A Trip to the Santa Cruz Mountains...

Last Sunday I went down to the mountains just north of Santa Cruz to attend the jukai ceremony of my friend Brian. A jukai ceremony, to the best of my knowledge, is the lay ordination of a member of the Zen Buddhist community. I had never been to one before and did not quite know what to expect, particularly since those Zen Buddhists and, in this case, those Soto Zen Buddhists are quite formal – lots of bowing and prostrating and bell ringing in just the right order and at just the right time.

The ceremony was very nice indeed and Brian seemed to make all the right responses at the right time, though he later admitted he only had a brief rehearsal 5 minutes before the ceremony. Anyway, it was a privilege to be a part of the ceremony – Brian has been diligently studying and practicing for the last 5 years and it is part of a life long commitment for him – very admirable.

The location was at a the Vajrapani Buddhist retreat center was an idyllic spot back in the hills behind Boulder Creek, just north of Santa Cruz – very close to the Big Basin Redwoods State Park. What a beautiful part of the State that is.