November 2019 Practice Day at Tahoma 

November 16th 2019 Practice Day at Tahoma 

As the concluding day of our observance of the Autumn Kessei this full day of zazen will run from 4:20a.m. until approximately 8:30p.m. with formal Breakfast and Lunch. We do require advance notification for anyone who intends to take part.

Additionally we will formally begin at 5:20pm on Friday November  15th and conclude at 10am after Zazenkai on Sunday. This allows for a full 36 hour weekend Practice Intensive.

We would welcome any donations of prepared meals for the  Practice Day (soups, salads or casseroles, or other easy to ready dishes) and would also welcome any assistance with the monastery posts especially mokugyo and tenzo but also temple bells and han. Please contact us at tahoma@whidbey.com with any offers of assistance.

We will conclude our study of the Maha Prajnaparamita texts The Empty Bowl and Diamond Sutra’s  this month. We are utilizing the Red Pine translation and commentary for  both the Diamond Sutra and The Empty Bowl if you’d like to engage in this with your own copies of the texts.

Further details on practice at Tahoma over this weekend can be found at the end of this post.

The Schedule for this 36 hour weekend intensive will be:

Friday November 15th

5:20pm	Seated in Zendo; Gosei
5:30	Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin;
6:30	Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin;
7:30	Zazen; Zazen;
8:30	Kaichin in kitchen Yaza

Saturday October 12th

4:20	Seated in Zendo; Gosei
4:30	Choka (Sutras); Han; Zazen
5:30	Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen
6:30	Kinhin; Zazen
6:55	Breakfast Breakfast Cleanup
8:30	Samu (Clappers; meet at deck)
10:00	*Samu ends (Clappers)
10:20	*Seated in Zendo; Gosei
10:30	*Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin;  Zazen
12:00	Lunch Kitchen Cleanup
1:50	Seated in Zendo; Gosei
2:00	**Reading; Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen
4:00	Supper (optional, informal)
5:20	Seated in Zendo; Gosei
5:30	Uninterrupted Zazen; Han; Kinhin;
6:30	Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin;
7:30	Zazen; Zazen; Kinhin;
8:30	Zazen
9:00	***Han; Closing Sutra;
9:15	Kaichin in kitchen Yaza

Sunday October 13th

4:50am	Seated in Zendo; Gosei
5:00	Choka (Sutras); Han; Zazen
5:55	Kinhin; Zazen; Zazen
6:30	Breakfast Breakfast Cleanup
8:00	Zazenkai Zazenkai tea

 Notes
* For Zazenkai prep there is a minimum amount of work that needs to be done. In the case of it not being completed during the scheduled samu time, samu will continue for another half an hour and everything will be shifted accordingly.
** This period will be altered or canceled due to lack of attendance.
*** This part of the schedule will only be followed when there is attendance for the entire day.  Otherwise the evening will conclude at the normally scheduled time with Kaichin at 8:30.

Anyone can drop in for any of these zazen periods and stay for as long as they are able. If you plan to stay for any meals, we ask that you email beforehand.  Those here for choka will be assumed to be here for breakfast, those here for morning samu will be assumed to be here for lunch. Otherwise it will be assumed that anyone who arrives without prior notification is just dropping in for a period or two. Do notify staff during the samu period or breaks about your plans if they differ from these assumptions.

We encourage people to arrive on Friday evening before the Practice Day and/or stay though Zazenkai on Sunday, if you’d like to extend your practice. In all cases it is expected that the monasteries schedule will be followed. On Sunday there are no monastery activities after Zazenkai and attendees should plan to depart shortly thereafter. Arrangements need to be made in advance for any further residency.

Please email us If you’d like to attend, especially if you will be coming early, staying later, going to be here for a meal, or for any questions:
tahoma@whidbey.com