Zazen will be canceled at Myoshinji and Countryside Church from Thursday, December 22 through Tuesday, January 3, due to the holidays. Happy New Year!

Our annual observance of Bodhi Day, the day commemorating the enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha, will take place on December 3 at Logan Square Zendo in Chicago. The first of the day’s sittings begins at 6 AM. Participants may choose to join us at 9:00 (after breakfast), when we will have two sittings followed by a Bodhi Day service at 10:30. The cost of this one-day sitting is $50. Breakfast and lunch are included.

Our November - January newsletter is now available, featuring info on upcoming events, volunteer opportunities with Family Promise Green County, and more.

Our August - October newsletter is now available. Of special note are our upcoming Beginner's Mind Sesshin (9/16 - 9/18) and weekend Sewing Workshop (10/21 - 10/23). We hope to see you soon!

Rev. Zuiko Redding, resident teacher at Cedar Rapids Zen Center, will lead us in a weekend workshop on rakusu and okesa making. Rev. Zuiko received extensive training from both Tomoe Katagiri (Katagiri Roshi's wife) and Rev. Rido Murakami, the sewing teacher and tenzo at Zuioji in Japan. The style of sewing is called "nyoho-e” and came from Eko Hashimoto and Kodo Sawaki, who encouraged returning to the simple ways of ancient practice. In the late forties they invited a monk from Sri Lanka to come to Japan and show them Theravadan monastic practice.

Our May, 2011 newsletter is now available. This newsletter contains information about our annual memorial service for Maezumi Roshi (Sunday, May 22) as well as our upcoming Summer 2011 practice period and seven-day sesshin. Please register as soon as possible for whatever portion of practice period you plan to attend!

There are three downloads (all PDF):

• May - July newsletter
• Practice period announcement
• Practice period registration (registration is also available online)

Join us this summer for a rare opportunity to experience intensive Zen practice in a monastic setting. All practitioners—from experienced to new—are welcome to participate.

This is a good opportunity for experienced practitioners to engage in monastic practice under the guidance of a full-time resident teacher. At the same time, it's a chance for the less experienced, or even beginners, to experience ongoing daily Zen practice in a group setting.

Our February, 2011 newsletter is now available. It includes sangha news, information about upcoming events, and more.

Of special note is preliminary information about our 2011 summer intensive practice period, running from Monday, June 20, through Friday, July 22 and including a seven-day sesshin. This is a rare opportunity for residential practice. More information is forthcoming, but please save the dates now!

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, there will be no zazen at Myoshinji this Tuesday or Wednesday (November 23 and 24). We hope to see you soon.

Our November, 2010 newsletter is now available. It includes sangha news, information about upcoming events, and more.