An Awesome Group of Weirdos
⚡️ ACZC Happenings, 5/4 - 5/10 ⚡️
“They call it practice because nobody ever turns pro.”
- Patrick Carroll
Hello Sangha!
The merry month of May has arrived and the lavender is casting its lusty fragrance over all those who enter the little blue house and our sources tell us that Dave is making friends in the graveyard in Japan! A classic spring scene for you, hopping with life and just a hint of death to keep things interesting.
And speaking of the great matter of birth and death, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present An Awesome Group of Weirdos (The Fruits of Zazen) w/ Sara Campbell. Sara marks her five year anniversary with ACZC by taking stock and admitting how maybe all this goalless practice has changed her for the better, while the sangha takes the opportunity to get personal and share what’s working, what’s not, and how those kind of assessments may or may not be working out for them. Will we ever be able to untangle the big ball of yarn that is ourselves? Will the sangha exhaust the limits of that metaphor? (absolutely... knot!) 🧶 Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
Courtesy of one Kodo Sawaki, here’s your koan for the week:
A home-leaver should be a person who creates a unique way of life.
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 - 5/4, 10am - 12:30pm
Sit & Discussion w/Gyokei Yokoyama - Our biggest day of the week! Two half hour rounds of zazen, one walking meditation in the middle, and then Gyokei returns with a delightful dose of dharma direct from Japan. Do join!
Monday - 5/6, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Jason Dodge - We sit a little zazen (30 minutes), we hear a little talk from Jason, who’s as skilled on the mic as he is on the canvas. He’ll be leading us in a discussion of the “Seeking Satisfaction within Constant Change” chapter of Dainin Katagiri Roshi’s book, Each Moment is the Universe. Come on out and start your week off right!
Wednesday - 5/8, 7:30pm - 9pm (Zoom Only)
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Mota Myntinnen - Mota’s back to drive koan night and you know what that means!! Wait, you don’t? Us neither, tbh. But here’s our chance to find out! He’ll lead us in a discussion of Chapter 8 of The Zen Teaching of Homeless Kodo. See you there.
Friday - 5/10 at 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’re chanting Shitou’s Straw Hut Song and reciting the names of the male ancestors in our lineage. Did you know that Shitou translates as “Priest Rock Head” because of his habitation of the aforementioned hut? How about that! Come on out and let’s chant his poetry!
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