“Am I allowed to be awesome? I think so. I think the universe wants that.” - Sara Campbell
ZEN CENTER HAPPENINGS - WEEK OF 11/19 - 11/25
Hello Sangha!
Happy Black Friday y’all or Delightful Day of Emptiness (if you want to sound Zen about it), or International Buy Nothing Day if that’s your thing. And to all who celebrate such things we hope you had a great day of gratitudes and gifts this last week. And to everyone else we hope you’re having a great week just because it is.
But speaking of the emptiness of the three wheels (giver, receiver, and gift), holy mu cow y’all. We are just one week into our Year End Fall Fundraiser and we are already just about to half way to our goal. Whoa! Seriously, y’all are the best. I mean of course we need funding to keep the center going, but more than the math on the spreadsheets, it’s always just heartening and inspiring to see everyone pitch in and support the sangha in all the ways you do. Thank you so much for that, it’s truly humbling.
But, yes the Year End Fall Fundraiser is up now! and we still have halfway to go. We need to raise $10,000 this year to cover our normal yearly deficits and to send your ACZC caretaker to Japan this coming Spring for required monastic training. We are 100% donor supported and are only able to operate on the no-one-turned-away pay-what-you-can system we are committed to here because of these fundraisers and your kind support, so thank you for whatever you are able to give. And if you aren’t, thank you just for being a part of our little sangha and supporting us in all the ways you do.
And to say thank you we’ve got brand new T-Shirts available this year with a brand new logo, fresh 2023 Wall Calendars, and even a hand made Buddha cast from our very own statue right here on the altar. All rewards will be sent out early-mid December to arrive before the holidays. All the info is up here on the fundraiser page.
Also we are excited to announce two awesome events next month, the annual Rohatsu All Night Sit starting at 7pm Thursday 12/8 going through until the usual Friday morning sit, when we celebrate the time Buddha sat under a tree for too long and had a nice moment looking at a star by doing just what he did. (Thanks for the good idea, Buddha! Don’t mind if we do.) And then again on New Year’s Eve we will be sitting from 8pm up until the city breaks out in a roar at midnight while we (literally) ring in the New Year with the traditional ringing of 108 bells while we sit.
But hey, speaking of the goalless ambitions of an evening’s zazen, this week on the podcast we are very excited to bring you Sara Campbell with “Nowhere to Hide”. On the first of our talks recorded live from the Fall Retreat, Sara takes us on a personal walking tour of personal ambition. How do we balance the desire to make something of ourselves while still staying true to the spirit of Zen? Along the way we get some Alan Watts hot takes, and a deep dive into Dogen’s “It” (Inmo). What is it? How do we fit into it? And how exactly do we get up off the ground by using the sky, Dogen?? Find out here!!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms
This Week in Zen! All sessions hosted in person and on Zoom unless otherwise marked (email us for quick and easy Zoom access info):
Saturday, 11/26 at 10am
Sit & Talk w/ Emily Eslami - Our biggest day of the week! Two half hour rounds of zazen, one walking meditation in the middle, and then crowd favorite Emily Eslami returns to the hot seat for another deep dive into the book that started (and keeps on starting) it all - Shunryu Suzuki’s beloved “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.” We’ll see y’all there.
Monday 11/28 at 7:30pm
Sit & Talk w/ Gyokei Yokoyama - Our favorite supporting teacher returns, fresh off the hubbub, celebrations, and great gatherings of the 100th anniversary of Zenshuji Temple and Soto Zen in America (Happy Birthday American Zen!). What news and inspirations will he bring us from the small wide world of Zen everywhere?? Come on out and let’s find out!
Wednesday 11/30 at 7:30pm (Zoom Only)
Sit & Koan Discussion - This week! Case 11 of the Book of Serenity - Yunmen’s Two Sicknesses. When you’re staring at emptiness (as you do) and you see something - that’s a sickness. And when you think, “What’s wrong??” - you guessed it, sickness number 2! Does Yunmen have the cure for all our dis-ease?? Let’s find out.
Thursday, 12/1 at 7pm (Zoom Only)
Yoga & Zazen w/ Mara - Special guest teacher Mara returns with one hour of yoga to open our hearts, minds, and joints, followed by one half hour of that one posture yoga we call zazen. We’ll see y’all there.
Friday, 12/2 at 8am
Heart Sutra Chanting Service - This week! We chant the Heart Sutra in English, followed by Shitou’s classic ode to taking a little down time for the boundless mind - 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