August's Events at the Baltimore Zen Center

Weekly Events

Dharma Practices

Dharma Service
Our weekly group practice! Join us each Saturday morning as we come together to meditate and chant. We listen to the words of the sages & the teachers of past generations, as well as a brief Dharma Talk from our resident teacher. This is a time for families & friends to practice together. Children are welcome! Stick around afterward for fellowship & refreshments in the hermitage!

Saturdays
10am-1130am
Contact: JB

Morning Meditation
The practice of Jwaseon or Sitting Meditation is an excellent way to start off your day. Come join BZC member Marin every weekday morning for sitting & walking meditation, and a chance to start your day with like minded practitioners!

Monday-Friday
7:30-8:30am
Contact: Marin

Dharma Class
Practice & discussion! Our weekly study group meets Tuesday nights in the hermitage for Sitting Meditation, discussion, tea, and a light meal of fruits & other refreshments. This is an especially good class for beginners or those with questions! Meet other members of the BZC in a relaxed atmosphere.

Tuesdays
7pm - 9pm
Contact: JB

Physical Practices

Morning Yoga
A playful blend of asana (still poses) and vinyasa (flowing between poses) chosen especially to prepare the body for seated meditation. Modifications are presented throughout the practice, making it suitable for beginners and experienced yoga students alike.

Monday/Wednesday/Friday
6:20am-720am
Contact: Marin

Sword Mountain Aikido
Includes seated Zen meditation, the physical practice of Aikido, and a period for discussion. Beginners and experienced practitioners of any rank, lineage, faith, and level of physical ability who come with sincere interest are welcome to join our practice. Come as you are! Practitioners may attend as many or as few of the sessions as personal schedules allow. Progress at your own pace.

Monday/Wednesday/Friday
7-9 p.m.
Contact: Joe

Cheolryun Gwonbeop - Iron Wheel Boxing
Dynamic self-defense training combining ancient means with modern methods. Come learn this eclectic combatives system based on Zen teaching. Cheolryun Gwonbeop is in one sense a brutal, hard-hitting system of fighting, while at the same time being a vital, life-affirming spiritual practice. Cheolryun Gwonbeop is known in English as Iron Wheel Boxing, and is considered the next generation in a deep legacy of Buddhist fighting arts.

Private lessons only.
Contact: JB

August Special Events

Half-Day Sit
Half-Day Sits are great times for beginners to really dig in to their practice with the rest of the sangha. It's also a great time for experienced practitioners to continue moving forward. It's a great way to kick off the weekend and move into the next week.

The retreat will begin with a short Dharma talk & instructional. Each sitting meditation session will be 30 minutes long and separated by 10 minutes of walking meditation. Before the final sitting session, we will perform the 108 prostrations, an incredible practice, useful for centering both body & mind. The sit will be followed up with a brief Dharma talk & discussion session over a light lunch & traditional tea.

Suggested donation: $20

Date: Saturday, August 22, 2009
Time: 9am-12pm
Contact: JB

Entering the Stream
This class is a discussion on how to bring your Zen practice outside the walls & activities of the Baltimore Zen Center & into your daily life. We'll look at the importance of community, not just here at the BZC, but in every aspect of our lives, and how we relate to that community. We'll look at how the things we encounter in daily life; addiction, money, & sex, can have an impact on our practice. We'll look at how our Practice can revolutionize our interaction with those facets of our lives, and how we in turn, can affect the world around us for the better.

A $20 donation is requested to help cover expenses.

Date: Saturday, August 22, 2009
Time: 1pm-3pm
Contact: JB

Serenity!

Many come to the practice looking for a sense of peace.

Some look for empowerment.

Some question how the path of nonviolence can be inherent in martial arts practice.

All of them can find wisdom in...

Animal.

July Events at the Baltimore Zen Center

Weekly Dharma Practice

Tuesdays 7:00-9:00pm
Join us in the hermitage every Tuesday night for an evening of sitting meditation, discussion over tea and light refreshments, and chanting. We encourage those who've never practiced with us before to come to this class with an open mind and a handful of questions! Experienced practitioners are also most welcome. Contact: J.B. Jaeger

Saturdays 10:00-11:30am
Join us for our group Dharma Practice, which includes sitting meditation, sutra readings, chanting, and a brief Dharma talk. Afterward, stick around for fellowship and conversation over tea and pastries in the hermitage! Children are always welcome at this family-oriented gathering. Contact: J.B. Jaeger

Monday-Friday 7:30-8:30am
Open meditation/Jwaseon/Zen practice lets you start your day with sitting and walking meditation, chanting and fellowship with others on the path. Come as you are, sit as little or as long as you wish, and carry stillness with you into the new day. Contact: Marin

Other Weekly Events

Monday, Wednesday and Friday 6:20-7:20am
Yoga: A playful blend of asana (still poses) and vinyasa (flowing between poses) chosen especially to prepare the body for seated meditation. Modifications are presented throughout the practice, making it suitable for beginners and experienced yoga students alike. Contact: Marin

Monday, Wednesday and Friday 7:00-9:00pm
Sword Mountain Aikido: Includes seated Zen meditation, the physical practice of Aikido, and a period for discussion. Beginners and experienced practitioners of any rank, lineage, faith, and level of physical ability who come with sincere interest are welcome to join our practice. Come as you are! Practitioners may attend as many or as few of the sessions as personal schedules allow. Progress at your own pace. Contact: Joe

Special Events

July 18th
9:00am-12:00pm
Half-Day Retreat: Half-day meditation retreats are great times for beginners to dig into their practice with the rest of the sangha. They're also great times for experienced practitioners to continue moving forward. Retreats begin with a short Dharma talk and instruction session. Each sitting meditation session lasts 30 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of walking meditation. Before the final sitting session, we will perform the 108 Prostrations, an incredible practice for centering body and mind. The final sitting will be followed by a brief Dharma talk and discussion over a light lunch and traditional tea. Contact: J.B. Jaeger
Suggested donation: $20

July 18th
1:30-4:30pm
Four Truths and Eight Steps: This class is the perfect springboard for those just beginning their Zen practice. It covers the basic tenets of our practice: the Four Noble Truths, which are the Buddha's realizations about the nature of reality, and the Eightfold Path, by which we may free ourselves from suffering. For those who attend the morning retreat, this continuation will allow you to reflect on how your meditation practice applies to what you do in daily life, transforming your life to one complete practice. For those not attending the Half-Day Retreat, this is still a wonderful introduction to the fundamentals of our practice at the Baltimore Zen Center. For those only attending this Basic Training Class, we ask for a $20 donation to help cover expenses. Contact: J.B. Jaeger

July 25th
7:00pm-12:00am
Karaoke Night! In Japanese, "Karaoke" literally means "Empty Orchestra", although many insist it means "Tone Deaf". We'll be meeting at Baltimore's famous Yakitori One restaurant (2101 Maryland Ave, Baltimore, MD) for some excellent food and great sake, before moving up the street to Rainbow Noraebang. For the Korean-impaired, "noraebang" literally means "song room". It refers to a private party room where you can subject your closest friends to your fantasies of being on stage with Prince. Come out for an evening of great food and the fun of watching your sangha-mates completely embarrass themselves. Please bring at least $20 to help cover the cost of renting the noraebang. Contact: J.B. Jaeger

See you soon!

New Year's Day, Every Day

This year, I resolve to:

• reduce stress in my life
• be more mindful
• learn something new
• get into better shape
• be more compassionate with myself and others
• meet new people
• discover my most authentic Self

We all make New Year's resolutions. We promise ourselves that this time, this year, will be different. This will be the year we get up a bit earlier to stretch or meditate or write in our journals. This will be the year we increase our strength and self-confidence. This will be the year we explore our inner worlds. This will be the year we pause and think before snapping at our coworkers, partners or children. This will be the year we work to discover who we truly are. This will be the year we create more balanced and peaceful lives for ourselves and our loved ones.

We all make resolutions. For a few days or weeks, we keep them. The alarm clock goes off in the frosty hours before dawn and we head dutifully to the meditation cushion or yoga mat. We leave the office after sunset and wade through puddles of slush to the gym or a meditation class. It's a new year, a new life... but it's dark, and it's cold, and it doesn't really matter if we hit the snooze button a couple of times, does it..?

The best time to begin is wherever you are right now. Each day - each and every breath - is New Year's Day. Summer mornings are cool and rosy; evenings are bright until long past January's bedtime. The habits you establish when it's easy will sustain you through the shortening days of autumn and the harsh winter months to come. Where do you want to be 365 days from today?

Happy New Year!