Marriage Material
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 3/8 - 3/14⚡️
“Birth is hope. And then death is like, ‘oh no…’ your hopes are dashed again. And then the cycle begins again.” - Sara Campbell
Hello Sangha!
Our spring ango period is in full swing, and it’s been a lively first week of activities and faces new and old at the little blue house! Thanks to all of you for joining our new resident trainee in applying a little extra elbow grease to your practice. Between all that chanting and poetry and ceremonies and cumulative hours of zazen and samu, we’re feeling positively shined up like a new penny over here and excited about the months ahead. Especially big shout out to everyone who came out to the Same Difference Rent Party last weekend. Word on the street is it was a smashing success and great time had by all. And if you missed this last one, have no fear! We’ll be back with another installment Saturday May 4th at 7pm.
Also! Don’t forget you’re welcome to join us any morning Tuesday - Saturday for any or all of our ango schedule starting at 7am with zazen. Including! Tomorrow (Saturday) morning before the usual Saturday sit if you’re looking to kick off your weekend with a peaceful little bang (see schedule below!)
Speaking of which, we’ve landed on dates for our annual Spring Retreat, so mark your calendars for Friday, June 6th - Monday, June 9th. We’ll gather for three full days of immersive practice, including lots of zazen, yoga, discussions, good food, probably some more zazen with the best sangha around, aka you!
We’ll share venue and other details soon, but please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions in the meantime.
And speaking of the walls we beat our heads against repeatedly for all the right reasons this week on the podcast we are very pleased to bring you Marriage Material (12 Fold Chain) w/ Sara Campbell. Sara takes a trip down the memory lane of dating and old anxieties around marriage to explore the 12 fold chain of dependent origination - the cycle that creates and perpetuates all our suffering (nbd). How often are we chasing after happiness based on societal expectations rather than personal truth? Why is breaking free from our desires so challenging, even when we're aware of them? And why is LA so disaster prone even (and especially) when it comes to dating?? Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
And hey, here’s some ZenLit(™) for the week:
During a talk Dogen said, “What is the truth of suffering? Every thing exists in this cup of tea. What is the cause of suffering? Bright shining clouds of hope. What is the end of suffering? Sit zazen when you’re well, sleep when you’re tired. What is the way to end suffering? The highway goes straight to the capital.
But these are the trivial questions of a human Buddha. How can we go further? Do you want to see beyond suffering?” Dogen hit the floor with his staff.
“Do you want to see beyond the cause of suffering?” Dogen hit the floor with his staff.
“Do you want to see beyond the end of suffering?” Dogen hit the floor with his staff.
“Do you want to see beyond the way to end suffering?” Dogen hit the floor with his staff.
“And even if that’s beyond the Buddhas and ancestors, what do we here at Eiheiji say about it??” Dogen hit the floor with his staff twice.
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 - 3/8, 10am - 12:30pm
Sit & Talk w/Dave Cuomo
Our biggest day of the week! Two half hour rounds of zazen and then word on the street is that Dave will be talking about Dongshan and the last time Zen may have admitted to a progressive path to practice. (Also! All Saturdays during our ango period now include a full half day of activities, including extra zazen at 7am and chanting of the Ryogon Shu (see below)! )
Monday - 3/10, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Heather Ross - One half hour of that sweet sweet zazen and then Heather takes us back in time to examine the classic instructions for zazen our Great Ancestor Keizan left us way back when. Do they match the ones we’re getting from our modern Western teachers today?? Come on out and let’s find out!
Wednesday - 3/12, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit Night - This week we take it back to the fundamentals as Dogen gets wacky on the Four Noble Truths. How does one “get wacky” with arguably the most famous teaching in all of Buddhism?? Let’s find out.
Thursday - 3/13, 7:30pm - 8:40pm
Evening Zazen - Join us for the newest addition to our schedule with two rounds of serene evening sitting to wind down your day (and week!), and maybe even go a little deep. We’ll see y’all there.
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.
Tuesday - Saturday - Morning Ango Schedule
As always feel free to join for as much or as little of the schedule as you’re able.
6:30 - 7:00am………………Silent Coffee (optional)
7:00 - 8:10am………………Zazen & Kinhin
8:10 - 8:40am………………Chanting
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
See y’all soon!
Love,
ACZC