On Wednesday, Oct 27 at 7 p.m., the Ashland Zen Center will host a candlelit ceremony for all hungry ghosts, and a memorial service for loved ones who have died.
From Ashland Zen Center:
A Gaki, hungry ghost, is a miserable being with a tiny, constricted throat too narrow to swallow anything and a painfully swollen belly that aches with hunger and thirst. We all have hungry ghosts in our lives and perhaps in our hearts. At Segaki we offer all gaki spiritual nourishment to relieve their suffering.
We offer the Hungry Ghosts spiritual sustenance to relieve their torment. Coming together in the dark and the cold, we also bring light and remembrance to those we love who have died, through our annual memorial service. Segaki will take place under illuminated canopies on the grounds of Ashland Zen Center, 740 Tolman Creek Road. All are welcome. Dress warmly, and wear a COVID-safe face mask while on Ashland Zen Center property.
Memorial
To add names to the annual memorial: Write loved ones’ names on the “Great Abiding Friends” registry BEFORE October 27. This scroll is at the Zen Center, 740 Tolman Creek Road. If you are at a distance, email names to ino@ashlandzencenter.org
The COVID Memorial will take place during the annual memorial service this year. The assembly will participate in speaking aloud the names of 2,100 people who have died of COVID-19 since the Pandemic started. This bears witness to the 700,000 who have perished, holding those we don’t know with those we name. Learn more about the COVID Memorial Flags: COVID Memorial Flags
Food Donation
To donate food to the hungry: Bring non-perishable food items to the Zen Center for feeding the living, hungry beings in our Rogue Valley. The basket for food donations is on the porch of the Zen Center, 740 Tolman Creek Road. Food will be collected until the ceremony, then distributed locally through the Food Bank.
Segaki Notes
Arrive at the Segaki canopies at 7:00 pm. Allow time for parking. You may need to walk a short way if the Zen Center parking lot is full. A period of silent meditation (zazen) in our chairs will begin at 7:10pm. Latecomers will be seated at the back. The Segaki Ceremony will follow zazen.
Bring a flashlight (there will be some available to share)
Bring a noisemaker or musical instrument. Hungry ghosts feel unworthy of spiritual community and are attracted to harsh sounds so when we invite them to join us we yell and make a lot of noise.
For more information, please visit: https://www.ashlandzencenter.org/segaki/
