February 2025 Newsletter | Great Plains Zen Center

Published on February 17, 2025
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Great Plains Zen Center Newsletter

 February 2025




Buddha attaining Parinirvana. Tinh Tam temple, France
Photo credit:  © Pascal Deloche| Dreamstime.com


 
Dear Great Plains Zen Center members and friends,
 
Great Plains Zen Center is committed to providing ongoing opportunities -- retreats, classes, workshop and more -- to help you establish and maintain your practice of the Buddha Way.  We have opportunities to sit together online weekday mornings and Sunday evenings.  We also have in person zazen in Monroe and in Palatine.  Please check our Events Calendar for details. 

GPZC is also committed to serving our neighbors and communities through assistance, advocacy and support.   Find out how our RefugeeOne Making A Home Project in Chicago went and see some photos of the apartment we furnished for a family from Central African Republic.  Learn about immigration advocacy in Wisconsin and WISDOM Wisconsin's upcoming Madison Action Day.  

In honor of Black History month, 2025, GPZC's Racial Justice Circle is pleased to offer a screening and discussion of Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Race, Resilience, Transformation and Freedom, Monday, February 17, 7-9 PM online.  We will watch the panel presentation with the authors of the book by the same name and will then have a discussion, hopefully sparking many future conversations. 

Join us for the Nirvana Day Zazenkai, taking place Friday evening, Feb. 21 through Sunday morning, Feb. 23.  

Find the schedule of retreats  through June, 2025.  It is hard to overstate the value of sitting together for a week or weekend for a retreat.  We strengthen our own vows and encourage others' resolve to practice the Way.  We honor the practice of our ancestors and encourage the continuation of practice in future generations. 

In addition to multi-day retreats, we also have  Half-Day Sitting at GPZC, W7762 Falk Rd. in Monroe, Wisconsin one Saturday morning each month.  The next one takes place Saturday, February 15 with optional lunch and an afternoon work or rakusu sewing period.  Find more upcoming dates for 2025.

You can now attend Aspects of Zen Practice classes in Monroe at GPZC as well as in Palatine.  The Monroe classes will take place during the first hour of the Half-Day sittings, so that participants can stay for any or all of the remaining Half-Day Sitting schedule if they wish.  Find upcoming dates

The Zen Center holds Introduction to Zen Practice Workshops every month.  Find details, registration and dates for upcoming workshops in 2025.  The next Introductory Workshops take place on February 8 in Monroe and February 15 in Palatine.

Our morning online sitting takes place Tuesday - Thursday at 6 AM.  Use this zoom link to join and all are welcome.  No registration necessary! 

 Sunday evening sitting at Countryside Church in Palatine  is a wonderful opportunity to sit with others,  Download this guide to Sunday Night Sitting in Palatine.

Are you on Instagram?  Check out GPZC's  Instagram account

The practice of Day of Reflection takes place the third Sunday of every month.  This is a vehicle for exploring how you are working with the precepts in your daily life. Fusatsu ceremony (Renewal of Our Vows) takes place during second sitting in Palatine on the Day of Reflection.  Online participation is also possible for those who can't attend in person. 
 
The Calling Out to Hungry Hearts Food Drive to support our neighbors in Palatine through the Palatine Township Food Pantry and in Monroe through the Green County Food Pantry is ongoing.   Read the latest in how you can make a food or monetary donation.  

View our complete COVID policy here and contact us if you have questions about our policy. 
 
 



GPZC's RefugeeOne

Making a Home Project





Saturday apartment crew pausing for a photo (joined by Shozan Lira on Sunday)




Friday furniture hauling and Monday grocery shopping crew 

 
Deeps thanks to the 36 Sangha members, family and friends who helped make our RefugeeOne Making a Home Project a success!  People helped by making cash or gently used goods donations, purchasing new items, hauling furniture and household goods, storing items at their homes, cleaning and setting up the West Rogers Park apartment.  We provided furniture, baby (toddler) equipment, kitchen equipment, household goods, several weeks worth of culturally appropriate groceries and cleaning supplies for a family of three from Central African Republic.  RefugeeOne staff informed us that the family arrived on time on January 14, went through customs and immigration with no issues and were happy with with what they found in the apartment. 

Although we did not have the opportunity to meet the family in our role on the team, we wish them all the best in their new life in Chicago.  We will be thinking of them in the months and years ahead.  Thanks to the generosity of the Sangha, we accomplished this in just over three weeks. Rapid response was crucial as opportunity for families to resettle here in the US has been sharply curtailed (as anticipated) as of January 27.  

Much gratitude goes to RefugeeOne, an organization in the Rogers Park neighborhood that has welcomed over 20,500 refugees in the Chicago area since 1982.  The responsive and expert staff at RefugeeOne made it easy for our volunteer team to fulfill our part in the process and we are honored and humbled to have been a part of their decades of work on behalf of refugees.
 
 
 
 
Living room



Living room/dining room

 

Bedroom



Dresser with books and toys



Kitchen



Stocked refrigerator



Pantry with tool set on top shelf



Pack n Play, car seat and stroller



Bathroom



Cleaning supplies










 




Supporting Our Immigrant

Neighbors and Friends



 
 
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) Red cards
 

Great Plains Zen Center strives to uphold the dignity, safety and belonging of all.  We recognize that we rely on each other and our community.  At this time, we are called on to stand beside those who are being marginalized or excluded, just as they stand by us through the hard work they do every day.  Read our Vision, Mission, Principles and Practices Statement

"All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. The ILRC’s Red Cards help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations, such as when ICE agents go to a home." - ILRC Website

"Todas las personas en los Estados Unidos - sin importar su estatus migratorio - tienen derechos y protecciones bajo la constitución del país. ILRC's Tarjetas Rojas ayudan a los inmigrantes ejercer esos derechos y protegerse en muchas situaciones, como cuando agentes de inmigración visitan nuestras viviendas." - ILRC Website


Could you use one of these cards or do you know someone who does?  We have a limited number of them at GPZC.  Please contact us to let us know how many you need.  Cards can also be ordered through ILRC.
 

¿Podrías usar una de estas tarjetas o conoces a alguien que la use?  Disponemos 
de un número limitado de ellos en GPZC. Por favor contáctenos para decimos 
cuántos necesita.  Las tarjetas también se pueden comprar en el sitio web de ILRC.

Would you like to be involved in ongoing efforts to protect
 the rights of our immigrant neighbors in Wisconsin? 
  • WISDOM Wisconsin has been active in Immigration Issues for decades and is currently seeking volunteers through the Statewide Immigation Task Force.  The Statewide Immigration Task Force meets the second Monday evening of the month at 6:30 PM online. 
  • The Multicultural Outreach Program of Green County has recently formed a new organization, Dando una Mano, Together We Rise, an organization to help immigrants in Green County.  In addition to regular monthly meetings, the group sponsors speakers, immigration attorneys, notaries public and others at monthly meetings held at Union Presbyterian Church in Monroe.  
SAVE THE DATE:  Madison Action Day, April 10 2025.  Join us for a day at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison for a day of community action and advocacy.  After hearing the stories of impacted people, we will meet with our legislators to advocate for change.  Not a Wisconsin resident?  You're still welcome to join as there will a consituent of the legislator present along with you in each meeting.  Contact Roshi for more information including possible carpooling or bus transportation. 

 
 



 

Great Plains Zen Center
 
Racial Justice Circle



 


 

 
The Great Plains Zen Center Racial Justice Circle is a group of members from GPZC and other Sanghas coming together to address racism through listening, learning and taking action.  Educational activities, calls to action and other information will be posted here periodically.  View our updated GPZC list of anti-racism resources .

This month, in honor of Black History Month, we present:

 

Black and Buddhist:

What Buddhism Can Teach Us
About Race, Resilience,
Transformation and Freedom



 
 

Click on the picture to watch the video


Members of the Great Plains Zen Center Racial Justice Circle invite you to attend a video sceening and discussion, Monday night, Feb. 17 from 7-9 PM online.  The evening will start with a screening of Harvard Divinity School’s Panel Discussion on the book Black and Buddhist edited by Pamela Ayo Yetunde and Cheryl A. Giles (approximately 90 minutes).  Participants in that panel discussion include the editors as well as Melissa Wood Bartholomew (HDS) and Judith Simmer Brown (Naropa University).  Following the screening, we will have a 30 minutes discussion during which you can share your reactions and thoughts. 


If you would like to view the Harvard Divinity School presentation on your own, click on the picture above.  We hope you’ll also join us for the discussion, though, as we hope to start an ongoing conversation.   In the video and the book it was based on, you will find stories that speak to the connection between Buddhist Liberation and Black Liberation and explore the interweaving of individual and generational suffering.   We invite a more richly diverse and expansive experience of Buddhism by hearing multiple and previously unheard perspectives. 

As many primarily white congregations (Buddhist and others) are actively looking at how to be more welcoming to BIPOC individuals, this video highlights the need for members of those congregations to look inside themselves.  Our own implicit biases and presumptions can unintenionally manifest as microaggressions, policies or languaging that can feel unwelcoming and hurtful even though not intended.  We may not actually be giving the welcoming message we think we are.  In addition, the languaging of Buddhist concepts some of us find so meaningful and encouraging may land differently with those who have come to this moment with different individual experiences and transhistorical trauma.

 

 


You are also invited to read the book this panel discussion was based on: Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Race, Resilience, Transformation and Freedom.  In addition to selections by the editors, Giles and Yetunde, the book also features writings by Gaylon Ferguson, Lama Rod Owens, Sebene Selassie, Lama Dawa Tarchin Phillips, Gyozan Royce Andrew Johnson, Kamilah Majied, and Ruth King.

The discussion following the screening will be moderated by GPZC and Racial Justice CIrcle member Lisa Gades.  Lisa served as chair of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Council in her workplace and has led the Inclusion Book Club at her UU Church for the past several years. 

We hope you will join us  Monday evening, Feb. 17 at 7 PM for this brave and honest discussion of a pressing topic on the hearts of many of us.  Please register here by Sunday, Feb. 16.  This event is free and open to anyone.  After registering, you will receive zoom access information.




 


Nirvana Day Zazenkai
February 21-23





 


Nirvana Day Zazenkai takes place February 21-23 2025. This zazenkai commemorates the passing of our Great Ancestor Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha into parinirvana. As the Buddha lay between the two Sala trees preparing to depart from this sphere of teaching, his disciples were understandably grief-stricken and begged him to stay in this world longer. They pointed out how much more was to be done – that all had not yet been freed from delusion. The Buddha used this opportunity to teach his students many lessons about impermanence, essential nature and expedient means.

The Teisho for this Zazenkai will focus on the four virtues named in the Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo that we chant every morning.  These are jo (eternal), raku (joyous), ga (true self), and jo (purity).  We’ll explore these in relation to Chapter 16 (Lifespan Chapter) of the Lotus Sutra and the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, all of which present another perspective on how we view the life of the Buddha.

There will be an informal dinner on Friday at 5:30 PM followed by Zendo procedures instruction at 6 PM for those needing it. The formal zazenkai begins Friday evening at 7:30 PM, with one periods of sitting, including opening remarks and precautions followed by fusatsu . We conclude Sunday morning with the Gate of Sweet Nectar and informal breakfast.

Please read our latest COVID policy.

Scholarships are available for anyone who needs one. As always, we encourage those who are able to donate an additional amount for the retreat to help us keep retreats affordable for everyone. Participants will receive instructions, a detailed schedule, and Zoom access information after registering. The cost for in person participation in this retreat is $75 for members, $85 for others.   The suggested donation for online participation is $10 – $30 depending on level of participation. Register no later than Tuesday, February 18.


 


Reclining Buddha Statue in Parinivarna Temple in Kushinagar, Ind. Kushinagar, India - December 3, 2006: Buddha gold statue at the Mahaparinirvana Temple Kusinara or Kushinagar Uttar Pradesh India. 
Photo credit:  © Ariya Vichikit | Dreamstime.com





 

 

Upcoming Retreats in 2025

 





 

Upcoming retreats for 2025:

Nirvana Day Zazenkai (February 21-23 2025)

Beginner's Mind Zazenkai (March 21-23 2025)

Honoring the Earth Sesshin (April 24-27 2025)

Maezumi Roshi Memorial Zazenkai (May 23-25 2025)

June 3-Day Sesshin (June 26-29 2025)


 




 



Half-Day Sitting at


Great Plains Zen Center

 

 

 




 

Join us for any of the monthly half-day sittings that take place at GPZC, W7762 Falk Rd., Monroe, WI 53566.   Our next half-day sitting is February 15 2025.  You can attend all or part of the morning sitting and stay for the afternoon work period if you would like.  

 Half-Day sittings are a great opportunity to get in a morning of uninterrupted sitting meditation followed by a vegetarian meal and informal time with other Sangha members. 

The schedule is as follows:
 9:00    Zazen
 9:30    Kinhin (walking meditation)
 9:40    Zazen
10:10   Break
10:30    Zazen
11:00    Kinhin
11:10    Zazen
11:40    Four Vows
12:00    Optional Lunch and Community Work TIme

Note that we now offer Aspects of Zen Practice classes during the Half Day Sitting for anyone who wishes to take them. 

Half-Day Sittings are open to anyone and zazen (sitting) instruction is provided during the 9- 9:30 period for anyone who requests it. There is no charge for the half-day sitting, however, donations to cover the cost of lunch are appreciated.  Optional informal lunch and afternoon work period follow after sitting.  No formal sign up is required, however we just ask that you contact us if you plan to stay for lunch. 

See our most current COVID guidelines here.
 

Upcoming dates for Half-Day Sittings:
February 15 2025
March 15 2025
 

Dates for upcoming half-day sittings can also be found on the Events Calendar page of our website. 




 
 

 

 

Introduction to Zen

Practice
Workshops

 

 

The han at GPZC calls people to the zendo during sesshin

 

Great Plains Zen Center offers in person Introductory Workshops in Monroe and Palatine.  The next Introductory Workshops will be Saturday Feb. 8  from 8:30-11:30 at GPZC in Monroe, WI and Saturday Feb. 15 from 8:30 -11:30 at Countryside Church,1025 N. Smith St. in Palatine, IL .  Future dates can be found below or on our Events Calendar.

The workshop provides basic, practical information including how to do zazen (Zen meditation), how to establish a home practice, how to make everyday activities practice, the aims of practice, and what programs are available for practice at GPZC.

See our most current COVID guidelines here if attending in person.


Upcoming Introductory Workshops in Palatine IL:
February 15 2025
March 15 2025

Upcoming Introductory Workshops in Monroe, WI

February 8 2025
March 8 2025


Suggested fee is $25.  Scholarships or partial scholarships can be requested when registering.  Registration prior to attending is required.  To register, click on the date of the event on the Events Calendar.  or click on the link (date) above for the workshop you would like to attend. Then scroll down to the green "Register Now" button or the link at the bottom of the page. 


Interested but unable to attend in person?  Contact us about taking this class online. 

 


 



 

Aspects of Zen Practice

Classes


 
 

The Eight-spoked Dharmachakra (Dharma Wheel)
represents the Eightfold Path in Buddhism

 
 
Aspects classes take place once per month and are geared toward students who have attended the Introductory Workshop and want to learn more.  The classes are a requirment for membership at GPZC. They are offered at Countryside Church UU, 1025 N. Smith St. in Palatine and at Great Plains Zen Center, W7762 Falk Rd., Monroe, WI.  Suggested fee is $5.





Online Sitting at 6 AM every
Morning from Tuesday through Thursday 

 

 

Screen shot of Members Meeting online October 2020

 

Morning sitting continues Tuesday through Thursday at 6 AM online.  Note that  you must use this zoom link to join.  There is one zazen period opening with the Gatha of Atonement and Three Refuges and ending with the Verse of the Kesa.  A brief check-in follows.  You are welcome to join in any morning, even if you have not attended before!  No pre-resgistration is required - just click the zoom link below. 
 

Use this new Zoom link to join the sitting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87499070947
Meeting ID: 874 9907 0947

One tap mobile
+13126266799,,87499070947# US (Chicago)


 


 

 

Sunday Night Sitting in Palatine 


 

 

Sunday evening sittings at 7 PM at Countryside Church, 1025 N. Smith St., Palatine continue in person with an online option.  Please take advantage of this opportunity to sit with a strong and supportive community. The schedule consists of  zazen from 7:00 – 7:30, kinhin from 7:30-7:40 and zazen from 7:40 – 8:10. Dokusan (individual meeting with the teacher) will generally be available during these sittings. Instruction will be available during the first period of zazen for anyone new to sitting.  Online participation will continue to be offered as an option (see below).   

Download our guide with helpful information on what to expect at Sunday Night Sitting.

Fusatsu, Renewal of Our Vows,  takes place during the second period on the third Sunday of the month, as part of the Day of Reflection. 

Those who would like to learn service positions can ask the greeter or one of the monitors (people who sit facing in) to arrange training in the position.  This can include ringing bells, timing the sittings, running the dokusan line and more.   While the positions might feel intimidating at first, they are a valuable part of our practice: training us to listen carefully, be attentive and be willing to make mistakes and learn gracefully from them.  Many feel that taking on positions helps them to feel more part of the group. 

See our  most current COVID guidelines here if you plan to attend in person. 
 

Online attendance continues to be available with the following zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/744106602
Meeting ID: 744 106 602
Dial in:  312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

 
 
 
 



 
Calling Out to Hungry Hearts
Food Drive

 
 
 
Jizo Bodhisattva in GPZC's Jizo Garden
(photo credit: Sara Itoku Ahbel-Rappe)

 

 We continue to collect non-perishable food for the Palatine Food Pantry and the Green County Food Pantry in Monroe to support our neighbors who may be struggling to put food on the table.    Local food pantries sincerely appreciate donations.  We hope that you will continue to share goods and resources with our neighbors.  We were happy to be able to share some of the abundant vegetables from our garden with local food pantries this summer.   Visit this link for a list of items most needed by the Palatine Township Food Pantry at this time. 

Here are the ways to donate:

  • You can also bring donations to Sunday night sitting in Palatine.
  • You can bring food donations to any retreat.  They will be placed around the altar during the Gate of Sweet Nectar and then delivered to the food pantry afterwards. 
  • If you prefer a monetary donation, please use this link.  
 

 
 

Local and Seasonal Food Sources


 

 


Diversity is beautiful!  Salad greens in GPZC garden

 

Access our list of Local and Seasonal Food Sources in Wisconsin and Illinois on our website.  Check this list as it has been updated and new items continue to be added.    Please email any additions you have for this list.  Eating local and seasonal foods reduces fossil fuel used for transport, supports community jobs and livelihoods -- from small farms to rooftop urban agriculture, helps us appreciate the work done on our behalf to grow our food and gives us the benefit ot the freshest farm to table produce from our own communities. 

 




 


  
May you be well and safe!  Please treat yourself with kindness and self compassion during these times.  Below are some reliable websites for the latest public health information. 
 

World Health Organization
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Illinois Department of Public Health