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WELCOME TO THE MARCH NEWSLETTER
Spring too, very soon!
They are setting the scene for it —
plum tree and moon.
—Basho
May this find you well as the earth tilts into Spring. In the middle of the month we had our annual Contemplative Care Retreat, and the following week we were approved by the National Association of Social Workers to provide CEUs for social workers. We also just gave a plenary talk at the national Integrative Medicine Conference here in New York.
As of March 1, the Foundations Program for the 2010-11 year is quickly filling up. We have accepted 2/3rds of our applicants to date. So if you are considering deepening your practice of Buddhist principles and care giving within a great community, send in your application soon. Please note that our Monday Night Sangha meetings will be held at Tibet House starting this Monday.
In this newsletter you will find a Dharma Talk by Trudi Jinpu Hirsch Ambramson, a note from Dr. Woodson Merrell, updates on our on-line Dharma Talks, and other notable items.
Wishing you a beautiful spring.
In the Dharma,
Koshin + Chodo
Co-Founders
CEUs Now Available for Social Workers
 In February, we were approved by the NASW to provide CEUs for social workers. Now we offer CEUs for both social workers and nurses for our Foundations Training and the Annual Contemplative Care Retreat.
Koshin and Chodo Delivered a Plenary Talk at the Integrative HealthCare Symposium: One Moment, One Chance
Koshin and Chodo gave a plenary talk at the annual Integrative HealthCare Symposium. It was a lively talk with dharma and clinical stories, and it was beautiful to see hundreds of people meditating!
Contemplative Care Retreat
On February 11-14, 2010, NYZCCC Teachers and Sangha gathered for our annual Contemplative Care Retreat at the Guest House in Chester, CT. This year’s retreat focused on how we can use Greed, Anger and Ignorance to transform our lives. It was an incredible retreat of depth and community. For information about our next retreat, go here. http://zencare.org/upcoming/2010/1101-13.html
Contemplative Care Retreat Dharma Talks Now on the Web
We are happy to offer some of the Dharma Talks given at the past Contemplative Care Retreat . To listen in, click here.
Enkyo Speaks with Women Living with HIV on Body Image
In February, Roshi led the group in an extended meditation focusing on self-esteem, selfcare, true personal values and self-forgiveness. Faced with issues of wasting, lipodystrophy (body fat accumulation), and other bodily changes resulting from medications and HIV itself, these women are at risk for loss of self-esteem, for depression and discouragement. The group responded enthusiastically to the meditation and exercises involving appreciating each one’s differences, accentuating her strengths and recognizing her determination to live a life of radiating beauty and self-acceptance.
Contemplative Care Sangha Now Meeting at Tibet House Library
 Join a wonderful opportunity for anyone who is a caregiver. Whether you are working as a professional, interested in care giving and Buddhist practice or simply taking care of someone else as a family member or a friend, you are welcome. Come sit in quiet meditation, listen to a dharma talk and engage in dialog with like minded people. Come practice with the NYZCCC Sangha every Monday at Tibet House from 6 to 7:30 pm.
To find out more, click here.
Applications for the Foundations in Buddhist Contemplative Care Training Program are now being received for the 2010-2011 academic year. Please apply early as space is limited and it is filling up.
Are you ready to train in contemplative care skills for year with other like-minded people? Our Foundations in Buddhist Contemplative Care Training Program is designed to meet the needs of people in a variety of ways:
Building a community of caregivers interested in integrating caregiving with contemplative practices.
Beginning training for those interested in becoming volunteer or professional caregivers in your local community, hospitals, hospices, and other places where spiritual care is needed.
Basic training in spiritual care: attending the sick and dying, performing ritual, and offering spiritual direction.
For more information, FAQs, and the application, please go here.
Trudi Jinpu Hirsch Abramson On The Practice of Meditation
Zen Buddhism emphasizes the practice of meditation as a necessity for learning about who you are and what life and death are ultimately about. It is one of the most difficult journeys anyone can take, and yet as one embodies one’s path, the way becomes clearer—and eventually all our intense effort and struggle will naturally fall away.
There are so many teachings available in books and tapes that the search can at times feel daunting. Buddha himself taught for more than 40 years. Right before he died he said, “Be a light onto yourself.” The written teachings might help some, but nothing beats a committed practice of sitting. No one but you can sit where you are, and no one but you will take you toward the realization of your completeness.
To read the full talk, click here.
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WORDS FROM OUR ADVISORY COUNCIL
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Beacon of Enlightenment and Transformation by Woodson Merrell, MD
"The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care has been a beacon of enlightenment and transformation for patients, staff and care-givers at Beth Israel Medical Center. Their wonderfully collaborative work with our new Department of Integrative Medicine has significantly advanced the ability of everyone it works with to more fully engage their own web of healing resources. Providing the tools to access one's calm inner spiritual center to lighten the burden of suffering and move to a healthier state is a blessing given us by NYZCCC."
- Woodson Merrell, MD
Mary-Anne Seiju O'Sullivan, NYZCCC CPE Chaplain Intern, On A Rainy Afternoon
“Where are you from?” she asks.
“Sydney. Australia. Do you know it?”
Shaking her head, “Not real sure.”
I draw a quick map. “We’re here.” I say, marking New York and then sweep the pencil down through mainland US, over Mexico and south across the Pacific “and this is where Sydney is.”
I trace the line across the latitudes with the pencil. “It’s about 22 hours by plane.”
To read the full story, click here.
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WAYS TO GIVING TO THE CENTER
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Use Your Birthday to Raise Money on FACEBOOK for the New York Zen Center For Contemplative Care!
How It Works:
As a supporter you can “donate” your birthday to New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Anyone can make a Birthday Wish and ask friends to give money to your cause.
Make a tax deductible donation to support our work helping others. You can do that here.
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DEDICATED TRAINING SPACE NEEDED
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The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care is actively looking for a new location. We have outgrown our present space at 80 East 11th Street and our rented spaces for our training programs. In the Fall, we are expanding our offerings to four year-long training programs in caregiving, as well as our regular weekly programs, retreats and public talks. At the moment, all our workshops, public education and trainings are held at various rental locations. Our administration and consultations are held in a separate office suite. While we are looking to realize our vision of a permanent home for the Center--including the end-of -life guest house--we need an interim space where we could expand our offerings, provide more direct care, train more people and increase our public education programs. Ideally, we are looking for 3,000 + square feet in the Union Square/Flatiron/Greenwhich Village/Soho areas—centrally located to public transportation and near our partner Beth Israel Medical Center. We are hoping for a donated or subsidized loft space. This new space will enable us to offer a 60 seat (or greater) meditation room, two/three consulting rooms, office, library, classroom, kitchen and multi-purpose common area. In an effort to better serve the needs of our caregivers and the New York City community, we ask for your support. All offers and/or leads are welcome.
Please contact us at: info@zencare.org.
 We are currently seeking 2 new donated Mac Book Pros. If you can fulfill this wish, please email us at info@zencare.org.
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Make a Donation to New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care
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Our mission is to make accessible, the wisdom, compassion and equanimity of the Buddha both locally and globally by: Creating and operating an end-of-life care residence within a larger Dharma center. To mindfully and compassionately serve people approaching death. To support the dying, their family and friends. To train volunteers, staff, monastics and medical professionals the ways of attending to the sick and dying from a Buddhist perspective. Attending to residents physical, emotional and spiritual needs cognizant of the fact that death is an integral experience of life. To provide the larger community, educational programs with a foundation in Buddhist teachings. To offer daily meditation practice, workshops and teachings from visiting Dharma teachers and Healthcare professionals. Your tax deductible donation will go toward making our vision a reality.
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