03/15/2020
In light of the impact of COVID-19, Buffalo Zen Dharma Community is temporarily suspending our group practice events. For those of you who are not on our e-mail list, please read the full communication below.
Dear sangha member:
To do our part in the concerted effort to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus, and after consulting Shugen Roshi, Head of the Mountains and Rivers Order, we have decided at this time to suspend our various group practice events until further notice. For the time being—and for everyone's safety— we will not be sitting on Tuesday evenings at Westminster Presbyterian Church. And if conditions still warrant this suspension come Saturday, April 4th, we will not gather for a half-day Zazen Intensive. We have also shelved plans for Shugen Roshi's visit to Buffalo on May 7-9. Truly wanting to come to Buffalo, he's keeping the dates open so a final decision can be made at the last minute.
Of course this is disappointing on a personal level for practitioners, but we can't afford to potentially contribute to the stress that is likely to overwhelm the country's medical system. Beyond this announcement, please expect to hear more about how we may find ways to keep the sangha connected during this temporary suspension of training and practice. Zen Mountain Monastery and the Zen Center of NYC have also closed their doors to public gatherings. Thus we all have a common mission of staying connected and offering support from a distance. So we'd like to share some thoughts from Shugen Roshi:
"In practicing Buddhadharma we turn inwards and find the calm and clear understanding that is within each of us. We turn outwards to offer lovingkindness, patience and compassion to every being. In times like this, many people will feel anxiety and uncertainty about the present and the future and may express that in both inspiring and troubling ways. As practitioners, let's use our circumstances to take refuge in the Three Treasures, drawing on our trust in the Dharma and the essential desire in each of us for happiness and well-being. Here at the Monastery, we'll be chanting the Four Immeasurables each morning, and we encourage you to join us by adding them to your morning liturgy. As each of us gives voice to these profound blessings, we come together through space and time, united by our shared intention."
The Four Immeasurables
May all beings be free from suffering and the root of suffering
May all beings know happiness and the root of happiness
May all beings live in sympathetic joy, rejoicing in the happiness of others
May all beings live in equanimity, free from passion, aggression and delusion
Thank you for your ongoing support...Eigen, Kimu and Seisen
