Tallgrass Zen 2010 Events Schedule

Consulting Interviews:
First Saturday of each month

YMJJ Retreat January 29, 30, 31, 2010
Dharma Talk on January 28, 2010

Midwest Sangha Weekend in Chicago
Ten Directions Zen Community
April 23 -25, 2010

Buddha’s Birthday
Friday May 21, 2009: Ceremony & Potluck
Day of Meditation & Interviews May 22

YMJJ Retreat June 24, 25, 26, 27, 2010

Sangha Day at Lake Wabaunsee July 2010 (TBA)

Retreat October 22, 23, 24, 2010
Dharma Talk on October 21, 2010

Buddha’s Enlightenment Day Activities 2010
Saturday December 11: Day of Meditation & Interviews with Evening Kido
Sunday December 12: Ceremony and Potluck

Buddha's Enlightenment Day is celebrated on the 8th Day of the 12th month. So this year on a lunar calendar it is December 23rd, on a solar calendar it is December 8th. Which do you like?

Saturday December 5, 2009: Tallgrass Zen Extended Morning Practice with Consulting Interviews 7:30 -9:30 am: Mercy Chapel - 1823 College Avenue - Manhattan, Kansas - Followed by Sangha Breakfast at a local restaurant

Sunday December 6, 2009: PrairyErth Zen: Buddha's Enlightenment Day Ceremony 10:30 am 2221 Edgewater -Topeka, Kansas. Followed by a Sangha Potluck.

Saturday December 19, 2009: Day of Meditation with Consulting Interviews 9am - 4:30pm. Deep Creek Community Center - Manhattan, Kansas. Bring a sack lunch. Potluck Dinner to follow before the Kido at 6:30 pm

Saturday December 19, 2009: Buddha's Enlightment Day Kido 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm - Deep Creek Community Center. Kido is means Energy Way - and we chant along with percussion instruments, so bring a moktak, drum, rattle. All are welcome.

For more information contact us at tallgrasszen@yahoo.com or call 785-537-8713

Surprise!

For several weeks now, Aussama has been telling us that she would bring two Korean friends to practice with her this Saturday, people she met in Korea. We were pleased because today was the first time we were able to offer consulting interviews (with Senior Dharma Teacher Margaret Wheeler). When we arrived at the chapel we learned that one of Aussama's friends was also an old friend of ours--Jee Hyun Lee, who has been living in Philadelphia where is an Assistant Professor at Drexel. What a surprise! We were also happy to meet Jee's friend, Jin, who is also a first-year Assistant Professor at Drexel. How lucky we all are to have such wonderful friends to practice with.

Kido Retreat with Linc in California

Ji Jang Bosal

John Daido Loori, Roshi, died today. You can read about him here.

Retreat with Linc Rhodes

Our retreat starts tonight at 6:30. There are still seats left for Saturday and Sunday. Email for more information.

People Smiling

Susan, Margaret, Rebecca, Linc, Christina, Judy, Liatris, Dennis

People Walking

During our circle talk at the end of the retreat held at Praireyrth Zen Center last weekend, Dennis talked about doing walking meditation outside. At first, he said, he was nervous because he worried about what people would say if they saw us. Once we got outside though, he realized that there were no people around to gawk and possibly criticize us. But there were lots and lots of birds, he said, watching us.

"What did they say?" I asked.

Linc Rhodes, JDPSN answered, "The people walking are the great sutras."

More or Less Terminal

A friend, a long term Zen practitioner, recently told another friend that he finds himself in a "more or less terminal situation" and will enter hospice soon. He also told her that he was at peace with his situation and not to send a get well soon card.

What great teaching! We are all in a more or less terminal situation from the day we are born until shortly before we die. The question is, how can we be at peace with our condition?

Retreat Photo

We just finished our second summer solstice retreat with a precepts ceremony. Congratulations to Jeehyun Lee for taking five precepts, to Susan Warden for renewing sixteen precepts and to Margaret Wheeler and Christina Hauck for taking sixteen precepts. Thanks to our teacher, Linc Rhodes, for traveling all the way from Rhode Island to practice with us, and to all the people who worked so hard, before, during and after the retreat.

Solstice on the Prairie Retreat June 2009

Tall Grass Zen
Solstice on the Prairie Retreat

Thursday June 18 - Sunday June 21, 2009
Deep Creek Community Center
in the beautiful Flint Hills
near Manhattan, Kansas

Retreat starts Thursday evening at 6:30 pm and runs through Sunday morning. There will be a precepts ceremony on Sunday at 11 am. You can sit all or part of the retreat. Late entry times are Friday and Saturday mornings at 6 am; 9 am and Noon. The precepts ceremony is open to the public.

If you would like to register for the retreat you will need to register in advance. Please email us at tallgrasszen@yahoo.com or call 785/537-8713 for more information.

Affiliated with the Kwan Um School of Zen
http://www.kwanumzen.com/

Half-Day Retreat in Topkea

Yesterday Margaret and I sat a half-day retreat with our friends at PrairieEyrth Zen Center. Thanks to the PEZC for hosting this.

Ji Jang Bosal

JW Harrington, May 8, 1958 - April 7, 2009.

JW, for thirty years the key administrator for the Kwan Um School of Zen, took his own life yesterday afternoon in Providence, Rhode Island. He is survived by his wife, Jayne, his mother, and thousands of friends around the world.

I did not know JW well, but in our many phone conversations and emails he was always friendly and efficient. Once, during Kyol Che, I did some office work for him. He had such a beautiful calm light. Now I feel so sad for him. He must have felt so desperate and alone.

Let us keep one another close.

Sitting with ease
on the bridge
Deep Creek accepts
another fallen leaf
greeting it with
a circle of radiance
shimmering
to every shore

The leaf floats
nesting into a rock

Form is emptiness

A cloud passes
over sunlight
transforming the vision
to opaque depth

Emptiness is form

Walking back
pick up a penny
in the road
Warm in the hand
South wind cool
on the face

Margaret Wheeler
Tall Grass Zen
2009

UPDATE ON THE FEBRUARY RETREAT

Because our teacher, Linc Rhodes, had to return to Providence unexpectedly, we've shortened the retreat. We will now begin at 9 am and end at 5 pm on Saturday February 7.