Off the Rails
ACZC happenings, 4/22 - 4/28
“When I look people in the eye lately they seem a little savvier, a little more self aware, and a good bit more confused. And I trust that.” - Dave Cuomo
Hello Sangha!
The rains have stopped, the weather is getting warmer, the windows are open, and a sweet breeze is blowing through the zendo. With spring fever in full effect, we have to say it’s been more challenging than usual to commit our butts to the cushion, but we’re doing our level best to sit still and notice the riot of life going on around us. It’s a lot, as they say!
And speaking of the riot of life being a lot to take in, this week on the podcast we have Off the Rails (Faith In Mind Inscription) w/ Dave Cuomo.
As a retreat goes off the rails, Dave and the sangha try to find their faith in a practice built on the promise that everything is ultimately fleeting, empty, and full of suffering. Plus! A dramatic reading of Red Pine’s lithe (and downright Seussian) rendition of the Faith in Mind inscription. Can we rely on a tradition built on the premise that nothing is reliable? When we face the wall in zazen, can we trust that the zendo has our backs? Who do we trust more, the heart or the mind and is there actually a difference?? Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms!
Your koan for the week!
Case in point:
A monk asked Dasui, “In the great fire at the end of the universe, when the billion-fold worlds are all destroyed, will this one be destroyed too?"
Dasui said, “It will be destroyed.”
The monk said, “So this goes along with the rest?”
Dasui said, “This goes along with the rest.”
A monk asked Longji, “In the great fire at the end of the universe, when the billion-fold worlds are all destroyed, will this one be destroyed too?"
Longji said, “It will not be destroyed.”
The monk said, “How will it not be destroyed?”
Longji said, “Just the same as all the other worlds.”
The first monk couldn’t accept Dasui’s answer, so he went to see Touzi, told him what happened and asked him, “In the great fire at the end of the universe, when the billion-fold worlds are all destroyed, will this one be destroyed too?"
Touzi went to the altar lit some incense and said, “The great Buddha has appeared at Dasui’s!”
Then he turned back to the monk and said, “you should go back there and atone for your mistake.”
So the monk went back to see Dasui, but by the time he arrived, Dasui had died. So he went back to see Touzi, but by the time he arrived, Touzi had died too.
This Week in Zen! All times are in Pacific time zone and all sessions are hosted in person and on Zoom unless otherwise marked (email us for quick and easy Zoom access info):
Saturday - 4/22 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 Emily is back with the latest in her ongoing series of talks about that inimitable Zen classic, Shunryu Suzuki’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. This week she’ll take us through the “Repetition” chapter. Join us!
Monday - 4/24 at 7:30pm
Sit & Talk w/ Ben Connelly - This week we’re excited to present a guest speaker! Sangha friend Ben Connelly, a Soto Zen teacher and Dharma heir in the Katagiri lineage, will join us from Minnesota to offer some Zen wisdom via the midwest. We’ll sit one half hour of zazen and then hear from Ben. Don’t miss it!
Wednesday - 4/26 at 7:30pm (Zoom Only)
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Mota Mynttinen - This week! Mota leads us through a discussion of Case 30 of the Book of Serenity: Dasui’s Kalpa Fire. What happens when the great kalpa fire comes and and the billion-fold worlds are burned up into emptiness?? Let’s find out.
Thursday - 4/27 at 7pm (Zoom Only)
Yoga & Zazen w/ Nina Snow - Nina gently guides us through a perfect Thursday evening of her trademark slow flow yoga followed by one half hour of that sweet sweet zazen. We’ll see y’all there!
Friday - 4/28 at 8am
Heart Sutra Chanting Service - This week! We honor the ancestors with a rousing chant of the Sino-Sanskrit Heart Sutra, followed by the Dai Hi Shin Dharani. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and chant with us, it’s a lovely way to wind down the week.
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