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. For our mid-winter Matariki Jukai the Centre is open from 4:00 p.m. for informal zazen, with the ceremony starting at 5:00 p.m. 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; see our email updates for details about the dinner.