Let the world be whole for a second. That’s a kind of magic.”
- Dave Cuomo

Hello Sangha!

Dogen famously said nothing in the universe is hidden, but we have recently stumbled upon a secret the ENTIRE CITY OF LOS ANGELES has apparently been keeping from us, and we thought it was only fair to share it with you, our beloved friends and compatriots.

Did you know that since 2021, street sweeping is only happening twice a month instead of weekly? So if you, like us, have been laboring under the impression that the signs that say you can’t park, say, from 8-10 am on Fridays are ACCURATE, we are here to tell you that is not always true!

That’s right, every other week you can save yourself the late night drama of endlessly circling to find a dang parking spot when all hope is lost. May the time you save be dedicated to the benefit of all beings!!

Or maybe, just maybe, you can save up the time you save and join us this Sunday at 7pm for our monthly Full Moon Ceremony! Come on out and let’s bow and chant the homages and the refuges and the precepts to the strange and beautiful bells of this classic Zen ritual. It’s a lovely way to wind down your weekend.

And speaking of seeing old things in a whole new way, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️ “A Kind of Magic (Magic in Zen) w/ Dave Cuomo” 🎙️

Dave takes a secular look at the literal magic embedded in the ceremonies and rituals of Zen to see if we can still wholeheartedly relate to them in our modern rational age, and if we’re going to try, what it would take to get the math of that magic right. Have we completely misunderstood what magic was supposed to mean and how it works? Can we draw on the power of a history we don’t always agree with? Do we need to believe in the mechanics of our rituals for their magic to work? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

…Bhagavan! If any bodhisattvas enter deep into meditation advancing in their practice to the point of being flawless and their ultimate understanding appears complete, I will appear in the body of a buddha and speak the dharma that leads to liberation…

If any beings want to fly through space, I will appear to them in the body of a god from the heaven of enjoying creation and speak the dharma that leads to fulfillment of their wish…

If any beings would enjoy ruling the world, I will appear to them as a king and speak the dharma that leads to fulfillment of their wish…

If there are divine dragons who would enjoy leaving behind the world of divine dragons, I will appear to them in the body of a divine dragon and speak the dharma that leads to fulfillment of their wish…

If any beings enjoy being human and the practice of being human, I will appear to them in the body of a human and speak the dharma that leads to fulfillment of their wish…

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️

All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 7/25, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk w/ Sara Campbell - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Sara is back for a talk about her fear of speaking the truth, pitting the Perfect Zen Teacher in her head against our old pal Bodhidharma and his tl;dr of Zen. Is letting ourselves be authentic a one-way ticket to disaster?? Come on out and let’s see!

Sunday - 7/26, 7pm - 8pm
Full Moon Ceremony - Join us for a short and sweet half hour of zazen before we do the lyrical and melodious Ryaku Fusatsu, where we chant the precepts in the oldest ceremony in Buddhism. All are welcome, no prior precept commitment required.

Monday - 7/27, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/ Dave Cuomo - One half hour of zazen and then Dave takes the hotseat for a talk about post-traumatic growth. Why does going through hard or bad things sometimes make us kinder/stronger/more compassionate people and sometimes make us harder/meaner/more closed-off people? See you there!

Wednesday - 7/29, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! A splashy selection from the Surangama sutra, wherein Avalokiteshvara details her methods for meeting the criers of the world and giving them what they need. Let’s discuss!

Friday - 7/31, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We chant the Maka Hannya Haramitta Shingyo and our fresh new translation of the Heart Sutra, followed by the Golden Mirror Meditation Verse, our lineage ancestors, and the Daihishin Darani. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tuesday - Friday, 7am - 8am
Morning Sit - One simple hour of what we do best — just sitting. Optional five minute stretch break offered in the middle.

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

“I love the dharma. I also love money. I want to be part of a bigger tradition, but I also wanna be special. I want to live simply. I also want to be a cool girl with cute shoes.”

- Sara Campbell

Hello Sangha!

When it gets hot like this, we contract the zendo. Close the windows, pull the curtains down, turn on our little engine that could, aka the long-suffering a/c unit that offers some respite from the scorching days, if not a full arctic blast.

The filtering of light and hum of the fans has an atmospheric effect—everything feels less shiny and more muffled, a bit like the haziness of winter in the midst of high summer. Perhaps even an invitation to close the doors on the residual fourth of July fireworks and street fruit hawkers and tune in. We’re always tuning in during zazen, yes, (right??), but what if we bring it a little closer in?

What inner noises might we notice that the big bright world has drowned out? Can we view it as an opportunity to, to quote Oblique Strategies, “listen to the quiet voice”? It may not be the most grandiose summer escape, but we can certainly consider it a journey. Your own personal odyssey right here in LA, one might even say.

And on that note, when was the last time you gave yourself permission to indulge your creative side? To follow your inexplicable curiosities and compulsions and surrender to wherever they lead?

If it’s been a minute, boy do we have good news for you! That’s right, tomorrow at 1:00pm is our monthly Zen Writing Workshop, where we set down our judgments and pick up our pens and let what moves us find its way to the page. We’ve skipped a few months recently but we’re so happy to bring it back! Join us and let us facilitate you through a refreshing afternoon of freewriting, meditation, deep listening, and reflection that culminates in a highly entertaining series of found poems. It’s one of ACZC’s signature moves, so if you haven’t had a chance, check it out. All welcome, whether you consider yourself a writer or not.

And speaking of studying the self to forget the self, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️ “A Cool Girl with Cute Shoes (Right Livelihood) w/ Sara Campbell” 🎙️

Sara questions a dubiously lucrative job she’s been working and what the dubiously perfect Zen teacher in her head might have to say about it. What if our work doesn’t seem to align with our ideal aspirations, but what if paying the bills and having a little pocket money helps us to be our best self? What if we’ve already made our choices, but just don’t want to admit them? What would Buddha do, and what if what he does is judge us?? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

Bodhidharma said,

“First is the practice of righting wrongs, second is following circumstances, third is seeking nothing, fourth is being aligned with the dharma. And what are those?

The practice of righting wrongs means that when someone walking the way meets any pain they should think to themselves, ‘Deep in the past, through endless ages, I abandoned the root to chase the branches, drifting through every kind of existence, creating countless wrongs and resentments, violating and harming endlessly. So even though I’m not doing anything wrong right now, this is my own troubled past, the ripened fruit of bad karma. No god or human did this to me, so with a happy heart and mind I willingly accept it with no complaint.’ As the sutra says, ‘When we meet with pain, don’t worry about it. Why? Because we know where it comes from.’ With this attitude, together with the truth, and with our pain, we move forward along the way...”

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️

All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 7/18, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk w/ Beth Kaiserman - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Beth returns to the hotseat for talk about silence. What do we find when we sink into it, and how does that play out in this noisy world? Come on out and let’s see!

Saturday - 7/18, 1pm - 3:30pm
Zen Writing Workshop - Join us for ACZC’s signature mashup of zazen, freewriting, deep listening, and creative practice with friends! All are welcome, no previous writing experience required. Just bring a pen and a notebook and we’ll guide you through the rest.

Monday - 7/20, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/ Cole - One half hour of zazen and then Cole is back for a talk about settling in after a long period of gallivanting. Is it possible to reconcile our wandering nature with rooting into one place and becoming a local? See y’all there!

Wednesday - 7/22, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! Part two of our two-part series on Bodhidharma’s famous tl;dr of Indian Buddhism. Last week was the principle, this week we dive into the practice. Is meeting our pain the key to righting all the wrongs?? Let’s discuss!

Friday - 7/24, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! In our new ceremony format, we chant the Maka Hannya Haramitta Shingyo and our fresh new translation of the Heart Sutra, followed by the Declaration of Unity, our lineage ancestors, and the Daihishin Darani. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tuesday - Friday, 7am - 8am
Morning Sit - One simple hour of what we do best — just sitting. Optional five minute stretch break offered in the middle.

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

There’s a place where it leaves me sad, longing, and lonely, and a place where it feels liberating and ecstatic, and a place where it feels totally groundless and spiraling, and a place where I feel full of grief.” - Samm

Hello Sangha!

Did you know that freshly-conducted research has indicated that even when you really, really love your life, coming back from vacation still kinda sucks?? Your people and animals are happy to see you, the stuff you need is all where it’s supposed to be, your pillows are exactly right, and yet you just kinda don’t want to do it?? Why is it like this? Why?

Yes, yes, I know, as many Zen teachers have pointed out, (and as we chanted this morning in the Straw Hut Song,) how could it be anywhere but this old leather bag right here? I guess the problem (editor’s note: this is not an actual problem) is that “here” is not the beach? Here is not zoning out with an ice-cold sparkling water and a pleasant offshore wind? Here is not a 2pm nap followed by snack time (kettle corn) whilst watching a thunderstorm roll in?

Anyway, I’m back. I’m BACK!!!

And we’re having a party tomorrow night at 7pm, are you coming?? Yep, it’s time again for Same Difference, our signature bi-monthly variety show, where we liven up the zendo and enjoy the output of the wild minds of our most creative friends. This time we’ve got music, we’ve got poetry, and we’ve got Land, who it sounds like is doing something that is both music and poetry, or maybe neither?? (So Zen.) Anyway, come on out and join us and admire my tan. All welcome, no zazen required!

AND/OR, if you’re free on Sunday, Sozenji’s Obon Festival is happening from 1:00 - 7:00 pm. See their website for details, but there will be a service and then some dancing (!) and performances by Dave and Robert, among other Japanese folk-style entertainments. We’ll be there with shades and sun hats and bells on.

And speaking of ways we amuse ourselves, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️ “A Blessing & A Curse (Depression & Impermanence) w/ Samm” 🎙️

Samm walks through a dark night of the soul on retreat and paints us vivid portraits of her grief, embracing liberatory epiphanies. Can depression be a blessing and a curse? Can we trust a world of guaranteed impermanence? Is a midlife crisis really just an opportunity to have an older, wiser, second adolescence? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

There are many ways to enter the path, but essentially only two: first, to enter by principle; second, to enter by practice.

Entering by principle means using the teachings to understand the fundamental truth, having a deep faith that all living beings share the same true nature, just covered up by fleeting dust and deluded thoughts so that it cannot fully be seen.

If we let go of delusions and come back to the truth, sit still, face the wall, no self and no one else, buddhas and regular beings all the same, strong and unmoving, not relying on written teachings - then we are deeply aligned with the principle; with no divisions, still and effortless, this is what it means to enter by principle.

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️

All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 7/11, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk w/ Sara Campbell - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Sara celebrates her return with a talk on the importance of being confused. But also clear? About your confusion, you know. You know?? Join us!

Monday - 7/13, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/ Dave Cuomo - One half hour of zazen and then Dave really is going to talk about magic. What it meant, what it means, the formulas to how it works practically and functionally in our secular little chants, and the transformational alchemy we dabble in every time we sit down (believe it or not). See y’all there!

Wednesday - 7/15, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - Bodhidharma returns for a two-part series on his famous tl;dr of Indian Buddhism (that was all he could get the very busy and important Chinese to read). This week! The point…. Next week! The practice… Let’s discuss!

Friday - 7/17, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! In our new ceremony format, we chant the Maka Hannya Haramitta Shingyo and our fresh new translation of the Heart Sutra, followed by the Trusting Heart and Mind Inscription, our lineage ancestors, and the Daihishin Darani. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tuesday - Friday, 7am - 8am
Morning Sit - One simple hour of what we do best — just sitting. Optional five minute stretch break offered in the middle.

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Hello Sangha!

Happy liberation day y’all, whatever that means to you! And however you choose to celebrate. Sara is away, (oh hi, Dave here) and I am happy to celebrate by getting to say hello to you all and have time and space to doodle for us again to celebrate a fantastic podcast by our resident poet Matthew (see below!). As advertised, the man has a way with words, and I highly recommend his hot takes on restlessness and pro tips on how to steal the moon.

But speaking of stealing the spotlight, this coming weekend! We are having a party Saturday 7/11 with our July edition of Same Difference, 7pm here at the center featuring poetry, music, and other indescribable performances by your center friends. There will be a raffle, and I’ve heard rumors of a mojito kvass? So spare yourself the KVMO and come on out. We’d be delighted to see you there.

Also! Next weekend, Sunday 7/12 1pm - 7pm is our favorite supporting teacher Gyokei’s home temple of Sozenji’s annual Obon Festival, aka, Traditional Japanese Zen Day of the Dead. There will be a rousing service with all the cymbals, bells and whistles, followed by dancing, music, (by myself and Robert Holliday!), raffles, booths, spam sushi (don’t knock it til you rock it), and more!

But not to be outdone, this week (Friday morning 7/10, 8am), we are just a little excited to introduce our new improved morning chanting service format. Featuring! Our brand new in house rendition of the Heart Sutra which we are very excited to chant with you. Also! After extensive study we have improved our structure and dedications to better align with tradition, aka, there’s a formula for the spiritual math to all this (which we were only slightly bungling… (i’m assured no harm was done)), maybe even some power, maybe something once called magic that we are still wrapping our heads around to understand and pass along here. And! If you don’t know what I’m talking about with the math of ancient magic and what exactly that’s supposed to mean to us, hey, come on out to my talk on Monday and I’ll tell you what we’ve learned.

But speaking of letting the moon say and do what we could only dream of, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️ “The Sardine Sutra (Robbery & Restlessness) w/ Matthew Sherling” 🎙️

Matthew plays thief to his own empty room as he wrestles with restlessness and whether trying to scratch that perpetual itch is a futile attempt to take empty space, or reaching out and grabbing the loot that makes life worth living. Also! Fresh haiku snapshots of our recent trip to Japan. Can the photographs that steal our souls also make us more present? Is Zen a zoo of ideas trapped in a cage of avoiding its true nature? How do we know our personal Zen craze isn’t just another phase?? Find out here!
Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

Huike said to Bodhidharma, “My heart and mind can find no peace! Please, can you calm them?”
Bodhidharma said, “Bring me your heart and mind and I’ll calm them.”
Huike said, “I’ve searched and searched but still can’t grasp them.
Bodhidharma said, “There, I’ve calmed them.”

Later, Sengcan said to Huike, “I’m very sick, can you absolve me of the wrongs that must have caused it?”
Huike said, “Bring me your wrongs and I’ll absolve them.”
After a long pause, Sengcan said, “I looked for my wrongs and cannot find them.”
Huike said, “There, I absolved you.”

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️

All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 7/4, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk w/ Chris Arnett - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Chris joins us all the way from the northern wilds of Toronto to talk about the panic of feeling calm and how to maintain the pure land of no drama going on. Join us!

Monday - 7/6, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/ Dave Cuomo - One half hour of zazen and then Dave is back to talk about magic. What it meant, what it means, the formulas to how it works practically and functionally in our secular little chants, and the transformational alchemy we dabble in every time we sit down (believe it or not). See y’all there!

Wednesday - 7/8, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - Feet in the air, head on the ground, and a mind nowhere to be found… We start a mini series on our favorite bug eyed, reed surfing founder, Bodhidharma. This week! We get our hearts, minds, and guilty consciences all pacified. Next week we’ll dig into Bodhidharma’s classic two page treatise on everything you need to start a Zen tradition in your very own country. Let’s discuss!

Friday - 7/9, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We break in our new, improved, 100% more authentic ceremony format, along with! The grand unveiling of our brand new version of the Heart Sutra. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tuesday - Friday, 7am - 8am
Morning Sit - One simple hour of what we do best — just sitting. Optional five minute stretch break offered in the middle.

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

When you’re sitting with the repercussions of what’s been done to you or what you’ve done yourself (let’s just call it what you’ve been through), fair or not, it’s all just you here, you and the wall. Nobody else can make it up to you, no one can forgive you there. It’s your karma to take care of now, wherever it came from.” - Dave Cuomo

Hello Sangha!

Life after ango, we are learning, is a bit of a comedown. We noticed it last year and now it’s happening again. The days are longer and the shadows too, the relief from exhaustion alternating with a wistful feeling of missing our busy mornings and the adrenaline rush of packing so much into such a short time.

We go hard at ACZC, you might have noticed. Maybe it’s downstream of practice and the recognition that everything is constantly arising and falling away, but it comes easy to us. What comes less easy is actually being easy when you’re aware you’ve only got so much time on this rock (“time” in heavy quotation marks, natch). It’s an adjustment.

Some of us are coping by tackling long-overdue projects on the home front (check out our new ancestor altar above!) and some of us by absconding to the desert for a few days to write bad poetry and lie lizard-like by the pool.

And yet the usual schedule goes on. Morning zazen, evening talks and discussions, and even special events like this weekend’s Full Moon Ceremony, which we croon together once a month. (Sunday at 7pm! Join us!)

In short, we are doing our damndest to lay into slow season, but we sure miss doing more with y’all. Come hang soon, ok?

And speaking of letting our soft animal bodies love what they love, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️ “By Nature (Camping Retreat) w/ Dave Cuomo” 🎙️

Dave takes the opportunity of a scenic coastal camping retreat to reconcile all the regrets and ruminations that naturally arise given a little space, and maybe hold us back from fully sinking into such a beautiful place. Are we afraid of peaceful space? Can Zen be kind and still be effective? Is leave-no-trace good advice to live our lives by or can we maybe leave them a little better than we found them? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

(Part two of two!)

Xuansha said to the assembly, “The whole universe in all directions is one bright pearl.”

A monk asked, “If this is all one bright pearl, why don’t I know that?”

Xuansha said, “The whole body is the pearl, who is there to know it?”

The monk, “Maybe it is the whole body, but still, why don’t I know it?”

Xuansha said, “Ask your eyes.”

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️

All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 6/27, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Samm Becker - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Samm is back to the hotseat for a talk about the three seals, her inner spy, and dancing at death’s door. 🦭🥷☠️ See you there!

Sunday - 6/28, 7pm - 8pm
Full Moon Ceremony - Join us for a short and sweet half hour of zazen before we do the lyrical and melodious Ryaku Fusatsu, where we chant the precepts in the oldest and some say loveliest (I say most haunting, personally) ceremony in Buddhism. All are welcome, no prior precept commitment required.

Monday - 6/29, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Bryan Turley - One half hour of zazen and our very own ACZC resident Bryan is back for a talk about a question he’s been circling: How much renunciation is enough renunciation? Come on out and let’s see!

Wednesday - 7/1, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! Part two of two on that most lustrous of Zen stories, One Bright Pearl. Can we ever really know what we are? Let’s discuss!

Friday - 7/3, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We’ll chant the Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra and the Zazenshin. The sky is wide open to heaven / the birds are flying like birds. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tuesday - Friday, 7am - 8am
Morning Sit - One simple hour of what we do best — just sitting. Optional five minute stretch break offered in the middle.

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Practice works on you, you don’t do the practice. The practice is doing something mysterious.” - Sara Campbell

Hello Sangha!

Greetings from HQ, where your humble caretakers are still coming down from a truly amazing camping retreat at Point Mugu State Park.

While we’ve done many retreats at ACZC and other venues, adapting a traditional sesshin into something that would work outside was an exhilarating and worthy challenge. We got creative with tents and blankets and tatami mats, among other things, and essentially created a little pop-up monastery for 20 in the wilderness, sounds and all, and despite a few mother-nature-related hitches, it all went off as well as we hoped — and we had high hopes!

It’s an extraordinary thing to practice in the great outdoors. Without four solid walls between us and the world, it was impossible to ignore how much everything is changing all the time. From the wind kicking up in the afternoons to the birds (including a brood of California quail!) carrying on outside the tent to the sounds of passing hikers and the ocean in the distance, there were constant reminders that nothing ever really settles down for long. This writer had never personally considered the idea that a venue could also be an instrumental member of the teaching staff, and that was just so…Zen.

Thanks to everyone who attended for putting your whole heart into it, as you always do. Your sincerity, energy, and relentless good humor really do make ACZC a special place to practice, and for that we are eternally grateful.

And now it’s time for a little rest. We're officially kicking off Slow Season, our chance to take a breather after a hectic few months and do our best to appreciate every moment, and every one of you.

(this is how you know it’s time for work practice)

And speaking of getting closer to the essence of being, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️ Animal Nature (Self Trust) w/ Sara Campbell 🎙️

Sara takes an unflinching look at learning to trust ourselves despite or maybe because of whatever messes we may have made in our lives along the way. What’s the difference between the mind that aspires to our best intentions and the one that actually tries to put them into practice? What sort of wonderful demons can we look forward to making friends with along the way? Can we actually do Zen practice, or does it do us?? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

(Part one of two!)

Xuansha Shibei was leaving the mountain when he stubbed his toe on a rock. Bleeding and in pain he asked himself, “If this body doesn’t exist, then why does it hurt so bad?”

He went back to his teacher and said, “I just can’t lie to people anymore.” He went on to teach that the entire world in all directions is one bright pearl.

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️

All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 6/20, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Matthew Sherling - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and our poet-in-residence Matthew takes the hotseat. He’ll talk about robbers and empty rooms, among other things. See you there!

Monday - 6/22, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Andy Thomas - One half hour of zazen and Andy is back to lead us in a discussion about the nature of buddha nature. What do we make of it and how does it differ from the idea of a soul? Come on out and let’s see!

Wednesday - 6/24, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! What did Xuansha discover out there in the wilderness that made him turn right back around?? Let’s discuss!

Friday - 6/26, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We’ll chant the Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra and the Golden Mirror Meditation Verse. Beyond the reach of thoughts and feelings / how could it bear considering? Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tuesday - Friday, 7am - 8am
Morning Sit - One simple hour of what we do best — just sitting. Optional five minute stretch break offered in the middle.

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Hello Sangha!

Greetings from the buildout process for our camping retreat! As of this writing, we’re busy getting it all ready, so just a short one today. We miss you and will be back next week with more stories, pictures, and podcasts. Join us next year if you missed it!

This week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️ Happy Accident (History of Zen: The Samye Debate) w/ Dave Cuomo🎙️

In the year 794 a populist, liberating, and some might say threatening brand of Buddhism spreads like wildfire in the countryside forcing a Tibetan king to convene a great debate with enormous consequences that will shape the spiritual fate of nations, end in exile, death, or centuries of power and prestige for the participants, and shape our questions and understanding of what we’re practicing here down to the present day. Is enlightenment something that can be trained? Or is it something innate that no one can take away? Can Buddhism give us happier, healthier brains, or does trying to improve our thinking just get in the way? Can drugs help us see what Buddha saw? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

Dongshan asked a monk, “Where have you been?”
The monk said, “Walking the mountain.”
Dongshan said, “Did you reach the peak?”
The monk said, “I did reach it.”
Dongshan said, “Was there anybody up there?”
The monk said, “There was no one.”
Dongshan said, “Then you didn’t reach the peak.”
The monk said, “If I haven’t been to the peak, how would I know there’s no one there?”
Dongshan said, “Why didn’t you stay there?”
The monk said, “I would stay there, but there’s an Indian sage who wouldn’t approve.”
Dongshan said, “I used to doubt this guy.”

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️

All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 6/13, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Beth Kaiserman - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Beth takes the hotseat to lead us through a reading from Kobun Chino, and a discussion afterwards. See you there!

Monday - 6/15, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Matthew Sherling - One half hour of zazen and our very own poet-in-residence Matthew is back for to lead us through a reading and discussion of a text of his choice. He’s been very into emptiness lately, so maybe something related? Come on out and let’s see!

Wednesday - 6/17, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! Did we reach the peak or didn’t we, and does that mean anything anyway?? Let’s discuss!

Friday - 6/19, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We’ll chant the Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra and the Declaration of Unity. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tuesday - Friday, 7am - 8am
Morning Sit - One simple hour of what we do best — just sitting. Optional five minute stretch break offered in the middle.

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Don’t fight your karma. Go find the heart of your karma. Find what shaped you and look it in the eye. It’s like family. It’s like your community. You can’t escape it. You’re gonna have to meet it.”
- Dave Cuomo

Hello Sangha!

We’re back! We packed so much in on our trip to Japan that we suspect it’ll take the rest of the summer to unpack it. Which is great news for our upcoming talks — Dave already gave a great one on Monday that’s on the podcast this week, but there will be more to come.

It's a rare thing to bring a group of American lay people to the halls of Japan's most sacred temples, where monastics have been doing this same practice for a thousand years. We were incredibly grateful to be welcomed in.

Japanese culture is much more attuned to the subtleties of everyday life, and while you can say many good things about Westerners, that's not exactly our strong suit. The monks seemed to be a mixture of excited and confused about how best to handle us — one example is that Americans, it turns out, are baffling when it comes to taking off and putting on our shoes. There is a proper way to do that in Japan, and, as anyone who's been to a sit at ACZC can attest, ours is a little more chaotic. There were many little culture clashes like that, which added to the fun and intrigue of the trip.

We made a nice post congratulating Dave on Instagram that you can check out, but suffice it to say it was a wild mix of adventure, hilarity, disorientation, exhaustion, mystery, frustration, elation, and curiosity, and, perhaps most notably, deep, deep reverence for the homeland of our beloved Soto Zen tradition. It’s no small thing to walk in the actual footsteps of your spiritual ancestors.

We’ll leave the deeper unpacking for the talks, but here are some pics and memes that give you a taste.

📣 Last Call for Retreat Registration 📣

Deadline is tomorrow! We’ll gather next weekend from Fri, 6/12 to Mon, 6/15 at a beautiful site at Point Mugu, just north of Malibu, for three days of zazen, chanting, dharma talks, good friends, and good practice.

More Details + Registration Here

And speaking of alternating gravity and goofiness, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️ Silly, Sincere, Savvy (Zuise) w/ Dave Cuomo🎙️

Dave gives a full report on the processes, practices, and spiritual journeys involved in our recent sangha trip to Japan for Zuise, the final ceremonies in a years long quest to complete his teacher training. Do we actually know what Buddhism is? Do we know how to take ourselves seriously? Is bringing the whole sangha to Japan a humble way to show respect or an inconvenient logistic for our already overworked hosts? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

Shilou was giving a talk when a monk came forward and said, “I still don’t know my original nature. Can you please point to it for me?”

Shilou said, “You’ve lost me.”

The monk said, “I see my mistake.”

Shilou said, “Do I still have faults?”

The monk said, “What faults could you have?”

Shilou said, “My fault is in your ‘mistake’.”

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️

All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 6/6, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Henry Zander - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Henry takes the hotseat live and in person for a talk inspired by a question that’s been tossed around a lot here lately: “What do we think Buddhism is?” See you there!

Monday - 6/8, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Sara Campbell - One half hour of zazen and then Sara is back for a talk about way-seeking mind. Why are we here and others are not? Join us and let’s see if we can find out!

Wednesday - 6/11, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! Whose fault is it? Let’s discuss!

Friday - 6/12, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll do it in Sino-sanskrit, chanting the Maka Hannya Haramitta Shingyo and the Daihishin Darani. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tuesday - Friday, 7am - 8am
Morning Sit - One simple hour of what we do best — just sitting. Optional five minute stretch break offered in the middle.

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Hello Sangha!

Your humble caretakers are currently on a bullet train with spotty wifi, so we’ll keep this brief: it’s been an epic trip to Japan so far!

Dave completed the first of his two Zuise ceremonies at Sojiji (Keizan’s temple) on Thursday, and we’re en route to Eiheiji (Dogen’s temple) for the second one early tomorrow morning. When we haven’t been on the clock, we’ve been packing in tons of walking, sightseeing, train-riding, people-watching, shopping for cat-related souvenirs, sitting zazen on a fourth-floor balcony, eating onigiri from the konbini, and shocking Gyokei with our unruly American-ness (he told us to treat the city like a zendo and we’re trying our best, but it’s hard!!).

It’s been a blast and we can’t wait to tell you more when we’re back next week.

🧘🌊⛺️⛰️ Have You Registered for Our Spring Camping Zazen Retreat? 🧘🌊⛺️⛰️

There’s still time! From Fri, 6/12 to Mon, 6/15 we’ll gather at a beautiful site at Pt. Mugu, just north of Malibu, for three days of zazen, chanting, dharma talks, good friends, and good practice. Join us!

More Details + Registration Here

🚫🎙️No podcast this week!🎙️🚫

We’ve been busy gathering experiences to fuel future talks and will return to our regularly scheduled programming next week. 😎

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

Just before Siddhartha became enlightened, Māra, the evil one, saw his power and was jealous. He called out, “Get up, Prince! On what grounds could you ever become enlightened?”

Buddha said, “Evil one! I gave everything I have and more to liberate everyone.”

Māra said, “No one witnessed a single one of your acts, so why even mention them?”

Buddha said, “The earth is my witness.”

Then he embraced Māra like a lion, without fear, anxiety, or goose bumps. He let his right hand slide over his entire body, gracefully tapped the earth and said,

“The earth supports everyone without bias. She is my witness.”

When he touched the earth it shook in six different ways, quivered, trembled, quaked, boomed, thundered, and roared. Then the earth goddess, Sthāvarā, shook the entire earth, broke through its surface and said, “It’s all true, everything you said, but you alone are the ultimate witness.”

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️

All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 5/30, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Pedro Peres - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Pedro takes the hotseat. He’ll be talking about struggling to stay consistent with Zazen when life gets busy and/or tough with some help from Kosho Uchiyama Roshi’s book, “Opening the Hand of Thought.” See you there!

Monday - 6/1, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Dave Cuomo - One half hour of zazen and then Dave is back from Japan to give a report on his Zuise ceremonies at Zen’s two head temples. The man has come quite a long way on many levels, and we can’t wait to hear what he has to say about it. Come on out!

Wednesday - 6/3, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! A mysterious encounter between Buddha, Mara, and an earth-shaking goddess. Join us and let’s discuss!

Friday - 6/5, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Heart Sutra and great ancestor Sengcan’s Trusting Heart and Mind Inscription, aka the Xin Xin Ming. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tuesday - Friday, 7am - 8am
Morning Sit - One simple hour of what we do best — just sitting. Optional five minute stretch break offered in the middle.

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Hello Sangha!

First off, thanks to Samm for the cartoons in this week’s issue. You’ll find these and other gems in our newest zine, Uji: It’s About Time!

…Which many of you graciously purchased as part of our mid-year fundraiser. Speaking of which, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who was able to support it. We are thrilled to report that we made our goal of $5,000, which we never even mentioned (!). This is huge and will go a long way towards covering travel, donations to the head temples where Dave is doing his ceremonies, and related expenses.

Have we told you lately that y’all are the best? Well, you are. Thank you for everything you do; you make all of this possible and we couldn’t be more grateful.

A few things for the ole’ radar next week:

1. Tomorrow is the last day of our extended ango schedule. We’ll be doing our full morning schedule of practice, including chanting the mighty Ryogonshu one last time before we pack it up ‘til next spring. Join us! (Sat 10 am sit & talk is happening as usual.)

2. Tomorrow night we’re hosting our album release, book launch, and sangha send off party at 7pm. Come on out and let us entertain you! It’ll be a great hang as always. You can also get your hands on some merch, as we’ll have t-shirts, books, zines, and posters on site. Details/RSVP here.

3. All programming will continue as usual next week, thanks to our wonderful volunteers. Shout out to Robert, Heather, Pedro, and Tip for holding it down while we’re off to Japan.

We’ll send some pics and a little travel report from Japan next Friday. Stay tuned! 🇯🇵

Spring Camping Zazen Retreat is rapidly approaching! 🧘🌊⛺️⛰️

There’s still time to register for ACZC’s first-ever camping retreat! We’ll gather at a beautiful site at Pt. Mugu for three days of zazen, chanting, dharma talks, good friends, and good practice.

More Details + Registration Here

And speaking of dharma-oriented seaside activities, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️Riptide (Change) w/ Heather Ross🎙️.
Heather takes a serene unflinching look at the indomitable waves of change, that universal constant that refuses all our attempts to corral it into something knowable or predictable. Is embracing change just a recipe for getting taken under? Is denying it just a recipe for getting pummeled? Is practice about stridently surfing our way to shore, or is it a surrender to forces beyond all attempts to control? How many Zen surf metaphors can a beach town Zen center fit into one dharma talk?? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

Xiangyan said to the assembly:

“It’s like hanging from a tree branch by your teeth over a thousand foot drop, feet dangling in empty space and no way to hold the bough with your hands. Suddenly someone comes by and asks, ‘what is our purpose?’ If you open your mouth to answer, you lose your body and your life. If you don’t answer, you fail your purpose. What do you do??”

The head monk stepped forward and said, “I’m not worried about once we’re already up in the tree, but what’s our purpose before that?”

Xiangyan laughed heartily.

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️

All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 5/23, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Erik Andersen - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Erik makes a long-awaited return to the hotseat. He’ll talk about Zen practice in general, and how it turns out it’s, gasp, not just about zazen! See you there.

Monday - 5/25, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Robert Holliday - One half hour of zazen and then Robert is back for a talk about service. Riffing off Yongjia’s eighth century classic, the Song of Enlightenment, he’ll tell us a bit about what he’s picked up over the years of helping out here at the little blue house and elsewhere. Come on out!

Wednesday - 5/27, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! Xiangyan presents the assembly with an unwinnable scenario: answer and you’re doomed, stay silent and you’re…doomed. So what do we do when we’re damned either way? Or is there a secret third option hiding in plain sight?? Join us and let’s discuss!

Friday - 5/29, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Heart Sutra and the Straw Hut Song, Great Ancestor Shitou’s ode to a lazy afternoon. Cast off the centuries, go about freely / wave a hand and wander on, innocently. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tuesday - Friday, 7am - 8am
Morning Sit - One simple hour of what we do best — just sitting. Optional five minute stretch break offered in the middle.

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Hello Sangha!

We don’t know about y’all, but sometimes it kinda sounds like Buddha truly pitied us, and honestly, we’re not entirely sure how we feel about that. But hey, it is nice to know he cared in his way, and honestly maybe his concern wasn’t always unwarranted…

But first! The sad news. Zen Writing Workshop is cancelled this Saturday. But! It will be back next month on the third Saturday as always (6/20 - 1pm), and we look very forward to seeing you there.

As you may have noticed there is a buzz of business around here lately, but it’s all coming to its culmination right about now, as this week is the last week of ango schedule! If you’ve been loving your porridge and demon/demigod taming chants in the morning as much as we have, come on in and help us put a nice cap on these ango mornings and put this thing to bed for another year.

But if you want to keep the party going just a little bit longer, don’t forget to register and join us for our Spring Camping Zazen Retreat! Join us for misty morning and luminous afternoons under beautiful bluffs as we sit some zazen accompanied by the soothing sounds of the great ocean itself. As always, it’s three sweet days of finding yourself in the rhythm and sounds of friends and nature, in ways best understood without speaking, aka a perfect rest and reset for the year before summer kicks us into a whole new gear.

→→→→→→🧘🌊⛺️⛰️←←←←←←

More Details + Registration Here

Also! Our mid year merch drop is ongoing, and we are close but not quite all the way to our goals. So check out the sweet new limited edition t shirts, zines, books, and other goodies we cooked up for you this Spring if you haven’t already. Honestly we’re pretty excited about this round of offerings, and we think you might be too.

We’re leaving for Japan next Sunday, so let’s say any fundraiser donations received by Thursday will have rewards sent out before we leave.

Join the Fundraiser!

Or better yet! Come pick them up in person at our album release, book launch, and sangha send off party on Saturday, May 23rd at 7pm, the night before we leave for Japan, right here at ACZC. Details/RSVP here.

But speaking of rag tag scrappy rambling along the great way, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️Born to Run (Ryokan) w/ Dave Cuomo🎙️.
Dave regales us with stories and poetry from everyone’s favorite Soto renegade poet monk, Ryokan, while trying to figure out if he’s the scrappy unpretentious rebel we all want him to be, or is he the patron saint of strict fundamentalist austerity and tradition as others seem to think. Can he maybe be both and can Dave make peace with that? Can we judge people for their pretensions and worldly ambitions, or is that an appropriate response to the world as it is? How can we trust ourselves when no one agrees, and what makes a renegade respect worthy?? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

The Buddha said, “You are still using the conditional mind to hear the dharma, so even the dharma becomes just another conditional thing, and you don’t realize the true nature of the dharma.

It’s like using a finger to point to the moon. Someone should use the finger to see the moon. But if instead they look at the finger and take it to be the moon, they’ve not only lost the moon, but they’ve also lost the meaning of the finger. Why? Because they’ve mistaken the finger for the light of the moon. Not only have they lost the finger, they no longer even understand the difference between light and darkness.

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️

All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 5/16, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Dave Cuomo - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Dave takes the hotseat with a little mythology for your morning, telling us the story of the always reliable but not nearly so well celebrated Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, that great rider of white elephants that embodies all our actions and practice. Let’s see what kind of magic we can dig up!

Monday - 5/18, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/ - One half hour of zazen and then Heather is back to regale us with a talk on the only thing we can count on for certain… uncertainty! Can we embrace it? Would it help to try to deny it?? Let’s find out.

Wednesday - 5/20, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! Buddha makes Ananda cry as we dig up the roots of the oft cited metaphor of the finger and the moon. Will our heroes make us swoon?Can our existential confusions see the truth of themselves despite their obvious confusion? Can we see the light burning bright in our midnight skies, or just our own little hearts and minds? Have we been using the analogy right this whole time? Let’s discuss.

Friday - 5/22, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Ryogonshu followed by the Heart Sutra and that classic chant rap battle mashup of nostalgia and fish - the Zazenshin. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tues - Sat - Ango Schedule (final week!!) | 3/17 - 5/23
As always, feel free to join for as much or as little of the schedule as you’re able.
6:30 - 7:00am……………..Coffee
7:00 - 8:00am………………Zazen
8:05 - 8:40am………………Morning Chanting Service (the epic Ryogonshu!)
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast (aka oryoki)
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
11:30 - 11:45am………….(Zoom only) Midday Nitchu Chanting Service
4:30 - 5pm…………………..(Zoom only) Evening Banka Chanting Service

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Hello Sangha!

If you missed last week, the big news around here is that we launched a surprise mid-year merch drop to raise some funds to support our upcoming trip to Japan for the completion of Dave’s licensure as a teacher. This is the final step in all the years of effort and training to get ACZC certified as a fully recognized Zen Center. 🙌

It seems that so far the most popular item is the Buddha Bowl t-shirt, and we can’t say we’re totally surprised. If enough of y’all get one Dave might actually have a shot at seeing his long-held pipe dream of an ACZC bowling league come true. 🎳

And in other dream-making news, check out our brand new letterpress! OK, technically it’s an etching press, but regardless, this is a device we’ll be using to hand print covers of our own zines and books.

After many years of talking about how many talented writers and artists are in the sangha, we’re excited to finally be putting them to work sharing the dharma on behalf of all living beings! By which we mean making printed literature with Zen writing and commentary, of course. Did ACZC just start a small press? We just may have!

Please visit our fundraiser page for more details on all the lovingly-made merch (including both a book AND a zine!) we have available for you, and support us getting to Japan if you can. Any amount makes a huge difference! 👇⬇👇

Join the Fundraiser!

And hey, save the date for our book launch and album release party on Saturday, May 23rd at 7pm, the night before we leave for Japan, right here at ACZC. Details/RSVP here.

→→→→→→🧘🌊⛺️⛰️←←←←←←

Our Spring Zen Camping Retreat is a Month Out!

Have you registered? From noon Friday, 6/12 to noon-ish Monday, 6/15, we’ll gather at beautiful Point Mugu State Park (just north of Malibu) for a classic silent Zen retreat and coastal camping weekend with friends.

Also! We’ve reserved the campsite for an additional night (that Monday) for anyone who’d like to hang free form afterward. Join us! 👇👇👇

More Details + Registration Here

And speaking of putting our faith out into space and trusting space to send some back, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️“Two Way Relationship (Spiritual Crises) w/ Sara Campbell”🎙️

Sara delves into the thorny weeds of spiritual crises, starting with a raw one of her own, and how to work with listening practice in zazen. What is that black tangled knot in our chests and how might we untie it? What is spiritual crisis and can we be better off for having had it? How can we trust ourselves once we’ve noticed that we can’t entirely be trusted?? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

The Buddha said,

“There was once a monk who didn’t read or chant sutras, instead he would go around bowing to people. He would go up to any monk, nun, or lay person he came across, bow respectfully, and say, ‘I have so much respect for you. I will never disparage or be arrogant to you, because you are on the bodhisattva path and are certain to become a buddha.’

Many of them would get angry when he said this because their minds were muddled, and they would curse him, saying, ‘Who does this stupid monk think he is, presuming to say he won’t disparage us and making vain and useless predictions about us becoming buddhas?’ Then they would beat him. After he escaped, he would call out from a safe distance, ‘I will never disparage you, because you are on the bodhisattva path and are certain to become a buddha!’

What do you think? Have you ever met this Bodhisattva Never Disparaging who lived so long ago?? In fact he was none other than me in a previous life!”

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 5/9, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Dave Cuomo - Our biggest day of the week! We'll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and Dave takes the hotseat for an off-the-record Q&A. He’ll read some parables from the Lotus Sutra to warm us up, and then open the floor for wherever the discussion wants to go. Bring your most burning questions, tensions, inklings, and insights! See you there.

Monday - 5/11, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/ Sara Campbell - One half hour of zazen and then Sara is back for a talk about way-seeking mind. Why are we here and others are not? Join us and let’s see if we can find out!

Wednesday - 5/13, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! A tale from the Lotus Sutra about how we might respond to people who respond negatively when we treat them a certain way. Let’s discuss!

Friday - 5/15, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Ryogonshu followed by the Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra and the Golden Mirror Meditation Verse, followed by our lineage ancestors. When arrow points collide / what does that have to do with skill? Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tues - Sat - Ango Schedule | 3/17 - 5/23
As always, feel free to join for as much or as little of the schedule as you’re able.
6:30 - 7:00am……………..Coffee
7:00 - 8:00am………………Zazen
8:05 - 8:40am………………Morning Chanting Service (the epic Ryogonshu!)
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast (aka oryoki)
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
11:30 - 11:45am………….(Zoom only) Midday Nitchu Chanting Service
4:30 - 5pm…………………..(Zoom only) Evening Banka Chanting Service

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Support ACZC

Hello Sangha and Happy May Day!

The sun is out, the weather is fine, and we have some big wonderful news!

That’s right, today we’re launching a mini mid-year fundraiser to support our upcoming trip to Japan for Dave’s Zuise ceremonies at Eiheji and Sozenji, Soto Zen’s two head temples.

This is the final step in a very long (nearly 10 year!!) journey for our sangha. It puts a capstone on all the years of training we’ve put in to get him licensed as our official teacher, which is really us as a sangha getting certified as a fully recognized Zen Center.

But. That also means there are flights and temple donations to pay for, hence the mid year merch drop.

Here’s what we’ve got for you:

- A limited edition t-shirt sporting a classic Big Lebowski joke (“f@ck it dude, let’s go bowling”) in kanji, complete with a Buddha Bowl logo.

- Flashes from the Meditation Hall, a fresh hand-bound book of poetry with limited edition letterpress cover from our resident poet Matthew Sherling, in a first for our fledgling ACZC press.

- A new zine with a fresh translation of Dogen’s timeless Uji/Time Being, and commentary and pieces by Dave, Sara, and the whole ACZC crew (hand-bound with limited edition letterpress cover!).

- Also Dave has a new album of music coming out (which we know is not really a sellable thing in 2026, but we’re counting it as his contribution) with a limited edition letterpress poster of the album art.

(And yes, ACZC is the proud owner of a new letterpress machine which we are very excited to get to put to use for all living beings this season)

And then! We’re going to have a book launch and album release party here at the center to cap this whole thing off the night before we leave for Japan on Saturday, May 23rd at 7pm, and we would be delighted if you wanted to come celebrate with us.

Words cannot express how grateful we are for everything you’ve done to make this place what it is. Every dollar you contribute will help us continue to grow and expand into even more ways to support the sangha moving forward.

Join the Fundraiser!

In other news…the show goes on with our Full Moon Ceremony on Sunday!

Tonight is the full Flower Moon🌸, and our monthly Ryaku Fusatsu, Buddhism’s oldest (and some say loveliest) ceremony, is Sunday at 7pm! We’ll sit 30 minutes of zazen, and then chant the precepts. Join us!

→→→→→→🧘🌊⛺️⛰️←←←←←←

Spring Zen Camping Retreat is Coming Up!

From noon Friday, 6/12 to noon-ish Monday, 6/15, we’ll gather at beautiful Point Mugu State Park (just north of Malibu) for a classic silent Zen retreat and coastal camping weekend with friends.

Also! We’ve reserved the campsite for an additional night (that Monday) for anyone who’d like to hang free form afterward. Register today! 👇👇👇

More Details + Registration Here

And speaking of continuing to just show up and do the thing, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️“Pith & Prayer (What Am I Doing Here??) w/ Cole Agustin”🎙️

In our ongoing series where brave sangha members tell us the story what they’re doing and why they’re here (while we just maybe learn something about those things for ourselves), LA local Cole, born just a few blocks down the road, tells us a wonderfully insightful story about doing his damndest to run away from home and faith and, luckily for us, finding himself right here but maybe in a totally new and deeper way? Do Catholics just like doing things the hard way? What does it mean to not take life seriously? Is there such a thing as a breakup rakusu?? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

Stop finding words and sayings to understand, and learn to take the backward step that turns the light around and shines it inward. Your body, heart, and mind will naturally fall away, and your original face will appear before you.
If you want to get a thing like this, you have to urgently do a thing like this.
- Dogen

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 5/2, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Sara Campbell - We'll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Sara is back for a talk about our favorite pastime, zazen, using the Surangama sutra as an anchor. We love it, we dread it, we manage to just sit down and do it, and just what exactly is all that about? Come on out and let’s discuss!

Sunday - 5/3, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Full Moon Ceremony - Join us for a short and sweet half hour of zazen before we do the lyrical and melodious Ryaku Fusatsu, where we recite the precepts in glorious one-note harmony and remember why they were such good advice in the first place. All are welcome, no prior precept commitment required.

Monday - 5/4, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Dave Cuomo - One half hour of zazen and then Dave takes the hotseat to talk about the mysterious historical figure of Ryokan, whose home temple Dave served while in Japan. How did he manage to both become a symbol of the rebellion and stay in the good graces of the empire? Join us and let’s find out!

Wednesday - 5/6, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week we’re doing a lot of zazen talk! We have a fresh translation of an oft-referenced passage from Fukanzazengi, Dogen’s canonical meditation instructions. What truth was he urgently pointing us toward? Let’s discuss!

Friday - 5/8, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Ryogonshu followed by the Heart of Great Perfect Wisdom Sutra and the Declaration of Unity, followed by our women ancestors. Darkness unites both eloquent and vulgar / Light shines on teachings whether clear or cluttered. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tues - Sat - Ango Schedule | 3/17 - 5/23
As always, feel free to join for as much or as little of the schedule as you’re able.
6:30 - 7:00am……………..Coffee
7:00 - 8:00am………………Zazen
8:05 - 8:40am………………Morning Chanting Service (the epic Ryogonshu!)
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast (aka oryoki)
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
11:30 - 11:45am………….(Zoom only) Midday Nitchu Chanting Service
4:30 - 5pm…………………..(Zoom only) Evening Banka Chanting Service

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Support ACZC

Hello Sangha!

The merry month of May is at hand, and when we haven’t been busy giving talks about the three big bummers of Buddhism (ahem), we’ve been joyfully writing and composing and creating art and events to delight you!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 24th at 7pm — we’re hosting a special dual Book & Album Release party to celebrate the release of our own poet-in-residence Matthew Sherling’s new book, Flashes in the Meditation Hall. It’s a collection born in our own Zen Writing Workshop, and reflects many years of the dual practice of poetry and Zen.

We’ll also be celebrating the long-awaited release of our own Dave Cuomo’s new album (woo hoo!) and will tell you more about that soon. v

These releases will be for sale, natch, and we’ve also got a surprise mid-year merch drop to go along with it! Stay tuned for a hot-off-the-press new ACZC t-shirt and zine to accompany the entertainment. Huzzah! RSVP for the show here.

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Our Spring Zen Camping Retreat is Eight Weeks Out!

Will you join us? From noon Friday, 6/12 to noon-ish Monday, 6/15, we’ll post up at beautiful Point Mugu State Park (just north of Malibu) for an unforgettable mashup of classic silent Zen retreat and coastal camping weekend with friends.

Also! We’ve reserved the campsite for an additional night (that Monday) for anyone who’d like to hang free form afterward. Come through! 👇👇👇

More Details + Registration Here

And speaking of dancing in the darkness, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️“A Bountiful Bummer (What Makes You Not a Buddhist?) w/ Dave Cuomo”🎙️

What would make someone not a Buddhist?? Life is fleeting, unsatisfying, & essentially empty, and are we into, and ready to reckon with that? Or so the argument goes. Is the road to joy beyond our wildest beliefs paved with cynical expressions? Why can’t Buddhism say something nice? Is this the answer to every question anyone has about Buddhism and every issue we have in life?? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

A sincere student gives a great shout, holding out a sticky tub of glue. The teacher doesn’t grasp the situation, and performs a lot of tricks with it. The student shouts again, but the teacher can’t let go. This is an incurable disease we call the guest meets the host…

Or a student comes to the teacher in a pure state. The teacher recognizes it and flings it into a pit. The student says, “What a good teacher!” The teacher says, “Bah! You wouldn’t know good from bad.” The student makes a deep bow. We call this, the host meets the host…

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 4/25, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Dave Cuomo - We'll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Dave takes the hotseat for a talk about the historical debate between gradual and sudden enlightenment in 8th century Tibet. What does this have to do with our 21st century practice, and might it have something to tell us about (gasp) psychedelics? Let’s find out. See you there!

Monday - 4/27, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Tip Dunn - One half hour of zazen and then Tip is back for a talk about dealing with anger. When we’re mad as hell are we supposed to just keep taking it? Join us and let’s discuss!

Wednesday - 4/29, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! We’ll get into some host/guest/student/teacher discourse. What’s going on here and who are we in all of it?? Let’s discuss!

Friday - 5/1, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Ryogonshu, the Maka Hannya Haramitta Shingyo, and the Daihishin Dharani, followed by our lineage ancestors. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tues - Sat - Ango Schedule | 3/17 - 5/23
As always, feel free to join for as much or as little of the schedule as you’re able.
6:30 - 7:00am……………..Coffee
7:00 - 8:00am………………Zazen
8:05 - 8:40am………………Morning Chanting Service (the epic Ryogonshu!)
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast (aka oryoki)
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
11:30 - 11:45am………….(Zoom only) Midday Nitchu Chanting Service
4:30 - 5pm…………………..(Zoom only) Evening Banka Chanting Service

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Support ACZC

American lay practitioners are really more honest. It’s not an obligation or responsibility to the temple, but more about your individual sense of balance — we want to keep a certain spiritual practice without sacrificing that need to take care of yourself.  It’s a very honest, genuine human question.  

And by the way, my choice to come to North America goes against that whole idea of renunciation...” - Gyokei Yokoyama

Hello Sangha!

You ever feel like the guy in the cartoon above? Last week at Zen Lit night we discussed an ancient story of a man pursued by tigers, beset by challenges at every turn, and clinging one-handed to a vine for dear life. The territory is magnificent, often treacherous, and totally out of your control, but occasionally someone throws you a bone (or drops some honey in your mouth).

It reminded me of a conversation I had with an old friend years ago where I was trying to figure out how to exit a relationship without being brutal about it. “Lady,” she said, “this is a savage wilderness. You have to do what you need to take care of yourself.” I hadn’t really considered it that way, but it was hard to argue she wasn’t right. Nevertheless, my question still applied — how could I be compassionate in a world of unrelenting demands that doesn’t allow us much time or headspace for it? And could I appreciate it all as well? Still working that out.

Which makes a good segue to Gyokei’s talk on renunciation on this week’s podcast. If you listen to one ACZC talk this year, we recommend this one. It brings up questions people always ask that we might not be able to answer anytime soon, and we could sure use your company sitting with them.

Two quick other things for your weekend:

1. Our monthly Zen Writing Workshop is tomorrow at 1pm! These have been packing ‘em in lately, and it’s been extra fun writing with all of you. Join us for a uniquely communal creative experience that is suitable for everyone, regardless of whether you consider yourself a writer or not.

2. Sara and Robert are offering another experimental sound bath on Sunday at 3:00 pm. For this one you can just lie back and enjoy a delightfully interdependent and co-arising sonic experience (that you will also be co-creating just by existing!). There’ll be room feedback, bowls, hurdy gurdy, springzinger, wind wand bullroarer, an assortment of everyday objects, a little modular synthesizer, and some poetry from Zen masters of the ancient past. (RSVP here)

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Have you registered for the ACZC Spring Retreat yet?

Join us at beautiful Point Mugu State Park (just north of Malibu) for an unforgettable mashup of classic Zen retreat and coastal camping weekend with friends. We’ll gather from noon Friday, 6/12 to noon-ish Monday, 6/15. Silence, waves, fires, mountains, sunshine, zazen, chanting, just this — it’s gonna be great, y’all. Come through!👇👇👇

More Details + Registration Here

And speaking of roads we’re thinking of taking, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️“A Material Mystery (Choice & Renunciation) w/ Gyokei Yokoyama”🎙️

In a starkly honest and personal talk, Gyokei reflects on renunciation and picking & choosing through his experience growing up as a rural temple kid and living as a modern professional monk among sincere Western lay practitioners. Can letting go of wants still mean getting what we need? How does renunciation work for a monk with a salary and a family to feed? What lessons about choice can sincere lay practitioners learn from their example, and which ones should they definitely not?? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

To study Buddhism is to study our self. To study our self is to forget our self. To forget our self is to be validated by everything. To be validated by everything causes our body, heart, and mind, and the bodies, hearts, and minds of everyone else, to fall away. All traces of understanding cease, and because those traces cease, they continue to appear, on and on.

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 4/18, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Cole - We'll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Cole takes the hotseat for his long awaited “What Am I Doing Here?” talk. From San Gabriel to San Francisco to Guatemala to Vermont and points further afield, this one might take us places. See you there!

Saturday - 4/18, 1pm - 3:30pm
Zen Writing Workshop - Join us for ACZC’s signature mashup of zazen, freewriting, deep listening, and creative practice with friends! All are welcome, no previous writing experience required. Just bring a pen and a notebook and your open mind.

Monday - 4/20, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Sara Campbell - One half hour of zazen and then Sara is back from Seattle with a report from her experience at the annual Lay Zen Teacher Conference. What happens when you get a bunch of non-priest dharma teachers in a room together for three days? Join us and let’s find out!

Wednesday - 4/22, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! Our in-house translator takes on the most famous lines of Dogen’s most famous work, Genjo Koan. Choices were made, y’all. Let’s discuss them!

Friday - 4/24, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Ryogonshu and the Trusting the Mind Inscription, followed by our women ancestors. Accepting your nature / being one with the Way / you’ll know no discontent / controlling your thoughts / opposing the truth / you’ll sink into negativity. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tues - Sat - Ango Schedule | 3/17 - 5/23
As always, feel free to join for as much or as little of the schedule as you’re able.
6:30 - 7:00am……………..Coffee
7:00 - 8:00am………………Zazen
8:05 - 8:40am………………Morning Chanting Service (the epic Ryogonshu!)
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast (aka oryoki)
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
11:30 - 11:45am………….(Zoom only) Midday Nitchu Chanting Service
4:30 - 5pm…………………..(Zoom only) Evening Banka Chanting Service

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Support ACZC

Hello Sangha!

Greetings from the Annual Lay Zen Teachers Association meeting in beautiful Seattle, Washington, which your humble caretaker has skipped off to attend. It’s pretty incredible to be in a room with a few dozen folks who have spent many years supporting sanghas. There are many different flavors of dharma manifesting though these folks, but one common thread is a refreshing directness that’s pretty consistent across the board. No shrinking violets here. Which is not to say that everyone is a big talker — more like, when they have something to say, you’ll know. 👀🗣️🧙

On the home front, last week we ran a rather polarizing poll to choose ACZC’s new welcome mat. While the frog won by a country mile, it seems that our snarky little joke about Live, Laugh, Love fell flat. So in the spirit of collaboration (and never leaving a good gag behind), we came up with a round 2 that incorporates your feedback while remaining true to the live, laugh, love spirit we embody here. Behold our froggy friend and his mysterious caption above — perhaps you can guess what he’s saying? He’ll be coming soon to a welcome mat near you. 🐸

Thanks to everyone who came out for our first Zazenkai on Saturday, and Same Difference that night! The zendo was a high traffic area all day between zazen, chanting, work practice, yoga, talks, and a little good old fashioned merry-making. It was a joy to see everyone move fluidly between observing the forms and hangtime. Let’s do it again soon!

🧘🌊⛺️⛰️🧘🌊⛺️⛰️🧘🌊⛺️⛰️

Speaking of hangtime, the next big event on the ACZC docket is our spring retreat!

From noon Friday, 6/12 to noon-ish Monday, 6/15, we’ll gather at a beautiful group campsite in Point Mugu State Park (just north of Malibu).

We’ve high hopes about this becoming a new ACZC tradition, so do register as soon as you can, and invite a friend! From hand drawn awnings to meals cooked over an open fire to zazen to the sound of the ocean and beyond, this will be a truly Californian expression Zen, and we need you there to pull it off!

More Details + Registration Here

And speaking of making it happen, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️“Zensplain (The Final Answer) w/ Bryan Turley”🎙️

On a quest to find us the final answer to the problem of time, ethics, and being, Bryan stumbles into the far more fascinating conundrum of himself and what we’re really seeking when we try to settle our questions. What is philosophy and intellect actually good for and how can it help? What’s the difference between explaining something and anyone understanding? Can Bryan redeem the patriarchy in 40 minutes or less?? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

Buddha told a parable in a sutra:

A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge.

The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.

Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 4/11, Sit & Talk with Chris Arnett - 10am - 12:05pm - We'll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Chris is back for a talk about his attempts to view his modern office job through the lens of the 13th century classic, Instructions to the Zen Cook. Can the Three Minds be found in the middle of a quarterly performance review? Let’s discuss!

Monday - 4/13, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Dave Cuomo - One half hour of zazen and then Dave takes the hotseat to answer an important question you may never have thought to ask: what would make you not a Buddhist? And what’s the one burning problem that is the source of our problems?? Lets’ find out.

Wednesday - 4/15, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! A classic story of monk like equanimity and appreciation, ripe and juicy for discussion, but is it actually Zen story? Is it even Buddhist? Let’s do a little digging and see how the sausage of history and legend gets made… See you there!

Friday - 4/17, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Ryogonshu and the Straw Hut Song, followed by our lineage ancestors. There’s a thousand ways of speaking, infinite understandings / all just inviting you to befriend your unknowing. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tues - Sat - Ango Schedule | 3/17 - 5/23
As always, feel free to join for as much or as little of the schedule as you’re able.
6:30 - 7:00am……………..Coffee
7:00 - 8:00am………………Zazen
8:05 - 8:40am………………Morning Chanting Service (the epic Ryogonshu!)
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast (aka oryoki)
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
11:30 - 11:45am………….(Zoom only) Midday Nitchu Chanting Service
4:30 - 5pm…………………..(Zoom only) Evening Banka Chanting Service

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Support ACZC

Hello Sangha!

We have so much going on that we need to tell you about! But first, some very important business. It’s time to replace our welcome mat, and we’re down to two choices:

Make your voice heard!

OK, with that out of the way, we have three events this weekend, and would love to see you for any and all!

1. Tomorrow is our first Zazenkai, aka day long retreat. Join us for a full day of Zen practice, starting with an optional coffee at 6:30. No need to register. As always, we encourage you to join for the whole day, but come for as much as your schedule allows.

   1. 6:30 - 7:00am…………...Coffee (Optional)
      7:00 - 8:10am…………....Zazen & Kinhin
      8:15 - 8:35am…………...Morning Service
      8:40 - 9:20am…….…..….Breakfast
      9:20 - 9:50am….………...Work Practice
      10:05 - 11:10am………….Zazen & Kinhin
      11:15 - 12:05pm………….Dharma Talk
      12:15 - 12:30pm……….…Nitchu
      12:30 - 1:10pm..………....Lunch
      1:10 - 2:10pm.…………...Break
      2:10 - 3:10pm…………….Yoga
      3:20 - 4:30pm..………..…Zazen & Kinhin
      4:30 - 4:50pm…………….Banka
      5 - 5:30pm……..…….…..Dinner
      5:30pm - 6:10pm…….…..Zazen
      

2. Same Difference Saturday night

   1. Our bi-monthly variety show curated by our Poet-in-Residence Matthew Sherling is tomorrow night at 7pm! Come for our usual mix of great storytelling, poetry, and music, this time featuring our very own Dave Cuomo, who’ll debut some songs from his forthcoming record. Here’s a link to the event on Partiful if you want to RSVP and share it with friends. You can also just show up to that, too.

      

3. Full Moon Ceremony on Sunday night

   1. Our monthly Ryaku Fusatsu, Buddhism’s oldest (and some say loveliest) ceremony, is Sunday at 7pm! We’ll sit 30 minutes of zazen, and then chant the precepts. All are welcome!

🧘🌊⛺️⛰️🧘🌊⛺️⛰️🧘🌊⛺️⛰️

Are you joining us for ACZC’s First Coastal Camping Retreat in June?

From noon Friday, 6/12 to noon-ish Monday, 6/15, we’ll gather at a beautiful group campsite in Point Mugu State Park (just north of Malibu).

More Details + Registration Here

And speaking of keeping track of a great many things, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️“Charmed (Story & Superstition) w/ Sara Campbell”🎙️

Sara gives us an insightful reflection on narrative and storytelling, either our most powerful technology or our greatest hindrance to seeing the world honestly. Should we be trying to see through our narratives, or harness them for our benefit? What’s the difference between main character syndrome and taking responsibility for your life? Is Sara blessed with the LA parking superpowers, or is that kind of wishful thinking a magic of its own?? Find out here!!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

Dogen once said:

We enter parinirvana, complete and total extinguishing, through the twelve fold chain.
The twelve fold chain of cause and effect is: first, ignorance; second, formations; third, consciousness; fourth, name and form; fifth, six senses; sixth, contact; seventh, feeling; eighth, craving; ninth, grasping; tenth, existing; eleventh, birth; twelfth, aging & death.
When practicing with the twelvefold chain as cause and effect relationships across the past, present and future, even if we could talk about subjects and objects, if we really look at each individual link, cyclic existence and a chain of cause and effect are completely unnecessary. Just know that ignorance is the unified heart and mind, formations, consciousness, and all the rest are the unified heart and mind. If ignorance is ended, then formations, consciousness and all the rest are also ended. If ignorance is nirvana, then formations, consciousness and all the rest are also nirvana.
And since birth is an ending, we should just say; ignorance is just a word we say, consciousness, name and form, and all the rest are just the same.

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 4/4, Zazenkai (full day retreat). Schedule above, and here.
Our usual Sit & Talk with Sara Campbell is part of the day (10am - 12:05pm) — we'll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Sara is back for a talk about lay practice. What does it entail, and how do we carry the spirit of Dogen’s advice for monks from Eihei Shingi through it? Let’s discuss!

Saturday - 4/4, 7pm - 9:30(ish)
“Same Difference” - Rent Party & Variety Show - Our bi-monthly showcase featuring poets, singers, and storytellers, plus some well earned sangha social time. We’ll have popcorn, fizzy drinks, some funny raffle prizes, and a damn good time as we gather to raise a little money for our favorite little Zen Center. See you there!

Sunday - 4/5, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Full Moon Ceremony - Join us for a short and sweet half hour of zazen before we do the lyrical and melodious Ryaku Fusatsu, where we recite the precepts in glorious one-note harmony and remember why they were such good advice in the first place. All are welcome, no prior precept commitment required.

Monday - 4/6, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Mota Mynttinen - One half hour of zazen and then our resident trainee Mota takes the hotseat for a talk about the five skandhas. What do we see when we look closely at our experience? Come on out and let’s discuss!

Wednesday - 4/8, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! It’s theory night, and we’re looking at Dogen’s take on the twelvefold chain of dependent origination, one of the Buddha’s fundamental teachings. Join us and let’s run the numbers!

Friday - 4/10, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Ryogonshu and the Zazenshin, followed by our women ancestors. Not missing a hairsbreadth / their light was aimless and true. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tues - Sat - Ango Schedule | 3/17 - 5/23
As always, feel free to join for as much or as little of the schedule as you’re able.
6:30 - 7:00am……………..Coffee
7:00 - 8:00am………………Zazen
8:05 - 8:40am………………Morning Chanting Service (the epic Ryogonshu!)
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast (aka oryoki)
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
11:30 - 11:45am………….(Zoom only) Midday Nitchu Chanting Service
4:30 - 5pm…………………..(Zoom only) Evening Banka Chanting Service

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Support ACZC

No matter how sincere our intentions or how much zazen we do, there’s going to be a point where someone puts a rat in front of your face, or whatever your worst fear is, and you get overwhelmed, give up on everybody, and say f@#* it, I’m just going to help myself.

If we don’t include that in our bodhisattva vows, we’ve misunderstood the vow entirely. I know that’s true, but I still don’t get it and don’t think I ever really will.” - Dave Cuomo

Hello Sangha!

After many years of hosting monthly half-day sits, we came to the conclusion that half-day sits didn’t quite seem to be resonating. Truth be told, they were pretty hit or miss in terms of attendance — sometimes you’d have a nice-sized crew, and sometimes it’d just be the bell ringer and one or two others.

And yet the need for a practice intensive more often than our biannual retreats still seemed like one worth honoring. So we figured, instead of doing a half day sit monthly, why not try doing a full day quarterly?

So on that note, we’re delighted to announce that we’re hosting our first Zazenkai, or full day retreat, next Saturday, April 4th from 7am to 6pm. Zazenkai literally means “to come together for meditation,” and that’s what we’re gonna do. (And chanting, and work practice, and oriyoki meals, and yoga.)

If you haven’t been able to attend an ACZC retreat and want to see what a full day of practice is like, here’s your chance. Or if you just feel like you could use a little personal spring cleaning, come on out! We would be stoked if you came for the whole thing, of course, but we’d also be stoked if you did part of the day, too. 😉 No need to register, just show up on 4/4. (Full schedule here.)

And then, because we’re absolutely nuts filled to the brim with the energy that comes from joyful effort, that night we’re hosting our Same Difference Variety Show at 7pm! Here’s a link to the event on Partiful if you want to RSVP and share it with friends. You can also just show up to that too, as ever. 🥳

🧘🌊⛺️⛰️🧘🌊⛺️⛰️🧘🌊⛺️⛰️

ACZC’s First Coastal Camping Retreat is in June!

From noon Friday, 6/12 to noon-ish Monday, 6/15, we’ll gather at a beautiful group campsite in Point Mugu State Park (just north of Malibu).

It’s gonna be epic. Will you join us? Register and let us know!

More Details + Registration Here

And speaking of not being able to stop ourselves, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️“Why We Can’t Have Nice Things (Bodhisattva Vows) w/ Dave Cuomo”🎙️

In an encouraging pep talk for ango, Dave unveils a new translation of the bodhisattva vows and rouses us to the impossibility of fulfilling them and the impossibility of not completing them. Is devoting your life to others a recipe for getting taken advantage or the most selfish thing we could do? Is making art selfish or service? Is Taylor Swift ready to take on the dark teachings of Buddhism?? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

I wove some straw to make a hut
ate a meal and took a nap

Afterwards, fresh grass sprouts
when the roof wears out, I’ll have more thatch

I cannot live where normal people live
I do not love what normal people love

This hut, although tiny, holds the whole world
an old man in the body of a ten foot cell

Dwelling nowhere
makes for the strongest foundation

Living here, there’s nothing to learn
who here is trying to sell anything to anyone?

Daylight dies with a final flash, only to return
the enormity of emptiness cannot be faced or turned away from

Cast off the centuries, go about freely
wave a hand and wander on, innocently

There’s a thousand ways of speaking, infinite understandings
all just inviting you to befriend your unknowing

But if you want to know the undying person of this hut
how could it be anywhere but this old leather bag right here?

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 3/28, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk w/ Bryan Turley - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then our newest ACZC resident, Bryan, takes the hotseat for a talk about the ethics of time. Or is it a talk about struggling to give a talk? Maybe it’s both?! Find out here!

Monday - 3/30, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Gyokei Yokoyama - One half hour of zazen and then Gyokei returns from his travels hither and yon for a talk about renunciation in modern life. What has our favorite supporting teacher learned about it? Come on out and let’s see!

Wednesday - 4/1, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! We discuss one of our favorite chants from our Friday morning services, Great Ancestor Shitou’s Straw Hut Song. Why can’t we just be normal?? Join us and let’s discuss!

Friday - 4/3, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Ryogonshu and the Golden Mirror Meditation Verse, followed by our lineage ancestors. Categorized, it won’t conform / mingling freely, it finds its place. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tues - Sat - Ango Schedule | 3/17 - 5/23
As always, feel free to join for as much or as little of the schedule as you’re able.
6:30 - 7:00am……………..Coffee
7:00 - 8:00am………………Zazen
8:05 - 8:40am………………Morning Chanting Service (the epic Ryogonshu!)
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast (aka oryoki)
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
11:30 - 11:45am………….(Zoom only) Midday Nitchu Chanting Service
4:30 - 5pm…………………..(Zoom only) Evening Banka Chanting Service

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Support ACZC

Hello Sangha!

The fates sure delivered a whopper of a first week of ango over here! Between the flurry of kicking back into gear for our extended schedule ⌛️, cantankerous wi-fi that keeps outsmarting our best attempts to fix it 😠, and oh, you know, a record-breaking heatwave, 🥵 it’s been intense!

And also full of many moments of pure joy! It’s been delightful to see the sangha show up for the return of the Ryogon Shu, ACZC’s artisanal porridge, work practice, and early morning kava java, among other things. The zendo is looking spiffy, the lamps are shining their hearts out, and we’re looking forward to having more of you in the zendo (and the Zoomdo!) for more wholesome community practice, so join us anytime.

On that note, our monthly Zen Writing Workshop is tomorrow from 1-3:30 pm, and that’s a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon. We’ll lead you through a facilitated exercise of zazen, free writing, deep listening, and interpersonal reflection, and you’ll emerge with a lovely found poem and maybe a few new friends, eh?

…

Did you notice today’s newsletter art? 👀 That’s an icon of none other than Kanzeon, the bodhisattva of compassion, and we’ll have a six foot version of her standing sentinel at our spring retreat (along with a few other friends who’ll be revealed in time). Yep, that’s right: registration is now open for our first Coastal Camping Retreat in June!

From noon Friday, 6/12 to noon-ish Monday, 6/15, we’ll gather at a beautiful group campsite in Point Mugu State Park (just north of Malibu).

More Details + Registration Here

Coming soon!

• Same Difference Variety Show: Saturday, April 4 at 7pm - Our beloved bi-monthly series curated by ACZC’s Poet-in-Residence Matthew Sherling returns! Here’s a link to the event on Partiful so you can RSVP and share it with friends.

  

And speaking of searching high and low for a good time, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️“Chad (Zen & Dating) w/ Sara Campbell”🎙️

Sara gives us a candid Zen look at modern dating, aka an endless opportunity for working with compassion. Does seeing the best in people bring out the best in ourselves? Should we give people the benefit of the doubt, or is that just a recipe for getting let down? Is all life a performance and if so can it be an authentic honest one?? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

I made it to Daiyu Ridge not knowing I had been followed. Everyone had turned back halfway except for a monk named Huiming, a rough man who used to be a high ranking general. He caught up with me at the ridge and grabbed me. I offered him the robe, but he wouldn’t take it. He said, “I came all this way for the dharma, not the robe.”

I said, “If you’ve come for the dharma, forget everything that has ever happened before, don’t let even a single thought arise, and I will teach it you.” Huiming stayed like that for a long time. Then I said, “When you’re not thinking about right or wrong, what was your original face before your parents were born?” Hearing this, Huiming had a great awakening.

He then asked me, “Are there any other secret words or teachings other than the one you’ve given me?”

I said, “What I said isn’t a secret. Turn the light around and find the secret inside you.”

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 3/21, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk w/ Dave Cuomo - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Dave takes the hotseat to officially kick off our Spring Ango. Drawing upon our new translation of the Bodhisattva Vows, he’ll expand upon that ol’ ACZC chestnut about what exactly it is we’re doing here, and why now. See you there!

Saturday - 3/21, 1pm - 3:30pm
Zen Writing Workshop - Join us for ACZC’s signature mashup of zazen, freewriting, deep listening, and creative practice with friends! All are welcome, no previous writing experience required. Just bring a pen and a notebook and your open mind.

Monday - 3/23, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Sara Campbell - One half hour of zazen and then Sara is back with a talk about superstition. Joan Didion famously said that we tell ourselves stories in order to live, and Zen encourages us to see through them; can we reconcile the two? Join us and let’s discuss!

Wednesday - 3/25, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! Let’s take a trip to Daiyu Ridge and catch up with Huiming and an unnamed narrator from the Platform Sutra to mull over one of the most famous stories in the Zen canon. What, indeed, was your original face before your parents were born?? Join us and let’s discuss!

Friday - 3/27, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Ryogonshu and the Declaration of Unity, followed by our women ancestors. So it is with everything / leaves branch out from their roots. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tues - Sat - Ango Schedule | 3/17 - 5/23
As always, feel free to join for as much or as little of the schedule as you’re able.
6:30 - 7:00am……………..Coffee
7:00 - 8:00am………………Zazen
8:05 - 8:40am………………Morning Chanting Service (the epic Ryogonshu!)
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast (aka oryoki)
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
(Zoom only) 11:30 - 11:45am………….Midday Nitchu Chanting Service
(Zoom only) 4:30 - 5pm……………..Evening Banka Chanting Service

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Support ACZC

Hello Sangha!

The countdown is on…Tuesday marks the start of ACZC’s second annual spring ango! It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since our first intensive practice period, but you know what they say about time and its properties. 🪽

This year we’ll have a new trainee (hi Mota!) in the house and a couple more chanting services later in the day in addition to our expanded morning schedule. We would love for you to join us for as much or as little of the schedule as you are able!

Here’s the rundown:

ACZC Spring Ango Schedule | 3/17 - 5/23, 2026
Tuesday - Saturday:
6:30 - 7:00am……………..Coffee
7:00 - 8:00am………………Zazen
8:05 - 8:40am………………Morning Chanting Service (the return of the epic Ryogonshu!)
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast (aka oryoki)
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
(Zoom only) 11:30 - 12:00pm………….Midday Nitchu Chanting Service
(Zoom only) 4:30 - 5:00pm……………..Evening Banka Chanting Service
(Note that on Saturdays, we’ll also host our usual 10am - 12:05pm zazen + sit & talk.)

While we don’t have a formal way of registering for the ango (we trust your process implicitly), consider this a whole hearted invitation to sit daily over the next three months and to join us in the schedule as much as you can. We practice goallessness around here and would never want to prescribe results, but hey, something nice just might happen. We give it pretty good odds actually :)

And in other big news, we’re thrilled to announce that registration is now open for our June Retreat! (Our first Coastal Camping Retreat!)

From noon Friday, 6/12 to noon-ish Monday, 6/15, we’ll gather at a beautiful group campsite in Point Mugu State Park (just north of Malibu). This has been an ACZC dream for years, and we are excited to finally bring it to fruition. We’ve got our usual full schedule of zazen, yoga, talks, meals prepared over the fire, and good old-fashioned community practice, only this time with the sound of the mighty Pacific Ocean as a backdrop. Plus, flush toilets! It’s gonna be epic, and we would be delighted if you join us.

More Details + Registration Here

But wait, even more good stuff is ahead!! Mark your calendars:

• Zen Writing Workshop: Saturday, March 21st, 1:00 - 3:30 pm

• Same Difference Variety Show: Saturday, April 4 at 7pm

And speaking of fast-moving forward momentum, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️“Wobbly Wheel (Worth & Attention) w/ Matthew Sherling”🎙️

Matthew brings us an encouraging and insightful talk on working with our default states, self worth, how to pay attention, karmic momentum, and sleepwalking our way toward our own best intentions. What is the right frame of mind for Zen practice or art, and do we have to be in it for it to count? What are the consequences of restlessness? Should we be judging ourselves more?? Find out here!

Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖

Yunyan asked Daowu, “What does the Bodhisattva of Love and Care do with her thousands of hands and eyes?”
Daowu said, “It’s like a hand reaching back for a pillow in the middle of the night.”
Yunyan said, “I understand!”
Daowu said, “What do you understand?”
Yunyan said, “The body is covered in hands and eyes.”
Daowu said, “You said so much, and so well, but that’s still only about 80% of it.”
Yunyan said, “That’s my answer. What’s yours, brother?”
Daowu said, “The whole body is hands and eyes.”

⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).

Saturday - 3/14, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk w/ Beth Kaiserman - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Beth returns to the hotseat for a talk about identity…or something like it. See you there!

Monday - 3/16, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Andy Thomas - One half hour of zazen and then Andy is back to talk about what’s going on with our emotions when we sit. What do we notice, and what does Zen have to say about it? Join us and let’s discuss!

Wednesday - 3/18, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! Daowu and Yunyan talk about a certain bodhisattva’s famous appendages. What do we understand about them? Join us and let’s discuss!

Friday - 3/20, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Maka Hannya Haramitta Shingyo and the Daihishin Darani, followed by our women ancestors. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.

Tuesday - Friday, 7am - 8am
Morning Sit - One simple hour of what we do best — just sitting. Optional five minute stretch break offered in the middle.

See y’all soon!

Love,
ACZC

Support ACZC