Little Awakenings
⚡️ ACZC Happenings, 9/7 - 9/13 ⚡️
“There's a cost to me living my life, just living has a big effect on the planet. And I belong here. I belong here just as much as the crickets, greedy politicians, and righteous beautiful people.” - Jitsujo Gauthier
Hello Sangha!
And speaking of doing great things for no good reason (which is a great reason if we ever heard one) what a week we have for you! Not only do we have an epic and classic koan for you (see below!), and sangha favorite Heather Ross is returning to the hot seat Monday night, but despite what our thermometers are telling us (seriously, wtf September) tomorrow (9/7 - 10am) is the first Saturday of September which means it’s a Half Day Sit! Join us in person or on zoom for a full half day of Zen. We hear Dave is going to talk about Spiritual Attainments in all their plain bare bones fact and theory glory. We also hear there’s going to be blueberry pancakes for lunch, which is exactly the kind of fat stack we’d love to share with you. Schedule for the day is posted here. As always feel free to join for as much or as little of the day as you’re able.
If anyone you know personally is sick or otherwise in need of good health well wishes, you can enter their names in the form you see here (bottom of the page) and we will be happy to include them in this month’s Well Being Dedication.
And speaking of, well, being, if you’re looking for a place to get together with your friends and just be, and maybe even make a little peace with what that really means, join us Friday 11/8 - Monday 11/11 for our Fall Mt Baldy Retreat - three full days of full Zen! We would love your help in working our way through what that really means. Registration and more info is posted here and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions at all.
But speaking of the great glues that bind our little sangha together, this week on the podcast we are very excited to bring you Little Awakenings (Stuckness) w/ Jitsujo Gauthier. Jitsujo helps us find a way through the stuckness of the internalized hierarchies that hold us back from freedom, and propel us into the awakenings that we can only ever come to on our own. How do we inspire ourselves when our role models and ideals lose their luster? Why should we follow forms and rituals once we’ve seen through them? If we see a fork in the road, do we really have to take it?? Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
And hey, here’s a doozy of a koan classic for this week:
Case in point:
Juzhi had just moved into a small hermitage when a nun named Shiji stopped by. She wore a wide brim hat, carried a traveling staff, and greeted him in the formal way by walking around him three times. Then she said, “Say something true and I’ll take off my hat.” She asked him this three times, but every time, Juzhi had nothing to say.
She started to leave, but Juzhi said, “It’s getting late, you should stay the night.”
Shiji said, “Say something true, and I’ll stay the night.” Again, Juzhi had nothing to say. Shiji left.
Juzhi sighed and said, “I may have the body of a man, but not the spirit of one. I should leave this hut and go find some understanding.”
That night, the spirit of the mountain spoke to him and said, “Don’t leave this mountain! A great bodhisattva will come and teach you the dharma.” Ten days later, the monk Tianlong came to the hut. Juzhi greeted him with a bow and told him about his meeting with the nun. Tianlong just held up a finger. Juzhi suddenly completely understood. After that, monks came from all around to study with him. Juzhi just held up his finger to all of them and gave no other teachings.
At that time, there was a boy living at the hermitage, who, whenever a visitor asked what teachings Juzhi taught, would answer by holding up a finger. Hearing about this, Juzhi took a knife and cut off the boy’s finger. The boy cried out and started to run away, but Juzhi called out to him in a loud clear voice. The boy turned around, and Juzhi held up his finger. In a flash of understanding, the boy was fully liberated.
When Juzhi was getting ready join the ancestors, he told his monks, “My whole life I’ve been using Tianlong’s one finger Zen, and I still haven’t used it up.” Having said this, his light went out.
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 - 9/7, 10am - 2pm
Half Day Sit w/ Dave Cuomo - Our biggest day of the month! Two half hour rounds of zazen, a short and sweet Well Being Chanting Service, a talk w/ Dave about spiritual attainments (no pressure), a short break for lunch, and then we’re back for two more rounds of glorious zazen. Vegetarian lunch (Blueberry pancakes and soft boiled eggs!) will be served for those joining us in person. And as always feel free to come for as much or as little of the day as you’re able. See y’all there!
Monday - 9/9, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Heather Ross - One half hour round of zazen and then our good friend Heather returns to the hot seat this week with her classic blend of deep musings, questions, and inquireous confusions that I for one can’t wait to chew on. Join us!
Wednesday - 9/11, 7:30pm - 9pm (Zoom Only)
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Dave Cuomo - It’s a (only somewhat unsettling) koan classic this week with Juzhi’s one finger Zen! Which turns out wasn’t even his…. And is only one piece of an old story we barely even knew. Can we say something true when an evening’s company depends on it? Should we trust every random spirit that yells at us from a hill?? And wait, which finger is it that they’re pointing at the moon??? Let’s discuss…
Friday - 9/13, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we chant the Heart Sutra in English followed by the soothing strains of Shitou’s lazy lyrical lute strings, the Straw Hut Song. 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