NYE Sit Tonight!
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 12/31 - 1/4⚡️
Hello Sangha!
Reminder that we are open tonight (Tuesday 12/31, 8pm - Midnight) for our annual New Year’s Eve sit! And while we’ve appreciated a little break over here, we’ve also missed you and would be delighted to see you there. Whether you’re looking for a quiet riot of zazen and dharma to celebrate the ticking of time in full embodied glory, or just want a little calm pregame before finding your way to other festivities, feel free to join for as much or as little of the evening as you like. Here’s the schedule:
8:05pm (Pacific Time)- 9:10pm: Zazen - two half hour rounds, with 5 minute walking meditation
9:10pm - 10:10pm: Discussion - Dave reads us some of Dogen’s Time Being and we see if we can’t mash up some misty eyed nostalgia with our mystic Zen
10:10pm - 12am: Zazen - Three half hour rounds of zazen, with two 10 minute walking meditations, including the traditional ringing of 108 bells during the final period!
12am: Sparkling Toast - The city erupts, and we stand up and toast a little (Buddha approved (aka non-alcoholic)) bubbly!
And then! We will be closed for New Year’s Day to let our crew recover from late night shenanigans. But! Starting Thursday we kick off two additions to our schedule:
First! Introducing… Thursday Night Zazen! Which is exactly what it sounds like. Join us starting this Thursday 1/2, 7:30pm - 8:40pm (PT), in person or on zoom, for a little evening zazen offered weekly from now on. A great way to wind down your day and your week and squeeze in a little quality sangha/sit time.
Also! This Saturday (1/4) is the first Saturday of the month, which means it will be a Half Day Sit. But! Starting this month, we are introducing a new schedule for these to make them a more meaningful experience. They will still be once a month on the first Saturday, but basically we’re now offering you the full first half of a retreat day schedule for those who want to come in early and go a little deeper with their practice. And for those who just want to show up at 10am for the usual Saturday Sit & Discussion, don’t worry, that’s all there as usual and you won’t notice any difference on these days. Here’s what the schedule will look like starting this month:
6:30 - 7:00am………………Silent Coffee & Open Zendo (Optional)
7:00 - 8:10am………………Zazen & Kinhin
8:10 - 8:30am………………Chanting Service
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast
9:10 - 9:50am………..……Work Practice
10:05 - 11:15am….……..Zazen & Kinhin
11:15 - 12:15pm………...Dharma Talk
And as always of course, you’re welcome to come and go as your own schedule desires.
And ok, that’s probably enough to hit you with for now. We’ll have more fun new schedule items to discuss in this Friday’s newsletter (stay tuned…) But for now, speaking of half full glasses of dharma milk overflowing with the enormous generosity of emptiness, we want to give a huge shout out and thank you to our good friend Jason Dodge who has once again thrown us his own fundraiser and created some awesome artwork in the process (see above!). Jason has been creating a yearly Zen inspired print and selling them as a benefit for the center for many years now, and it really goes a long way over here. This year’s is “Half a Cat” (you know the one…). Thank you Jason! (Do yourself a favor and follow his work if you aren’t already) And thanks to all of you for everything that happens to you and because of you. It truly is a gift.
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):
Tuesday - 12/31, 8pm - Midnight
New Year’s Eve Sit! - Join us as we literally ring in the New Year ACZC style with a little zazen, some discussion on Dogen’s best ideas about time, and then a little more sweet sweet zazen as we sit up into midnight accompanied by the traditional ringing of 108 bells until the city whoops and hollers around us to let us know it’s time to stand up (we assume those fireworks are for us right?). As always feel free to come for as much or as little of the evening as you like.
Wednesday - 1/1, CLOSED FOR NEW YEAR’S DAY
Thursday - 1/2, 7:30pm - 8:40pm
Evening Zazen - Join us for the newest addition to our schedule, two rounds of simple evening zazen to wind down your day and your week. No frills, all thrills!
Friday - 1/3, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We chant the Heart Sutra in English and then Shitou’s ode to the timeless bounty born of taking a little time off - The Straw Hut Song. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.
Saturday - 1/4, 6:30am - 12:30pm
Half Day Sit - New schedule this week! (see above).
Thursday - 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