Saturday, October 10th at 12:30pm at Austin Zen Center (and on Zoom)
This autumn the Austin Zen Center will be planting a tree to celebrate our Head Teacher Doshin Mako Voelkel, who received Dharma Transmission from her teacher Ryushin Paul Haller at Tassajara in April 2019, marking her full authorization as an independent Zen teacher. Ryushin Haller’s own Dharma Transmission tree was planted at Tassajara following his ceremony (by Sojun Mel Weitsman, Zenkei Blanche Hartman’s teacher) in the eighties, and former AZC Abbot Rev. Kosho McCall’s Dharma Transmission tree (the red maple) continues to grace Austin Zen Center’s front yard.
While this ceremony was intended for this past spring, due to the pandemic we pushed it back to this fall. We are delighted to be continuing the tradition here in Austin! The tree that was selected is a Japanese Black Pine: native-adapted to Austin’s local conditions and traditional in Japan for this purpose. The pine is also the symbol of our Sōtō school, and is stitched in the back of each rakusu.
All are welcome to join us in marking this significant event in Rev. Mako’s life and 
practice, acknowledging her dedicated leadership of our sangha, and honoring her deep commitment to the triple treasure and our Sōtō Zen Ancestors.
We hope that you will join us (either in-person or on Zoom) on Saturday, October 10th, at 12:30 pm as we honor our Head Teacher, bear witness, and celebrate the cultivation of Dharma here in Austin at our beautiful temple.