Rabble Rousing
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 4/12 - 4/18⚡️
“Good friends! Don’t think about right or wrong. Don’t freeze your mind. Don’t observe your mind. Don’t concentrate your mind. Don’t look for your mind. This is all useless. Do not do this.
Other teachers keep these as secret teachings. But not me! I say it freely - find your own understanding, penetrate the spirit, and there will be no sutra or teaching that you do not understand.” - Shenhui
Hello Sangha!
So, we may have tried to make a similar joke before, but sadly the internet (being the internet) seems to have gotten the wrong idea, as if we, your friends here at ACZC, were trying to promote some kind of clear eyed conformity (like we know what that would mean). So we decided to try again, this time with the help of a scripturally accurate buddha friend, to see if maybe he could make the point a little more bluntly. Because Zen can seem a little weird. And people get hangups about it (which is normal). And trying to do or study Zen, or (gasp!) be good at Zen, or pursue it in any way can seem weird. Talking to a teacher can be weird. Trying to be yourself can be weird. Meeting other people can seem totally weird. Reading the newspaper can seem banana pants.
So we’re just trying to say, hey, whatever’s happening right now is totally normal for right now, and it’s normal to feel weird about it. And you sitting there doing or thinking whatever you’re doing or thinking in all its singular strangeness is normal to you. And we just love that about you.
But speaking of making a little peace with the solitary social silliness of stillness, registration is now open for our annual Spring Retreat! We’re gathering Fri, June 6 - Mon, June 9 for our trademark mix of zazen, yoga, dharma talks, and good friends in great community. And by special treat, the venue is Sozenji Temple - Gyokei’s home temple in nearby Montebello (which means we’ll be able to offer a commuter option for those who need it too!).
ALSO our sources are telling us this retreat is going to be “the fun one,” with a little more story and celebration than usual…. What does that mean exactly?? Come on out and find out!
Details and registration here. And, as always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions at all.
But speaking of a PR that likes to play on a bit of mystery, this week on the podcast we are very pleased to present “Rabble Rousing (History of Zen - Shenhui & the Art of Zen Marketing)” w/ Dave Cuomo. Dave’s History of Zen series returns to visit a war-torn China and the calamities and anti-heros that led to Zen’s initial explosion onto the scene. Is Zen uncannily tailor made for upheaval and uncertain times? Are some dubious PR and a sketchy teacher exactly what a plucky young upstart tradition needs? Is jumping on a stage and claiming to be a 10th level Bodhisattva the height of delusion or something we wish we’d thought of first??? Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
Interested in a fresh weekly dose of ZenLit(™)? We got you!
Baizhang told Lingyu to go to Dawei Mountain and assume the abbotship, but there wasn't even a hut there yet, let alone a temple. Baizhang said, "If you build a good temple, you can be abbot. If you don't, then don't be the abbot."
So Lingyu went to Dawei Mountain. It was far from the cities, and few people ever went there. It was a home for wolves, tigers, bears, and leopards. The most abundant species of animal were the monkeys.
Lingyu found a good spot and sat down to meditate. Oddly, monkeys brought things for him to eat, making offerings to him. One brought a peach, another a banana; they brought anything edible. More than ten monkeys made offerings to him, and so he had enough food. The monkeys became his first disciples. They were very diligent students.
After awhile, hunters saw the monkeys making offerings to Lingyu and wanted to also. So they got together some money and built him a small hut where he could practice.
News about all this eventually reached an official back in the city, who went to see for himself, and it was just as he’d heard. There were monkeys watching the door and taking care of Lingyu. Seeing this, he wanted to help too, and told the monk, “I’m going to talk to Prime Minister Pei and ask him to come help you build a temple."
When Prime Minister Pei heard of this strange situation of wild animals taking refuge, he went to see for himself. After seeing the small hut where there was not even room for two to sit, he said, “I’ll give you 30 pounds of silver to build a temple." He then put 30 pounds of silver in the grass outside the hut and left.
Prime Minister Pei was a busy man, and it was three years before he had time to return and see how the temple building had gone. When he returned he found that there was still just a small hut. He said to Lingyu, "I gave you 30 pounds of silver and told you to build a temple. What happened? What did you do with all the money??”
Lingyu said, "Oh. You gave me 30 pounds of silver? Where did you put it?"
"I put it in the grass outside your hut."
"Then go look for it in the grass."
Minister Pei went outside, looked, and found 30 pounds of silver right where he’d left it. He thought, "Ohhhh, THIS is a real practitioner.” So with the Emperor's blessing, he built Lingyu a temple. From then on, Lingyu was known as Weishan Lingyu after his mountain.
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 - 4/12, 10am - 12:30pm
Sit & Talk w/ Dave Cuomo - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll begin with two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Dave returns to the hot seat to lead us in a discussion of the zazen of walking around not doing zazen. (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 - 4/14, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Andy Thomas - One half hour of zazen and then Andy is back to riff on his latest adventures in the perpetual feedback loop of practice. See y’all there!
Wednesday - 4/16, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit Night - Sara and Dave are back to take a tag team dive with us into a story about the Zen of getting things done without doing a d*mn thing. Do we believe these pie in the sky hagiographies? Is it just as helpful for us to not? Let’s discuss!
Thursday - 4/17, 7:30pm - 8:40pm
Evening Zazen - ACZC’s latest addition to the schedule! Join us for two 30 minute rounds of evening sitting to wordlessly wind down your day and week. We’ll see y’all there.
Friday - 4/18, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We chant the Heart Sutra and Dongshan’s epic lyrical strains about the prettiest little buddha invisibly staring you right in the face - The Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi. 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.
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
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