Support Eon Zen
2024 Fall Fundraiser:
The Eon Zen Collection
For our fall fundraising campaign this year, we are excited to launch the first edition of The Eon Zen Collection, a limited set of contemplative artworks created by two Eon Zen member-artists, available exclusively via our annual fundraiser.
All sangha members, friends, family, and supporters are invited to join in this meaningful opportunity to share in supporting Eon Zen Center and the creative spirit of our sangha.
We invite you to read Gyodo Sensei’s letter to the Sangha for an overview of our programs and growth in 2024.
We are grateful for all contributions at any level. Thank you for your support.
Everyone who donates during the Fall Fundraiser will receive a version of one of the two artworks in the 2024 Eon Zen Collection.
The top two contributors will receive one of the original artworks in an elegant wood frame. The top contributor will have first choice.
All other contributors will receive:
$1000 & up: Framed Archival Print, choice of 5”x7”, 8”x10”, or 11”x14”
$500-$999: Archival Print with mat, choice of 5”x7”, 8”x10”, or 11”x14”
$100-$499: Archival Print 8”x10”
up to $100: Printed Card 5”x7”
You can select which artwork you would like when making your donation. To receive both, you may contribute more than once. The artworks will be available for pickup after the fundraiser closes at the end of the year. If you are not local, we will ship it to you.
All donations are welcome and deeply appreciated..
Your tax-deductible contribution now will support us immeasurably as our sangha moves into the end of the year. It will allows us to continue to offer a wide range of in-person and online programs and a strong community for all who seek to practice Zen, as well as reduced rates and scholarships to ensure that our programs are accessible to everyone.
Thank you for helping to keep our sangha going and growing.
2024 Eon Zen Collection
Stillness
Lisa Gakyo Schaewe
9 in x 12 in
watercolor on paper
2024
River rocks, smoothed by friction and currents of flowing water, are often referred to in Zen as a metaphor for how members of a sangha collide and, in the process, wear down each other’s sharp edges. Sitting zazen refines this polishing process. Like stones in a riverbed, we sit still in the stream of our consciousness without reacting as the flow of thoughts, memories and perceptions drift past.
During times of persecution of Buddhism in ancient China, Zen practitioners acknowledged their commitment to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, the three treasures, by piling three stones vertically, the silhouette being reminiscent of a seated Buddha figure. The stones also signified that this was a place of practice to others.
Being Alive N° 60
Sam Sokyo Randall
9 in x 12 in
walnut ink, sumi ink and watercolor on paper
painted with a manzanita branch in Sequoia National Forest, California
2024
During my travels as a Zen pilgrim, I often select a small branch from the plant life where I am camped to use as a brush for painting — sage, jojoba, live oak, manzanita. First, I dip the branch in a dish of ink or watercolor and then circle it on paper over and over, breathing with the movement until a form emerges that resonates and feels alive. Once this initial mark is created, I add infusions of gold, indigo, cyan, or black while it is still wet. The colors merge and bloom together in a spontaneous flow of pigment on paper. Each painting is a complete expression of one moment, unlike any other.
If we pay close attention to our life, we often find a similar wild flow, with many sensations, perceptions, thoughts and feelings in every moment. Everything co-arising, coming and going, always changing, all the time. Meditation develops the capacity to fully experience this wildness, this being alive, all together, all at once.
We appreciate all contributions in support of our mission to cultivate awakened mind in the service of reducing suffering wherever we find it.
Your generosity will ripple out to benefit many and help to ensure that the practice and teachings of Zen Buddhism will continue.
Bequests
Another way to support Eon Zen is by remembering us in your will. Making a bequest of funds or property offers a number of important advantages, including allowing donors to redistribute the material wealth accumulated in their life for the lasting benefit of a larger spiritual community.
Your act of generosity will serve many others throughout space and time.
If you include Eon Zen Center in your estate plans, it is helpful to inform us. Please reach out to us at staff@eonzen.org and we can discuss your interest.
