Center Closed

The Center’s offices will be closed for the annual holiday break from Wednesday, December 20, through Tuesday, December 26. A staff member will be checking messages during the week, and – as always – the zendo is yours to sit in when you want.

The Center will also be closed on New Year’s Day, January 1.


Calendar Notes

· There will be a formal evening sitting on Tuesday, December 19.

· Upcoming Youth Sundays will be on January 21 and February 11.

· The opening ceremony for the winter 5-week Term Intensive will be on the evening of Thursday, January 18, after two rounds of zazen.

· There will be a Sangha Meeting on Sunday, December 31, during brunch.

· Sangha Entertainment Night has been moved to Saturday, February 3.


Annual Cleaning of the Temples

Ramping up to the New Year’s ceremonies, we’ll be rolling up our sleeves and paying attention to all the less-visited nooks and crannies in Arnold Park as we do our annual Cleaning of the Temple on Saturday morning, December 30, from 10:15 am to 12:30 pm. To get things underway, we’ll start with a brief chanting service in the Zendo at 10:15 am. After the cleaning we’ll have pizza for lunch.

Sangha help, including that of children, is most welcome. Please come and pitch in to help keep our practice place in sparkling condition!

Last year we held our first Cleaning of the Temple at Chapin Mill, and we’ll be doing it again this year, but we can’t squeeze it in before New Year’s, or even before the January 7-day sesshin. The date then, will be Saturday, January 27, starting at 8:45 am and ending with lunch at 12:30 pm. If you haven’t been out to Chapin Mill in a while, this is a great opportunity to marvel at the progress on the new Zendo.

For either event, if you intend to stay for lunch, please notify the Center at 473-9180.


Home Purification

Home purification, with its chanting, and circumambulation, is like a clean wind, clearing the house of old, obstructive energies in order to welcome in the New Year. If you would like one of these ceremonies conducted in your home, please sign up in the Link or call John Pulleyn at the Center to arrange a time. This year the ceremonies will be offered from Wednesday, December 27 until New Year’s Day.


New Year’s Eve Ceremonies

On Saturday, December 31, the Center will host its annual New Year’s Eve program, but it will be somewhat different from the past. For years now Roshi has thought of simplifying our usual series of rites, and since we are especially short-staffed this year, there is no better time than now. He’s still hammering out the schedule, but it will reflect the following changes:

· The evening will end earlier. Roshi and some others he’s talked with feel it has gone on too long in the past, so we’ll aim to end the formal part of the evening at midnight rather than 12:45.

· For the customary circumambulation through 7 AP, some feel it’s time to try eliminating the noise-making and chanting, and instead simply ring bells that participants will be invited to bring.

· Rather than going out to the Buddha Hall for the candle-lighting ceremony and prayer, we’ll try doing some version of those in the zendo.

· We’ll try doing without the taking of the precepts. It has always been a truncated version of a real Jukai anyway, and we have our fullest Jukai of the year not long before the New Year.

· A new element will be added: tolling the temple bell 108 times. This is a standard New Year’s Eve rite at Zen temples in Japan – in fact, it may be the only thing done at most temples other than zazen.

The main elements of the evening, then, will be: zazen, a repentance ceremony, altar purification, circumambulation with bells, candle-lighting ceremony with prayer and gamelan gongs, and the tolling of the bell 108 times. The evening will end – and the new year begin – with the usual refreshments.

As the ceremonies end very early on New Year’s morning, individuals and families are welcome to sleep at the Center. If you do plan to sleep over, please let the Center’s receptionist know by Thursday, December 28, so that we can arrange beds for everyone.


Child Care

If you would like to bring your children to the Center on New Year’s Eve, call Eryl at the Center no later than Wednesday, December 27, regarding child care during zazen. As usual, children are welcome to join the adults at about 11 pm for the circumambulation and the candle-lighting ceremony.


Sangha Entertainment Night

On Saturday, February 3, Sangha Entertain­ment Night 2007 will be kicking off at 6 pm in the Buddha Hall. Skits and musical numbers (vocal or instrumental) are needed, so take this once-a-year chance to show off your talents and delight the most forgiving audience you’ll ever come across. Slots fill up fast, so call Eryl at 473-9180 or email receptionist@rzc.org to reserve your space.


Thank You

A deep bow to all the volunteers who have helped out in ways large and small at the Center in 2006. The number of people who volunteer has been steadily increasing over the past few years as the Center’s activities and programs have increased. We simply could not function without the faithful and bighearted contributions of so many.

If you are interested in volunteering either at Arnold Park or Chapin Mill, contact John Pulleyn at 473-9180 or by email, john.pulleyn@gmail.com

Memorial Altar Photos

Several photographs of deceased loved ones were left on the Memorial Altar after Jukai. If you are missing a photo, please pick it up from the Kannon Room, or contact the receptionist to have it available for you.

Website Calendar

A reminder that the calendar posted on the Center’s website is now in a more real-time format and carries up-to-date information on Center events and activities.

You’ve Got Mail!

There is a shelf in the Link coatroom set aside for Sangha correspondence that inadvertently comes to the Center’s address. Members can also leave items and correspondence there for each other. Please check the shelf from time to time to see if you have anything.

If you change your address, please remember to inform the post office, and let the Center know as well. Since email is the easiest and least expensive way for the Center to contact members, we really appreciate knowing email address changes as well.

Bob Riedel

Less than two weeks ago, local member Bob Riedel was abruptly hospitalized and diagnosed with a brain tumor. His surgery last week went smoothly, and he is in excellent mental condition, recovering at home in Dansville. But the biopsy revealed that the tumor is malignant, so he has a tough slog ahead. He – as well as Cris and Sam – will need our support in the coming months.

Audrey Fernandez

Audrey Fernandez is in Highland Hospital recovering from hip-replacement surgery. She is doing well, and in a few days she’ll be moving to a rehabilitation facility for a couple of weeks before returning home. She looks forward to getting back on her feet and being able to climb stairs and garden again!

House or Pet Sitter Needed

Kit and Dave Miller will be going to California from Wednesday evening, December 20 through December 29. They are looking for someone to care for their dog and cat. If you are interested please call Kit or Dave at 241-9674, or email dmiller006@rochester.rr.com

Kannon Committee

The Kannon Committee provides help with meals, errands, or transportation for Sangha members who are ill or temporarily disabled. If you or someone you know can use some help, please let the Committee know by contacting Martha Howden at 381-5083 or by e-mail at mhowden@rochester.rr.com. If you are available to offer help in the future by making a meal or helping with errands or other things, please let Martha know this as well.


“The essential thing is to cut down on entanglements and concentrate wholly on comprehending the Way.”

—Furong Daokai (11th-century Chinese Zen master)