Saturday, February 17th , as part of its monthly Zazenkai practice intensive, the El Paso Zen Center commemorated the Buddha’s passing, his nirvana, through the Nehan-e (Nirvana Day) ceremony.  The usual Buddha statue was removed from the altar and replaced with the statue of the Buddha reclining on his deathbed.  A print of one of the traditional paintings of the Buddha on his deathbed surrounded by his grieving disciples was also placed above the altar.  Among other things, the ceremony included a reading from the Maha-Parinibbana Sutta of the Pali Canon that describes the Buddha’s passing, chanting of the Homage To The Buddha’s Relics, chanting of the Heart Sutra and a reading of the Nehan Offertory.