Zen Shabbat 5781

Zen Shabbat

Lab/Shul and the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care invite you to a shared experience of sacred space and time, harmonizing Jewish and Zen traditions in the celebration of Sabbath spirit.

6:30pm – Put your kettle on, grab your favorite mug/tea bowl/vessel, and get your tea ready ~ we will begin together. As steam rises our minds grow quiet, senses awaken, breath releases, body softens, heart opens ~ together we remember we are not separate from nature, we are nature.

*If you don’t have tea don’t worry, this ritual is about opening our senses, slowing down, and being and can be done with our hands as a vessel and our breath as tea.

7:00pm – Ritual music, meditation, spiritual teaching, and conversation led by Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison, Sensei Robert Chodo Campbell, Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, and Lab/Shul’s Ritual Team.

Lab/Shul is thrilled to collaborate with photographer Joan Beard and tea ceremonialist Lauren Stern for Zen Shabbat.

Joan Beard is a Lab/Shul member, visual artist and nature lover. Joan grew up in Maine near the ocean where she spent her free time exploring forests and coastlines. She went on to live in NYC where she had the honor of working on a desegregation project in  NYC Public Schools District 1 from 2014-2018. 

Her work has most recently been exhibited at the Whatcom Museum and the CoCa Gallery. She is currently working on a photography project called witness, memory about her visual relationship to nature and people; teaching photography; and homeschooling her 11-year-old son.

You can learn more and buy her artwork on joanbeard.com and also follow her on Instagram @joanbeardphoto.