Toledo Zen Center Fall/Winter Class and Retreat Schedule!

So here is what I'll be doing with most Sunday afternoons for the rest of the year...

Toledo Zen Center Fall/Winter Class and Retreat Schedule!

by Jay Rinsen Weik on Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 3:18pm

The Drinking Gourd/Toledo Zen Center

Fall/Winter 2011 Class Schedule

What the Buddha Taught:

Foundational Teachings for Difficult Times

with Rev. Rinsen and Rev. Do-on

Dates: Three Sunday Afternoons from 2pm to 5pm Sept 4th, 11th and 18th at the Toledo Zen Center 6537 Angola Road, Holland OH, 43558.

This class offers an in-depth exploration of core Buddhist teachings.  If you have been lurking in the Eastern Thought section of the bookstore for years or are newly curious, this class is the perfect opportunity for you to encounter the ancient wisdom of the Buddha freshly unpacked and made both assessable and relevant to life in the 21st Century by the ordained Buddhist priests of the Toledo Zen Center.  NOTE: this class is a 5-part 15-week series which is offered yearly and class sessions can be taken in any order.

Session 1:

Explores the Buddha’s journey as our own, and the cause of suffering and how to work with it as expressed in the teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path.

Fees: $75. Seniors/Young Adults/Pledging Members $60.  Please note that these fees do not include Dana for the teachers.

Registration: simply send an email to: tzcevents@gmail.com with the dates and title of this event or sign up at the Zen Center when you are there!

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Introduction to Zen Practice:

Feet on the Ground, Melting the Heart, Opening the Eye & Extending the Hand.

With Rev. Rinsen and Rev. Do-on

Dates: Three Sunday Afternoons from 2pm to 5pm Sept 25th, Oct 2nd and 16th at the Toledo Zen Center 6537 Angola Road, Holland OH, 43558.

This class explores the direct and practical ways that Zen practice heals the shadow side of modern life which some have termed the ‘Ice Age of the Heart.’   These sessions are ideal for those who wish to gain an overview of the Zen tradition as it is practiced and held by the Toledo Zen Center community.  NOTE: this class is a 3-part 9-week series which is offered throughout the year and class sessions can be taken in any order.

Session 1:

Explores the foundational practices of Zazen (seated Zen), Kinhin (Walking Zen) and Samu (working zen) along with looking at common pitfalls and hindrances to sustaining a nourishing Zen practice at home and in daily life.

Fees: $75. Seniors/Young Adults/Pledging Members $60.  Please note that these fees do not include Dana for the teachers.

Registration: simply send an email to: tzcevents@gmail.com with the dates and title of this event or sign up at the Zen Center when you are there!

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Zen Arts Ensemble: 

Being Sound

with Rev. Rinsen

Dates: Rehearsal Sunday Oct 30th from 2pm to 5pm, TMA Concert Sunday Nov 6th 3pm to 4pm.

“The arts of Zen are not intended for utilitarian purposes, or for purely aesthetic enjoyment, but are meant to train the mind, indeed, to bring it into contact with ultimate reality.” -D.T. Suzuki  This unique experience draws on Rev. Rinsen’s extensive experience with avant-garde music and the teachings of Zen and includes full participation in both a Sunday afternoon rehearsal and a Sunday afternoon ‘Music at the Museum’ performance at the Toledo Museum of Art.  No prior musical training is required, but bring your instruments if you have one!

Fees: $75. Seniors/Young Adults/Pledging Members $60.  Please note that these fees do not include Dana for the teacher.

Registration: simply send an email to: tzcevents@gmail.com with the dates and title of this event or sign up at the Zen Center when you are there!  For this class, please indicate if you will bring an instrument.

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Mindfulness Centered Stress Management:

Learning to use Awareness as an Ally 

with Jay and Karen Weik

Dates: Three Sunday Afternoons from 2pm to 5pm Oct 30th, Nov 13th and 20th at the Toledo Zen Center 6537 Angola Road, Holland OH, 43558.

Mindfulness is a simple, nonreligious contemplative practice that fundamentally improves the way we experience our life by learning how to actually bring more awareness into everything we do.  Offering proven benefits for health, happiness and the reduction of stress, the nonsectarian techniques of focused awareness are easy to learn with Jay and Karen Weik senior teachers of the Toledo Zen Center.

Fees: $75. Seniors/Young Adults/Pledging Members $60.  Please note that these fees do not include Dana for the teachers.

Registration: simply send an email to: tzcevents@gmail.com with the dates and title of this event or sign up at the Zen Center when you are there!

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The Drinking Gourd/Toledo Zen Center

Fall/Winter 2011 Retreat Schedule:

Sesshin (接心, 摂心, 攝心)

Touching the Heart-Mind 

With Rev. Rinsen and Rev. Do-on

These multi-day retreats are characterized by deep concentration and silence. The daily schedule includes zazen, liturgy, formal meals in the Zendo (oryoki), caretaking (samu), dharma talks, and private face to face guidance with the teachers.   Rohatsu Sesshin Dec 29th 2011 - Jan 1st 2012 particularly commemorates the Buddha's achievement of Enlightenment.

Dates: Aug 25-28 Hazy Moon Sesshin, Oct 20-23 Harvest Sesshin, Dec 29-Jan 1 Rohatsu Sesshin

Fees: Thu/Fri am $225, Fri pm/Sat am $150,  Sat afternoon $90. This includes the cost for meals and accommoditation.

Zazenkai (座禅会), 

Coming together for meditation.

With Rev. Rinsen and Rev. Do-on

These day long intensives follow a flexable schedule and include a Dharma talk, interview with the teachers and lots of seated meditation, walking meditation and Zen Ritual.  Please bring a lunch!

Dates: Dec 4th.

Fees: $60.  $50 young adults/seniors/pledging members. 

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Dana (The Practice of Generosity)  The Toledo Zen Centers intention is to make these teachings accessible to everyone, thus fees for classes are kept as low as possible. These fees are, however, a major source of operating income for TZC. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.  Dana (pronounced "dah-na") is a Pali word meaning generosity. Dating back to the time of the Buddha, there has existed an interdependence between those who offer the teachings and those who receive them. The teachings are given freely, since they are considered priceless. Registration fees cover rental and other TZC expenses, none of this money goes directly to the teachers.  To allow the teachers to continue their dharma work, support from the students is needed. There will be an opportunity to contribute at the end of each class.