Hot Flash!
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 2/14 - 2/20⚡️
“The harder you try to generate energy through sheer will, the more you exhaust yourself. Effort from compassion is far more sustainable than any effort that you make on your own behalf. Effort from enjoyment is irrepressible.” - Sara Campbell
Hello Sangha!
🐣 Monday night at 7:30 pm marks the return of Zen Beginner’s Night! 🐣 Bring a Zen-curious buddy (or two) and join us for an orientation on the practice. Dave’s latest hot take is that Zen is the funniest of all the great world religions, and something tells us his talk will trigger some giggles. So whether you’re brand new or old hat, come on out!
And speaking of triggers, the matter of caffeine has been a living question in the sangha lately. Certain unnamed lay teachers have declared themselves to be quitting coffee (and done nothing about it), and certain unnamed weekday regulars have just gone ahead and done it (and are now picking up the pieces). Everyone’s got a take on how to do it right. Now, you all know we’re not big on optimizing around here, but it seems like after a lifetime of trial and error a body might come to accord. A cup first thing, a wee shot of espresso mid-morning, shut it down before noon. ☕️ That type of thing.
But do we ever really come to accord with anything? Or is it like anything else, where you do what works until it inevitably changes? We guess we’ll keep on experimenting to find our limits, but it sure is nice to have friends along the way.
And speaking of staying in the zone, this week on the podcast we are very pleased to present 🎙️“Hot Flash! (Energy) w/ Sara Campbell”🎙️
Sara delivers us a timely pep talk on how to find sustainable energy in an exhausting world. What’s the difference between grinding energy and joyful effort? How do we cultivate energy in zazen when all we’re doing is noticing? What exactly is a good use of our efforts and will we know it when we find it?? Find out here!
Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖
Stilling movement to return to stillness
is just stillness moving more
Confined to one side or the other
how can we find unity?
Not understanding unity
both sides are a waste
To deny your being is not to be
to submit to space is to betray space
Too much talking, too much thinking
means not hearing or being heard
Stop talking, stop thinking
and nothing blocks the way
Come back to the source to find the meaning
chase the light to miss the point
In a flash, return to light
and go beyond the space you see
Any shifts or turns we see in space
are just our foolish views
There’s no need to find the truth
just stop having views
Do not hold opposing views
don’t ever seek them out
As soon as right and wrong exist
the heart and mind are lost
Two exists because of one
don’t get stuck on one
In a united heart no thoughts are born
and everything is faultless
No fault, no things
no birth, no heart
⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).
Saturday - 2/14, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk w/Samm Becker - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Samm is back with a Valentine’s Day talk on coming back to yourself ➕ love, longing, gothic noirs…and a Japanese folk tale about leaving your body to marry your cousin! 💞👀 See you there.
Monday - 2/16, 7:30pm - 9pm
Zen Beginner’s Night! Sit & Talk w/Dave Cuomo - One half hour of zazen and then Dave takes the hotseat for an orientation for both new and old beginners to the Zen tradition. What is Zen and why is it the spiritual practice we need now?? Join us and let’s find out!
Wednesday - 2/18, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - Part two of our series on ACZC’s new translation of “Trust in the Heart & Mind Inscription,” aka The Xinxinming. Is unity found by doing the impossible? Join us and let’s discuss!
Friday - 2/20, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We’ll chant the Heart Sutra and the Golden Mirror Meditation Verse, followed by our lineage ancestors. In the end you still don’t get it / because words haven’t yet truly expressed it. 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