Sunday Sit with Washin - December 21., 2025

[Kotei]

Hello everyone,

We are coming together every Sunday out of compassion for those suffering, our hope for peace and our mutual support.
Led by Washin from Odessa, we'll continue sitting for peace in the Ukraine and around the world this coming Sunday.

You can check with the Treeleaf Practice Calendar for your local time, under the listing Sunday Sit (Zazen for Peace): https://www.treeleaf.org/zendo-ssr/
We meet in the Treeleaf Scheduled Sitting Room: https://www.treeleaf.org/practice-calendar/ password if needed is << dogen >>

A livestream of the meeting can be found here:

The format of the sitting will be:

- Heart Sutra
- Zazen 40 minutes
- Verse of Atonement and the Four Vows

All are welcome. Please, join us! No prior experience is required - just follow along - come sit with us.

Gassho,
Kotei

[Jundo]

Amazing how fast they could get the lights and water back on, even if partial and still hard ...

'Every new strike only unites us' — Odesa endures 5-day blackout after Russian strikes

Rolling into Odesa’s downtown, the constant hum of hundreds of generators drowns the ability to converse.

Just days earlier, the region came under a massive strike involving Shahed-type attack drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles.

The city, home to one million residents, was plunged into near-complete darkness on Dec. 13, with hundreds of thousands of residents left without electricity, while water and heating services became scarce. ...

... She described how neighbors coordinate during outages — sharing extension sockets, carrying water, and relying on local "Points of Resilience," community hubs where residents can charge devices and warm up during blackouts.

"We also work together with our neighbors — carrying water, going to the store," Shvets said. "At the 'Point of Resilience,' we cooperate as well: one person uses a socket, and three or four others nearby can charge their devices too."

For her, the war has stripped away misconceptions.

"I've noticed that war acts like a litmus test — it shows who people really are," she said. "I'm lucky: I'm surrounded by people you can survive this war with."

https://kyivindependent.com/you-surv...ias-blackouts/

But the attacks continue ...
.
Russian Shelling Near Odesa Kills One, Hits Power Supply

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/ar...s-power-supply


.

[Jundo]

More today ...

A Russian attack on Odesa region on Friday night has killed eight people and injured 27 more, according to Ukrainian authorities, as Moscow continues to target the Black Sea port city.

According to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, the fatalities occurred as a result of a Russian missile strike on a port infrastructure facility in the town of Pivdenne.

Some of the victims were in on bus that was caught up in the shelling, it said.

Russia has targeted Odesa with continuous attacks over the past nine days, resulting in a week-long power outage in the city and surrounding areas, as well as damage to port infrastructure and civilian vessels.

Russia has focused on crippling Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter sets in and has been able to strike more targets in recent months by firing a mix of several hundred drones and missiles simultaneously.

In addition, two key bridges connecting the northern and southern part of Odesa region have also been hit, with work ongoing to repair the damage, according to Oleh Kiper, head of Odesa regional military administration.

https://us.cnn.com/2025/12/20/europe/deadly-strike-odesa-ukraine-intl