workshop Gate of Sweet Nectar May 15-17th

Zen Sangha 2005 – 2015

THROUGH THE GATE OF SWEET NECTAR:
Learning the Heart Liturgy of Feeding the Hungry Spirits

Workshop led by Roshi Bernie Glassman

with Barbara Salaam Wegmüller Sensei and
Frank De Waele Sensei

Friday May 15th through Sunday May 17th, 2015
in Zen Sangha, Ghent, Belgium.

This weekend program explores the power of this rare and beautiful liturgy that invites all suffering spirits into the mandala of our practice. In this ceremony we include all forms of hunger and offer the meal of the Five Buddha Wisdoms, as we open ourselves to the reality of suffering and our liberation from it.

The foundation of the Gate of Sweet Nectar ceremony is based on Ananda’s deep connection with his mother, and his great suffering in relation to her trials in her afterlife. Ananda, according to lore, then went to the Buddha to see if there was anything he could do to help his mother. The Gate of Sweet Nectar was the Buddha’s gift to Ananda. The ceremony is a profound plea that goes to the root of Buddhism itself, which is to save all sentient beings, understanding that we are all the Buddha and we all suffer. It is through this acknowledgement that all hungry spirits are liberated.

We will explore the meaning and making of this powerful liturgy with Bernie Roshi. In this workshop, we will learn the liturgy, its history and enact it. The Gate of Sweet Nectar is the core liturgy of the Zen Peacemaker Order, done at Auschwitz, Rwanda, and other places of great suffering. Also at the Zen Sangha, this ceremony is part of our regular practice.

All are welcome! One does not need to be familiar with the Gate of Sweet Nectar or Zen in order to attend.
The workshop though will be in English without translation!

Address:
Zen Sangha zendo Gent
Elyzeese Velden 10 B
9000 Ghent
Belgium

How to get there

Fee
€ 160 for ZPO Members and (kostenbijdragende) Zen Sangha Members.
€ 180 for other participants.

Includes 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches. Lodging not included.

Registration
Participants register for the two-day workshop.
To register, email registratie.zensangha@hotmail.be

After receiving confirmation of your registration mail, please make your payment on the Zen Sangha bank account (IBAN number: BE97 0013 8225 4949 – BIC-code: GEBABEBB), indicating ‘workshop Bernie´.
Only upon receiving your payment is your registration valid, which again will be confirmed by mail.
Registration closes on Monday May 5th.
Annulation before May 5th : € 30, annulation from May 5th on: € 50.

About the Zen Peacemaker Order, see this link.
About Zen Sangha Membership, see this link.

Lodging
As always, some of our sangha members offer lodging for participants at their homes at € 10 per night (shower included), to be payed directly to the host. You can request such a lodging place in your registration mail.
This offer is limited though and cannot be guaranteed.

Unfortunately there is no lodging available at the Rustpunt that weekend, because they are on retreat and already fully booked.
But Ghent has plenty of youth hostels, small hotels, B&Bs and a camping with cabins. See:
Link to the HostelWorld site.
Link to the “bedandbreakfast-gent” site
Link to “booking.com”
Link to the Blaarmeersen Camping site

Bring
Comfortable clothes for meditation and slippers.
Sleeping bag for those staying at the home of a sangha member.

SCHEDULE

Friday May 15th

18:00 arrival, dinner and clean up
19:30 opening meeting
20:15 zazen
20:45 opening remarks
21:15 metta chant – end of the day

Saturday May 16th

7:00   zazen
7:30 breakfast and clean-up
9:00   zazen
9:30 Gate of Sweet Nectar Service
10:00 Bernie Roshi talks about the Gate
12:00 lunch, clean-up and free time

14:30 Gate of Sweet Nectar Service position trainings
16:00 zazen
16:30 Gate of Sweet Nectar Service
17:30 dinner and clean up
19:00 evening zazen
20:00 metta chant – end of the day

Sunday May 17th

7:00   zazen
7:30 breakfast and clean-up
9:00   Gate of Sweet Nectar Service
9:30   zazen
10:00 Bernie Roshi talks about the Gate
12:00  lunch, clean-up and free time

13:30 ceremony for Zen Peacemaker Orde Members
14:00 talk by Bernie Roshi on the Zen Peacemaker Order
16:00 closing of the weekend

This schedule might be subject to change.

About zen master Bernie Glassman Roshi,
founder of the Zen Peacemakers and pioneering figure of Socially Engaged Buddhism