June! PRIDE! Solstice! Connection!
Dear Sangha,
June is upon us and ZCNS anticipates a beautiful summer of offerings to soothe and ground us as we navigate our lives of commitment as well as in the moments of relaxation and joy that summertime invites us to savor. I struggle to hold, at the same time, the polarities of joy and suffering as just the experiences of being human and alive on this planet. Sometimes it just seems wrong to feel happiness when aware of the suffering of our neighbors living in uncertainty and possible imprisonment, children suffering and dying in war zones around the world, and when the health of our planet is ever increasingly in jeopardy. But I also know the importance of finding refuge, joy, and connection by being with others in celebration of all that unites us and connects us to the beauty of the natural world and each other.
This newsletter is a celebration of all the ways ZCNS greeted the month of May; the joys of a Members Tea, the Sewing Retreat, a new Zen Men gathering, and guest speakers, as well as our commitment to hearing the cries of the world by supporting vulnerable sangha friends in the community and the participation in They All Have Names Vigil in the wee hours of the night.
Come find Refuge with us this month as we participate in North Shore Pride events, care for a Little Zendo at Beverly Artsfest, and honor the Summer Solstice with poetry and our dear friend, Thomas Green of the Massachusett Tribe.
Refuge is a Place of Safety and Joy
Bows to You,
Seiran
North Shore Pride
Queer Sangha Panel
Thursday June 26th, 7:15-8:30pm
72 Grapevine Rd Wenham
Check our website in the coming days for details.
Pride Parade and Festival
Saturday June 28th, 12pm - 4pm
Shetland Park, 27 Congress Street, Salem, MA
ZCNS will again be marching in the parade proudly displaying our banner, and we welcome sangha members to join us as we march to the Salem Common. Join our group by 11am at Shetland Park as the parade begins at 12pm and ends at the Salem Common where the Festival is located.
Please consult the website for more details as we get closer:
http://zencenternorthshore.org
June Programs...
Thursdays in June
In-Person at Mahasati, 72 Grapevine Road and on Zen Zoom. After Zazen and the Well-Being Ceremony the Thursday evening class time will offer a variety of opportunities to engage with others in practice.
Thursday June 5th, 7:15 - 8:30
Sangha Time
Following Zazen and the Well-Being Ceremony we will gather as a sangha and reflect as the spring practice period ends and the summer practice period begins. The conversation may lead us to bell-ringing and chanting practice or to parts unknown!
Thursday June 12th, 7:15 - 8:30
Bodhisattva Precepts Full Moon Ceremony and
Small Group Discussion
Held as close to the full moon as possible this monthly ceremony is an opportunity to honor our commitment to the precepts and to the intention to live our lives from a place of peace, compassion, and wisdom.
Thursday June 19th, 7:15 - 8:30
Summer Solstice Ceremony, Poetry and an
Evening with Thomas Green
Welcome summer with a beautiful ceremony and words of the season. After chanting the Harmony of Difference and Equality we will share poetry and have the opportunity to discover our overlapping practices with Thomas Green of the Massachusett Tribe
Thursday June 26th,
Queer Sangha Panel
following zazen and wellbeing ceremony
Please go to our website for more information:
http://zencenternorthshore.org
Beverly Artsfest
ZCNS Little Zendo
Saturday June 14th, 10am - 4pm (rain or Shine)
ZCNS will again be sharing space with our friends at Daoist Gate in the children's section of the Arts Fest, a free family event in downtown Beverly on Cabot Street. Look for our Little Zendo and stop by to quietly color or just sit and enjoy the festive atmosphere, perhaps there will be some bell ringing! The Festival includes juried fine artists and crafters, kid's activities, and local food vendors and retailers.
Responding to the Cries of the World
"They All Have Names' Vigil held May 27 to May 28 recognized the names of more than 17,400 children killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. The 24 hour vigil was held in Harvard Square and ZCNS was there from 3am to 5am to bear witness as each child's name was read. Holding banners and pictures of children who have been lost to the violence and the resulting lack of food and medical care was a profound experience for those who were able to attend. See below the words of their experience in Voices of...
Voices Of.......
"Refuge is a Place of Safety and Deep Solidarity"
"It was a refuge to be at the sewing retreat - no national news to distract, no 'to do' list of chores, or worries about one thing or another. Just quietly stitching shoulder to shoulder with another person, just the desire to be of support to Chisei. And there was joy in sharing food, washing dishes, laughter when mishaps arose. Yes there was frustration in tying and knotting off the thread and the impulse to get more done, but there was also bowing in and then bowing out at the end of the day and dinner with sangha friends....refuge."
Seiran
The vigil was impactful for me. In the silence of the morning when it was all of us in the 3am-5am shift, the garbage trucks rolling by, and the birds still asleep, there was a reader saying the names of all the children who have been lost by age groups. Age 14 took over an hour to read through all the names and the reader broke down several times with the relentless repetition that all these young people are gone. It felt like a slow march of the dead and we were there alongside them as companions."
Nora
"Words cannot describe the horror, the horror, and deep sadness of sitting and standing in front of all those names. It was personally difficult to keep composure. The magnitude of suffering behind those names, and the monstrous cruelty perpetrated by empire, is difficult to bear. Yet the courage of the organizers and the love of humanity, extending to all life forms from the Sangha gives hope that the day is dawning when 'Never Again" means never again for all the world's people. Not just those with wealth and power."
Hekishi Brent Hyde
"I arrived at my first activist activity at Harvard at 2:30 am and was struct by the glass walled student center building and contractor, garbage and street sweepers zooming by as names were being read. A long white cotton scroll filled with black text was positioned in front of a few people holding small posters with photos of children. It was only after I picked up a poster and sat to meditate directly in frant of the scroll that I realized the text were names of the children who died in Gaza. One of the children on my poster was smiling in a similar way to one of my daughters at about the same age. That brought me closer to the horror of the situation.
Later as I was holding one end of a long vinyl sign I noticed our sangha led by Joan started walking meditation circling the entire vigil. I took some photos. With the long scroll in the foreground and the lit up Harvard buildings and Harvard gate in the background, it was a powerful image that represents a core valuesof Zen Center North Shore, i.e. Social Justice."
Tom W
"The vigil dissolved the separation between the lives of Gaza's children and families, my particular life, and all beings by providing a ceremonial way for immeasurable grief to be seen, heard, and felt deep in the body. It made the impossible task of feeling the magnitude of the suffering more possible by holding it with others."
Kenho Dashawetz
"To me, this practice provides a physical and emotional refuge. And in the safety of that refuge, the opportunity to see more calmly and clearly.
And with that clarity, the ability to experience the joy of being in my own harmony with the moment as it transpires.
And to do this while under threat and physically vulnerable."
New Program!
Zen Men
Tuesday June 24, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
monthly on the last Tuesday
72 Grapevine Road, Wenham (in-person only)
ZCNS is offering a space for men to come together in community, grounded in the teachings and practice of Zen, to reflect on and explore the unique challenges and experiences of being male in today’s world. In a society where men often struggle with isolation, disconnection, aging, and the weight of patriarchal conditioning, this group provides a supportive and courageous container for inquiry, conversation, and shared practice.
For more information please refer to our website:
http://zencenternorthshore.org
June Schedule
Monday Night Social Justice Connection & Sharing
Mondays June 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th, 7:05pm - 8:00pm
Following evening zazen we make time dedicated to providing space to hold our grief, rage, love, and determination during this time of change and uncertainty.
Memorial for Kaiya Rohrer & Mark McCue 10/13 yrs
Tuesday June 3rd, 7:15am - 7:40am on Zen Zoom following morning service
Sangha Time
Thursday June 5th, 7:15pm - 8:30pm
72 Grapevine Road, Wenham & Zen Zoom
Community Zen
Fridays June 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th, 11:30am - 1:00pm
Beverly Public Library, Barnet Gallery, 32 Essex Street, Beverly, MA
Monthly Sesshin
Saturday June 7, 7:30pm - Sunday June 8th, 5:30pm 72 Grapevine Rd, Wenham
Leadership Sangha Meeting
Tuesday June 10th, 5:00pm - 5:40pm, on Zen Zoom
Queer Zen (In-Person Only)
Wednesday June 11th, 7pm - 8:15pm
email chisei@zencenternorthshore.org to RSVP and receive meeting location
Bodhisattva Precepts Full Moon Ceremony
Thursday June 12, 7:15pm - 8:30 pm
72 Grapevine Rd in Wenham and Zen Zoom
Little Zendo at Arts Fest Beverly
Saturday June 14th, 10am - 4pm
Summer Solstice Ceremony, Poetry
and evening with Thomas Green
Thursday June 19th, 7pm - 8:30pm 72 Grapevine Rd, Wenham & Zen Zoom
Memorial Katherine Thanes (13yr)
Tuesday June 24, 7:30 am - 7:40am on Zen Zoom
72 Grapevine Road, Wenham & Zen Zoom
Zen Men
Tuesday June 24th, 6:30pm - 8:00pm, 72 Grapevine Road, Wenham
Intro to Zen (In-Person Only)
Wednesday June 25th, 7pm - 8:30pm Beverly Public Library, Barnet Gallery, 32 Essex Street, Beverly
Queer Sangha Panel
Thursday June 26th, 7:15pm - 8:30pm, 72 Grapevine Rd, Wenham
North Shore Pride Parade
Saturday June 28th, 12pm - 2pm, meeting at 11am @ Shetland Park, 27 Congress street, Salem, MA
Chanting Practice
72 Grapevine Rd in Wenham
Sundays, 10:15am - 11:30am
Thursdays, 5:30pm - 6:15pm
For more information about any of these programs and to register please visit our website:
http://zencenternorthshore.org
Coming up this Summer
Register Now!
July - August
6-Week Summer Class Series: Cultivating the Body and Mind of Tranquility
with Shokuchi Deirdre Carrigan
We are pleased and honored to welcome back Shokuchi as our guide and teacher into both the traditions of Buddhism and Yoga as practices that lead to the imperturbable composure of body and mind. Mindfulness of body and breath are important components of both traditions and offer a gateway into transforming our harried existence into a more centered, energetic, and creative expression in the world.
Check out our website to learn more about the class and Shokuchi Deirdre Carrigan. Register as soon as you can!
http://zencenternorthshore.org
Daily Practice Schedule
Daily practice continues as the foundation of who we are. Our regular daily practice schedule consists of periods of zazen (sitting meditation) and service (bowing and chanting).
Morning Program: Tuesday through Friday, 6 - 7:30 am ET
Sunday Morning Program (including dharma talk): 7 - 9:30 am ET
Evening Zazen: Monday through Friday, 6:30 - 7 pm ET
In-person Practice: Thursdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm and Sundays, 7 - 9:30 am
Check out our website for more detailed information about our schedule and events
http://info@zencenternorthshore.org
Zen Center North Shore is looking for a Forever Home
As a 13-year-old Buddhist center and registered non-profit we are looking for a North Shore property to become our home. We are open to be long-term stewards of a dedicated property but would also consider a traditional rental or purchase for the right fit. Please contact us with any possible helpful leads. Thank you!
info@zencenternorthshore.org
ZCNS is funded solely by donations, in the spirit of the Buddha's teachings. Your support makes possible the continued presence of the Dharma in the world.
Please consider being a Zen Center member.
We know times are tough for many, and we hope you will see this as a way to be part of creating the kind of world in which you want to live.
Thank you for your continued generosity.