Join us for this year’s Shosan Ceremony, open to all who have participated in Fall Practice at AZC as participants, retreatants, class students, and those who have come for zazen during this time. This year’s ceremony, led by visiting teacher Rev. Kokyo Henkel, will be held on the last day of Rohatsu sesshin. Please register early if you would like to attend, so we have time to prepare for the ceremony and plan the seating chart.

**Note: you must be confirmed as fully vaccinated to enter the temple for this or any indoor event at AZC.**

Shosan, literally “small meeting” is often referred to as “inquiry and response ceremony.”  It is a centuries-old tradition in Zen. In it, each person comes in front of the teacher, kneels, puts his or her hands together in gassho, and asks a question related to Zen practice. The questions can arise out of the moment, spontaneously, without deliberation or thought, or can be an important experiential practice question that has been worked with over the course of the practice period.  In this way, everyone gets to hear a variety of interactions, like the essential points of many individual dokusan meetings.