about it at WorldCat.org:

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48649159

This discussion will take place as usual on a Sunday morning at 8:30 am at All Beings Zen Center / Zendo in Adams Morgan.  We’ll meet Sunday, September 21st.

Thanks everyone!

Sam

Two events coming up for June, everyone!

First

Red Pine’s Heart Sutra book group.  This is Sunday June 15th, from 8 am to 9:15 or so.  We’ll be discussing the introduction to this book – please come!

Second

An all day sit Sunday, June 22nd.  Below is the schedule for this sit.  As always send Bobbi an e-mail with questions or to let us know you can come.  All are welcome!

May 18th All Beings Full Day Zen Retreat-     Draft Schedule
9am Zazen
9:30 Kinhin
9:40 Zazen
10:10 Service Heart Sutra
10:20 Break/Walk
10:50 Zazen
11:20 Kinhin
11:30 Zazen
12:00 Oryoki Lunch
12:45 Break
1:15 Dharma Talk given by Inryu
2:00 Break
2:15 Work Practice
2:45 Kinhin
2:55 Zazen
3:15 Tea/Practice Discussion
3:45 Zazen or Afternoon walk
4:15 Kinhin
4:25  Zazen
4:55 Refuges and closing
5:00 Retreat concludes

 

 

Hi there everyone.

Wanted to let folks know that we’ll be doing a full day sit (workin’ 9 to 5 this time around) on Sunday, May 18th.  As usual, it’ll be at All Beings Zen Center in sunny Adams Morgan.  Please do join us.

The schedule is below.

Also, our book club is on to a new book, and we’ve chosen Red Pine’s translation of The Heart Sutra.  The Heart Sutra is about two pages long, so the book breaks down couplets into chapters, and Red Pine fills us in on the hows, wheres, whos, and whys.  Excited for this one.  Please join us Sunday June 15th 8am-9:30am.  Tea and snacks provided.

Amazon has it of course, but you can also get it maybe here, and also here.

Sunday, May 18th – Full Day Zen Retreat

May 18th All Beings Full Day Zen Retreat-     Draft Schedule
9am Zazen
9:30 Kinhin
9:40 Zazen
10:10 Service Heart Sutra
10:20 Break/Walk
10:50 Zazen
11:20 Kinhin
11:30 Zazen
12:00 Oryoki Lunch
12:45 Break
1:15 Dharma Talk given by Inryu
2:00 Break
2:15 Work Practice (preparing for Dairyu Michael Wenger’s Visit on June 1st)
2:45 Kinhin
2:55 Zazen
3:15 Tea/Practice Discussion on the Heart Sutra
3:45 Zazen or Afternoon walk
4:15 Kinhin
4:25  Zazen
4:55 Refuges and closing
5:00 Retreat concludes

Today our book club met.  We had a good discussion on the introduction to Shunryu Suzuki’s Sandokai lecture series.  The book is called Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness.  The intro was really inspiring a whole host of thoughts and reactions, and members took the opportunity to talk not only about the text, but other thoughts, ideas, and personal experiences.  We always have a good chat.

For next time, we’ll talk about the first six lectures in the book.  These chapters / lectures each cover a couplet of the original Sandokai text, and are rich without being over-wrought or showy.

Anyways, please join us if you can.

March 16th, 8 to 10 am, at All Beings Zendo in Adams Morgan.

– All Beings Book Club Folks

Greetings All –

We’ve put a few upcoming events on the events page.  A Dharma Talk, a guest speaker, a half day sit, and book club discussion.  Check them out, and we hope you can come.

Stay warm, everyone!

– All Beings

Hey everyone – 

Just yesterday, the reading group finished our third and final session discussing Red Pine’s Lankatavara Sutra.  I think we all agreed it was a tough read, but a good text to come back to periodically.  You can read paragraph after paragraph and be totally confused, but then stumble across a passage that really resonates.  Amazing for a text as old as it is, and Red Pine’s notes and presentation are, as always, just top notch.  

Next we’re going to read the Fukan zazengi, Dogen’s classic, short pronouncment/manifesto ‘Recommending Zazen to All People’.  It’s short, practical, and very beautiful.  

There are numerous translations of this text.  Here are a few on the open internet for your reading pleasure:

http://www.stanford.edu/group/scbs/sztp3/translations/gongyo_seiten/translations/part_3/fukan_zazengi.html

http://www.berkeleyzencenter.org/Texts/fukanzazengi.shtml

http://www.sfzc.org/sp_download/liturgy/21_Fukanzazengi.pdf

Again, it’s very short, folks – most translations clock in at under three pages.   

We’ll meet on Sunday, January 19th to talk about this text.  Hope you can make it!  

Sam

Hi everyone –

So, a few of us are going to be reading and discussing the Lankatavara Sutra, the famous text Bodhidharma gave to his successor right before he vanished, saying something to the effect of, “Everything you need is in this book.”  It’s a Zen standard.

Red Pine is the name Bill Porter takes when he translates old Chinese texts.  His translations are fantastic, both for their erudition and the presence the author brings to the work.  Red Pine lives this stuff, and it shows in his translations.

Bobbi is going to be getting a few copies of Red Pine’s Lanka for members to purchase, but if you want to try to find it through a library, here’s the link to the record in WorldCat (WorldCat is a compendium of library catalogs around the world).

Thanks everyone.  Looking forward to reading this with others.

Sam