This Week

This Week’s Schedule


Tuesday, March 30

As usual, our schedule this evening includes 3 rounds of zazen with dokusan (both teachers) and chanting; 7- 9 at Panther Branch. Full Moon -- an especially fine time for zazen!

Thursday evening, April First

We’ll sit 3 full rounds of zazen with dokusan, finishing with the Four Vows. 7:00 – 9:00

Friday, April 2

Workday – all welcome! We need help in so many ways, especially with sesshin around the bend. If you can come in for even an hour or two to lend a hand (or two), we’d much appreciate it. If you let us know in advance we’ll count you in for lunch.

In the early evening we’ll have our weekly in-town sitting at the rented zendo on 12 Von Ruck Court: 5:30 – 7:15, with 3 shorter rounds of zazen followed by chanting. Please remember to park in the driveway whenever possible.

Saturday, April 3

Another workday! Plenty to do, inside and out, so please join us if you can for work practice and lunch. We’ll be wrapping the workday up by 2:45, to allow time for our Residents’ Circle.

Sunday Morning, April 4

On this Easter morn we’ll have our usual Sunday program: zazen, chanting and teisho, 9:30–11:30, followed by tea, and whatever vegetarian brunch offerings people may bring.

Next Tuesday, April 6 through Sunday, April 11

We start our 5-day sesshin on Tuesday afternoon, so there will be no formal sittings until the following Tuesday, April 13. Sesshin ends on Sunday afternoon, April 11. Again, please note: No regular Sunday program on April 11.

Guest Residents

Vlastik Karlik, a longtime member of the Polish sangha and a former staff member there, arrived on schedule yesterday (Monday) on his journey from the Czech Republic. As mentioned in recent updates, he plans to be with us through the spring, returning to Europe after the June sesshin.

Also visiting us for the first time is Mui (his ordained name). He will be leaving Windhorse on Saturday after the workday, to visit family in the Raleigh area.

Guest Arriving

Lawson Sensei delivering mulch to the Bee Yard

Guest Resident Arriving

As already mentioned in a recent update, Vlastik Karlik will soon be joining us as a new resident. Vlastik leaves the Czech Republic on Sunday and will arrive in Asheville late Monday afternoon. A longtime member of the Polish sangha and former staff member there, he will be with us from the end of March till June.


One more thing: With the workshop this weekend and then the April sesshin, we’ve never needed help as much as we do now. Fran, a great list maker and worker, has been a key force in preparing the Center for such events. If you have any time to lend a hand, please call – 645-8001. Thank you!


This Week’s Schedule

Tuesday, March 23

On Tuesdays our schedule includes 3 rounds of zazen with dokusan (both teachers) and chanting; 7- 9 at Panther Branch.

Thursday evening, March 25

We’ll sit 3 full rounds of zazen with dokusan, finishing with the Four Vows. 7:00 – 9:00

Friday, March 26

Join us if you can for our in-town Friday sitting at the zendo on 12 Von Ruck Court: 5:30 – 7:15, with 3 shorter rounds of zazen followed by chanting. Please remember to park in the driveway whenever possible.

Saturday, March 27

We’ll hold a workshop, “Eternal Spring – Waking Up to Our True Nature,” an introduction to Zen teachings and practice. 9:45 – 1:30, finishing with a lunch. $25 for those who pre-register, $35 at the door. Seriously consider attending if you’ve never been to one of these – a great way to start or jump-start your practice.

Sunday Morning, March 28

We’ll have our usual Sunday morning program: zazen, chanting and teisho, 9:30–11:30, followed by tea, and whatever vegetarian brunch offerings may people may bring.

Once again

Once again the moon is waxing and SPRING is officially around the bend, with the vernal equinox occurring this Saturday, March 20, at 12:32 PM (in case you were wondering).

Another mild and bustling Tuesday here at the Center, with all sorts of activity in the vegetable garden and in the newly created (and still very muddy) Bee Area on the very back hill of the property.

Rainer setting the hive frame

Work also continues on the basement office, with all sorts of new shelving and a gleaming wood counter in the brightly painted space. Soon we’ll be able to move the office functions (and that whole tangle of wires) out of the living/dining room, making it a more restful and welcoming area.

We’re so grateful for all the volunteer work going on here! It’s essential for our functioning now, and is the living expression of practice and community.

Around the Bend


Guest Resident Arriving

Soon we’ll be welcoming Vlastik Karlik as a new resident. Vlastik, who is from the Czech Republic, is a longtime member of the Polish sangha and a former staff member there. He will be with us from the end of March till June, and will then return to Europe to attend the summer (July) sesshin at the Polish center.


Windhorse Workshop on March 27

We encourage everyone who wants to participate in the practice at Windhorse to attend an introductory workshop at the Center. These workshops give a solid foundation in the basic teachings of Zen, as well as in-depth posture points that you may not get otherwise. And they’re cheap – only $25 if you pre-register – and that includes lunch!

This Week’s Schedule


Tuesday, March 16 (tonight)

This Tuesday we’ll have our usual evening schedule: 3 rounds of zazen with dokusan (with Sunya-sensei) and chanting; 7- 9 at Panther Branch.

Thursday evening, March 18

We’ll hold to our basic schedule this evening, with 3 full rounds of zazen with dokusan (with S), finishing with the Four Vows. 7:00 – 9:00

Friday, March 19

Join us if you can for our in-town sitting this Friday, at the zendo on 12 Von Ruck Court: 5:30 – 7:15, with 3 shorter rounds of zazen followed by chanting. Please remember to park in the driveway whenever possible.
(Lawson returns to Asheville this evening.)


Sunday Morning, March 21

On this first full day of SPRING, we’ll hold our usual Sunday morning program: zazen, chanting and teisho, 9:30–11:30, followed by a vegetarian potluck brunch.

At High Noon we’ll have an important Sangha Meeting, our first of 2010, and are hoping for a good turnout. Many matters to discuss; we’ll keep it as concise and delightful as possible.

primed hive boxes

Feels like Spring

The water catchment area being restored

This Week’s Schedule


Tuesday, March 9 (tonight)

We’ll sit the usual Tuesday evening schedule at Panther Branch: 2 1/2 rounds of zazen with dokusan, ending with a chanting service. 7:00 – 9:00
Thursday, March 11

The regular schedule this week: 3 full rounds of zazen, ending with the Four Vows, 7-9 pm. at Panther Branch.

Sangha has a conference on landscaping...

Ginger, Valeria, Andy, Sensei Sunya, Sensei Lawson, Bulldozer Guy

Friday, March 12

We’ll hold our weekly in-town sitting (at 12 Von Ruck Ct.): 5:30-7:15, 3 shorter rounds of zazen with chanting.

Sunday, March 14 – Time Change!

We’ll be setting our clocks ahead an hour on Saturday night, to “Spring Forward” into Sunday – this mysterious annual rite that gulps up an hour and often leaves people feeling sleep-deprived. We hope you’ll join us nonetheless for the Sunday chanting and teisho, 9:30-11:30, with tea afterward, and the sharing of whatever vegetarian dishes people may bring along.


April Sesshin Applications

Applications for the upcoming 5-day sesshin, April 6-11, are due by midnight on the New Moon (Monday, March 15). Applications can be downloaded from the website, or you can pick them up at the Center.


Coming Up – Important Sangha Meeting

We’ll have our first Sangha Meeting of 2010 on Sunday, March 21 – the first full day of Spring. Please plan to come, if at all possible – we need you! Many things need to be decided that will affect everyone involved in Windhorse, and we also want to let people know what’s happening here on many fronts. The winds of change are blowing . . .
 

Valeria, Sensei Lawson and Ginger planning....