Events

Special Events at the Desert Zen Center

YEARLY EVENTS

May – June

Buddha’s Birthday

During the Buddha’s Birthday Ceremony in Spring, we chant and bathe a statue of the baby Buddha with sweet tea and flower petals. We encourage everyone to bring an instrument, a poem, a song, a joke (suitable for the occasion), and to entertain the sangha during our shared meal after service.

July – August

Vu Lan

This late Summer ceremony dates back to the time of the Buddha and was started to help one of his monks who had visions of his mother being tortured in hell. The ceremony was to help deliver her from hell. It has become a annual day to remember those who have passed away and it is also a time to recognize or remember your mother. You may submit any names of those who have passed away to the priests at the temple so they may be remembered during ceremony.

Desert Zen Center honors this day according to the Japanese Calendar, and will celebrate on late July – Early August, starting at 11:00 a.m.   This will be the final ceremony and luncheon on the last day of our special Summer Teaching Sesshin.

November – December

Bodhi Day

Bodhi Day: Buddha’s Enlightenment Day – (Japanese: Rohatsu) On December 8th of each year (or on weekends before and/or after the 8th), Mahayana Buddhists commemorate the moment Gautama became the Buddha (Enlightened One). Ordination services are often conducted at this time because of its auspiciousness.

SESSHIN – SPRING AND WINTER TRAINING

April – June

Spring Training

 A time for intense practice and cultivation – April through June. In the time of the Buddha, all monks and some laypeople came together periodically for training.  FAQ

September – December

Winter Training

Our Rains Season: A time for intense practice and cultivation – September through December.  During the time of the Buddha, all monks and some laypeople came together during the Rains Season in India, which is the middle of summer. As summer in the high desert is uncomfortably hot, we have shifted our Rains Season to Fall and early Winter.  FAQ

Temple Work Day

Work Meditation – Samu

Temple Work Day starts at 9 am. to noonish (sometimes ending at about 3 p.m. if we’re on a roll), vegetarian lunch included. A concerted experience of a day of samu (work meditation) in community.

Note: Desert Zen Center schedules temple events on the second Saturday of every month. FAQ

Contact

  • 10989 Buena Vista Rd, Lucerne Valley, CA 92356
  • roshiangiao@outlook.com
  • 760-985-4567

RSVP – Cabins Available

Summer & Winter Training

The Desert Zen Center doesn’t charge for retreats, however welcomes donations.

 

“You shouldn’t chase after the past or place expectations on the future.  What is past is left behind. The future is as yet unreached. Whatever quality is present you clearly see right there, right there.”  —  Bhaddekaratta Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya of the Pali Canon)

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