Tell Me What You Want
Tell Me What You Want
ACZC Happenings, August 12th - August 18th
“Learning to love the a-hole is the way you fix the problem, not getting rid of the a-hole.” - Dave Cuomo
Hello Sangha!
Ok y’all, big news! ACZC is very excited to announce that we have just booked our Fall Retreat for November 10th - 13th (Friday - Monday) up on the majestic slopes of Mount Baldy Zen Center. We know, it’s been awhile since we’ve all been able to gather up on the mountain, but we are very happy to be returning to our home away from home, and super excited for the opportunity to get together with all of you for three full days of gathering up our practice and setting it into our bones with some immersive Zen, aka zazen, yoga, discussions, good food, (a little more zazen) and most of all, great community, aka you! Info and registration is up on the website and please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you have.
But speaking of getting exactly what you want right when you want it, this week on the podcast we are very excited to bring you Tell Me What You Want (Desire & The 4 Noble Truths) w/ Dave Cuomo. Dave takes a practical look at desire and how to work with it in real world terms, while also trying to figure out why people started treating monks as ceremonial objects, whether or not they warranted it, and why group chanting is such great fun. Can you trust someone who doesn’t want anything from you? What do we do when the biggest enemy we face is ourselves? What is the fool proof way to get what we want 100% of the time? Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms!
And here’s a koan for the week:
Case in Point: The Venerable Deshan Yuanming said to the assembly, “When you get to the end you’ll find the mouths of all the Buddha’s hung up on the wall, and one person roaring with laughter (lol). If you recognize this person, join them, and your studies will be complete.”
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 - 8/12 at 10am
Yoga, Sit, & Discussion w/ Nina Snow - 2nd Saturday of the month means Nina is here to kick off our weekend with one full hour of rousing slow flow yoga perfectly designed to ease us into one half hour of zazen, followed by a little warm and welcoming discussion with Ms Nina herself. Plus! Robert Holliday returns to treat us to a symphony of serenity with a little sound bath to accompany the music we’re making on our mats. Woohoo! See y’all there.
Monday - 8/14 at 7:30pm
Sit & Talk w/ Sara Campbell - One half hour of zazen and then our far flung former resident dials in to make triumphant return to the hot seat to deliver us the deep dharma bites she’s been finding the road. Join us!
Wednesday - 8/15 at 7:30pm (Zoom Only)
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Corey Warner - This week! The Buddhas material seems to have run a bit dry, but that doesn’t mean the jokes won’t fly. Luckily Corey’s here to make sure these witty wisdoms don’t go flying right over our heads. Let’s discuss!
Thursday - 8/16 at 7pm (Zoom Only)
Yoga & Zazen w/ Nina Snow - And Nina is back to wind down our week with a perfect evening of sitting around and laying about with one full hour of yoga followed by the sweetest zazen you will sit all week. We’ll see y’all there.
Friday - 8/17 at 8am
Chanting & Zen Breakfast - And speaking of enlightened laying around, this week! We chant the Heart Sutra in English followed by Shitou’s classic ode to the wisdom of lightening your load - The Straw Hut Song. Poetry for the ages! And then stick around for the newest (and tastiest) addition to our schedule with our own hot take on the traditional Zen breakfast (fresh milled multi grain porridge). A nutritious (and delicious) part of this complete practice. See y’all there.
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