Shinzanji~Lynn Johnson Pottery Sale

Shinzanji, 958 Terrace Ave. Victoria

Saturday, October 28th, 1pm to 5pm
Sunday, October 29th, 11am to 4pm

The serene ambiance of Shinzanji creates a magical setting for Lynne's lanterns, vases, Tea Ware and everyday tableware done in the Japanese aesthetic.

Please join us for an exhibition and sale of Lynne Johnson's marvelous works in clay! Featuring both wood fired and gas fired ceramics; Lynne's work includes functional, utilitarian work and many unique and wonderful one-of-a-kind pieces.

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For more information contact Melody Cornell at 250-598-9345

* Please park your vehicle on Terrace Road and follow the signs up the driveway.

Mahasangha~ENDING WAR, LIVING PEACE: Public Talk and Day of Practice

Join us November 3 & 5 for two special events with Claude AnShin Thomas

-- Vietnam veteran, Zen Buddhist monk, non-violence advocate, and author of "At Hell's Gate: A Soldier's Journey from War to Peace".

* Friday, November 3: Public Talk
-- How do we all create violence and war? What can we do to change this, both within ourselves and society?
7:30-9:30 PM, UVic Interfaith Chapel. Sliding scale $0-10.

* Sunday, November 5: Day of Practice
-- How can we awaken to the possibilities of a peaceful, nonviolent life, and transform conflict, ignorance, hatred, and greed into harmony, compassion, loving kindness, understanding and generosity?
9-5 PM, UVic Interfaith Chapel. Sliding scale $0-10. Please bring a cushion and blanket for meditation, and a bagged vegetarian lunch.

Both events will be facilitated by Claude AnShin Thomas.

Thomas volunteered for active duty at the age of 17 and served as a crew chief on assault helicopters at the age of 18. Upon his return to the US he began working to end the war in Vietnam, for student rights, and to address the social ostracization, homelessness, drug addiction, unemployability, and abnormally high rates of suicide, divorce, and imprisonment among fellow war veterans.

Thomas now speaks and leads retreats internationally on transformation, non-violence, peace, reconciliation, and mindfulness. He works with children, members of youth gangs, prisoners, military personnel, war and trauma victims and perpetrators, and peace activists to look deeply into the roots of violence and war and the possibilities for transformation.

For more information or to arrange ASL interpretation, email jgoldber@shaw.ca or call 721-8629.

Co-sponsored by the Victoria Zen Centre, Barnard-Boecker Centre Foundation, Sooke Meditation and Mindfulness Centre, UVic Institute for Dispute Resolution, UVic Interfaith Chaplain Services, Vancouver Island Public Interest Research Group, and Victoria Peace Coalition.

Mahasangha~Second Annual Fall Harvest Potluck Dinner

On behalf of the Victoria Zen Centre, I would like to invite all of you, your Sangha and families to attend the First Annual Fall Harvest Potluck, which the Shambhala Meditation Centre of Victoria has graciously agreed to hold in their Centre.

My hope is that this event will offer all of us an opportunity to meet one another, and come to a greater understanding of the rich resources of Buddhadharma which exist in our community.

Last year more than one hundred members of the Buddhist Community on Vancouver Island gathered together for an evening of food, fun, and friendship. I hope to see you there this year!

When: Sunday October 29, 2006 Doors open at 5pm, dinner at 5:30pm

Where: #1-2033 Belmont Avenue (Shambhala Meditation Centre of Victoria)


If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. eshu@zenwest.ca

Be well,

Eshu
Venerable Eshu Martin,
Resident Monk, Victoria Zen Centre
Buddhist Chaplain, Interfaith Services, University of Victoria

4970 Nagle Road RR#6
Sooke, BC V0S 1N0
http://www.blogger.com/www.zenwest.ca
(250) 642-7936

Victoria Zen Centre~Art Gallery Lectures

In Cooperation with the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria's exibit "Less is More: Japanese Zen Paintings" Venerable Eshu will be giving two lectures at the Gallery. For information on the show, the lecture series, and admission, please follow the "Link" below.

Join Venerable Eshu for what promises to be an engaging and insightful investigation into the inspiration and source of Zen Art, and a look at how this practice is being expressed in modern North America.

Thursday October 12th, 2006 at 1:00pm ~ Zen and Meditation
Thursday October 25th, 2006 at 1:00pm ~ Zen in North America

Mahasangha~Autumn Meditation Challenge

Announcing…

The Victoria Zen Centre’s
2006 Autumn Meditation Challenge
(Monday October 16th- Sunday November 5th, 2006)

We all know that consistency in our meditation practice is important.
To this end, we invite you all to accept the Challenge!!

The rules are simple:

1. One point is scored for each day that you sit.
2. In order to qualify, each sit needs to be at least fifteen minutes long.
3. The Challenge lasts for twenty-one days.

Each of you is asked to choose your own level of commitment;

Level 1: Minimum 15 minutes each day.
Level 2: Minimum 30 minutes each day (1x30min or 2x15 min)
Level 3: Minimum 1 hour each day (1x60min, 2x30min, 4x15min or any combo=60min)

It doesn’t matter where you sit, or what time of day you sit. It also doesn’t matter how much time you sit on any given day above your Level. The important thing (in this challenge) is to consistently sit every day.

If you sit for two hours in one day, but don’t sit for the next two days, then you only get one point. However, at Level 1, if you sit for fifteen minutes each day for three days (for a total of forty-five minutes), then you would get three points because you are sitting consistently each day.

To register for the 2006 Autumn Meditation Challenge, please respond to eshu@zenwest.ca with your name, telephone number, email address, and which Level you would like to be in.

Mahasangha~Family Dharma

UVic Interfaith Chapel
Sundays 4:00-5:30pm
Please note the time change to 4pm start!

October 15, 2006
November 12, 2006
December 10, 2006

Join us this fall for a Family Dharma program at UVic's Interfaith Chapel. Storyteller Margo McLoughlin will share stories from the life of the Buddha and lead activities for children and families.

This is an opportunity for parents to introduce their children to Buddhist practice and history through storytelling, art, mindfulness games and music. Margo has been practicing in the Theravada tradition since 1986. She served on staff at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and is a graduate of the Harvard Divinity School. She will be teaching Mindfulness Yoga for Children at the Oak Bay Rec. Centre starting in September, as well as several programs for Royal Roads' University Continuing Studies.

The Family Dharma program is for families and children from age 5 and up.

For More information please contact Ven. Eshu at eshu@zenwest.ca or 642-7936

Mahasangha~Jataka Tales with Margo McLoughlin

JATAKA: Stories and Music of Buddhist India

Monday, October 16th at 7:30 p.m.
The Church of Truth,
111 Superior Street in James Bay (near Fisherman's Wharf)
Admission: $10
Reserve a seat by calling 388-0143

Storyteller Margo McLoughlin translates and adapts the Buddhist tales known as the Jataka. In these stories of the Buddha's previous lives, the Bodhisatta is seen developing those qualities that led to his full awakening as the Buddha of our era.

Come and listen to these tales of friendship, generosity, wise leadership, and loving-kindness. These are truly stories for healing the world. Doug MacKenzie accompanies the storytelling on a wide range of traditional and non-traditional instruments, including the South Indian drum, the mrdangam. Come and listen as the stories and music invoke the landscape of Ancient India.

For more information, visit http://www.jataka.org