Each year, we join Buddhists the world over in honoring the Buddha’s enlightenment with an all night vigil. We mark the occasion by renewing our own aspirations and dedication to the path of meditation. We’ll begin at 7:30pm on Friday with some opening remarks by Shugen Roshi. From there on until Sunday morning at 7am, the zendo (and now Livestream) remain open with no periods or talks; alone together with our bodies, minds, and breath. When we need sustenance, we take food, when we need to stretch our legs, we step out of the zendo, when we need some rest, we rest and return. If other responsibilities need tending to, we take care.
Regardless of our coming and going, those of us at the Monastery will be present from 5:30am on Sunday for the final hour of the vigil, during which Shugen Roshi will offer concluding remarks. We will then lift the silence with a 6:30am liturgy service. The livestream then concludes but will resume with our regular Sunday Livestream program at 9am and another special service marking Buddha’s Enlightenment. For the Sunday program, please turn to livestream.com/mro.
If you missed Shugen Roshi’s Fusatsu talk on this Vigil, you can listen to it here.