January 2024

Dear Friends,

Wishing you and yours a bountiful new year! With the vitality of one continuous moment world, may all us awaken newly, flush with change and possibility for all that will come to light as time unfolds. May we begin again…on the wing, in a blur of flight, like morning arising out of the bowl of night. 

Though it may seem like cycles repeat themselves (of seasons, love, and war), nothing is ever the same again or ever will be….except for this. 

And what is this?

Again and again, may we breathe new life into this precious world, in these most precious and precarious times. 

Yours, at the beginning, again,

Jeong Ji

Photo by Zen Master Jeong Bong

January In-Person Sessions

All in-person practices are open for walk-in attendance (no need to sign up in advance). Attendees are asked to have up-to-date vaccinations.

Sessions:

• Sunday 10am-11:30am (Also streamed online)
• Tuesday 7pm (Not streamed)
• Wednesdays at 10am
• Fridays at 10am

Newcomer Orientation:

• Sunday 9:30am

To attend, simply show up 5-10 minutes before any practice time. The building will be open for those practices. Use the ground floor entrance from the back yard.

Kyol Che 2024

Sunday, January 21 10am

This year we will be focusing on the Six Paramitas, the transcendent perfections: Generosity (dana), Morality/Precepts (sila), Patience (ksanti), Diligence/Energy (virya), Meditation (dhyana), and Wisdom (prajna).

In Mahayana Buddhism, the Paramitas are the aspects of practice that mark our path to awakening and provide the means to benefit all sentient beings. Each paramita is wonderfully interwoven with all the others. If we practice one paramita deeply, we practice all six.

Workshops will be held every other Sunday morning. Each workshop session we’ll be presenting one of the paramitas. We aim to make these sessions as interactive and immersive as possible.

On the Sundays that workshops are not being presented, our teachers will be offering Dharma Dialogues.

This year’s Kyol Che will be led by Zen Master Jeong Bong, but while he’s recovering from his recent surgery, please address any questions to Zen Master Jeong Ji.

You can find more details here, the commitments here, and submit a Kyol Che contract here.

The start of Kyol Che will also be streamed online. Join our usual Zoom meeting up to 10 minutes beforehand. The Zoom Meeting ID is 228 228 1938. The Zoom password is 010801.

Kyol Che will end on April 21.

3-Day Retreat with Paul Gulick JDPSN

Friday, January 26 - Sunday, January 28

We will gather our online and in-person communities for an immersion in group practice, Dharma talks, and personal Dharma dialogues with Paul Gulick JDPSN.

This retreat will be held in person in the Blue Heron Dharma Room and will be streamed on Zoom. Please register here.

To join online: join our usual Zoom meeting up to 10 minutes before the retreat starts each day at 7am. The Zoom meeting ID is 228 228 1938. The Zoom password is 010801.

To join in person: come to Blue Heron by 6:50am on each day. Attendees should be vaccinated. Those meeting in person will participate in practice from the dharma room. No food will be served; bring a lunch for the lunch break.

More information about the retreat is available here.

The fee for this retreat is $35/day for non-members, $25/day for members. A voluntary gift of dana* to the teacher will be accepted with gratitude.

*dana is a voluntary donation to our teacher.

Celebrating the Voices of Women in Buddhism

January 14

Our 2023 Kyol Che program explored the lives and teachings of women ancestors in our Zen tradition. In 2024, the Soto Zen Buddhist Association (SZBA) will examine a complementary theme: "Celebrating the Voices of Women in Buddhism: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow."

These sessions occur monthly with teachers from multiple Buddhist traditions and are not exclusive to Soto Zen. The sessions are separate from BHZC events and may occur in person in various locations or online, depending on the event, with registration or payment as determined by SZBA. For full details, please see the SZBA events page here.

Dharma Dialogues

Zen Master Jeong Bong and Zen Master Jeong Ji are offering online Dharma Dialogues. Sign up here with Jeong Bong Soen Sa or here with Jeong Ji Soen Sa.

Our Senior Dharma Teachers are offering online Dharma Dialogues if you would like to discuss your practice and any questions you may have. Please get in touch with them individually to schedule an appointment if you would like a one-on-one Zoom meeting.

• Jeff Tipp JDPSN jefftipp@gmail.com
• Greg Eisen eisengn@gmail.com
• Paul Gulick JDPSN paul@blueheronzen.org
• John Craycraft john.craycraft@comcast.net
• Chris Chapman JDPSN chris@blueheronzen.org