If you have attended Six Rings' meetings enough to know that you would like to become a member, you will be included on our regular email distribution list and will find the information needed for participation in our practice in this section. Periodically, information is updated and revised so please attend to the revision dates which should be noted on many documents.
Weekly Meeting For Zazen
Please review the following sections to familiarize yourself with how our weekly meetings will flow. While each week will include opening & closing chants, and periods of zazen (seated meditation) and kinhin (walking meditation), there will otherwise be a bit of variability which is shown in the Meeting Format section. The Opening and Closing Chants section includes what is needed each week for chanting.
Sangha members take turns "hosting" and serving as "monitor." A brief description of these duties is in the Hosting Schedule section. Several times a year, a schedule for hosting is generated. All Sangha will be asked to volunteer to host. Before you take on this role or the role of monitor, instruction will be offered; however, you are encouraged to silently observe and listen to how senior Sangha take care of these duties as the most careful way to learn.
The first week of the month, is hybrid which means that virtual attendance is possible. You may join via the general Six Rings' Zoom link (click here). Particular instructions for the third and fourth weeks of the month when we offer a chant and brief service, respectively, are provided. Sangha members who may be asked to take a role in these weeks should review the notes pertaining to these weeks in the Meeting Format and Third Week Chant with Dedication sections.
Third Week Chant with dedication
Dana
If you find our practice of value, please consider supporting our Sangha both through your involvement and financial support. Information regarding the practice of dana is found here.
Services
Once each month, we have a brief Soto Zen service which involves offering bows, chanting and dedication of our efforts to those who are particularly in need of compassionate support. Information about the practices of bowing and chanting can be found in our Resource section (currently under contstruction). The sections below provide a copy of the Brief Service offered each month and a copy of the full Soto Zen service as was chanted during extended practice periods At Mt. Equity Zendo Jiho-ji. Now, we chant the full several times a year.
In this section, you will also find on-going Well-wishes and Bardo lists. Well-wishes list may be thought of as a "prayer list. It is maintained with the names of those who are in particular need of compassionate support through the merit of our practice. The Bardo list holds the names of those known to our Sangha who have died. Generally, speaking, in some Buddhist traditions, there is a period of time which is marked by 49 days between death and rebirth or after death and until a "soul" settles. During this time, we collectively hold that person in compassion. All Sangha members are invited to add to these lists. To do so, please speak with the person responsible for maintaining them. The names of those on the Well-Wishes and Bardo lists will be recited during our monthly service.
The Full MEZ service is the full Soto Zen service noted above. In this document, you will find any chant which may be chanted during our practice. We rotate through single chants on the third Thursday of the month but there may be other times when a chant is offered. It would be most helpful to have a copy of this at hand when attending our weekly meetings.
Sangha Leaders
This section is intended to be used by those in Sangha who have leadership responsibilities. Portions will be added as needed and removed when no longer relevant. As a leader, please feel free to edit or post information in keeping with your involvement.