Two thousand five hundred years ago Sidhhartha Gautama sat through the night and, on seeing the morning star, "woke up" to enlightenment as Shakymuni Buddha . Every year Buddhists around the world celebrate the anniversary of this event by joining together and sitting through the night, and as Red Clay Sangha now has a dedicated space, we will for the first time be joining this special global celebration.
Traditionally Bodhi Day (or, in Japanese, "Rohatsu") is recognized on the 8th day of the 12th month (which is what "Rohatsu" means), but since December the 8th is a Thursday and most of us have Friday commitments, Red Clay will slip a day and sit overnight on the 9th. We will open the doors at 8:00pm for snacks and a short social and begin sitting at 9:00pm, and will sit through the night. At 6:00am on Saturday morning we will ring in Buddha's enlightenment and have a short service, followed by breakfast at our neighborhood IHOP.
Please join us for some or all of the night. Snacks will be provided, as well as spaces in the room next door to take a nap (please feel free to bring blankets, sleeping pads or a sleeping bag!). If the weather permits, some of us may even take our cushions and sit outside for at least a portion of the night (if you think you might want to do this, please bring along some warm clothes!). Also we'll want to share the timekeeping responsibilities, so if you re willing to volunteer to help, please drop a note to our evening coordinator, Wade Jones, at hwadejones@gmail.com.