This is to confirm that the upcoming Voting Membership meeting will be held on Sunday, December 6 at 1 PM, at the NC Zen Center.  We hope as many Voting Members as possible will attend, since we have several topics to consider which are very important for the future of the Center.  These topics are:

1. Introducing the new committee structure and calling for volunteers to serve on these committees.

2. Discussing a process for conducting a search for a long-term Zen teacher to begin serving at the Center.

As many of you know, the Board of Directors, in consultation with members of the Center, has created a committee structure for the ongoing and future organization of the Center. This structure includes a Practice Committee, an Outreach and Programs Committee, a Membership Committee, and an Advisory Council. The goal has been to create a structure which will serve the needs of the Center as it currently exists, and also to provide a strong foundation for future growth. It is our hope at this meeting to begin filling some of these committee positions from the Voting Membership, both by making nominations and calling for volunteers.

It is also the intention of the Board over the next several months to refine a process for searching for, vetting, and bringing to the Center a Zen teacher who will commit to establishing a long-term Zen teaching practice at the Center. It is our wish to set this process in motion in early 2016. Because this goes to the very heart of the future of the Center the Board feels it is essential to have strong input from the membership as we begin, and as we continue this process. At this meeting we will present an outline of a process and ask for comment, criticism and suggestions. We will also be forming a Search Team which will work in conjunction with the Practice Committee, and we will again be making nominations and asking for volunteers to serve on this committee. We anticipate the logistics of the search —beginning from the formation of a Search Team and culminating in an offer made to a prospective teacher — could take as long as a year. Because of this, we are anxious to begin the process as soon as possible.

Please feel free to bring snacks, and tea will be served. We look forward to seeing you there!

Winter Zazenkai — January 15 – 18, 2016

The Center will host a three-day Zazenkai retreat beginning with orientation at 7 PM on January 15 and ending at noon on Monday, January 18, which is Martin Luther King Day.

The retreat will be conducted as a formal Zen retreat, in a manner similar to formal retreats and sesshins at other Zen centers. The retreat is open to beginners and long-term practitioners alike.

The schedule will consist of zazen, kinhin, formal meals, work practice, and Dharma discussion. Lodging is available. Please visit the Retreats Page for more information.

Cost for the retreat is $50 per night. Please contact the Center to reserve your spot prior to January 1 with a deposit of half the cost of your intended number of nights so we will know how many will attend and can plan for meals and lodging. Cost rises to $55 per night for bookings after January 8.

 

You have found your way to the North Carolina Zen Center’s new Website.  Please take a moment to look around.  We hope you will find this site useful and informative.  We also hope you will come and sit with us!  And please feel free to comment on what you see here, and help us improve this site and make it even better.