Classes

ENTERING THE FLOW: A DAY TO PRACTICE INTUITION AND THE FLOW OF WORDS

Berkeley Zen Center will host Zen teacher and poet Angie Boissevain in a special one-day workshop on Sunday, May 6, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm in the community room. Angie has extensive experience in teaching skillful means to draw on intuition in writing, journaling, and artwork. The day will include teaching, meditation, silent walking and observation, creative writing or artwork, and sharing. Please bring writing materials and/or art materials, and a bag lunch, which can be eaten in community. Cost: $20, plus dana for the teacher. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Note: please enter quietly, as there will be a half-day sitting from 8:00 am to 12 noon in the zendo.

Questions and sign-up: contact Lisa Nelbach, bzcofficemanager@gmail.com.

LIVING BY VOW - SUMMER STUDY GROUP

For six sessions, meeting every other week, we will study Shohaku Okumura's Living by Vow, his just-released commentaries on the chants used daily in Soto Zen temples. We will spend a week with each chapter, covering the Four Bodhisattva Vows, the Verse of Repentance, the Three Refuges, the Robe Chant, the Meal Chants, and the Verse for Opening the Sutra. Ryushin Andrea Thach will facilitate the group, which will begin the last week of June. We will meet at a day and time that works best for those interested, with a request that group members attend the majority of the group meetings. If you are interested, please contact Andrea at andrea.thach@gmail.com. Books will soon be available through Wisdom Publications or Sanshin Zen Community at http://sanshinji.org/books/ (proceeds from sales to Sanshin directly benefit Okumura Roshi's work), as well as the BZC Saturday book table. There is no fee for this group.

Finding Presence in Conversation

On two upcoming Thursday evenings, April 5, and May 17, this class will meet in the community room from 7:30–9:00 pm. The focus of this inquiry into communication is whatever is present for any one of us when we meet. I hope we will continue to explore ways to find greater freedom in making ourselves known and in hearing each other. At the May 17 meeting, we'll take as our starting point whatever study theme Sojun has chosen for the Practice Period. All are welcome and invited. Facilitated by Peter Overton, 510-848-5239 or peterovrtn@gmail.com.

A DAY TO EXPLORE INTUITION, CREATIVITY AND THE USE OF JOURNALING IN MEDITATION PRACTICE
with Angie Boissevain, Zen Teacher and Poet Sunday, May 6

Angie Boissevain, a dharma heir of Kobun Chino Roshi and Vanja Palmers, brings us her wisdom and experience in helping people discover the fruitful combination of meditation and journaling. A number of BZC members have worked with her during the annual Buddhist women's retreat at Empty Nest Zendo, and here at BZC. She is a leader of Floating Zendo in San Jose, and teaches each year in New Mexico and Europe. She was one of the founders, with Kobun Roshi, of Jikoji, a Zen temple and retreat center in the Santa Cruz mountains. She has three sons, and is a published poet.

We will meet in the Community Room, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, with time to share a bag lunch at noon. Questions about the workshop: contact Lisa Nelbach, lisa.nelbach@gmail.com.

CLASS FEE CHANGE

At our last meeting the board voted to convert our current two-tier system of class fees to a single fee of $10.00 per class. In the previous system two rates were charged: a fee of $10.00 applied to classes taught by priests who have received dharma transmission, while $5.00 was charged for classes taught by all other teachers. The board has decided that this monetary distinction is not necessary, and that the increased amount will also help with our operating budget. Teachers and workshop leaders do have the option of presenting their classes on a donation basis if they prefer. In addition, our policy has always been to provide a discount to any student who has difficulty affording our classes. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

-Ron Nestor, Class Coordinator