Nearly a year-and-a-half after construction began, Creston’s zendo will welcome guests on June 15 to Crescendo at the Zendo, an evening that includes new music by Gary Deatherage, new poetry by Kuya Minogue and Luanne Armstrong and a philosophical conversation moderated by Jason Deatherage and Neil Ripski.
“Wherever I've gone, I've had a zendo (meditation hall) of some type — everything from a tent in the bush near Burns Lake to a corner of a log cabin in Atlin, B.C.,” said Zen teacher Kuya Minogue, who started ZenWords Zen Centre in 2008.
The new zendo is unusual in Creston, constructed by Daniel Kempling using traditional Japanese joinery techniques.
“The building is framed with Japanese joinery which was milled on-site and is almost completely devoid of metal fasteners,” he said. “It is the type of carpentry that has been used for close to a millennium in Japanese temples.”
Kempling will host a slide show on the construction, beginning with site preparation and ending with the final touches.
Guests can also enjoy the new Japanese garden that was designed and installed by Karen Powis and Gary Smith.
The zendo will not only benefit Minogue’s practice, but will also be available to the community.
“It provides a setting for Zen practice, which hasn't existed before, and it provides a venue for people who want to explore a values-based way of living, a venue for musical and artistic activities, and a new venue for small weddings and other gatherings,” said Minogue. “It would be a good place for a small yoga class.”
And plans are already in place.
“This year we will be offering a mindful eating course, as well as some joint courses with Neil Ripski of Red Jade Martial Arts,” she said.
Minogue said the completion of the zendo has left her relieved and exhilarated to continue her teaching.
“This new zendo is more than I ever dared to dream and gives me a perfect place to teach the Zen practices that I have been studying since 1986.”
Sponsored by Fort Cosmos Studios, Red Jade Martial Arts and Aikido of the Kootenays, tickets for Crescendo at the Zendo are $20 at Kingfisher Used Books. The event runs from 7-9 p.m. on June 15.