Category Archives: Events

Introduction to Zen Practice

Are you new to meditation? Or perhaps you’ve been meditating on your own, but would like to know more about Zen? Or maybe you are an experienced practitioner who would like to know more about what we are doing at GBZC and why? Have you tried out other Zen sanghas but found them teacher-centered and cultish? On Saturday Mornings April 6 and May 4, and Tuesday evenings April 2 and May 7, GBZC will be offering “Introduction to Zen Practice” during our normal practice times.

Experienced sangha members will demonstrate and explain (as well as lead) our walking, chanting, bowing, and sitting forms. The second period will be used for questions and discussion. All are welcome, either in person or over zoom! See the Schedule Summary webpage for times and links to instructions.
 
Note to regular attendees: Please still plan to come! We can all use our experience to guide newer folks, all enjoy the discussion, and all take this opportunity to review and better harmonize our Zen forms.

Aspects of Zen

We would like to announce a new GBZC program offering: “Aspects of Zen” will meet monthly on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 7-8:30 pm.

The second session of our “Aspects of Zen” series will take place online on Wednesday April 10th from 7-8:30pm. Guest Speaker George Taylor, a Buddhist practitioner as well as professor of music, will be speaking on the subject of his Union Theological Seminary thesis, “Teaching the Diamond Sutra to Black Inner City Youth.”

Please register here (note that this link has been corrected) so we know you are coming. The suggested donation is $15 per session, but please don’t let money issues keep you away! You will receive the zoom link upon registration. Future topics may include our liturgy, our GBZC history, living Zen in the world, ethics, and/or questions that may come up in Dharma Discussions during our Tuesday evening or Saturday morning practice periods. Leaders (or co-leaders) will be GBZC members who have experience with a topic and want to share it.

Questions? Ideas for topics? Interested in leading a session? Contact [email protected].

December 2023 Sesshin

Sesshin: to touch the heart-mind

Registration is now CLOSED for the

Greater Boston Zen Center December Sesshin
December 14-17, 2023
Mercy by the Sea Retreat and Conference Center
167 Neck Road
Madison, CT 06443-0191 

Dear Sangha Friends, 

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for our residential retreat to be held December 14-17 at Mercy by the Sea in Madison, CT. The retreat begins with dinner at 5:30pm Thursday evening, December 13, and ends at 10:00am on Sunday, December 17. 

Mercy by the Sea is situated on Long Island Sound and offers a strikingly beautiful setting for retreat. Delicious vegetarian meals are provided. Rooms are single or double occupancy with a private bath, or a bath shared with one other room. Linens are provided. (There will be no dorms, bunk beds, or need for sleeping bags.) The retreat center has no Covid-related protocols at this time, though masking is encouraged.

Because GBZC is, during this time of revisioning who we want to be, without an official teacher, the schedule will emphasize sitting and walking meditation, chanting, and discussions led by volunteer attendees. However, sangha member Julie Nelson, a Sensei in the Taizan Maezumi lineage, will offer opportunities for private meetings to those who wish to arrange them. 

The total fee for the retreat is $375 for members and $425 for non-members.   (Membership can be applied for online.) Single rooms will likely be available for an additional fee. Donations to the scholarship fund are very welcome.

Too expensive? Don’t have a car? We do not want the cost to prevent anyone from attending. Financial aid is available if you are unable to pay the full fee.  However, we do ask everyone to make some contribution no matter how small.  Carpools will be arranged from the Boston area. 

Registration Process: 

  1. Please fill out this on-line form. It asks you for contact information, and about your retreat background, your preferences regarding a roommate (if any), and your need for special accommodations or financial aid.  
      
  2. After you fill out the form, please pay your fees (or what you can afford of them) and/or donate to the scholarship fund by going to this website to pay via PayPal, credit card, or bank transfer (ACH). If you prefer, you may mail a check made out to GBZC to:  GBZC Treasurer, 552 Massachusetts Ave, #208, Cambridge, MA 02139 (Please indicate on the memo line of the check:” December Sesshin.”  If you are able to make an additional donation to the scholarship fund, please note this amount as “Scholarship fund.”)

Payment in full is required to complete your registration. 

  1.   You will be notified by email of successful registration.  Allow 5 business days for the check to arrive, if you pay by check. 

Note: 

Because the members’ fee only covers room, board, and snacks, $375 of your payment is not tax deductible. The additional $50 for non-members and any donations to the scholarship fund are, like membership pledges, considered tax-deductible donations. 

Payment, cancellation, and wait list policies: 

  •   Registrations must be received by November 29. 
  •   We request that you notify us as soon as possible if you need to cancel.  Cancellations made by November 15 will receive a full refund. Cancellations by November 29 will receive a half refund. There will be no refunds after November 29. 

If you have questions about registration and fees, please contact [email protected]. Questions about schedules and other on-site arrangements should be directed to [email protected]

Those who register will receive more details about retreat observances, the schedule, and what to bring as our December sesshin approaches. 

We hope to see you there!

Precepts Discussion Group

The Precepts of Skillful Action are the heart of what it means to practice Zen off the cushion—and their study is an endlessly rich, ever-unfolding practice.

The most Precepts Discussion Group concluded its weekly meetings in December 2023. The next one will start in late winter or spring 2024.  For information on registration, zoom, and the readings see this information document. This study is open to all, whether you are just curious or intending to participate in Jukai (the formal ceremony of receiving the Precepts) or perhaps feeling the need to revisit these descriptions of an awakened life as a source of inspiration and solace. It is always an honor to share Precepts study together.

It is fine to miss class due to other commitments. If you are preparing for Jukai, you may make up classes in the next cycle. There is no set fee, but donations are gratefully accepted. 

 

Watch the GBZC Newsletter (subscribe here) for announcements of future cycles. We hold a Jukai ceremony as needed, usually once or twice a year. More information is available in Preparing for Jukai

Email [email protected] for more information. 

Updated Covid Policy

With the federal and state public health emergencies expiring May 11th, GBZC’s COVID policy is changing, effective the same date.

The new policy is:

  • GBZC will continue to abide by Cambridge’s local regulations and mask ordinances
  • Masks optional. Please do mask and take other precautions you feel appropriate
  • Vaccinations encouraged
  • Please stay home if you’re feeling unwell
  • We’ll continue to monitor in case of further COVID developments

If you have comments or concerns, please feel free to email [email protected].

Lead a Discussion

We need volunteers to lead discussions at occasional Tuesday evening and Saturday morning sits! Please consider volunteering. Such discussions can take a variety of formats, including:

  1. A prepared talk (10–20 minutes) by a presenter (usually someone who has been practicing for a good while), followed by discussion
  2. Opening comments (5–10 minutes, which may include a reading) by a presenter, followed by discussion
  3.  A question or set of questions that are on your mind, followed by discussion
  4. A reading, followed by discussion
  5. Other innovations (sharing a song? a video?), as appropriate

To volunteer, please write to [email protected] and include which format you’d be interested in and your idea for a topic, question, or reading. You should also say whether you will facilitate the group discussion yourself or if you would prefer to have someone else do it. Discussion can be conducted popcorn style or as circle practice as decided by the facilitator. Readings could include pieces from the liturgy or from elsewhere. Questions could be questions about our practice, people’s experiences with Zen, historical teachings—whatever might be interesting and instructive. The scheduler may then go back and forth with you about possible materials, format, and dates. 

Contact [email protected] with any questions. 

Changes to Saturday and Tuesday Sits

A number of people in the sangha have expressed a need for more silent sitting and/or more opportunity to hear from others in the sangha. As a result, the Programming Working Group in consultation with the teachers, practice leaders, and participants has made some changes to our Tuesday evening and Saturday morning practice formats. We have added more periods of silent sitting as well as discussions led by someone other than a senior teacher, and arranged these so that each week at least one practice group includes a talk, while another offers just silent sitting, and yet another offers dokusan. Each sit still includes an opening circle, a sutra service, and seated and walking meditation.

Here is a summary of the new schedule: 

For more details, see the Practice Instructions for each group.

Are you concerned about there being fewer Dharma Talks or opportunities for dokusan? Please note that there will still be a talk given every week, and recall that many are published in our podcast series. It has also become common, in the era of Zoom, to offer dokusan by appointment. Please contact a senior teacher ([email protected], [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]) if you would like to arrange an appointment via zoom or in Cambridge.

The Sunrise Sit (Monday-Friday 7am, via zoom) has also adopted a silent practice on Mondays.

Questions or concerns? Please contact [email protected] or talk with your teachers or practice leaders. We want to find the format that best supports our sangha-wide Zen practice! 

“Caring for Our Community” Book Group

During the 2022–23 year, the GBZC monthly book group is studying A Thousand Hands: A Guidebook to Caring for Your Buddhist Community, edited by Nathan Jishin Michon and Daniel Clarkson Fisher.

With essays on topics varying from caring for sangha members facing issues such as terminal illness or depression, to budgeting and meeting facilitation, to considerations of poverty and accessibility, the book gives Buddhist-inspired practical advice on wisely enacting compassion within (and from) our existing sangha relationships. While perhaps especially important for sangha leaders or future leaders (such as Board and Working Group members, Practice Leaders, and teachers at all levels), all are invited!

Selections from the 50 essays are being chosen according to the interests of the group.  The book costs about $35 plus shipping, and financial assistance is available to those who find this cost a burden. Three copies have been purchased for the GBZC library, which can also be borrowed.

The group will meet by Zoom only.

Dates: Third Sunday of the month, September through May (EXCEPT December)
Time: 7-8 p.m.
Leaders: Julie Seido Nelson, Dharma Holder, and Jill Shishin Gaulding, Assistant Teacher
Schedule and Zoom Link: Information Document
Questions? Email [email protected]

Zendo Location Task Force

Because the lease on our Cambridge zendo expires in early 2025, the board created a  Zendo Location Task Force. Led by Ryan Iuliano and working with the Board, Finance Committee, and sangha as a whole, it will look at the financial viability of staying at our current location and compare it to other potential options in order to inform an eventual Board decision. The goal is to settle into a space that is as financially self-sustaining and accessible as possible.

In the interest of inclusion and transparency, weekly meetings open to all were being held during late 2022 and early 2023, via Zoom, to plan, discuss, and coordinate efforts toward an exciting future for the sangha.  Notes and updates can be found in this instructions document. Meetings have now been suspended until closer to the decision date.

For more information or share your ideas when you can’t make these meetings, please contact [email protected].

We also invite you to share your feedback in this survey

All-day Sit (Zazenkai)

Yunmen

“Every Day Is A Good Day”

“We can’t do it by ourselves, and no one else can do it for us.”
GBZC Sutra Book

A powerful way to more deeply explore your practice is to attend a zazenkai, an all-day sit.  You are always welcome to attend for any portion of an all-day sit, as suits your schedule. The retreat includes liturgy, dokusan/interviews, zazen, walking meditation, a Dharma talk with discussion,  and a period of meal/rest/study practice.

Schedule: 

TBA (The most recent was on  April 8, 2023.)   

If you have any questions, email [email protected].

Suggested Donations:

  • Non-members: $40 for the full day; $20 for half day. Please put “zazenkai” in the notes field if donating through the  virtual dana box
  • GBZC members: Please keep the above in mind when making (or adding to) your regular membership donation. 
  • Please never let money keep you away. All are welcome, regardless of means. Yet because it costs money to run the Zen Center, we do ask that everyone make a contribution in some amount to our shared work, as you are able.