Events – Blue Heron Zen Community

Neighborhood Cleanup: Sunday, October 20

As a part of our involvement with our community, we have instituted regular trash pickup from the streets of our neighborhood 4 times each year, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, usually on the 3rd Sunday of January, April, July and October. (The schedule may be changed because of conflicts with other events.) We have registered with the City of Seattle’s Adopt-A-Street program, taking responsibility for periodic cleanups of this area:

Please join the sangha in the next scheduled cleanup on October 20, 2019.

Blue Heron will supply garbage bags and pickers for trash. Please bring gloves if you have them.

Neighborhood Cleanup: Sunday, October 20Lisa Kaufman2019-10-03T11:36:38-07:00

YouthCare Dinner: Friday, October 25

Help us prepare and serve a hot, love-filled meal to homeless youth. Blue Heron Zen Community will sponsor meal preparation and service at the YouthCare Orion Center, which is located at 1828 Yale Ave, Seattle, on Friday, October 25th. We will meet there at 4:30, or at the Zen Center at 3:15 to carpool.

YouthCare works to help homeless youth get off the street and into a stable life trajectory. (Read more about YouthCare here: https://www.youthcare.org.)

If you are interested in participating, there will be a sign-up sheet at the Zen Center. Please email any questions to megatlakeforestpark@gmail.com.

For a different way to help, you can offset the cost of the food through a targeted donation (PayPal option below), or put a check in an envelope at the Zen Center with “YouthCare” in the memo line.

To make a targeted donation to this Bodhisattva Action through PayPal, please click the Donation button below. If you don’t have a PayPal account you can use your credit card.

YouthCare Dinner: Friday, October 25Bob Werner2019-08-30T11:46:49-07:00

Potluck and Book Club: Sunday, October 27, 10:00 am

We are hosting a monthly book club, combined with a Potluck. This will take place on the last Sunday of every month, at 10 am.

We are reading Swampland Flowers, by the great 12th c. Chinese Zen Master Ta Hui, translated by Christopher Cleary. This book consists of a series of short letters he wrote to lay practitioners, outlining the core of Zen practice, its methods, pitfalls and applications for living in the world as an ordinary/extraordinary human being. Please join us!

At the next meeting, we will be reading and discussing letters nine, ten and eleven. You are welcome to attend and participate whether or not you have the chance to read them in preparation for the meeting.

Note: while the hardcover book is out of print, there are some used copies out there. Also, it is available as an ebook to download to your reader or tablet. And…if neither of those options work for you, we have a few copies at the Zen Center.

Potluck and Book Club: Sunday, October 27, 10:00 amBob Werner2019-10-03T11:35:40-07:00

Green Seattle Day, Saturday, November 2

The BHZC Community Engagement Group encourages you to join us in participating in Green Seattle Day on Saturday, November 2, 2019. This is an opportunity to join in a major planting event in 17 of Seattle’s parks. We will be planting trees and shrubs so that they can settle in during the winter rains and be ready to grow in the spring.

Some of us will be participating at Northacres Park (NE 130th Street, between I-5 and 1st Ave NE), where one of our members (Bob Werner) has been volunteering for several years. Others may find it more convenient to volunteer at a park in their own neighborhood.

More information is available at https://www.greenseattle.org/get-involved/green-seattle-day/ , or you can sign up for the Northacres Park event at https://seattle.greencitypartnerships.org/event/16620/

Please sign up early. All volunteer slots are frequently filled weeks before the actual day.

Green Seattle Day, Saturday, November 2Bob Werner2019-08-30T11:48:05-07:00

Fundamentals of Zen Workshop: Sun, November 17, 1-4pm

The Fundamentals of Zen workshop will give you detailed information about how to practice with the body, breath and mind, and introduce you to other practice forms such as chanting, walking meditation and bowing. There is ample opportunity to ask questions and try different techniques. All kinds of body types and physical conditions can access this ancient tradition of meditation. Working with one of our teachers, we help to make it as comfortable and practical as possible. Pre-registration is not necessary. By donation.

Workshops are offered on Sundays from 1-4pm. The next workshop is November 17, 2019

Workshops are offered on the following dates in 2019:

January 6 – March 17 – May 26 – July 21 – September 29 – November 17

Fundamentals of Zen Workshop: Sun, November 17, 1-4pmLisa Kaufman2019-10-03T11:34:29-07:00

Two Day Retreat with Eric Nord, JDPSN: December 6-7

Friday: 7am – 8:30pm
Saturday: 7am – 4pm

Retreats offer a rare opportunity to let go of the demands of our busy lives and recognize our inherent compassion and wisdom through dedicated Zen training. Each day includes chanting, sitting and walking meditation, a private kong-an interview and lunch. Here’s more detailed retreat information and retreat schedule.

Daily Retreat Fees:
Members: $30 plus dana* per day.
Non-members: $40 plus dana* per day.
*Dana is a voluntary donation of gratitude to our teacher(s).

Two Day Retreat with Eric Nord, JDPSN: December 6-7Bob Werner2019-10-15T15:21:09-07:00