Tea Meditation with Erika Houle

Heart Sutra Collectives with Ines Sun

Eight Treasurers’ Tea by moJoosh

Join us for an autumnal afternoon of tea, poetry, music, and art under the trees in Fort Greene Park.

As the harvest period ends and the chilled grip of winter approaches, it is natural to turn inward during autumn. Many traditions have special celebrations such as Día de los Muertos, All Hallow's Eve, and Samhain to acknowledge those who have passed. Let us take this opportunity to turn toward the taboo subject of death through community art and culture. See what it means for us, how we relate to it, and how we can find healthy ways to acknowledge how death and life are inseparable. Even our location is befitting as Fort Greene Park is in fact a memorial site.

Tickets are donation based. Registration required to receive location information.

Registrants will be notified if inclement weather requires the event to be pushed to the rain date of October 23.

12-12:30pm Welcome Tea

Make connections and settle in with your hands curled around a warm cup of tea.

12:30-1pm Zen Death Poetry

Imagine together as poet Robin Lampman leads a group poetry reading from Japanese Death Poems: Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death.

1-2pm Talk on Death + Meditation

Contemplate together as Giun, resident minister at New York Zendo Shobo-ji @zenstudiessociety, gives a brief talk about Zen/Buddhist perspectives on death and shares an excerpt from the Pali canon regarding meditating on cremation grounds and decomposition of the body.

Meditate in the autumn breeze together. Basic instruction for Zazen (Zen meditation) will be given before a period of group meditation.

2-3pm Poem Writing + Music + Sutra Collective

Inspired by the poetry, meditation, and music write together as Robin Lampman invites participants to write their own poems. Everyone will have the opportunity to share their poems.

Listen together as cellist Daniel Hass plays original music.

Find serenity together through calligraphy writing. Write and copy the Heart Sutra in Chinese calligraphy style with artist Ines Sun. The partially copied sutras from NYC will be completed in a silk tea hut, which will later be installed at the Hoshino Ceramic Museum, Japan.

3-4pm Tea Ceremony

Sit together as Erika Houle concludes the afternoon with a boiled tea ceremony.

* A great way to help us provide community programming is to volunteer. If you are able to volunteer your time in addition to or instead of donating, please let us know by signing up HERE.

This event is part of our Nature Tea, Community Poetry & Tea, and Zen & Tea programs.

Autumn Tea 2022 is part of the Nature Tea 2022 series of Tea Arts & Culture. Nature Tea 2022 is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).

Photos by Enmy Uribe