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What is Zen practice?
A useful definition of Zen is the practice of being present, experiencing fully and doing what needs to be done. The Clare Sangha offers many opportunities for people to learn about and practice Zen.
Virtual Zendo
We offer several opportunities per month to practice zazen with members of the community in our Virtual Zendo using the Zoom platform including Sunday Morning Zazen and Wednesday Night Zazen.
Zazenkai (Day of Silent Practice)
Zazenkais (Day of Silent Practice) are usually on the second Saturday of the month at the Church of the Nativity & Holy Comforter (CNHC)
419 Cedarcroft Rd, Baltimore, MD 21212. To accommodate out-of-towners, they run from 10am to 5pm, and consist of alternating periods of seated and walking meditation, dharma talk, optional interviews, coffee/tea and rest breaks, lunch, and spiritual circle. Beginning instruction is offered to newcomers, after which they may join in community practice until lunch, or for the rest of the day.
Sesshin
“Sesshin” means “touching the heart-mind.” This is an opportunity to step away from the everyday with intention and to gather together one’s energy to clarify the great matter that is our life and death. Sesshin typically last 3-5 days and are offered several times per year usually in December and March.
Introductory Materials
Useful Links:
Basic Written Instructions on Zen Practice
Brief Instructional Video on Zen Practice from Maria Kannon Zen Center
Brief Video on the Fruits of Zen Practice from Maria Kannon Zen Center
Recommended Reading:
– Taking The Path of Zen, Robert Aitken
– The Three Pillars of Zen, Philip Kapleau
– Everyday Zen, Charlotte Beck
– Infinite Circle, Bernie Glassman
– Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, Shunryu Suzuki
– Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit, Robert Kennedy
– The Mind of Clover, Robert Aitken
– Living Zen, Loving God, Ruben Habito
– Zen The Authentic Gate, Koun Yamada
– Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life, Thich Nhat Hanh
– The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation, Thich Nhat Hanh
Dogen Zenji, Founder of the Sōtō School of Zen Buddhism
To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things. To be enlightened by all things is to remove the barriers between oneself and others. — Dogen, Genjokoan, ca. 1238
These simple but profound words of Zen Master Dogen summarize the spiritual path first demonstrated in the realization experience and life of Shakyamuni-Buddha 2,500 years ago. It is a joyful fact of life that this Way is available to us today.
Our emphasis in Zen training and practice is on bare attention — simple, direct, non-interfering awareness, non-judging awareness. Students who establish a Zen practice find it opens the Way for them amid their own circumstances and conditions. Practice then becomes its own reward and brings power for guidance.
Learning to center one’s being in the present moment leads onward to the other main benefits of a Zen life. These include awakening to the Way of wisdom and compassion (forgetting the self), then embodying the Way in one’s daily life — a progressive and life-long undertaking. The ZCB intention is to help students have their own direct experience of these benefits.
Practice Opportunities
Zen 108: To encourage practice, Clare Sangha holds a bead ceremony honoring those who do zazen an hour or more for 108 consecutive days. The aim of “Zen 108” is to help members establish a strong home practice; and develop the settling power of concentrated mind (joriki). The encouraging experience of joriki connects with a principal benefit of Zen, the centering of one’s being. Those who complete this challenge are invited to participate in a bead ceremony in which they are honored by the sangha.
Service 108: The first of the four Great Bodhisattva Vows is, “Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them.” Recognizing that service is an essential aspect of the Bodhisattva path, Clare Sangha offers the “Service 108” challenge. Participants commit to completing 108 consecutive days of service which can include formal service (e.g., volunteering in the community), spontaneous acts of service (e.g., holding the door for a stranger), or a combination of both. Those who complete this challenge are invited to participate in a special ceremony to acknowledge their service.
Membership
Please consider a contribution to support Sangha work in 2023-24. The fiscal health of the sangha depends on dana. Tax deductible dues are used for facility rentals, partial scholarships for retreats, teacher travel, insurance, supplies, and related services.
Dues this year are again set at $100 for members and $25 for “friends of ZCB” and full-time students.
Board of Directors
Clare Sangha is a non-profit organization. Here’s the link to its bylaws.
Board members and terms of service are:
Sensei Anthony Hoetsu Falcone, Guiding Teacher
Marian Jiryū Grant, President (2023-2025)
Mike Doshin Shanahan, Treasurer (2023-2025)
Davi Shōrei Hayes, Secretary (2023-2025)
Sensei Jon Seichō McCollum, Member-At-Large (2023-2025)