Bones to Pick
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 8/15 - 8/21⚡️
“The only way to get over something is to forgive everyone, including yourself. But the trick is it has to be deep, thorough, and sincere. You have to really understand. You need to find real compassion. That’s not something you can do, or learn, or tell yourself. It’s something that just eventually happens. It’s what’s left over when everything else falls away. If you still feel the need to tell yourself, ‘I have forgiven somebody, I have forgiven myself,’ you haven’t yet.”
- Dave Cuomo
Hello Sangha!
Well the rumors are true, we’re getting busy again. Plans are afoot for our next Same Difference Variety Show on Sat, 9/5, where one brave sangha member (ahem, Samm) will be releasing a book of poetry (!) and another (let’s keep this person anon for now) will be trying her hand at standup comedy (!).
Who knows, maybe it’s the improved air conditioning, but the ideas are really flowing around here lately. Dave’s been translating the Avalokiteshvara passages of the Surangama Sutra and they have been provocative (e.g. “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…”) and, dare we say it, maybe even a little bit inspiring! Seems like these long summer days are pulling out heretofore unarticulated ways we can do our bit to spread the dharma. Which has many benefits, including being great fun.
On that note, for our next Zazenkai (day-long retreat) in September, we’re gonna get a little weird with it, working with our favorite Bodhisattva of Compassion’s listening practice. What does it mean to “observe the observer,” and how does attending to ourselves mean caring for everyone else in “grand, magical, profound, and very practical ways,” to quote Dave’s commentary from our last Zen Lit night? Mark your calendars and let’s see!
So as a reminder, here’s what’s upcoming:
Next Saturday, 8/22 at 1pm - Zen Writing Workshop, our monthly mashup of zazen, freewriting, deep listening, and creative practice with friends
Sun, 8/23 - Sun, 8/30 ACZC closed for Summer Break
Saturday, 9/5 at 7pm - Same Difference, our bi-monthly Variety Show curated by Matthew Sherling
Saturday, 9/12 from 7am - 6:10pm - Zazenkai, our quarterly day-long retreat on the theme of Avalokiteshvara’s listening practice
And if you’re hankering for other Zen-adjacent events, Robert and Sara are offering another installment of The Listening Body, their ongoing Sonic Meditation series, at nearby community space Groundfloor this Sunday at 5pm. Details here!
And speaking of listening closely and (possibly) transforming suffering, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️ “Bones to Pick (Post-Traumatic Growth) w/ Dave Cuomo” 🎙️
Dave dives into the intersection of Zen and cutting-edge psychology to learn about post-traumatic growth and whether that might just be the wellness Zen has been quietly selling all these thousands of years. How come terrible experiences sometimes shut us down and sometimes open us up into new and wondrous worlds? Is everything we go through really for the better? Can reality ever be wrong? And if we can’t trust our own eyes, ears, or thoughts, who can we trust?? Find out here!
Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖
First, as the dharma is ever present and our nature is subtle grace, not giving rise to ideas of extinction is what is meant by no killing.
Second, as the dharma is ungraspable and our nature is subtle grace, not giving rise to thoughts of grasping is what is meant by no stealing.
Third, as the dharma has no attachments and our nature is subtle grace, not giving rise to ideas of attaching to love is what is meant by no excessive desires.
Fourth, as the dharma cannot be spoken and our nature is subtle grace, not saying a word is what is meant by no lying.
Fifth, as the dharma is intrinsically clear and our nature is subtle grace, not giving rise to ignorance is what is meant by no drinking alcohol.
Sixth, as the dharma is faultless and blameless and our nature is subtle grace, not speaking of fault and blame is what is meant by no speaking of faults.
Seventh, as the dharma is impartial and our nature is subtle grace, not speaking of a self or others is what is meant by no praising self and disparaging others.
Eighth, as the dharma is both all encompassing and just as it is and our nature is subtle grace, not giving rise to greed over a single aspect of anything is what is meant by no being stingy.
Ninth, as the dharma has no self and our nature is subtle grace, not seeing a true self is what is meant by no anger.
Tenth, as the dharma is all alike and our nature is subtle grace, not giving rise to distinctions between buddhas and ordinary beings is what is meant by no disparaging buddha, dharma, and sangha.
The heart is not wrong, our nature is moral.
The heart is not deluded, our nature is wise.
The heart is not confused, our nature is mindful.
Not growing, not shrinking, we are strong and sharp as a diamond.
Bodies go, bodies come, at the root is this deep meditation.
⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).
Saturday - 8/15, 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 repressed emotions. What, if anything, do we do when we feel like there’s a molten core of lava inside us and we’re afraid it’s all going to come spilling out?? See you there!
Monday - 8/17, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/ Sebastien - One half hour of zazen and then Sebastien takes the hotseat for his much-anticipated What Am I Doing Here? talk. What circuitous roads, realizations, and routines led him to brighten our little blue doorstep?? Join us and let’s find out!
Wednesday - 8/19, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! Bodhidharma’s Undivided Heart and Mind Precepts. Is Zen as amoral as they say? Is it easier or harder to follow the rules when no one will quite tell you what they are? Is human nature good actually, maybe even graceful?? Let’s discuss.
Friday - 8/21, 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 Trusting Heart and Mind Inscription, our lineage ancestors, and the Daihishin Darani. To deny your being is not to be / to obey space is to betray space. 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