January 2026

“To stop your mind does not mean to stop the activities of mind. It means your mind pervades your whole body.” – Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

Work Practice

Sometimes when I make pottery, I think about nothing else, completely focused on the tool carving into the clay or the brush layering on glaze. That focus is a marrying of physical, mental, and emotional energy into the right now, this very moment.

All I am aware of is the feel of the tool in my hand, the appearance of the color on the clay, the movement of the clay as it shifts under the steel of the tool. It is a work practice that also elicits joy.

We can get the same sense of total absorption in washing dishes, or folding laundry, or yardwork. And from the result — an empty sink, a full dresser, a well-tended yard — we can also take a moment of joy. These accomplishments contribute to the well-being of ourselves, our families, and our communities, when we do them with our whole minds.

Yours in the dharma,

Meg Critchlow

Community Potluck and Sandwiches for Homeless Outreach

Friday, January 23, 6pm-8pm

Please come to the Blue Heron Zen Center on January 23 at 6pm for a pre-Kyol Che potluck. Please bring a vegetarian dish to share. (It would be greatly appreciated if folks would label their dishes for food sensitivities.) The Zen Center will provide dishes and silverware.

We will set up a station for sangha members to prepare 50 peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, which will be distributed to homeless encampments by Homeless Outreach on Saturday, January 24.



If you have any questions, please contact Meg at meg@blueheronzen.org.

First Day of Kyol Che

Sunday, January 25, 10am

Kyol Che, our three-month intensive period, will begin with an orientation session on Sunday, January 25 at 10am and end on Sunday, April 27. Our first Kyol Che retreat will take place Friday, January 30 through Sunday February 1. 

This year we will focus on some of our Indian Buddhist Ancestors and their teachings. Workshops will be held every other Sunday morning. During each workshop we will focus on one or more of these ancestors. We aim to make these sessions as interactive and immersive as possible. On Sundays when workshops are not presented, our teachers will offer Dharma Dialogues.

This year’s Kyol Che will be led by Paul Gulick, JDPSN. A formal announcement email will be sent early in January with information about registering and preparing for Kyol Che. Everyone is encouraged to participate in Kyol Che 2026!  

The first day of Kyol Che will also be streamed online. Join our usual Zoom meeting up to 10 minutes before practice begins. The Zoom details are:

Meeting ID: 228 1938

Password: 010810

Kyol Che Three Day Retreat with Ann Pepper, JDPSN

Friday-Saturday, January 30 - February 1, 7am-4:30pm

Beginning Friday, January 30, we will gather our online and in-person communities for 3 days of group practice, a Dharma talk, and personal Dharma Dialogues with Ann Pepper, JDPSN.

We welcome you to join us for all or part of the 3-day retreat.

Click here for more information and retreat registration.

Residential Training Opportunity

Blue Heron Zen Community has an opening for a resident Zen trainee at the Blue Heron Zen Center. Resident training offers an opportunity to deepen one’s Zen practice in a beautiful, comfortable group setting near North Seattle College. Prospective residents are expected to have a strong commitment to Zen. For more information, please see our Resident Guidelines. If you’d like to discuss becoming a resident at Blue Heron, please contact Abbott Paul Gulick or Zen Master Jeong Bong.

In-Person Sessions

All in-person practices are open for walk-in attendance (no need to sign up in advance). In-person practice is not streamed, unless otherwise noted.

Weekly Sessions:

• Sunday 10-11:30am (Also streamed online)
• Tuesday 7-8:00pm
• Wednesday 10-11:00am
• Friday 10-11:00am

Newcomer Orientation:

• Sunday 9:30-9:50am

Sunday Morning In-Person Activities: (Online participation is welcome!)

• First Sunday of the month — Dharma Talk
• Second Sunday of the month — Kwan Seum Bosal and Ji Jang Bosal chanting
• Third Sunday of the month — Dharma Talk
• Fourth Sunday of the month — Online Dharma Dialogues

Second Saturday, monthly:

• Extended sitting practice 9:00am-12:00pm

To attend, simply show up 5 to 10 minutes before any practice time. The building will be open for those practices. Use the ground floor entrance from the back yard (west side of the building).

Dharma Dialogues

Our senior teachers offer online Dharma Dialogues if you would like to discuss your practice and ask questions. Paul Gulick, JDPSN and Ann Pepper, JDPSN also offer optional Kong-an exchanges. Please get in touch with them individually to schedule an appointment if you would like a one-on-one Zoom meeting.

• Greg Eisen, JDPSN eisengn@gmail.com
• Paul Gulick, JDPSN paul@blueheronzen.org
• Ann Pepper, JDPSN anngoldenwind@outlook.com
• John Craycraft, SDT johnc@blueheronzen.org
• Jim Peacey, SDT jim@blueheronzen.org

Chanting Requests

Once a month, we set aside time in our Sunday practice to express compassion for anyone who is suffering (Kwan Seum Bosal chanting) or recently deceased (Ji Jang Bosal chanting). We invite you to register the names of loved ones for either chant. We will recite the names when we do special chanting.

Looking Forward

Second Kyol Che Retreat: March 13-15, 2026