February 5, 2025
Dear Sangha,
Did you attend the Saturday Morning Program on January 25 at Boundless Mind Temple or online? Or perhaps you missed it but are curious about the practice of writing Zen death poems in the new year?
During the Dharma talk, BZC Dharma Teachers Sarah Dōjin Emerson and Charlie Korin Pokorny talked about the Zen tradition of writing poems about death in the new year and reflected on how we can open up to impermanence through this practice. Afterward, they invited us to write our own poems, and many shared—offering beautiful words that were heartful, humorous, or profound. Not everyone had a chance to read aloud, and we know there are more voices to be heard.
Whether you attended or not, we invite you to participate. You can listen to the Dharma Talk recording here, which includes examples of poems by Zen masters and readings from Sarah and Charlie Sensei’s own writings, then write and share your own poem. Here is a quote from the talk to help ground us:
Reckoning with the fact that our time to be in this embodied form is limited is a practice that helps us focus on what matters, what we feel responsible to, and how we want to spend our limited time—even though it is uncomfortable (…) and how we care for ourselves around death. – Sarah Sensei
Poems will be posted on our website and social media.
Deadline for First Posting: February 10 (in time for a post on the last day of the Lunar New Year, February 12). Note: if you don’t make this first deadline, feel free to submit when you can—we may have future opportunities to share them.
To Submit: Email your poem and name to maiko@brooklynzen.org.
With gratitude,
Maiko