Hoping some of you can join us for a half day meditation retreat on Labor Day September 4th, 2017

Hoping some of you can join us for a half day meditation retreat on Labor Day September 4th, 2017
The All Beings Zen Sangha welcomes and affirms all who come here to seek the Way, and who will work toward respectful acceptance of others across our many differences, harmonizing the one and the many.
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Checks can be mailed to:
All Beings Zen Sangha
27290 Woodburn Hill Road
Mechanicsville, MD 20659
or to:
All Beings Zen Sangha
C/O Rev. Inryū Ponce-Barger,
2801 Adams Mill Road NW 402
Washington DC 20009
Here is the Zoom link to join in the cloud zendo, password if needed: 480731
Tonight we will have a short service followed by two periods of Zazen with an interval of Kinhin (5 minutes of slow walking in between) and then our monthly Pass the Feather sharing. We will conclude by chanting the refuges in Pali.
Please feel welcome to stay on zoom if you are able to share greetings with the sangha.
Please put your zoom in gallery mode, and keep your video link on while muting your mic until the end of the service – Feel welcome to face away from your device camera while keeping your presence visible in the frame for others in attendance to see and know you are there. Please refrain from moving your device around while others are sitting zazen with you.
Order of Service
Greeting by the Kokyo
Heart Sutra in English
25 Minute Zazen Period
5 minutes of Kinhin (slow walking)
25 Minute Zazen Period
Pass the feather
Refuges in Pali
Baikaryu Eisanka 6-7pm– Japanese Plum Blossom Style Hymns with bells. Today we will be reviewing and singing ‘Sanbo Gowasan – English: Hymns of the Three Treasures’ .. as well as continuing to learn ‘Magokoro Ni Ikiru – English: Living with a True Heart’ in person only – Contact Zen’etsu @ zenjoyclay@gmail.com for more information.
Finishing the day with the mudra for patience with Kannon Bodhisattva helping us out too.
Here is the Zoom link to join in the cloud zendo, password if needed: 480731
Tonight we will have a short service followed by one period of Zazen with an interval of Kinhin (5 minutes of slow walking in between) and then a Dharma Talk by Rev. Inryū Sensei. We will conclude by chanting the refuges in Pali.
Please feel welcome to stay on zoom if you are able to share greetings with the sangha.
Please put your zoom in gallery mode, and keep your video link on while muting your mic until the end of the service – Feel welcome to face away from your device camera while keeping your presence visible in the frame for others in attendance to see and know you are there. Please refrain from moving your device around while others are sitting zazen with you.
Order of Service
Greeting by the Kokyo
25 Minute Zazen Period
5 minutes of Kinhin (slow walking)
Dharma Talk
Refuges in Pali
July 29, 2025 2-2:45pm – Dharma Tea on Tuesdays. Led by Zen’etsu Clay the Dharma Tea will explore the Japanese practice called Shisa Kanko, also known as “pointing and calling”.
Use this link to join. If asked for a password use 480731
This safety technique involves pointing at an object or indicator and verbally stating its status. This method, developed by the Japanese railway system, aims to enhance awareness and reduce errors, particularly in high-consequence environments. By engaging multiple senses (sight, touch, hearing, and speech), Shisa Kanko helps prevent “brain fart” moments and ensures that actions are deliberate and accurate
ABZ Sangha member Ofosu Jones-Quartrly aka Born I had a sell out crowd for his Album release and Book release last Saturday at the Arts Barn in Gaithersburg, MD. In attendance sangha member Seiryu Paula Chiplis writes about her experience at the event.
—“Born I invited us into a creative space bringing forth the presence and teachings of the Buddha, the inspiriation of Brooklyn rapper and firefighter Ka, and the inspiring life of Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh . Harpist Kim Sator provided music to accompany the spoken words of Born I.
Beginning in ritual we (the audience) became part of a lyrical unfolding of a larger-than-large, honest, and wide-open heart experience. Of note, the evening’s event followed a massive rain storm that flooded the Silver Spring-DC area. An unforgettable evening!”
Here is the Zoom link to join in the cloud zendo, password if needed: 480731
Tonight we will have a short service followed by one period of Zazen with an interval of Kinhin (5 minutes of slow walking in between) and then a Dharma Talk by Rev. Seidō. We will conclude by chanting the refuges in Pali.
Please feel welcome to stay on zoom if you are able to share greetings with the sangha.
Please put your zoom in gallery mode, and keep your video link on while muting your mic until the end of the service – Feel welcome to face away from your device camera while keeping your presence visible in the frame for others in attendance to see and know you are there. Please refrain from moving your device around while others are sitting zazen with you.
Order of Service
Greeting by the Kokyo
Evening Bell Chant
25 Minute Zazen Period
5 minutes of Kinhin (slow walking)
Dharma Talk
Refuges in Pali
Friday July 18th, 2025 7pm in person in the urban zendo. “Hector and the Search for Happiness”
5 people enjoyed viewing this 2013 film which takes the protagonist around the globe with the question “What makes you happy”. Friendships with an African Bush Medics, an International Banker, a Tibetan Lama and an illicit drug smuggler and others brings him to turn back to his past and present to answer the question for himself. Lively discussion followed the viewing.
Online only.
July 14,2025 6pm — Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri, translated by Morgan Giles Use this link to join. If asked for a password use 043056
Born in Fukushima in 1933, the same year as the Emperor, Kazu’s life is tied by a series of coincidences to Japan’s Imperial family and to one particular spot in Tokyo; the park near Ueno Station – the same place his unquiet spirit now haunts in death. It is here that Kazu’s life in Tokyo began, as a labourer in the run up to the 1964 Olympics, and later where he ended his days, living in the park’s vast homeless ‘villages’, traumatised by the destruction of the 2011 tsunami and enraged by the announcement of the 2020 Olympics. Akutagawa-award-winning author Yū Miri uses her outsider’s perspective as a Zainichi (Korean-Japanese) writer to craft a novel of utmost importance to this moment, a powerful rebuke to the Imperial system and a sensitive, deeply felt depiction of the lives of Japan’s most vulnerable people.
Know someone who would like to join this dharma focused book club. This is a Monthly Dharma Book Club – contact Shoku @ cristinamariabenavides@gmail.com to be included in reminder emails and notices about future selections
Ten members of All Beings Zen Sangha enjoyed a 5 day sangha week retreat that included a visit to Sokoji Temple, Diaryú Michael Wenger’s art show at Enso Village and a hike along Coyote Ridge.