Dear Friends (Reopen Tonight!)
⚡️ ACZC Happenings, 8/12 - 8/16 ⚡️
Hello Sangha!
I’m writing you from sunny New York City where I just wrapped up a week long retreat with our good friends from the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care (thank you Koshin & Chodo for everything! (reverently pictured above)), as part of our ongoing mission to make the wide world of Zen that much smaller by making dear friends out of far flung sanghas. It was a personal delight to get to spend some quiet time in the woods overlooking the Hudson, and even through the silence the sweetness of their sangha rang through loud and clear. Also, if you’ve never seen a teacher couple playfully bicker and banter their way through some serious sesshin, just saying, that’s some serious #zengoals and #couplegoals all in one. With any luck we’ll get them zooming in to ACZC to share some of their story and dharma with y’all in the near future.
But so yes, despite my continued slacking out East, the big news is ACZC is reopen tonight (Monday 8/12)! Our good friend Mota is coming down from the Bay to give us a talk about Conflict & Zen, and all the first hand gritty dharma one might encounter in big fights with dear friends. We are very excited to see you back tonight, so come on out and give Mota and Julien a hug and a high five for me, and I’ll see you back in the hot seat myself for koan night on Wednesday.
Also though, speaking of sweet silliness in silence, save the date announcement - our Fall Retreat is booked for Mount Baldy: Friday 11/8 - Monday 11/11. We will have registration up very soon, but just wanted to give y’all the heads up now because I know I’ve missed you, and we would be very excited to see you up there this year.
Ok! We’ll be back with podcast again next week. See y’all real soon….
And hey, here’s a koan for the week:
Case in point:
Longya asked Cuiwei, "Why did Bodhidharma bring Zen to China?”
Cuiwei said, "Pass me the seiza bench."
Longya passed the bench to Cuiwei. Cuiwei hit him with it.
Longya said, "Hit me if you want, but there's still no point to Bodhidharma having brought Zen to China.”
Longya then asked Linji, "Why did Bodhidharma bring Zen to China?”
Linji said, "Pass me the zafu.”
Longya passed the zafu to Linji. Linji hit him with it.
Longya said, "Hit me if you want, but there's still no point to Bodhidharma having brought Zen to China.”
Sometime later, after Longya had become an abbot, a monk asked him, "When you asked your teachers about the meaning of Bodhidharma having brought Zen to China, did they clarify it for you?"
Longya said, "Oh, they clarified it all right, but there's still no point to Bodhidharma having brought Zen to China.”
These Weeks 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):
Monday (tonight!) - 8/12, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Mota - One half hour round of zazen, and then - “Conflict & Zen”! Mota is back in the hot seat (live and in person!) to share what a big fight with a dear friend reveals about zazen and the dharma. See y’all there!
Wednesday - 8/14, 7:30pm - 9pm (Zoom Only)
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Dave Cuomo - Longya wants to know (and his teachers seem a little too eager to show) what’s the point of Zen?? Which sounds like a perfect excuse for a good old fashioned zendo pillow fight (come to think of it, how does that not happen more often?). Are we willing and able to throw down with the ancients?? Let’s discuss!
Friday - 8/16, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We open our throats to say hello and hey thanks to all our ancient ancestor friends with the Maka Hannya Haramita Shingyo & Daihishin Dharani. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.
Tuesday - Friday (8/13 - 8/16), 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