Mind Waves, Mind Weeds
ACZC Happenings, 7/30-8/5 ⚡️
“We say, ‘Pulling out the weeds we give nourishment to the plant.’ We pull the weeds and bury them near the plant to give it nourishment. So even though you have some difficulty in your practice, even though you have some waves while you are sitting, those waves themselves will help you. So you should not be bothered by your mind. You should rather be grateful for the weeds, because eventually they will enrich your practice.” - Shunryu Suzuki
ZEN CENTER HAPPENINGS - WEEK OF 7/30 - 8/5
Greetings, sangha!
This week’s issue is coming in hot from our new email home on Substack. Every now and then we like to change things up a little, and we’re hoping being here will bring more like-minded Zennies to practice with to the fold.
How do you like our new look? Now you can leave a comment and let us know!
Speaking of which, if this is the first time you’re receiving this newsletter, welcome! And we’re sorry you didn’t get this sooner. When we were migrating over to Substack we discovered a marooned group of emails from people who signed up via the pop-up on our website but never made it onto our list. If that’s you, HELLO! We’re so glad you’re here! And feel free to unsubscribe if this is no longer relevant — we get it. 🕶
We have but one big piece of news this week, which is that we’re closed 8/1-8/6 for a much needed summer vacation! We know we’re always talking about doing nothing around here but this time we really mean it!
But let’s not get too crazy — we do still have a few things happening between now and then.
Tonight is Zen Movie Night! Join us at 7:30 pm in person or on Zoom for Fancy Dance, the 1989 classic about a punk rock kid who’s set to inherit his family’s Buddhist temple but is deeply conflicted about it. Where will his ancient, twisted karma take him?? Let's find out, together.
Tomorrow night, Saturday, at 7:30pm (@ 1922 Baxter St in Echo Park- NOT at ACZC) our own Dave Cuomo will be giving a talk over at our sister spinoff group, Salon 17 where we do talks and q&a's just like we do around here, only we talk about things that are NOT Zen. This month's topic is Wild Fermentation: The Nourishing Flavor of Things Gone Bad. All are welcome! (In person only.)
And on Sunday, 7/31, at 10 am, our favorite supporting teacher, Gyokei Yokoyama, will be leading an Obon service at his home temple of Sozenji in Montebello. In person only, but if you’d like to support the temple, you can make a donation via PayPal at sozenjibuddhisttemple@gmail.com.
Speaking of paying respect to our roots, this week on the podcast we’re pleased to give you Emily Eslami with “Mind Waves, Mind Weeds.”
A beginner who’s been beginning for a long time takes a seasoned look at Beginner’s Mind with a series on the book that began it all - Shunryu Suzuki’s “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.” What is the Big Mind and how hard should we work to to find it? How much effort should we put to into our zazen, and how does effort even work in a goalless practice? How do we get to clarity of mind and what does such a thing even mean?? Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast and your favorite podcast platforms.
And now we're pleased to present you with... This Week in Zen!
All sessions hosted in person and on Zoom unless otherwise marked (email us for quick and easy Zoom access info):
Our sole event this week is tomorrow, where we’re excited to host one Corey Warner for a talk called “Damn Your Lousy Excuses.” Corey’s going to share some insight on why we don’t sit even when we want to (or think we should want to). He’ll be reading from Michael Elliston’s “The Original Frontier.”
In person and on Zoom tomorrow, Saturday, 7/3, at 10 am.
That’s all for this week. See you soon!
Love,
ACZC