Ceremonies and Celebrations

Vesak (Buddha's Birthday)

Celebrated each year on a Sunday in May, this festival honouring the birth of the Buddha is enjoyed by all ages and especially by children. Vesak is our most popular family event of the year, and can be an enjoyable way to introduce children to the story of the Buddha.

A story of the Buddha's birth is followed by a short chanting service and the ceremonial bathing of the Baby Buddha. Next, we see if we can wake up the Sleeping Sage. If we can, he tells us a Jataka Tale (a legend about one the Buddha's previous lives). Finally there is birthday cake (and healthy snacks), and origami, face painting and other fun activities for children. See Upcoming events for the date of this ceremony.

Matariki Jukai

Our mid-winter Jukai ceremony. Jukai is the Mahayana Taking-the-Precepts ceremony, in which students receive the Sixteen Precepts, and commit to putting them into practice to the best of their ability. The Centre is open from 3:00 p.m. for informal zazen, with the ceremony starting at 4:30. All are welcome. The ceremony opens with the chanting of the Heart Sutra, then we recite a repentance gatha (verse) as a means of purification prior to receiving the sixteen precepts: The Three Refuges, the Three General Resolutions and the Ten Cardinal Precepts, each repeated three times. After the ceremony, we generally gather for a celebratory meal; details will be sent annually. See Upcoming events for the date of this ceremony.

Kannon Day

Each year we honour the Bodhisattva of Compassion with a ceremony and an opportunity to relieve suffering. The Sunday sitting begins at the usual time (8:30), followed by the ceremony, which includes chanting the Ten-Verse Kannon Sutra 108 times. We do prostrations for part of the chanting, and there is also an opportunity to make a pledge of a monetary donation at the altar if you wish, to Amnesty International. In addition, Roshi gives a short talk about Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, and reads the 25th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra on the powers of Avalokitesvara (Kannon). The sitting is then followed by morning tea and letter-writing for prisoners of conscience. If you have a Kannon figure at home, bring it for the altar. See Upcoming events for the date of this ceremony.

Bodhidharma Day

Each October we mark the Death Day of the founder of Zen, Bodhidharma. The sitting starts at the usual time and includes two rounds of zazen, followed by the ceremony. Sent by his teacher Prajnatara, Bodhidharma made the long and dangerous journey from Southern India to China in the 5th Century C.E., where he sat facing a wall for nine years. He is regarded with great reverence and affection by Zen followers everywhere. See Upcoming events for the date of this ceremony.

Buddha's Enlightenment

Celebrated each year in early December, this beautiful ceremony commemorates "the reopening of the Way" by Shakyamuni, the Buddha of our world cycle. The evening sitting starts at the usual time with zazen, then Roshi tells the story of the Buddha's Great Enlightenment, and passages from the sutras are read aloud as everyone chants. Following the ceremony a special dessert of sweetened milk-rice (kheer) is served; this is the first nourishment that the Buddha took to gain strength after his period of extreme ascetic practice and before accomplishing anuttara samyak sambodhi (complete, perfect enlightenment). See Upcoming events for the date of this ceremony.

New Year's Eve Jukai

Each December 31 we bring in the New Year with a rich evening of sitting and ceremonies. The evening begins at 8:00 with zazen, followed by a release and renewal ceremony, designed to help us let go of painful habits and start the new year on a positive note. At midnight, we have a Jukai ceremony, renewing our vows for the new year. Bring a dish of festive vegetarian food to share at the end of the night.

Temple cleaning: As a precursor to our New Year's Eve celebrations, we give the whole Centre a thorough clean on Sunday after a sitting in December, getting into all the nooks and crannies, inside and out, that are usually overlooked. Sitting as usual 8.30-10.30 a.m. then a hearty morning tea before the work begins. Finished by 1 p.m. See Upcoming events for the date of the cleaning.

Parinirvana Day

Celebrated each year in February, this ceremony honours the Buddha's Parinirvana, the day of his death or final entry into nirvana. The ceremony is held on a Tuesday evening, with sitting starting at the usual time. After sitting there is chanting and a reading from the Mahaparinibbana Sutta. See Upcoming events for the date of this ceremony.

Earth Day

Each year AZC joins the global Earth Day celebrations. We usually mark this day on a Sunday in April , and often have a ceremony in the morning and then continue with a one-day sitting at the Centre. See Upcoming events for the date of this ceremony.

Founder’s Day

Each May we mark the death day of Roshi Philip Zentetsu Kapleau (1912-2004), the founder of our lineage. Following the usual sitting there is a special chanting service and a short talk about his life and contribution to Western Zen. See Upcoming events for the date of this ceremony.