The Body Poetic
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 1/4 - 1/10⚡️
“The best way to translate a poem is to put it into motion in a way verbal translations can never attain. And I think that’s the process of Zazen.” - Henry Zander
Hello Sangha!
And a happy 2025 to all! Hope y’all had a lovely holiday(s) however you so celebrate. And speaking of which, a big shout out to everyone who came out to ring in the new year with us in stunning celebratory silence this year. Rumor has it a good time was had by all. And we’re told sitting in between the wah-wahs of those auspicious bells was a time bending magic all its own. Can’t wait to do it all again next year…
Also! By all accounts our first Thursday night zazen was a rousing success. And you too can join us this week and every week from now on Thursday Nights 7:30pm - 8:40pm (PT), in person or on zoom for a little evening wind down.
And speaking of good ideas both old and new, tomorrow (Saturday 1/4) is our monthly Half Day Sit, this month featuring our new and improved schedule, which will go like this (as always feel free to come and go as you like):
6:30 - 7:00am………………Silent Coffee & Open Zendo (Optional)
7:00 - 8:10am………………Zazen & Kinhin
8:10 - 8:30am………………Chanting Service & Well Being Dedication
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast
9:10 - 9:50am………..……Work Practice
10:05 - 11:15am….……..Zazen & Kinhin
11:15 - 12:15pm………...Dharma Talk w/ Dave
For those looking for our regular weekly 10am sit, you’ll notice no difference. And for the rest of us, hey, we’ll see you bright and early for a little wake up party in every sene of the phrase.
And yes! The time of the Chanting Service has changed (and will be a slightly beefier bit of chanting than we had been doing on Saturdays) but it will still include the monthly Well Being Dedication. So, if anyone (who you know personally) is sick or otherwise in need of good health well wishes, you can add their names to the form you see here (bottom of the page) and we’ll be happy to include them in this month’s well being dedication.
The other news for the week is that Koan Night as we know it is winding down, with just two koans left in the Book of Serenity we’ve been following our way through for the last two years. The plan is we’re going to finish out those last two for completions sake and then the night will transform into “Zen Lit Night”. Which will be much like koan night, but with a broader and specially curated selection of readings for us to dive into from all throughout the classic cannon, including Sutra passages, some modern classics, and other great gifts of Lit. Also! The big news is that starting this week Wednesday Nights (whatever we’re calling them) are now offered in person as well as on zoom. And we look very forward to seeing you all there.
But speaking of showing up with and for your body and mind, this week on the podcast we are very pleased to bring you The Body Poetic w/ Henry Zander. Henry gets us out of our heads and into our bodies with encouragements for a more embodied understanding of what zazen is really doing with us. How can we convince our minds to let the body take the wheel for awhile? How do we translate a stillness that doesn’t speak in sense? Can Henry quote the late great Jacques Lecoq without giggling?? Find out here!!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
And hey, here’s a koan for the week:
Case in point:
A monk asked Yunmen, “What is the samadhi of a single speck of dust?”
Yunmen said, “Rice in your bowl, water in your bucket.”
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 - 1/4, 7am - 12:30pm
Half Day Sit - New Schedule for Half Day Sits starting this month! (See above…). And still our biggest day of the month - join us for a full Half day of Zen starting with morning zazen, including a chanting service, Zen breakfast (™), a little light work practice, followed by our standard 10am format of two rounds of zazen and a discussion with your friendly caretaker Dave. As always feel free to join for as much or as little of the morning as you like.
Monday - 1/6, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Andrew Thomas (What Am I Doing Here??) - One half hour of sweet sweet zazen and then longtime sangha friend Andrew takes the hot seat to regale us with the story of what he’s doing and why he’s here while we just maybe learn something about those things for ourselves. See y’all there!
Wednesday - 1/8, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Dave - (Now offered in person AND on zoom!) A monk wipes the dust from his eyes and looks in his bowl to find a great big Buddha surprise. Has the good sit we’ve been waiting for been hiding in our brooms this whole time? Let’s discuss.
Thursday - 1/9, 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 - 1/10, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We chant the Heart Sutra in English and then Sengcan’s classic ode to the bigness of big and the smallness of small and everything in between - The Trusting the Mind Inscription. 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