Mountain Seat & Eye Opening Ceremonies
August 30 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm CDT
We cordially invite you to the Mountain Seat Ceremony of Rev. Dokai Georgesen, where we will ceremonially install him as Abbot in recognition of 20 years of service to the Hokyoji Zen Practice Community as Guiding Teacher.
We will then perform a public Eye Opening Ceremony for the New Zendo, Mauss Hall and the Guest Hall. While Mauss Hall and the Guest Hall were completed a few years ago now, the Pandemic disrupted our plans and an Eye Opening Ceremony was never held for the New Buildings.
We will conclude the day by ceremonially retiring Rev. Dokai Georgesen as Abbot, although his official retirement date is September 8, 2026.
The schedule is as follows:
| Start | Activity | |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00a | Installation of Abbot & Stepping Up Ceremony | |
| 11:00a | Break & Setup | |
| 11:30a | Eye Opening Ceremony | |
| 12:30a | Lunch | |
| 2:00p | Stepping Down Ceremony & Retirement of Abbot | |
| 3:30p | Tea & Cake | |
| 5:00p | End of Ceremonies & Departures |
The ceremonies will be broadcast on Zoom at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84248827417?pwd=YWKWOstd7wtFpzDJzzxuzK4iUTeQLe.1 . If you plan to attend by Zoom, please save this link or bookmark this page.
If you are able, we invite you to make a day trip to Hokyoji and join us for the ceremonies, lunch, and celebratory tea & cake. We have limited overnight accommodations available.
We ask everyone to RSVP if they plan to attend or stay overnight at Hokyoji, either Saturday or Sunday night.
