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Auckland Zen Centre     E-Newsletter No. 7, Vol. 5         2 December, 2008

Giving Thanks on Boxing Day
Gratitude
Two Events this Sunday
Buddha's Enlightenment
Sittings in December and January
Christmas Dana
New Year's Eve Sitting and Ceremonies
January Sesshin
Dates for Sesshins and All-day Sittings in 2009
Talk Recordings
Christmas Presents?
Notice Board

Giving Thanks on Boxing Day

Dear Friends,

Wherever Buddhism has travelled it has adapted to the local culture and been changed in the process. This is slow and subtle, and it probably takes a couple of hundred years of mutual influence before a thorough embedding has occurred. Along the way there are inevitably experiments that fail, but these are essential to finding out what forms and practices will be helpful to people and therefore stand the test of time. One aspect of this process is developing and refining the Centre's calendar of ceremonies; when (and how) to hold Jukai and other rites that are a part of the devotional life of Zen practitioners. One of the ceremonies that I found very meaningful while in training at the Rochester Zen Center was the annual Ceremony of Gratitude, held in conjunction with the American holiday of Thanksgiving. We have in past years held our ceremony on or near Waitangi Day, but the fit is not perfect.

Several people have expressed the desire for there to be a community gathering of some kind at the Centre around Christmas time, so we are going to try this year having our Ceremony of Gratitude on Boxing Day, followed by a Sangha picnic at Cornwall Park. Christmas giving at its best is a way of expressing gratitude, though this can sometimes be lost in the frenzy and pressure of the season, so the ceremony may help us to get in touch with that impetus. Family members are welcome; the ceremony is not long and the sitting that precedes it will be informal, so you can come just for the ceremony and picnic or come earlier and sit first.

There are three main elements to a Ceremony of Gratitude; making offerings, chanting (including the Full Ancestral Line), and verbal expressions of gratitude. Offerings will made at the altar on behalf of all participants, and people may also bring food donations that will be passed on to the Auckland City Mission. I checked with them, and they would prefer dry goods or tinned food, i.e stuff that will keep. Pasta, rice, cereals, breakfast spreads, black tea, longlife milk, tins of baked beans or soup are examples. A lot of the folk who receive food parcels are single, so small packets are useful. Food can be dropped off at the Centre any time between now and New Year's Eve and will be delivered to the City Mission after that. Verbal expressions of gratitude will be in three forms: a  general talk by me, reading out anonymous written statements made prior to the ceremony, and people speaking about what they feel grateful for (if they wish to).

The ceremony will be at 11:00, with the zendo open for informal zazen from 10:00. Bring your Christmas leftovers for the picnic afterwards. An email reminder will be sent out closer to Christmas along with a more precise picnic location.

Sensei

Gratitude

Thanks to all of you who have offered dana over the past year in the form of funds, time or goods – your generosity is what the Centre runs on.

Thanks for a number of recent donations in kind: Yoonbok Choi and family for a heater and a printer-scanner; Martin and Diane White for a modem and phone; Penny Kennett and Dave Ashman for a clothes rack on wheels; Michael Tan and Laiping Ho for a brand new microwave (and for passing on the scanner). And thanks to Sue Burns of Act Now for more MYOB instruction and ongoing phone support.

Thanks also to all our regular volunteers, Mari Moir, Peter McQuarrie, Helen Fuller, LouAnne Jaeger, Jen Russell, Kathryn Argetsinger, Ken McLeod, all workshop volunteers and all sesshin pack-up and takedown participants (you know who you are), and to the Trustees, Teresa Behrens, Peter Carafice, Ann Duncan, Grant George, and Richard von Sturmer.

Two Events this Sunday

The morning talk this Sunday will be offered by Richard, as Sensei will be at the 6^th Global Conference on Buddhism most of the weekend.

In the evening at 7 p.m. the Centre will host a talk by an eminent Vajrayana teacher from Australia, Lama Choedak Yuthok Rinpoche. Don't miss this opportunity to hear an insightful and accessible Dharma teacher. The talk will be open to the public, and not preceded by sitting. Entry will be by dana, which will all go towards Lama Choedak's travel expenses.

Buddha's Enlightenment Ceremony

Celebrated on or near December 8, this ceremony commemorates "the reopening of the Way" by Shakyamuni, the Buddha of our world cycle. The story of the Buddha's Great Enlightenment is told, and passages from the sutras are read aloud as everyone chants a mantra in homage to Shakyamuni. Following the ceremony a special dessert of sweetened rice-milk (kheer) is served; the first nourishment that the Buddha took to gain strength after his period of extreme ascetic practice and before accomplishing anuttara samyak sambodhi.

The ceremony will be held next Tuesday, 9 December, following zazen. No group instruction will be offered that evening.

Sittings in December and January

The last sitting before the Christmas break will be on Tuesday 23 December, and the Centre will remain closed until Tuesday 20 January, with the exception of Boxing Day and New Year's Eve (see above and below). It may also be possible to attend the sesshin teishos at the Friary, Tuesday 6 to Monday 12 January, if there is room. Call to check before sesshin starts.

Christmas Dana

If you are sick of too much stuff at Christmas, check out Oxfam Unwrapped www.oxfamunwrapped.org.nz and ask your friends and family to buy you something there instead of the usual present. It's a win-win-win deal – someone who really needs help gets a useful gift and you and the giver share in the merit and joy of generosity.

New Year's Eve Sitting and Ceremonies

On Wednesday 31 December, from 8 p.m. to about 12:30 a.m., we will bring in the New Year together. The evening begins with zazen, includes chanting, ceremonies and more zazen, and concludes with festive food and drink after midnight.

The last acts of the old year are a Repentance Ceremony (to lay to rest any defiling deeds from the past year that weigh heavily, and make a fresh start for the upcoming year) and a circumambulation of the Centre to chase out negative energies.

The first act of the New Year, held at the stroke of midnight, is a Jukai (Taking the Precepts) Ceremony, followed by a special invocation for the well-being of the world. The precepts are a description of how a fully enlightened person behaves, and are taken with the understanding that although we will break them, the sincere aspiration to lead a life that not only does no harm but actually benefits others is actualizing Awakening in ourselves and in the world.

People are welcome to come for all or part of the evening. Please bring some light festive food to share.

Summer 7-Day Sesshin at Friary

Our summer 7-day sesshin is at the Franciscan Friary. The deadline for applications is 24 December. Be sure to get your application and payment in the mail before then or drop them off at the Centre. Applications may also be emailed.

Help will be needed from 3 p.m. on the Monday the 5^th to pack up the zendo and move it to the Friary. Please e-mail Sensei if you will be able to help (aucklandzen@yahoo.com.au).

2009 Sesshin and All-Day Sitting Dates

Other sesshins offered by Sensei in 2009 are as follows: 6-8 March (2-day), 30 May-6 June (7-day), 20-27 June (7-day at Chapin Mill, NY), 8-12 July (4-day at Madison Zen Center, WI), 20-23 August (3-day), 21-26 October (5-Day), 27-29 November (3-Day), 9-16 January 2010 (7-day; location TBA). All are at Bella Rakha unless otherwise indicated.  
All-Day sittings will be held 15 February, 19 April, 12 July, and 27 September.

Talk Recordings

Peter McQuarrie has taken over our sound archive, and has been producing CDs for the Centre's library. If you want to order recorded talks (either for playing on a CD player or as Mp3 files), you can do so by emailing Peter. Or, if you borrow an older CD from the library and find the sound quality is poor, please let him know so he can work on producing an improved version. Peter's email is petermcq@xtra.co.nz.

Christmas Presents?

Between now and Christmas, our cool t-shirts with an enso on the front and Bodhidharma on the back are on sale for the special price of $30. There's still a good range of sizes in black and chocolate brown.

We are also selling two kinds of high-quality Korean tea in very attractive containers ($8 each) and women's T-shirts with a meditation theme in black and grey ($35). All proceeds will go to Pannarama Buddhist Centre, Kerikeri (see www.pannarama.net.nz).

NOTICE BOARD

My apartment will be uninhabitable for at least five-and-a-half months from mid-Jan to mid-June 2009. The recladding project in The Grange (leaky home complex) will start its final phase and I am required to leave it vacant. I am looking for a room which I could house myself temporarily during the recladding, so if you have any friends who would consider renting a room (unfurnished) to me, please let me know. My budget is less than $100 a week due to double financial burden (both mortgage and rent for temporary shelter). As I work in the city, I prefer a location not far from city and accessible to public transport.
                                                                        Cheng (chenginau@gmail.com)


For information on workshops, sittings and other activities, see www.aucklandzen.org.nz