Wintery Days at Windhorse

Despite the snowy weather, a number of volunteers arrived at the Center this morning to help out with work in all sorts of ways: fixing a leaky sink, finishing the drywall work in room 4, running the tractor and chainsaw to clean up some of the wreckage left in the wake of December’s snowstorm, and conferring on matters involving the website and our general direction for 2010. It’s a hoppin’ place, inside and out!

Now the lunch bell’s ringing – outdoor workers are coming in to a fire blazing in the hearth and the fragrance of curry filling the house. (If you think this is a shameless attempt to lure more volunteers to Windhorse, you’re right. Please consider joining the crew here, if ever you have some free time to offer.)

This Week’s Schedule

Tuesday, January 12 (tonight)

We’ll have our usual evening sitting at Panther Branch: 2 ½ rounds with dokusan, ending with a chanting service, 7:00-9:00.

Thursday, January 14

We’ll hold to our basic schedule on this night, with 3 full rounds of zazen, finishing with the Four Vows. 7:00 – 9:00

Friday, January 15

Assuming our mountain road conditions won’t cause us to cancel again, we’ll have our first in-town sitting of the year this Friday, with 3 shorter rounds of zazen and chanting. We meet at the zendo on 12 Von Ruck Court. 5:30 – 7:15.

Please remember to park in the driveway whenever possible.

Saturday, January 16

As mentioned in last week’s update, we’ll hold a workshop at Panther Branch this Saturday from 9:45 till 1:30: ‘Original Nature– An Introduction to Zen Meditation.’ If you’ve never been to one of these introductory workshops, do consider attending this one. We don’t have them often, and with talks and discussions and a detailed posture demonstration, they provide an excellent foundation for Zen practice.

Call or email the Center for more info or to register. It’s only $25 with early registration ($35 at the door), and that includes lunch.

Sunday, January 17

We’ll hold our usual Sunday morning program: zazen, chanting and teisho, 9:30–11:30, followed by a vegetarian potluck brunch.

A couple of points: Robes are not required, but please wear loose, non-eye-catching clothing (not white or bright colors, no words or pictures, etc.) If people arrive at least a few minutes early, it’s a lot easier for us to set up the zendo and start on time.

Next Sesshin: Saturday, Feb. 6 through Feb. 13. Deadline to apply: 1/18 (next Monday).