November 2021 – Ordination Update
Tokudo Shiki Initiation, Two New Monks and a Ceremony
On August 22nd we held our second ever ordination ceremony at Puget Sound Zen Center. As we build a strong and healthy community, we will need a few people who have a deep rooted experience in the way of Zen, and are ready to commit themselves to the benefit of the sangha. Elizabeth Fitterer (Myoshin) and Stephen Black (Seizan) meet those requirements and I feel ready to help them as their teacher.
The ordinees don’t need to be perfect. But they have to be ready to work toward the Bodhisattva ideal, the embodiment of wisdom and compassion.
The August ceremony was also our final goodbye to the 7-acre parcel of land that we’ve stewarded for the past three years. By the time you receive this we will have moved into our new home, a watershed moment in the life of the sangha, one filled with promise and possibility.
I know Seizan and Myoshin will join with Anshin and Shuko to help create a bright future for the center, helping others understand and practice the way of Zen.
See more photos in the November edition of our quarterly newsletter, From the Cushion, here.
