A Quiet Cockiness
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 2/22 - 2/28⚡️
“The world is not always going to feel good. You're not always going to feel good. Your friends aren't always going to feel good. And do I need them to feel better to be able to tolerate them? Do I need to feel better to be able to tolerate myself?” - Dave Cuomo
Hello Sangha!
An old joke that never gets old, brought to you from our Intro to Zen night last Monday, that by all accounts was a good time for all. Thanks to everyone who came out! Old and new. And if you missed this round for yourself or a friend, worry not, we’ll be offering it again in April, led by our good friend and caretaker during our upcoming ango, Sara Campbell.
But wait, what’s all this about ango (and what’s an ango again) you ask?? Well, starting March 1st we’re beefing out the schedule for three months as Sara joins us as resident in training to become our first certified Lay Zen Teacher. And we’re very excited to have her out to take the reins for a few months. What that means for the rest of us is mainly that starting March 4th, the Tuesday - Saturday morning schedule will now include:
6:30 - 7:00am………………Silent Coffee
7:00 - 8:10am………………Zazen & Kinhin
8:10 - 8:40am………………Chanting
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
And you are more than welcome and invited to join us for any of that in the mornings you are able. The exciting news is that the morning chanting will include the classic (and epic) Ryogonshu, aka the Surangama Mantra, which is chanted daily in the monastery on ango, and according to our sources is the symphony of chanting services, a longer epic darani that we’re very excited to share. The ango will culminate in a June retreat that will feature a Dharma Combat ceremony for Sara and Jukai for the sangha.
Also! don’t forget Saturday March 1st at 7pm, join us for our first “Same Difference” Rent Party, in which we host a variety show of music, comedy, stories, poetry and other entertainments here in the ACZC zendo. We’ve heard rumors of homemade ginger beer and popcorn…
But speaking of things brand new you always intimately knew, this week on the podcast we are very pleased to bring you A Quiet Cockiness (Intro to Zen) w/ Dave Cuomo. Dave gives us an Intro to Zen talk for beginners of all experience levels, including instruction on how to not meditate while meditating, some light (uncannily relevant) history, and advice and encouragements for whole heartedly engaging in the modern day. How do we learn what no one can teach us? Is Zen the avoidant lover of spiritual practices? And does Dave’s attachment to it make him the worst kind of ambassador? Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
And hey, here’s some ZenLit(™) for the week:
Buddha then used his spiritual powers to plant a thought in Shariputra’s mind - “A pure mind is what makes a Buddha’s Pure Land, so the Buddha’s mind must have been really impure. Because this world of his is not definitely not pure!”
Buddha knew what Shariputra was thinking and said, “Shariputra, the problem is ignorant people just don’t see how great my world is. That isn’t my fault.”
Shariputra said, “I see a world of problems - continents of dark looming mountains, rocks and sand, corruption and hate.”
A wandering sage chimed in, “You’re just seeing your own corrupted mind! I see Shakyamuni’s world as great and pure, shining like a heavenly palace.”
Buddha then touched his toe to the ground and the entire universe shook, heaps of treasures appeared, and beautiful jewels decorated everything. Hoards of demons and devils said they had never seen anything like this before, and then suddenly found themselves sitting on sweet lotus blossoms.
Buddha said to Shariputra, “Look at my great and pure world! This is what the world really is. But to try and help bad people with all of their anger and hurt, I disguise it. Shariputra, if your mind was pure, you could see it like this too.”
This Week in Zen! All times posted in Pacific time zone, all sessions hosted in person and on Zoom unless otherwise marked (email us for quick and easy Zoom access info):
Saturday - 2/22, 10am - 12:30pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Pedro Perez - Our biggest day of the week! Two half hour rounds of zazen, one walking meditation in the middle, and our dear friend Pedro is back in the hot seat with a talk on not spending our days and nights in vain (as they say), aka a light dive into Shunryu Suzuki’s classic book of hot takes on the Harmony of Difference and Equality. See y’all there!
Monday - 2/24, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Mota - One half hour of sweet sweet zazen and then our good friend Mota join us from the wilds up north for some warm and wily talk and tea. Join us!
Wednesday - 2/26, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit Night - Shariputra asks what we’ve all been kinda thinking, why is the world so messed up?? Is this really the Pure Land we were promised?? While Buddha engages in some light victim blaming…. Let’s discuss!
Thursday - 2/27, 7:30pm - 8:40pm
Evening Zazen - Join us for the newest addition to our schedule with two rounds of uninhibited evening sitting to wind down your day and your week, and maybe even go a little deep. We’ll see y’all there.
Friday - 2/28, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We chant honor the ancestors and loudly let go of our illusions that any of this was supposed to make sense, with the Maka Hannya Haramita Shingyo and 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