Home Unbound
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 8/23 - 8/29⚡️
“There’s no other way to sit zazen except knowing that time is precious and there's a fire on your head. There's no other way to cook my children dinner. This is unconditional love.” - Samm
Hello Sangha!
We’ve hit that time of year when we’re all a little crispy here in Southern California — the tree leaves are yellowing at the edges, the A/Cs are cranking at full strength, and a walk at dusk reveals the night crew slinking out for food and water after hiding in the shadows all day 🦨🦝🐾. It’s the season of rising temperatures (and tempers); the opposite of (and weirdly similar to!) deep winter, when there’s nothing to do but slow down and stay alive by any skillful means necessary.
For some of us that’s sinking into our work and/or a good binge watch, and, judging from attendance here at ACZC this week, for a lot of us that’s sinking into a refreshing round or two of zazen! (Which we think is a lot more fun than Netflix, but then of course we would say that. 😇)
And in that spirit, we don’t have any special events to tell you about (though we will next week), we’re just here doing our thing, hanging out on the cushion, discussing the dharma in all its infinite guises, keeping our ears pricked as the bell fades and the hot sounds of summer in the city unfold around and within us. Come through!
And speaking of things we’re just gonna keep on keepin’ on with, this week on the podcast we are very pleased to present 🎙️ “Home Unbound (Safety & Anxiety) w/ Samm” 🎙️
Samm takes us on a lyrical and lucid walk through what it means to be at home wherever you are, with some infotaining side quests into the relationship between polyvagal theory and zazen along the way. Why don’t we feel safe even when we apparently are? What (if any) control do we have over our nervous system? Is too much discipline just another distraction, or is an inconsistent regimen the most disciplined kind?? Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖
🪞 Golden Mirror Meditation Verse🪞 (part 3 (the thrilling conclusion!))
Someone on the verge of Buddhahood
once stared at a tree for ten kalpas
Like a tiger’s scar
the white foot of a horse
Because there are poor
there are dazzling displays of power and wealth
Because there is magnificence
there are sunburnt serfs and tame white oxen
The archer Yi had the skill
to hit a bulls eye at a hundred paces
But when arrow points collide
what does that have to do with skill?
A wooden man begins to sing
a stone woman gets up dancing
Beyond the reach of thoughts and feelings
how could it bear considering?
Deputies serve their lords
children obey their parents
Disobeying is ungrateful
failure to serve is not doing your part
Move stealthily, work in secret
Like a fool, like an idiot
To just keep passing this along
is to be the host of all hosts.
⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).
Saturday - 8/23, 10am - 12:15pm
Sit & Talk w/ Matthew Sherling - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, then ACZC’s own poet-in-residence Matthew returns to the hot seat for a talk about finding his way in Zen practice, and all the particular paradoxes, pitfalls, and pleasures he’s encountering in the process. Join us!
Monday - 8/25, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Leon Sandler - One half hour of zazen and then our dear friend Leon in Colorado is back to talk about how a bodhisattva lives today, riffing off Dōgen's qualities of a great person. See you there!
Wednesday - 8/27, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit Night - Join us for the final installment of our three part series on Golden Mirror Meditation Verse (the poem formerly known as the Jewel Mirror Samadhi). This week the tradition has a mission for us, should we choose to accept it. (!) Let’s discuss!
Friday - 8/29, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We chant the Heart Sutra ❤️ in English along with the Zazenshin, Hongzhi and Dogen’s joint effort to convey the critical art at the heart of every buddha. 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