A Noisy Hullabaloo
ACZC Happenings, 3/11 - 3/17
“The hardest thing for me to do is to peacefully watch somebody else screw up their life. But I'm told that's a big part of true compassion - letting go without turning away.” - Dave Cuomo
Hello Sangha!
And yes, tomorrow is the 2nd Saturday of the month which means it’s time again for Yoga, Sit, & Discussion with Nina Snow at 10am. Grab your mat or use one of ours and meet us in the zendo or zoomdo for one hour of yoga, a half hour of zazen, and discussion with Nina. And bonus! Robert Holliday will be lighting us up with a little sound bath during the yoga. Sounds like music to our ears. We’ll see y’all there!
And speaking of the festive din of the void singing sweetly to itself, this week on the podcast we are very pleased to bring you Dave Cuomo w/ “A Noisy Hullabaloo” (How to Make Peace). Dave looks at how to make peace with the world while regaling us with the legend of Dongshan’s ‘Celebration of Silliness’, the week long banquet of delusion Dongshan threw for his sad sack monks on his death bed. What, if anything, do we owe our friends and families on our way out the great gaping door? Can evil really be destroyed or is it something we’re stuck with? And why are the enlightened out there insisting that they need us deluded folks to take care of them? Wasn’t that supposed to be their job?? Find out here.
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms
And hey, here’s the koan for the week.
Case in point:
Xuefeng said to the assembly, “On Mount Lu there is a Turtle Nosed Snake*, you should all keep a look out for it.”
Changqing said, ”A lot of people here are going to lose their lives today.”
A monk mentioned this to Xuansha, and Xuansha said, “Sounds like something Xuefeng would say. But not me.”
The monk said, “Why’s that?”
Xuansha said, “Why tell them it’s on Mount Lu?”
Yunmen threw down his cane and looked scared.
(*Pretty sure there’s no such beast…)
This Week in Zen! All sessions hosted in person and on Zoom unless otherwise marked (email us for quick and easy Zoom access info):
Saturday - 3/11 at 10am
Sit, Yoga, & Discussion w/ Nina Snow - 2nd Saturday of the month means Nina is here to kick off our weekend with one full hour of beginner friendly Slow Flow Zen Yoga(™) perfectly designed to open up the body in all the right ways to help make the zazen that much easier, followed of course by one half hour of zazen . Join us!
Monday - 3/13 at 7:30pm
Sit & Talk w/ Dave Cuomo - One half hour of zazen and then Dave is back in the hot seat with a brief history of space. What did Buddha mean when he taught about emptiness, and 2500 years and three cultures later, are these Zen people still talking about the same thing? How should we think and talk about nothing?? Let’s discuss.
Wednesday - 3/15 at 7:30pm (Zoom Only)
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Dave Cuomo - This week! Dave returns to koan night, as Xuefeng scares his sangha with tales of a Turtle Nosed Beast. Will their dharma be strong enough to keep us all safe? Let’s find out!
Thursday - 3/16 at 7pm (Zoom Only)
Yoga & Zazen w/ Nina Snow - And Nina returns to help us wind down our week with a rousingly restful session of one hour of yoga follow by a half hour of zazen before sending us off perfectly prepped for pleasant evenings and pleasant dreams. See y’all there.
Friday - 3/17 at 8am
Heart Sutra Chanting Service - This week! We honor the ancestors and give ourselves a refreshing rest from trying to make any sense with the Sino Sanskrit Heart Sutra, followed by the greatest little hearty darani you could ask for, 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