Sangha Work Practice
We hope you will join us!
Weekly and Monthly Sangha Work Practice, Friday Mornings 8-10 am
Join us on Friday mornings and help take care of NZC’s building and grounds.
Second Sunday of the month, 8:30–9:30 am
Come get your hands dirty, spend time with your fellow sangha members, and engage in community work practice together! Cleaners, gardeners, and repairers welcome. There’s always a lot to do.
Workday, Saturday June 14th
June Sesshin
Friday, June 20 – Sunday, June 22
Starts 2pm on Friday and finishes at Noon on Sunday
In sesshin we settle our distracted minds by sitting for extended periods of zazen, eating mindfully, and resting deeply.
Registration deadline is Wednesday, June 18.
Zazenkai – One Day Silent Retreat
Saturday, July 13
Zazenkai is a day of zazen.
Join us Saturday, July 13, for a zazenkai with Rev. Brian Shinkyu Coté.
Beginning at 9 am and ending at 4 pm, this short, intensive meditation retreat includes several periods of zazen, a mindful work period, lunch, and a practice meeting with Shinkyu.
A zazenkai can be a gateway into deeper practice. We hope you will join us, especially those who are curious about what it’s like to sit zazen for extended periods. An online option is also available.
Please submit registration form and payment by Thursday, July 11. (Registration opens soon!)
Cost: $45 for NZC members, $55 for nonmembers. Or, pay what you can.
Precept Study and Jukai Ceremony
NZC interim priest Daishin McCabe is currently offering an opportunity for NZC sangha members to begin formally studying the sixteen bodhisattva precepts.
Preparing to receive the precepts will deepen your understanding of Zen traditions and training. The process takes approximately one year and includes an online study group; sewing a Buddha robe, or rakusu, together in person; and working closely with Daishin to discern ways of moving toward greater health and happiness. Preparation culminates in a ceremony called jukai.
Please contact Daishin at daishin@zenfields.org if you are interested. And if you have already received the bodhisattva precepts, please support Daishin by passing your understanding on to others!
September Sesshin
Friday, September 13 – Sunday, September 15
Nebraska Zen Center will offer a three-day sesshin from Friday, September 13, at 2 pm to Sunday, September 15, at noon. Rev. Daishin McCabe will lead us.
In sesshin we settle our distracted minds by sitting for extended periods of zazen, eating mindfully, and resting deeply. Sesshin, which translates from the Japanese as “collecting the heart-mind,” provides a rare chance to step into a sanctuary of stillness. You can close the door for a while on the world’s cacophony and appreciate the freedom and spaciousness of life in the present moment.
The sesshin will include multiple periods of sitting and walking meditation; dharma talks; traditional, oryoki-style meals; Zen chanting liturgy; temple care (also known as mindful cleaning); body practice (e.g., yoga); rest breaks; and an opportunity to meet one-on-one with the teacher. In sesshin, we refrain from unnecessary speech and settle into silence.
This weekend will be a special opportunity to practice with Rev. Gyokei Yokoyama, international missionary for the Soto school in North America.
If interested, complete and submit a registration form and pay the registration fee by the end of the day on September 11.
Partial attendance is possible. Please email Daishin at daishin@zenfields.com if you will only be attending part of the sesshin.
Registration opens soon!
$135 for nonmembers / $120 for members / pay what you can