Open Spaces offers inclusive and mindful events in St. John's, NL.
Find more Open Spaces Events
Description
Join us for an open house with our Buddhist Dharma group, Eastern Sun Sangha. Experience our cozy meditation space, learn about our practices, and enjoy some tea and a potluck lunch. We hope to see our regulars, those who haven't joined us in a while, as well as some new faces.
In lieu of our regular Saturday 10am-12pm practice we will host a shorter meditation sitting with basic instruction for Zazen posture, breathing, and attention. You will learn the basic forms of Rinzai Zen practice, including sitting, walking, bowing, chanting, and taking tea. There will also be a talk on the intention of this spiritual practice and things to avoid in practice.
This open house will also introduce our new monthly Dharma Dialogue group, which begins in June. This new series will generally be held on the last Saturday of the month following the regular zazen practice, and will involve group discussion around a particular piece of Buddhist literature, from canonical to contemporary. We will have a short talk at the Open House with more information about the direction of the Sutra group study.
Itinerary
9:45am – Arrival, introductions, getting acquainted with the space. Some prep for sitting and overview of forms.
10:00am - Tea is served. There will be instruction on how to take tea in a formal setting.
10:10am – Zendo opening, Chanting of Heart Sutra in Japanese and English, Great Bows. (New practitioners will be guided through these forms).
10:15/10:20: The Jikijitsu (leader of the Zendo) will lead a practice of intermittent sitting and walking meditation in the Rinzai Zen format. Instruction will be given on posture, breathing, attention, and direction. Posture corrections and alternative sitting positions for those who need/want them will be offered.
11:15am: Zendo Closing, Chanting The Eight Verses of Training the Mind, Great Bows.
*Note that candles and incense are used during the service.
11:15am – Brief Dharma talk by Jikijitsu, Dialogue with other members, Q&A, Introducing Dharma Dialogue group which begins next month. Note: if you are not participating in Zazen (sitting meditation) portion, you can still join at 11:15am for this part of the day.
11:45-12:00pm – Closing of discussion, tea/coffee. Potluck lunch begins around noon.
All are welcome to bring something to share for lunch but it's not necessary.
Please make note of the itinerary for your arrival and if you wish to join online please let us know so we can have the live meeting open.
Contact: easternsunsangha@gmail.com
Website: easternsun.ca
Eastern Sun Sangha Live Meeting Link:
Date & Time
Sat, May 24, 2025 9:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Venue Details
Sanctuary @ The Pearl
2 Clift's - Baird's CoveSt. John's, Newfoundland A1C 6M9
