11:30AM – Annual Intensive Practice Period – The Craft of Zen: Practices for Every Day

Brochure

Worksheet

We will kickoff this year’s five-week Intensive Practice Period at the end of of our regular Sunday services on March 19.

The Intensive Practice Period runs from Sunday 19 March to Sunday April 23. Our theme this year is: “The Craft of Zen: Practices for Every Day”- we will focus our practice on the body and and body awareness. Weeks 1 through 4 will highlight: posture and breathing, body awareness, sitting with pain, and sitting with emotions. Sunday dharma teachers will speak on each week’s focus; as well as the four Wednesday night services, when we will have short workshops with qualified instructors. Readings on the various topics will be available. The Practice Period will culminate in a five day residential sesshin at Camp Sealth on Vashon Island (fees apply).

You can read through the brochure and worksheet to decide if you want to make the commitment, create your individual Practice Plan, and register. There is no charge for participating, but you must be a paying PSZC member to participate.

This year’s procedure will be a little different: if you decide to register and commit, you write your own practice plan, which becomes a “contract” with the teachers. Rather than reviewing your Practice Plan with a preceptor, as we have in the past, we will bring a hard copy of our “contract” to the opening meeting (19 March), and lay them on the altar as a gesture of commitment. Only the teachers, with whom we will sign up for dokusan, will see our contracts.

We are also trying a “buddy system” this year. At the opening ceremony, each participant pull a “buddy” name from a hat, to be a companion and support throughout the five week practice period.