A monthly group with Nomon Tim Burnett and Seishu John Wiley for all Red Cedar Zen Members interested in precepts studies. Students should have the intention to attend all 7 evening meetings and the two day retreats.
Students moving towards Jukai are expected to attend all sessions.Speak to a teacher before the first meeting if you are interested in receiving Jukai this year. (See the Going Further page on the website for more).
SCHEDULE
- Wednesday April 3rd, 5:30pm - 6:30pm - about the precepts, refuges
- Wednesday April 17th, 5:30pm - 6:30pm - pure precepts
- (Note Zen Sewing Weekend May 4th & 5th is important for jukai students sewing rakusu)
- Wednesday May 15th, 5:30pm - 6:30pm- - precepts 1 & 9
- Wednesday June 12th, 5:30pm - 6:30pm - precepts 2 & 3
- Wednesday July 17th, 5:30pm - 6:30pm - precepts 4 & 5
- Wednesday August 7th, 5:30pm - 6:30pm - precepts 6 & 7
- Wednesday September 11th, 5:30pm - 6:30pm - precepts 8 & 10
- Cohort Retreat - Sunday October 6th, 9am - 1pm
- Precepts Retreat & Ceremony - Saturday October 26*, 6am - 5pm (ceremony at 3pm, Jukai students usually invite friends and family). *note this is a change of date.
Texts:
Diane Rizzetto, Waking Up to What you Do
Robert Aitken, Mind of Clover
Reb Anderson, Being Upright
Study Process
Each group meeting will include discussion, experiential exercises, and reflection in small groups on what these precepts mean for us as human beings and students of Zen and in reflection of the teachers' comments in the 3 primary texts we study (see below).
In between meetings students will be invited to reflect on how the precept in focus shows up in their life and will be asked to do some kind of active response. This response would be written, artistic or verbal. At each meeting a new assignment for the next month will be offered by the teacher of that month’s group.
More on receiving Jukai.
For those it suits, receiving Jukai is a wonderful step and provides the student with a focus and structure in practice. It also offers the sangha support and nourishment through the student’s publicly made commitment to practice and precepts.
If you’re interested in in receiving jukai: you must receive permission from a sangha teacher. Speak either to Guiding Teacher Tim Burnett, Sangha Teacher Ryushin Andrea Thach, Lay Teacher John Wiley or to one of our Mentors who have been shuso and are authorized to support you in preparation for jukai: Edie Norton, Talus Latona, Bob Penny, Chris Burkhart, or Kate McKenna.
To clarify: in addition to attending the Precept Study Group and receiving permission from a sangha teacher, in order to move towards jukai you will also be meeting with a sangha teacher to discuss your process of engaging with the precepts privately in Practice Discussion or Dokusan.
And it’s important to note that it’s wonderful and complete to study the precepts without approaching jukai and that receiving jukai and wearing the rakusu is not a requirement (or a blanket recommendation) in our sangha. It’s a choice and a discernment to be made with a teacher. (For more on Jukai and other training options at Red Cedar please see: the Going Further page on the website).
Please use the registration form at the left to RSVP if you intend to come to study group.
