Epiphany!
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 1/11 - 1/17⚡️
“It's easier to do Zen if you're tormented, because then it's like, ‘Oh my god, I have to sit down, I have to breathe, It's the only thing I can do.’ But when things are cruising it’s like, ‘Why do I need to put any effort into that?’
But you can be confident that things won't stay nice forever. You have to practice so that when you really need it, you have it.” - Andy Thomas
Hello Sangha!
First! We just want to send all our best to everyone out there dealing with the fires and smoke this week here in California. We hope you all are safe and taken care of. And a big thank you to all of our far flung friends who checked in with us over here. All is well here at the center! We wish the same to all of you. As always, we’ll be here doing what we always do until they tell us to leave. And we’d be delighted to see you wherever you are whenever you’re looking for an excuse to sit down with some friends and breathe a little easy.
Things we’re looking forward to this week: this Sunday (1/12 7pm) is our monthly Sit & Full Moon Ceremony. Our calendars tell us it’s the Wolf Moon, which sounds like a great excuse to howl out some precepts, regrets, and good intentions.
And then Wednesday (1/15, 7:30pm) is our last Koan Night as we’ve known it! After 8 years and 400 koans, we’re saying goodbye to the old ways and saying hello to some new approaches to old ideas as we transform Wednesdays into “Zen Lit Night,” which is very exciting, and we’ll have more to say about that soon. But for now, come on out and help us put this curriculum to bed, and let’s see if we’ve learned (or unlearned) a thing or two in all these years….
But speaking of losing a little something to gain a great empty everything, this week on the podcast we are very pleased to bring you Epiphany! (What Am I Doing Here??) w/ Andy Thomas. Andy generously shares his personal practice story (don’t call it a spiritual journey…) from young Catholic doubts to a midlife crisis that sent him exploring the wilds of the mind in Tibetan Buddhism, and why he turned his back on it to face the wall with us. Can Tibetan Buddhism teach us a few things we lack? Can Zen find a way to help Vajrayana relax? Is anxiety and crisis the best thing that can happen to your meditation?? 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 Langya, “If we’re fundamentally pure and free of illusions, then where did this great big world of mountains and rivers suddenly spring from?”
Langya said, “We are originally pure and free of illusions. Where did this great big world of mountains and rivers suddenly spring from?”
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 - 1/11, 10am - 12:30pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Sara Campbell - Our biggest day of the week! Two half hour rounds of zazen and then Sara is back with in the hot seat for some deep questions and beguiling answers. Join us!
Sunday - 1/12, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Full Moon Ceremony - Join us for a short and sweet half hour of zazen before we howl at the Wolf Moon with the lyrical and melodious Ryaku Fusatsu, where we slough off our regrets, recite the precepts and some great intentions, and remember why they were such good ideas in the first place. All are welcome! (No prior precept commitment required)
Monday - 1/13, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Henry Zander - One half hour of sweet sweet zazen and then our good friend Henry is back with the scene report from Nebraska, and if we’re lucky, just maybe some of the great plain stillness will settle itself on us. See you there!
Wednesday - 1/15, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Dave - (Now offered in person (& on zoom)!) Buddha didn’t promise us things would get better. Buddha promised us things have never, could never, couldn’t possibly be, better. Are the legends true? Are we more fulfilled than we ever possibly knew?? Let’s discuss.
Thursday - 1/16, 7:30pm - 8:40pm
Evening Zazen - Join us for the newest addition to our schedule, two rounds of no frills evening zazen to wind down your day and your week. Good sit with good friends! See y’all there.
Friday - 1/17, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We chant the Heart Sutra in English and then honor the ancestors with the Makka Hanya Haramita 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
Terrific talk by Andy.