Discrete Moments of Awe at BZC

March 3, 2026

By Dorotea Mendoza

It is hard to choose one moment to share. So, I’ll make a list, in no particular order.

  1. The time when I joined the Brooklyn Zen Center sangha at the March for Our Lives demonstration to end gun violence, arriving at the temple on Carroll Street and donning a white sash to signify stepping as one, as Buddhists. It was my first time going to a protest with a contingent of Dharma practitioners. Though I only knew two or three people in the group, and only by face or by name, though I stood to the side as we prepared, and though I walked at the back and hardly spoke to anyone, there was a deep sense of belonging.
  2. The 108 bells to ring in the New Year, sitting zazen, facing the wall, my partner to my right, a friend to my left. My first and only time, so far, sitting and hearing the bell to witness the turning of the old year into new.
  3. The two or three black youths around the hall bell, playfully fighting over the striker, and when one got hold of the striker enough, struck the bell excitedly, enthusiastically, loudly.
  4. The roomful of laughter that immediately followed (see number 3).
  5. The Dharma talk by Roshi Paco Lugoviña in which he shared, among other things, that the one daily practice he does not miss is making his bed upon waking up, done with the same devotion and attention as in zazen, kinhin, prostrations…
  6. The spontaneous poems during sewing retreats: Three lines, starting with I remember, go… Then the heartfelt words about grandfathers, parents, birthplaces…
  7. The one-day retreat on spiritual by-passing, the vulnerability, me stepping forward into the center of the circle when one of the teachers said, Step in if you’ve ever experienced sexual overtures, subjected to inappropriate conduct while in practice spaces. The hesitation, and the absolute release and relief of deciding to step in and seeing that there were several others with me stepping in.
  8. A recent Dharma talk by Rev. Grace Song about oneness and how everything and everyone are of the same source, and the loud Yes! Yes! Yes! in my body, which, like all bodies, like all matter on this earth and in the entire cosmos, is a spacetime being, an energy being, a light being.
  9. The POC group and the one afternoon when we spent most of the time lying down on the bare wooden floor. I don’t remember the details, what the practice was meant to do, the specific instructions—maybe something around gentleness and/or breathing. I do remember feeling… at ease.
  10. I want to linger inside that last word. Ease. Which is what I wish, hope for everyone at Brooklyn Zen Center, teachers and sangha members, former, present, and future. What can I do to help ease…
  11. The crooked doormat, heavy and gray, me crouching down to straighten it, placing it flush against the threshold saddle.




Dorotea Mendoza, pictured above sewing her rakusu, is a writer, Zen practitioner, and one of the students who will receive the precepts at this month’s Jukai ceremony. We’re honored to share her words with you.

Dorotea and her fellow Jukai cohort will receive the Precepts at the Jukai ceremony on March 22 — and we’d love for you to be there.

Jukai Ceremony
March 22, 2–4 PM (arrive between 1:30 PM–1:45 PM)
Boundless Mind Temple

Please register to help us plan for the reception!