14thMay 2021
Dear Fellow Practitioners,
First of all my best wishes for everyone’s health and well being and secondly thanks to all of you who have helped support Stonewater Zen Sangha, financially, administratively and just with your presence through this difficult time.
On the plus side, our busy Zoom schedule has been a great success and has allowed many old and new folk, from around the UK and abroad, to join us on a regular basis. A real blessing. However,the Centre in Liverpool has been closed for over a year, three booked sesshin at Crosby had to be cancelled and there are many folk waiting to receive Jukai or Tokudo. In short, getting back to normal, if we can, will be a great relief!
After much thought and consideration of all the different factors, including the government’s relevant Covid guidelines, we have decided to reopen the Liverpool Centre on Saturday August 28th with this year’s Shuso Hosen ceremony. This ceremony,is a culmination of the month long Shuso retreat in the Lakes in August. (Details of this and a late June Zazenkai weekend will follow separately from this mail out).
If all goes to plan we will go back to our usual schedule at the Centre from Wednesday,September 1st. The space has already been set up so that all meetings can go out on Zoom and will be interactive. As well our six day a week morning Zoom sittings and other potential Zoom events will continue independently of any Zendo schedule.
I much look forward to seeing some of you in person either in the Lakes in August or in Liverpool in September and if we are really lucky at the Crosby sesshin in late October.
Kind regards,
Keizan Roshi
(with the support of Shinro Sensei and Suigen Sensei )
PS For those folk in Liverpool who I was seeing regularly before Covid and who have not joined Zoom please do contact me for a catch up if you would like to.