Ordination Date, originally written December 12

Okay, we set the date and time. Sunday, January 7 at 4pm. That will allow both ZCO people and Dharma Rain people to come, and I'd love to see any of you come as well. The place is the Portland Dharma Center, 2517 SE Madison (for information and directions, go to www.dharma-rain.org/?p=contact ). One of my best friends here will be out of town, but you can't accommodate everyone. I think there will still be lots of people coming.

The ceremony usually takes about an hour, and involves lots of bowing on my part, taking the precepts, my teacher shaving off the last little bit of hair, someone putting new robes on me, they give me a bowl and a bowing mat, and various vows.

I hardly know what to think or how to feel. In some ways it's a big deal and in other ways it won't change all that much, other than I will have to wear my new fancy clothes in the zendo, and my head will be actually shaved for the next five years. I feel ready for this.