A Shorter Conversation
⚡️ ACZC Happenings, 7/13 - 7/19 ⚡️
“One of the hardest things about being human is that you have to be with other human beings.” - Emily Eslami
Hello Sangha!
Let me introduce my good friend Jō Sukeyoshi, Lord of Sarukake Castle, who was just the most accepting friend and best listener I could have asked for through both my angos at Toshoji. I also got the impression he was a big fan of Edgar Allen Poe and ee cummings, or if not, he never complained when I read them to him, which to me was just as good. Thank you Jō! Miss you already buddy.
But hello everyone, Dave here, and yes I’m officially back at ACZC and first I just want to say a huge shout out and thank you so much to everyone who came out, pitched in, and gave your time, effort, and practice while I was gone (and all the time). It’s been admittedly a bit of a rough re-entry for me between jet lag, the discombobulation of finally getting to clock out after a three month shift at work, and maybe a few existential questions lurking behind all that, but while I was hiding away napping through a jet lagged haze last Saturday during the Half Day Sit, I half heard the chanting and discussion and was thinking “Well, that just sounds like a happy and productive Zen center just humming along,” and it was a joy to see. So seriously, thank you, I’ve missed you, and look forward to jumping back in, seeing everyone, and catching up.
And speaking of that, I do have a few thoughts on where I’ve been the last few months, and about Zen, and personal spirituality in awkward institutions, and the thousands of years of beauty, trauma, and aspiration we keep passing along to each other for better and for worse and how that’s all going for me personally, and I’d love to hear how it’s going for you. So I’ve asked Corey if I could have the next two mondays to do a little two parter talk - first week we’ll do a little history and see what it was I walked into over there, what was a monk originally conceived as, what did they become and how are they made, and how is it currently living up to the original ideal and the needs of our modern world. And then once we’ve gotten the context, in week two I’ll tell some stories, talk about angry clouds and good friends, and infuriating friends, and what I learned on my summer vacation and hope Gyokei doesn’t regret sending me. So much to look forward to! I hope to see you all there.
And speaking of trying to figure out if that fire under your butt is something that actually bears mentioning, this week on the podcast we are very excited to bring you A Shorter Conversation (Arguments & Conflict) w/ Emily Eslami. In a particularly divided year, in a particularly divisive culture, Emily tackles the uncomfortableness of living with other human beings, and how to manage argument and conflict as a practice all their own. When should we speak up and when should we just listen? Is hell other people, or is it being alone? Has anyone ever convinced anyone of anything? Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
And hey, here’s a koan for the week:
Case in Point:
A monk asked Yunmen, “Can you say something that transcends the Buddhas and goes beyond the Ancestors?”
Yunmen said, “Rice cakes.”
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 - 7/13, 10am - 2:00pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Leon Sandler - Two half hour rounds of zazen, and then longtime zoom sangha member and great friend, Leon Sandler, joins us live in and in person to kick off a one month stint of ACZC residency he’ll be doing with us this summer. Welcome Leon! Come on out and let’s give him a warm hello.
Monday - 7/15, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Dave Cuomo - One half hour of zazen and then (speaking of warm hello, how-ya-beens) our wayward resident caretaker finds his way back to the hot seat for the first in a two part series on what he was up to in Japan - pt 1: The Historical Context (Wait what was a monk supposed to be and how do you make one? (Ok, we can workshop the title)) Join us as we take a brief historical survey of what monks were conceived to be and the role they played in the different places Buddhism has been before we can take an honest account of what sort of experience that training is today and what kind of monks we’re making. Join us!
Wednesday - 7/17, 7:30pm - 9pm (Zoom Only)
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Heather Ross - We returns to classic koan night! With a classic koan! This week - a monk and Yunmen are both hungry for a little dharma. What will they cook up? And 1200 years later can it still nourish us?? Let’s discuss.
Friday - 7/19, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’re chanting the Heart Sutra, The Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi, and the lineage ancestors from Buddha on down to us. Poetry for the ages! Come 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
