Empty Hand Zen Center

By Frank Daigan Raddock

On Sunday, December 6^th, after eight months of classes, six sangha members received the Buddhist precepts at the Empty Hand Zen Center in an afternoon Jukai Ceremony. The ceremony was officiated by the Zen Center's founder and teacher, Susan Ji-on Postal. The Jukai recipients received their new Dharma name, their hand-sewn, small robe, called a Rakusu, a case and a Kechimyaku, or lineage paper, which adds their new name to the bloodline coming from Shakyamuni Buddha. After these items were individually given the group, now with new names and new robes, took the sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts together. These are the Buddha's guidelines for living an upright life, living one's practice in the world.   

The Jukai recipients were given Dharma Names in Japanese and English by their teacher. The names reflect something of the character of the student, and are also names of aspiration to encourage continuous practice.  The six sangha members were from many different ethnic and racial backgrounds and ranged in age from 16 to 73 years old, reflecting the growing diversity of the sangha. The Jukai recipients were also from varied occupational backgrounds, including high school student, teacher, psychologist, writer, harpsichord expert and art teacher.   

The six Jukai recipients and their Dharma names are:

Annecy Renshin Baez--"Lotus Heart"

Vanessa Kogetsu Carrasco--"Ancient Moon"

Jean Ryuji De Veaux --"Stream of Compassion"

Barbara Hoetsu O'Brien--"Dharma Joy"

Jeff Kigyo Silver--"Resolute Practice"

Bob Tessan Turner--"Iron Mountain" 

The Jukai Ceremony was held at the close of the Rohatsu Retreat which was the culmination of a week of silent daily practice commemorating Shakyamuni Buddha’s Enlightenment.  The intense sitting and vivid practice of Rohatsu (as Hakuin Zenji said, “a week of exhorting and exhausting ourselves”) led to a particularly deep feeling and warm closeness during the Jukai Ceremony itself, which was further engendered by Susan’s humor, caring and openness. There was a wonderful, supportive feeling during the ceremony with so many family members, close friends of the recipients and sangha members attending.   

The afternoon was begun with a procession of the Jukai Class members who had spent months both studying and sewing together. Each Rakusu takes many hours of hand stitching and careful attention to the complicated rice-field design. The students helped each other enormously and were guided and assisted not only by their teacher but most especially by Dennis Shofu Keegan, who is quickly becoming our "sewing expert.”  His experience working with Blanche Hartman at City Center, SFZC this summer in a Sewing Sesshin, has deepened his appreciation of sewing-as-practice. An intense and caring camaraderie often develops among members of each Jukai class and this group was no exception.

The ceremony concluded with a reception of the officiates and recipients, which led everyone straight to the library filled with delicious baked brownies, cookies and other goodies prepared by the candidates themselves.  

Congratulations to all of our Jukai recipients!