A Bountiful Bummer
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 4/25 - 5/1⚡️
“when space turns into a bubble
it pops, & when it pops
it becomes just space again,
filled with something
like thought without a brain,
bound to become
another bubble after another,
bumping into each other
to become one big bubble
that’s a little larger
than reality was.”
- Matthew Sherling
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.
→→→→→→🧘🌊⛺️⛰️←←←←←←
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! 👇👇👇
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