Water Baby Ceremony 2 p.m. Monday 14 July

[Amala]

Hi Everyone,

Sometimes death strikes when life has hardly coalesced, and this can be particularly painful for a number of reasons, one being that the pain of the loss is often not fully recognised or even acknowledged by the people around us. Taking part in a Water Baby Memorial Service, even if it is years after the death of a foetus or newborn, can provide a way to mourn and heal. 

The Water Baby Ceremony was developed by a number of American Zen teachers, all women, based on Japanese practices. I've offered the ceremony only once since I returned to New Zealand, and will offer it again on the Monday after sesshin. It is not a public ceremony; that is, there are no observers. All participants are there to remember a personal loss, and a slow and gentle approach is taken. Before the ceremony proper, participants sew small garments for a number of Jizo Bodhisattva figures. Jizo, or Kshitagarbha Bodhisattva in Sanskrit, is in Japanese culture a much-loved protector of aborted and miscarried foetuses, small children, travelers, and all beings in transition.

The ceremony will be at the Centre on Monday 14 July at 2 p.m . The ceremony is open to anyone who would like to remember the death of a child. RSVP to in...@aucklanden.org.nz. 

Sensei