Six members of All Beings Zen Sangha joined the One Heart Sangha for a wonderful Early Fall Sesshin at Holy Trinity Retreat Center in Pikesville MD. A strong and dedicated practice was in evidence! We all enjoyed the Kinhin outside in the beautiful surrounds of the retreat center buildings. Sensei Barbara Craig, Sensei Rose Mary Dougherty and Rev. Inryu Bobbi Ponce-Barger co-lead the retreat.
Tag: One Heart Sangha
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Dharma Talk “Yunmen: All the World is You”
Rev. Shojo Danny Parker will offer a talk on “Yunmen: All the World is You” – Thursday May 26th 7pm

Rev. Shojo Danny Parker is currently the resident priest at “The Zen Room” in Cocoa Beach Florida. He is a long time friend and supporter of our All Beings Zen Sangha and will offer a teaching on May 26th. Rev. Shojo received priest ordination at the Berkeley Zen Center in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in 2011. His long time zen teacher, Edward Espe Brown was the preceptor. In addition to being a Zen teacher, Rev. Shojo is a writer, scientist and cook.
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Dharma Talk on the Daoist Roots of Zen
Daishin McCabe Dharma Talk on the Daoist Roots of Zen – Thursday May 5th, 2016
Daishin Eric McCabe is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest.
He teaches Buddhist philosophy, meditation, yoga, and calligraphy to people of all walks of life and spiritual paths. Daishin undertook a 15 year mentorship with Abbess Dai-En Bennage of Mount E
quity Zendo, located in rural central Pennsylvania. During this time he trained at various Soto Zen Monasteries in Japan, France, California, and Nebraska. -
Reading Group May 29th: How the Swans Came to the Lake

All Beings will continue with our reading group! This has been a fun way for folks to get together and talk about the practice in an informal environment, and with tea and cookies!
For Sunday, May 29th, we’re reading How the Swans Came to the Lake, by Rick Fields. It’s an overview of how Buddhism has mingled with ‘western’ cultures and specifically the US. Pretty engaging read, I can assure you, and it should provide ample material for discussion. For the 29th, we’ll focus on the first half of the book, roughly.
We’ll meet at the All Beings Zendo space at 8 am. Contact Inryu for more info if you need it.
Here are some helpful links. Libraries and local bookstores are encouraged, but there’s always used copies on Amazon too.
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/24955175
Hope to see you there! These are both pleasantly serious and engaging and very non-stuffy.
Sam

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When we eat in peace, we create the conditions for peace
John Flanagan
April 4 at 1:17pmIn Zen, we say “When we eat in peace, we create the conditions for peace.” All of this starts in the kitchen, under the direction of the Tenzo. On Sunday, I had the great opportunity to watch the chefs of All Beings Zen, under the direction of Inryu Bobbi Ponce-Barger, create oryoki lunch for the Sanga during a one-day workshop at Woodburn Hill Farm. Watching Buddhists prepare food is an experience unlike any other (and eating the food is, too!)
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Shuso Entering and 2016 Spring Practice Period

Inryu Offered a Way Seeking Mind Talk on 2/25 Working with Koan’s gathering with Dairyu Michael Wenger, Mario and Inryu acting out the “Too Busy” Koan 2/17 Shuso Entering Ceremony with Dairyu presiding -
Song of Mind text with Dairyu

Hi Everyone – Dairyu Michael Wenger would love to have us do this book for book club. He’s been studying it lately and will be giving a talk on it when he comes back to DC in April.
It seems the best way to procure a copy is via Amazon.
Thanks everyone! This should be a fun one!
Sam
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February 7th Sutra Copying Session
Sutra copying is considered a merit in Buddhism. Other meritorious practices included the memorization and recitation of sutras. The effort of sutra copying is considered an expression of piety, and recognized as a devotional practice, since it comprises worship, literature, and calligraphy. Since early in history, it was also not uncommon for people to sponsor monks and nuns to recite or copy sutras, thus indirectly cultivating merit in one’s ancestors, family, and self by transference.
The practice of sutra copying originated in China. Sutra copying was imported to Korea in the third century.[During the Nara period (710-794) in Japan, the practice of sutra copying became very popular in society. —from Wikipedia

Sangha member Gilligan has generously donated Heart Sutra tracing papers from Korea for us.
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Great Gathering for our First Meditation Retreat of 2016
Wonderful Gathering of the All Beings Zen Sangha for our first Meditation Retreat of 2016 at Woodburn Hill Farm.

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Rev. Inryu visiting teacher at Empty Hand Zen Center Jan 10-12, 2016
Rev. Inryu was the visiting teacher for the Empty Hand Zen Center in New Rochelle NY from Jan 10-12th, 2016, while their guiding teacher Rev. Konin Cardenas was in San Francisco for her transmission ceremony.

Rev. Inryu on Sunday Jan 10, 2016 following her Dharma Talk at Empty Hand Zen Center, New Rochelle, NY -
Rev. Inryu officiating for an Arlington Va wedding in September 2015
Our resident priest Rev. Inryu officiated for a recent outdoor wedding in Arlington VA. We set up a simple Altar on a small table.

As part of the ceremony those in attendance were asked to close their eyes and take a moment to bring full attention to the current moment. Feeling their bodies, the air around them, the sounds in the environment and to observe their breathing. We then shared a moment of silence to settle into the beauty the moment and place.

The couple vowed to take refuge in Awakening, Truth and Community.
The vowed to support and cherish life, to live generously with an open heart, to remain faithful in relationship, to communicate honestly and simply, to treat all beings and each other with dignity and respect, to work for the benefit of others, to be humble, to not hand on to grudges or angered and to awaken to their connection to all life.
Rev. Inryu has been the official celebrant for weddings in Maryland, Virginia, Georgia and Washington DC. She is a registered officiant with the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia.The photos above are from Phyllis Petronello Photography






