Riptide
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 5/23 - 5/29⚡️
“Whatever it is, can I merge with it? Can I surrender my sense of separation and control? It’s like resting in the riptide — someday it will carry me off. Maybe that sounds like a cry for help, but it’s actually very serene.” - Heather Ross
Hello Sangha!
First off, thanks to Samm for the cartoons in this week’s issue. You’ll find these and other gems in our newest zine, Uji: It’s About Time!
…Which many of you graciously purchased as part of our mid-year fundraiser. Speaking of which, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who was able to support it. We are thrilled to report that we made our goal of $5,000, which we never even mentioned (!). This is huge and will go a long way towards covering travel, donations to the head temples where Dave is doing his ceremonies, and related expenses.
Have we told you lately that y’all are the best? Well, you are. Thank you for everything you do; you make all of this possible and we couldn’t be more grateful.
A few things for the ole’ radar next week:
Tomorrow is the last day of our extended ango schedule. We’ll be doing our full morning schedule of practice, including chanting the mighty Ryogonshu one last time before we pack it up ‘til next spring. Join us! (Sat 10 am sit & talk is happening as usual.)
Tomorrow night we’re hosting our album release, book launch, and sangha send off party at 7pm. Come on out and let us entertain you! It’ll be a great hang as always. You can also get your hands on some merch, as we’ll have t-shirts, books, zines, and posters on site. Details/RSVP here.
All programming will continue as usual next week, thanks to our wonderful volunteers. Shout out to Robert, Heather, Pedro, and Tip for holding it down while we’re off to Japan.
We’ll send some pics and a little travel report from Japan next Friday. Stay tuned! 🇯🇵
Spring Camping Zazen Retreat is rapidly approaching! 🧘🌊⛺️⛰️
There’s still time to register for ACZC’s first-ever camping retreat! We’ll gather at a beautiful site at Pt. Mugu for three days of zazen, chanting, dharma talks, good friends, and good practice.
And speaking of dharma-oriented seaside activities, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present 🎙️Riptide (Change) w/ Heather Ross🎙️.
Heather takes a serene unflinching look at the indomitable waves of change, that universal constant that refuses all our attempts to corral it into something knowable or predictable. Is embracing change just a recipe for getting taken under? Is denying it just a recipe for getting pummeled? Is practice about stridently surfing our way to shore, or is it a surrender to forces beyond all attempts to control? How many Zen surf metaphors can a beach town Zen center fit into one dharma talk?? Find out here!
Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖
Xiangyan said to the assembly:
“It’s like hanging from a tree branch by your teeth over a thousand foot drop, feet dangling in empty space and no way to hold the bough with your hands. Suddenly someone comes by and asks, ‘what is our purpose?’ If you open your mouth to answer, you lose your body and your life. If you don’t answer, you fail your purpose. What do you do??”
The head monk stepped forward and said, “I’m not worried about once we’re already up in the tree, but what’s our purpose before that?”
Xiangyan laughed heartily.
⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).
Saturday - 5/23, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Erik Andersen - Our biggest day of the week! We’ll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then Erik makes a long-awaited return to the hotseat. He’ll talk about Zen practice in general, and how it turns out it’s, gasp, not just about zazen! See you there.
Monday - 5/25, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/Robert Holliday - One half hour of zazen and then Robert is back for a talk about service. Riffing off Yongjia’s eighth century classic, the Song of Enlightenment, he’ll tell us a bit about what he’s picked up over the years of helping out here at the little blue house and elsewhere. Come on out!
Wednesday - 5/27, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! Xiangyan presents the assembly with an unwinnable scenario: answer and you’re doomed, stay silent and you’re…doomed. So what do we do when we’re damned either way? Or is there a secret third option hiding in plain sight?? Join us and let’s discuss!
Friday - 5/29, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’ll chant the Heart Sutra and the Straw Hut Song, Great Ancestor Shitou’s ode to a lazy afternoon. Cast off the centuries, go about freely / wave a hand and wander on, innocently. 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