A Zen Buddhist faith community in Racine, Wisconsin

Compassion Fest 2010!

August 15th, 2010 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

ORZC’s annual festival of compassion returns Sunday, Oct. 3 from noon to 4pm. This family-friendly event on the beautiful DeKoven Center grounds celebrates compassion with contemplative practices, creative projects, live music, an incredible bake sale and Karmic Cake Walk, and a peace walk. It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with your true nature of loving-kindness. Come join us for a day of peaceful, interconnected action!

ORZC class: ‘Writing with Dharma Ink: A writer’s path’

July 29th, 2010 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Love to write? Afraid to write? Wish you could write? Tap into your inner creative writer during this four-session class at the Original Root Zen Center.

Writing ClassJoin us as we play with words, learn how to schedule time for writing, quiet your internal editor, organize your writing efforts and connect with your inherent creativity. Experienced wordsmiths and beginning writers are welcome. All participants will have work included in a journal to share with family and friends.

The class is led by writers and Zen Buddhists Master Teacher Anton M. Somlai, Rev. Teacher Dustin Block and Rev. Teacher-in-Training Janine Anderson. Somlai is a professor and associate director in the Center for AIDS Intervention Research of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the author of five books on putting Buddhist principles in action and leading a peaceful life. His writing can also be found in ORZC’s monthly newsletter, The Root and Branch. Block is a journalist and founder of the local news website, RacinePost.com. He also works on The Root and Branch. Anderson is a reporter forThe Journal Times, who covers the court system and writes about her experience as a mother. Her work also appears in The Root and Branch.

Classes will be held from 6:30-8pm on Sept. 12, 19, 26, and Oct. 10. The Registration deadline is August 25.

The $60 class fee covers tuition and includes materials for writing and copies of the journal.

Contact Marie Block at originalrootzen@gmail.com or 262-308-4881 to register.

Root & Branch: July 2010

July 23rd, 2010 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »


July 2010 R&B

This month’s 12-page edition of the Root & Branch, ORZC’s monthly newsletter, features a four-page report on ORZC’s 16th annual Women’s Retreat. Read to find photos and poems from one of ORZC’s great events during the year.

Also included are teaching essays by Master Teacher Tony Somlai and Abbot Mathew Somlai and our calendar of upcoming events. We’d especially like to note ORZC’s annual community festival, Compassion Fest, on Sunday, Oct. 3 from noon to 4 p.m. We’d love to see you there!

Camp Bodhi Root 2010

June 6th, 2010 Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Participants and volunteers at the 2009 Camp Bodhi Root

(Photo-above) Participants and volunteers at Camp Bodhi Root 2009.

The Original Root Zen Center’s summer kids’ camp, Camp Bodhi Root, returns this year on Saturday, Aug. 7.

While open to all faith backgrounds, our Zen Buddhist influenced day camp seeks to create an environment where peaceful, interdependent, and joyful activities abound! This year will see the return of many favorite, as well as new events, such as a trivia show designed for children and putting on our own musical. Camp is located on the beautiful grounds of the DeKoven Center. Recommended ages are potty trained to 10. Parents welcome to participate.

Weather permitting camp will be held outside in the grounds and gardens of the DeKoven Center, which sits on 11 acres of land near the shores of Lake Michigan. Inside activities will be held at ORZC.

Camp this year runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For information on this year’s schedule and details on how to register, visit our Camp Bodhi Root page.

Root & Branch - June 2010

June 6th, 2010 Posted in Root and Branch, Tony Somlai, Zen Writing | No Comments »

Root & Branch - June 2010

May 2010 Root & Branch

May 2nd, 2010 Posted in Root and Branch | 1 Comment »

Master Teacher Tony Somlai leads this month’s Root & Branch with a teaching essay titled, “Make the dust dance.” The MT writes:

Our job is to grow hope in the middle of cynicism and negativity. Much like the lotus flower our strength shines in the middle of the muck.

Travis DuPriest, a long-time friend of ORZC, writes two pieces for this month’s newsletter, including the essay, “Who’s fishing?” Here’s a taste:

I enjoy the garden with my eyes and feet; Buster, with his nose as he sniffs about between and under the plantings.  By this time of his walk, he’s “done his business,” so I don’t worry about “any volunteer work” he might offer. He’s eager anyway to get around to the front of The East Building and chase more squirrels.

Janine Anderson shares a historical fiction piece from the perspective of a Queen’s attendant as the Queen gives birth to a son who would grow up to be the historic Buddha. Amanda Hultman’s drawing above accompanies the beautiful and touching story.

All of this, plus photos from the community and upcoming events.

Click here to download the issue.

Happy Birthday, Buddhas!

April 11th, 2010 Posted in Ceremonies | No Comments »

The Original Root Zen Center is celebrating Buddha’s Birthday today with a ceremony at 9 a.m. Buddha’s Birthday is one of two major Buddhist holidays during the year. It commemorates the birth the historic Buddha more than 2,500 years ago. And, because we’re all Buddhas, it’s your birthday, too! At ORZC, we wish each other Happy Birthday today, decorate the Dharma Room for a birthday party and eat cake after the ceremony. It’s a real party!

The ceremony also includes “bathing the Earth Buddha,” which was created by Master Teachers Linda and Tony Somlai 10 years ago as a sacred connection between spring, Buddha’s Birthday and the ORZC garden. Ceremony participants plant a seed (this year, sunflowers) and “bath” the seed with water to help it start growing. As the seeds grow, people transplant them in the ORZC garden or their home gardens.

Buddha’s Birthday is a wonderful celebration of a basic truth. We are loving-kindness beings, here at this time and place to help all beings realize their own True Nature. What better place to do this than a birthday party? It’s not too late! Come join us at 9 a.m. at 600 21st St. in Racine. We’re in the DeKoven Center’s East Building. See you there … and Happy Birthday!

Root & Branch - April 2010: The Super Noble Truth

April 9th, 2010 Posted in Root and Branch, Zen Writing | No Comments »

The April issue of the Root & Branch is here! Click to download a PDF of this month’s writings from the Original Root Zen Center community. Master Teacher Anton Somlai has two teaching essays and poem in this month’s issue. Here’s an excerpt from, “A timely message from your teacher”:

The Four Noble Truths starts with the first truth that this is a suffering world. We spend way too much time on that first truth and fail to see the value of the other three truths. The Four Noble Truths are really only one Super Nobel Truth that this world is a practice world. We all come here to learn how to practice and find the true teacher within. We come to this planet in order to learn important truths. Suffering only helps with the initial question, “What is this?” If there is no suffering, there is no question. If there is no question, there is no practice. If there is no practice, there is no helping from loving-kindness.

Abbot Mathew Somlai and Senior Rev. Teacher Holly Johnson are back this month with their parenting column, “Sangha kids - Teaching good crazy.” Here’s a taste:

In wisdom guidance there is no mistake, there are only opportunities for skillful means to compassionate, together action. Take a breath and realize that you just yelled, “Your poopies have a natural lifecycle that you are not allowing to be fulfilled!” and that you must find another way that does not involve what you want. You will be surprised by how much laughter, not guilt, is waiting after that breath, since your child is probably already laughing at you.

And Rev. Teacher interviewed Master Teacher Tony Somlai about the year 2012 and the possibility of the end of the world as we know it.

On some level, most people realize we’re on an unsustainable

course. Lives based on fame, fortune and money aren’t leading to happiness. Our human ingenuity has created unimaginable progress, but done little to nurture loving-kindness. It’s the outcome of a mind=based society, the Master Teacher said.

“Look around,” he said. “We’re arguing over whether we can provide health care for the poor. We can afford two wars, but we can’t afford health care for babies.”

“Thinking has taken us as far as we can go,” the Master Teacher added. “It’s the spiritual that must evolve. 2012 is a metaphor for that kind of awakening. Old traditions, religions, power, politics have all led us to this absolute chaos. The new consciousness prophesized since the beginning of time is upon us.”

All of this, plus Garden Vows from Master Teacher Linda Somlai, exciting news about ORZC’s 16th annual Women’s Retreat and lots more writing, teaching, laughs and photos from the community.

Download your issue here!

Renaissance of Rummage this Saturday!

March 17th, 2010 Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

ORZC’s biggest annual fundraiser, the Renaissance of Rummage, is this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Zen Center. Returning this year is the Renaissance of Rummage! Come for antiques, collectibles, oodles of baby items and clothes, books, household goods and more! We’ll also have a huge bake sale featuring fresh roasted coffee made special for the event.

All sales benefit ORZC. Hope to see you there!

March 2010 Root & Branch

March 10th, 2010 Posted in Garden, Root and Branch, Tony Somlai | No Comments »

R&B March 2010The March issue of the Root & Branch, ORZC’s monthly newsletter is now available to download. This month’s issue features teaching essays by Abbot Mathew Somlai and Master Teacher Tony Somlai, an interview with Garden Master Linda Somlai, the debut of a parenting column and a “Buddhist Perspective” article about clear response to world tragedy. Click here to download a PDF of the R&B.