A Kind of Magic
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 7/25 - 7/31⚡️
“We sit and we don’t touch. We don’t pick and choose. We don’t differentiate and even when we find ourselves judging, we don’t judge that. It’s compassion and boundless love in their purest form. Confusion and turmoil are transformed into wisdom and benefit for everyone just by letting that happen.
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