A family day is an opportunity for families with children to come and learn a bit about practice in a kid friendly way. The morning usually starts with a little walking meditation and some guided sitting meditation followed by a story and some activity that will allow us to explore practice in daily life. We end the morning with a snack and closing circle. Parents are encouraged to come and practice with their children.

Wednesday evening Dharma class and vespers via zoom. (For access information, send us an email.) Lately we have discussing the Zen koans in Nyogen Senzaki’s book “The Iron Flute.”

Friday Dharma class and and mid-day service (includes the recitation of Dogen’s Rules For Meditation or, Fukenzangi) via zoom. (For access information, send us an email.)

Work is a long standing element of practice in the Zen tradition and represents a concrete way to put practice into action in our everyday life. Working Meditation days at the Priory are a way to concentrate on and develop this aspect of practice and they are a way to give expression to generosity by helping take care of the practical elements of the life of the temple.

Read more about working meditation practice here.

(We will be live streaming this Festival via Zoom; if you would like to participate, contact us here for the access information.)

Avalokiteshwara is the Bodhisattva of compassion and embodies the compassionate aspect of Buddha Nature, which can be found and cultivated in each of us. The name Avalokiteshwara is Sanskrit (Japanese: Kanzeon, Chinese: Guanyin, Tibetan: Chenrezig), and means “The regarder the cries of the world”. To practice compassion is to pay attention to the cries of suffering within ourselves and from those around us and to be willing to respond positively to that suffering

At this festival, a variety of images of Avalokiteshwara are placed around the temple and we circumambulate the hall and bow to each image as we pass it. This represents the appearance of compassion in many different forms and sometimes in unexpected ways. We can come to know a deeper peace and contentment in our lives when we accept, and bow to, all these different appearances of the real.

The ceremony will be followed by a short Dharma talk and tea.

Wednesday evening Dharma class and vespers via zoom. (For access information, send us an email.) Lately we have discussing the Zen koans in Nyogen Senzaki’s book “The Iron Flute.”

Friday Dharma class and and mid-day service (includes the recitation of Dogen’s Rules For Meditation or, Fukenzangi) via zoom. (For access information, send us an email.)

We will hold this ceremony via zoom, if you would like to join us, please get in touch.

When we exert ourselves to practice the Dharma we create good consequences or merit; the transfer of merit ceremony is a way for us to devote a particular time and effort to offering that merit for the benefit of specific beings and the world and beings around us.