Category Archives: Events

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 (jeff@bostonzen.org, ed@bostonzen.org, julie@bostonzen.org or fran@bostonzen.org) 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 programming@bostonzen.org 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 julie@bostonzen.org

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 LocationTF@bostonzen.org.

We also invite you to share your feedback in this survey

All-day Sit (Zazenkai)

“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 zazenkai@bostonzen.org.

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.

Watering the Seeds

GBZC’s sutra book contains our Fourfold Commitment to Racial and Social Justice:

We commit ourselves to actively engaging and fully actualizing our bodhisattva vows in the relative world. 

We commit ourselves to doing this fearlessly—opening our hearts to suffering and our eyes to oppression, privilege, marginalization, and injustice. 

We commit ourselves to doing this inclusively—embodying the ideals of mutuality, interdependence, and democratic process. 

And we commit ourselves to doing this humbly—acknowledging the reality of not-knowing, even as we act in urgent service to all beings. 

Watering the Seeds (WTS) is a subcommittee of the Programming Working Group that helps ensure that this fourfold commitment is not treated as a special interest, but rather is deeply integrated into the life of the sangha. 

Watering the Seeds logo

Our Mission

Together with and on behalf of the sangha, WTS seeks to

  • Envision an ever more just sangha and world;
  • Encourage relevant new programming; 
  • Be in dialogue with other GBZC working groups; and
  • Foster relationship building and organizing, both inside and outside GBZC.

Examples of our work include GBZC’s entry into and ongoing involvement with GBIO, the creation and management of Indra’s Net, support for Turning Toward and other affinity-focused programming, development of new programming around gender and pronouns, proposals for programming and events that would strengthen GBZC’s relationships with diverse Buddhist communities (including communities led by people of color), work on sangha surveys addressing questions of inclusion and accessibility, particularly as relates to ability and economic resources, and more.

Our Values

WTS continues to refine and articulate our values together, guided by key principles in the Fourfold Commitment to Racial and Social Justice: Fearlessness, Inclusion, Humility, and Urgency. We consider our shared values to be an ongoing project that will evolve as our work evolves. If you are interested in co-creating these values with us, we warmly welcome your participation and feedback.

Join us!

We currently meet on alternate Thursday evenings. All members of our sangha community are invited to sit in on a meeting. We are also interested in bringing in additional formal WTS members. Please don’t hesitate to contact current WTS members (Jill Gaulding and Josh Levin) if you are interested in participating, have ideas for new programming, or have any other questions, feedback, or ideas. You can reach us via wateringtheseeds@bostonzen.org.

Student Stories of Zen

All are welcome to participate in this new program on the first and third Sundays of the month from 7–8pm. GBZC is a community recovering from abuses of power and ethical misconduct by multiple teachers over the past decade. Newcomers to our community may have experienced similar problems in other settings. To foster healing and repair, as individuals and as a community, we have put together a forum for listening and sharing. Students will be invited to reflect on their history with Zen and their relationship to teachers, and we will engage each other in the cultivation of wisdom as practitioners of the Way. All are welcome to attend in their role as lifelong students of the dharma.

Each week, we will begin with a brief sit & liturgy, a student will offer a 20-minute talk, and a 15 minute dialogue will then ensue. We’ll end with a brief closing and The Four Bodhisattva Vows. Full Zoom information here.

This program is facilitated by the Rebeccas—Rebecca Doverspike & Rebecca Behizadeh.

Some prompts:
What motivated you to seek a teacher? What has your experience of studying and practicing Zen been like with teachers? What do you see as the role of a Zen teacher? What moments of great doubt or great faith have you experienced with teachers? Where are you with that in your practice now? What community vision do you have moving forward?

Response to Asian-American Violence

Hate crimes against members of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have increased dramatically. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has especially affected members of AAPI communities as a result of their work in low-wage sectors of the economy or health care. Further, the recent murders in Atlanta serve as sorrowful reminders of the violence and misogyny faced by many Asian American women in particular

Accordingly, the GBZC Persons of Color sitting group would like to share two sets of resources with the broader sangha. First, here are some action steps that anyone might take in response to the harms and suffering that members of AAPI communities may be experiencing. These were compiled by the San Francisco Zen Center; taking just any one step may meaningfully benefit the life of another. Second, here is a set of articles from Tricycle magazine to open up reflection about the unique intersections and divides among Asian, Asian American, and white convert Buddhist traditions. For over 2500 years of history, it has largely been Asians and Asian Americans who have served as stewards of the dharma, providing our sangha with much of its heritage today. These and other articles provide important food for thought regarding our own practices and the gratitude we might express for this gift that belongs to all. 

Finally, the next meeting of the Persons of Color sitting group will be on April 19, 2021 at 7:00pm. In order to spark conversation about some of the topics above, we will be discussing From “Just Culture” to a Just Culture by Cristina Moon. However, no prior reading of the text is required. Drop-ins are absolutely welcome. For full instructions, see here.

Vincent Cho & James Peregrino
Leaders of GBZC POC Sitting Group

LGBTQIA+ Zen Group

CURRENTLY ON HAITUS

The community at GBZC invites you to participate in the LGBTQIA+ Zen Group, a monthly sitting practice where our focus is on LGBTQIA+ issues. Our aim is to create a safe space for Zen meditation and dialogue for LGBTQIA+ people and allies.

What to Expect:
This is a shortened Zen Buddhist service that will include chanting, seated meditation, walking meditation, and discussion. We will also seek to bring in teachers from the Zen community that can speak to topics affecting the LGBTQIA+ community. No RSVP required.

This is an opportunity to cultivate a diverse community rooted in inclusivity, justice, and compassion. This group is meant to be both an entry point to discovering and practicing Zen and an exploratory practice for LGBTQIA+ people and allies already familiar with Zen.

Location: Currently being conducted via Zoom. Instructions here.

When: Every 4th Sunday from 7:00-8:30pm unless otherwise noted.

Approximate program schedule:
6:30 pm – Early arrival for newcomers that would like an orientation
7:00 pm – Sutra Service (15 min), Walking Meditation (5 min), Sit (20 min), Walking Meditation (5 min), Discussion/Talk (30 min), Walking Meditation (5 min), Closing Service (5 min)
8:30 pm – Out for the evening

Who: All LGBTQIA+ people and allies are welcome.

Questions/Comments: Please contact the group’s facilitator at lgbtqia@bostonzen.org.

art as spiritual practice

Arts as Spiritual Practice Group

 

CURRENTLY ON HIATUS

The Arts as Spiritual Practice group evolved from Writing as Spiritual Practice to reflect the many variegated gifts of its participants. This open group meets twice a month to create a community of loving support for participants’ creative endeavors and to help one another see inherent links to spiritual practice. This is an especially good space for those interested in or engaged in art but who do not necessarily see themselves as “artists.”

We cultivate this community through creative practices of reading and listening (often a close reading from our sutra book), guided prompts and exercises, and space to come forth and share work of any form. We meet one another’s work with attentive, encouraging, and, we hope, inspiring feedback, letting the act of response become an art in itself. All are welcome to join and participate at any level that feels comfortable, either to share work or to listen and marinate in the work of others.

This group is co-facilitated by GBZC members Rebecca Doverspike and Sarah Fleming, who aspire to hold a shared space where all voices know themselves as vibrant and vital.

We have also launched a seasonal creative arts journal, Radiant to the Heart: A Journal of Zen Arts. We invite you to read it—or submit to it!—here. To accompany the release of each new volume, we hold a journal launch for those both in and beyond our community. The theme of the second volume of Radiant to the Heart is art as refuge during turbulent times. Stay tuned!

Location: Currently being conducted via Zoom. Instructions and guidelines here.

When:  Monthly from 7-9pm on the last Thursday of the month.

Who: All are welcome for any of the meetings.

Questions/Comments: Please contact Rebecca Doverspike and Sarah Fleming at writing@bostonzen.org.

indras net

Indra’s Net: A Communications Channel for Social Justice Actions

Indra’s Net is a Google Group that allows us to invite others to join us in taking action for social justice.

The whole universe is seen as a multidimensional net. At every point where the strands of the net meet, jewels are set. Each jewel reflects the light reflected in the jewels around it, and each of those jewels in turn reflects the light from all the jewels around them, and so on, forever. In this way, each jewel, or each particular entity or event, including each person, ultimately reflects and expresses the radiance of the entire universe. All of totality can be seen in each of its parts.

—”Indra’s Net,” as described by Taigen Dan Leighton

We commit ourselves to actively engaging and fully actualizing our bodhisattva vows in the relative world.
We commit ourselves to doing this fearlessly—opening our hearts to suffering and our eyes to oppression, privilege, marginalization, and injustice.

We commit ourselves to doing this inclusively—embodying the ideals of mutuality, interdependence, and democratic process.
And we commit ourselves to doing this humbly—acknowledging the reality of not-knowing, even as we act in urgent service to all beings.

—Fourfold Commitment to Racial and Social Justice, GBZC Sutra Book

Indra’s Net is a new communications channel that allows community members of the GBZC mahasangha to take action together as one way to continue actualizing our bodhisattva vows. Several sangha members, with help from the Programming Committee, have set up this channel as a Google Group. We describe below a handful of working principles to get the idea off the ground, but we are eager for participants to co-create the shape of this channel as they use it. Everyone within our extended community (regardless of formal GBZC membership) is invited to join.

This communication channel takes its name from Indra’s Net, an image of interconnection and interdependence within Buddhist cosmology. It is an image, in Thich Nhat Hanh’s words, of “interbeing.”  It is precisely because of this interbeing that we actively engage our bodhisattva vows, including our Fourfold Commitment to Racial and Social Justice. And it is precisely because of this interconnection, interdependence, and interbeing that we recognize the need to act in urgent service of all beings.

How to Join:

To join the Google Group and receive communications about upcoming actions, please click here and click “Ask to join group.”  If you have any difficulties, you can send an email to programming@bostonzen.org to request to be added directly.

How and What to Post: 

The main principle of Indra’s Net, in order to keep it an action-oriented space, is that users only post actions that they themselves are committed to doing. Users must also be willing to do a bit of organizing work to enable other sangha members to join them in doing the action. What it means to “do” an action may look very different for different actions, especially in this time of social distancing and Zoom meetings. It might mean joining up together (at 6 feet apart!) at a street rally, or it could mean making a phone call or sending an email from home. The requirement that users only post actions that they themselves are doing prevents the list from becoming a channel for information-sharing alone—a worthy purpose but not the purpose of this group.

Actions do not have to be applicable to every possible group member. You are welcome to post an action that is (for example) a women of color space only, or that is only for people living in a certain legislative district, as long as it is something applicable to you yourself and you are planning to participate.

Once you’ve joined, you can post an action by sending an email to GBZCIndrasNet@googlegroups.com.  The message will automatically go out to all members of the group.  Please include at least the following details in your email:

  • What is the action?
  • When is it? (Is it one specific time/place? Is it something each person does on their own time?)
  • How would you like people to contact you if they are interested in participating?

It’s important for people who are interested in an action to be able to connect with each other— we know that “life happens,” and if the person originally posting the action is for some reason unable to participate, they can keep others in the loop (especially important for an in-person action where others may be relying on having a companion there). Even for an action that involves people doing something individually on their own time, it can be powerful and useful to be connected to others doing the same.

Community members may reasonably disagree about the effectiveness or value of some proposed actions, and that’s okay. We just ask users to be thoughtful about whether the action they wish to post is aligned with GBZC’s values as a community.