Upcoming retreats and events
We typically host 2 to 4 weekend retreats a year with visiting teachers, including Jiro Andy Afable and Jeff Shore. At various times we also hold one-day retreats, talks and other events.
Evenings Wednesday, Dec. 2 - Tuesday Dec. 8
Rohatsu - Buddha's Enlightenment Observance
Rohatsu marks the moment, after a week of sitting under the Bodhi tree, when the Buddha saw the morning star and was awakened. In Japan, Buddhist practitioners view Rohatsu as an opportunity to emulate this great final push for enlightenment. Zen monasteries typically hold a one-week sesshin, the most intense of the year, ending on the 8th.
For Rohatsu this year, Ka Shin Zendo will have open sitting every night for the week leading up to Dec. 8. The sits will follow a regular schedule, but the zendo doors will be left open so that people may come and go as they please and set their own level of participation, attending as many of the sits/evenings as they like. Rohatsu will conclude on Tuesday, Dec. 8 with sitting until midnight and a ceremony. This is an excellent opportunity to deepen your practice - please try to participate.
Rohatsu schedule
Wednesday, Dec. 2 - Monday, Dec. 7: Zazen 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 8: Zazen & ceremony, 6:30 p.m. to midnight
This is an open event: no registration required.
Winter 2010
Retreat with Rev. Jiro Andy Afable, Early Light Zendo
Rev. Afable, Abbot of Early Light Zendo in central Massachusetts, is a recognized teacher and lineage holder in the Rinzai school of Zen. Born in the Philippines in 1943, Jiro came to the United States in 1965. He has taught English at the college level and was self-employed as a cabinetmaker for 18 years. In 1993, after many years as part of the leadership of Ka Shin Zendo, he became the first general manager of Dai Bosatsu Zendo in Livingston Manor, N.Y. In 1998, he became vice abbot. In 2003, he left Dai Bosatsu and moved to Massachusetts. Jiro feels that for Zen to become indigenous, "of this time and place," it has to embrace the traditions and values of Americans. The retreat will include dharma talks and personal interviews for those interested.
