All priests and teachers can officiate at funerals, memorials, commitment ceremonies, baby welcoming ceremonies, house blessings, or other customized rituals. Sosan and MyoOn are authorized to officiate at wedding ceremonies in the state of Minnesota. 


Through ceremony, you have the opportunity to acknowledge important stages in your lives.  Buddhist ceremonies can help you to open to joy, sorrow, deep intention, loving care for others, and letting go.  You do not need to be Buddhist to have one of our priests or teachers lead your ceremony – we are open to working with you whatever your background.

For wedding or commitment ceremonies, we will help you craft a ritual that best expresses your own relationship and your journey of commitment to each other.  Using a Buddhist wedding outline, or your own outline, we will create a ceremony that includes vows, readings, symbolic gestures and/or songs that are meaningful to you.  Our Guiding Teacher, Sosan, is also certified to provide pre-marriage or couples counseling using the nationally developed Prepare/Enrich counseling program, which she has adopted using Buddhist principles.  


For funerals or memorials, we will work with you to plan a service that best honors the life of the deceased and helps family and friends experience their grief in a safe and supportive environment. 


For all ceremonies, we will work with you to plan a service that best honors the occasion and helps you and your family and friends embrace the life changes that the ceremony marks. 


Suggested donations for ceremonies vary depending on the type of ceremony.  For ceremonies at the center, there is an additional rental fee. For more information, please contact info@cloudsinwater.org, or email one of our teachers directly.

Planning Your Wedding with our Guiding Teacher, Sosan

Weddings, Memorials, & Celebrations

Marriage and ceremony preparation

  • Individually designed ceremonies

  • Ceremonies performed at any location

  • Wedding service that expresses the deep meaning of your life together

 

Sosan has a lot of experience with ceremony:

  • Over 80 wedding ceremonies in the past 18 years

  • Experience with couples from many different religious backgrounds

  • Experience with couples who are non-religious

  • Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology 

  • Premarital counseling with more than 30 couples

  • Over 23 years of experience teaching meditation and mindful living

Fees

Sosan's standard fee for a wedding is $550. There is an additional charge for weddings outside the Twin Cities Metro area. Sosan is committed to helping all looking for a meaningful wedding experience, and she is open to payment plans, barter and offering reduced rates. Please ask!


For more info, email Sosan directly at sosan@cloudsinwater.org

Memorials and Funerals

Funerals


Priests and Teachers at Clouds in Water Zen Center are available to help you plan a traditional Zen service, or a service that has a Buddhist tone but is made by you and your family. This can be at the Zen Center or a place of your choice. Email ceremonies@cloudsinwater.org for an outline that will help you plan a funeral service, or email one of the teachers directly to get the planning process started.

Memorial Services


A short service including offerings, chants and a dedication to the deceased can be done at Clouds in Water Zen Center or at a place of your choosing. Frequently this is done as part of a morning meditation at the Zen Center. Contact ceremonies@cloudsinwater.org, or any of the teacher, for more information.

These ceremonies are individualized according to your situation and needs. For members of Clouds in Water, these services are provided completely by donation. For non-members, we will suggest an amount based on the time involved in preparing and performing the ceremony. For funerals, the standard suggested donation is $500 (or $900 if it is to be at Clouds in Water Zen Center). For other ceremonies, we will determine a suggested donation based on $50 per hour of the priest’s time in preparing and performing the ceremony.

At Home Memorial Service Booklet


You are welcome to do a chanting service at home in honor of your loved one. Traditionally, this is done every day for 49 days after a loved one's death, but you can modify it however you like.

Please email sosan@cloudsinwater.org for a information.