Our annual 8-month study group on the Zen Precepts. The group will be led by Guiding Teacher Nomon Tim Burnett and Practice Leader Myoki Raizelah Bayen.
This class, and community, for Zen practitioners interested in deepening their relationship to their practice and their lives through the study of the Zen Precepts has been a valued part of Red Cedar Zen programming for years.
Students should have the intention to attend all 7 evening meetings and the half-day retreat.
All are welcome. And students moving towards Jukai are expected to attend all sessions plus the Jukai ceremony on November 9th at the Fall Samish Sesshin.
Note: If you are interested in receiving Jukai this year, please see the Going Further page on the website and speak with a teacher for information on the process.
This course is completely online via Zoom.
Meetings
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.
A second monthly meeting is self-organized by smaller study groups to discuss the readings and further reflect on how the precepts show up in their lives. Responses can be written, artistic, or verbal.
The study group concludes with a half-day retreat in early August.
Text Used
Opening to Oneness: A Practical and Philosophical Guide to the Zen Precepts by Nancy Mujo Baker. 
Schedule
1st Monday evening meetings plus a Saturday half-day retreat.
2/3 - 6:00-8:00pm About the precepts, taking refuge
3/3 - 6:00-8:00pm Pure precepts
4/7 - 6:00-8:00pm Precepts 1 & 9
5/5 - 6:00-8:00pm Precepts 2 & 3
6/2 - 6:00-8:00pm Precepts 4 & 5
7/7 - 6:00-8:00pm Precepts 6 & 7
8/4 - 6:30-8:00pm Precepts 8 & 10
8/9 - 9am - 1pm Saturday Half-day retreat
Teachers
Myoki Raizelah Bayen
Raizelah began her Buddhist journey at Green Gulch Zen Farm in 1988,
working on the farm, sitting zazen, and participating in her first practice period. She refers to the temple at Green Gulch as the cradle for her spiritual baby, nourishing her early spiritual practice and growth. After her residency at Green Gulch, she took a hiatus from formal Zen practice, during which she continued her sitting practice and participated in the Diamond Approach to realization. She returned to formal Zen practice in 2006 with Norman Fischer's sangha, Every Day. There, she participated in monthly 1-day sittings and annual sessions, for over 15 years. There, she also connected with her primary Zen teacher and friend, Chris Fortin.
In 2021, Raizelah moved to Bellingham, continuing her practice with Red Cedar Zen Community. Actively involved in Red Cedar, Raizelah has served as Ino and Susho in 2023. She is currently sewing her priest robes and preparing for ordination in 2025.
Nomon Tim Burnett
Tim has been a student of Zoketsu Norman Fischer since 1987 when he was a resident at San Francisco Zen Center. After sitting practice periods at Green Gulch and Tassajara Zen Monastery, Tim helped found the Bellingham Zen Practice Group in 1991. Tim was ordained as a Zen Priest by Norman in 2000, received Dharma Transmission in 2011, and was installed as Guiding Teacher of the sangha in April, 2017.
