The Good Prison
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 12/14 - 12/20⚡️
“Would it necessarily be so bad to call out other people, to call out ourselves? What if the fact that we’re all sometimes petty, selfish, thoughtless, and cruel doesn't negate us from being people worth caring about?” - Jordan Mylet
Hello Sangha!
First: Y’all, it’s a Full Moon this Sunday, the last Full Moon of the year, the so called “Cold Moon”, which sounds like a great excuse to show that Moon some warmth and light of our own with our Full Moon Sit & Ceremony - Sunday (12/15) at 7pm!
2nd - Huge shout out and thank you to everyone who’s pitched in to our Year End Fundraiser so far! With about one week to go we are tantalizingly close to our goals, which is incredible. Y’all are seriously the best. Any rewards registered by this Sunday (12/15) will go out by Tuesday to get to you in plenty of time before the holidays. Fundraiser will end on 12/20.
Also! Tomorrow (Saturday 12/14) at 12:30pm after the usual sit we’re looking for a few kind volunteers to stick around and help us write thank you cards and/or help us get these Fundraiser rewards packed and ready. Join us for a casual Saturday afternoon with friends!
And! (sorry, we lost count) Don’t forget our holiday schedule coming up this month:
We will be closed for Winter Break Monday 12/23 - Monday 12/30 (mostly)
With the exception of our annual Christmas Morning Sit (simple silent zazen, Wednesday 12/25 7am - 8am, in person and on zoom)
Reopening Tuesday Evening 12/31 for our annual NYE sit. (8pm - midnight. With 108 bells!)
But speaking of good times and community confines, this week on the podcast we are very pleased to bring you The Good Prison (Sh*t Talk & Criticism) w/ Jordan Mylet. Jordan bravely wades into the muddy waters of shi*t talk and judgements in Zen. Our vows tell us not to criticize, then they turn around and tell us to tell the truth… Is liberation always polite? How much self-regulation is healthy in a relationship? Can denigration be a trust building exercise? Are the kids becoming unreasonably nice?? 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 Dongshan, “Which one is the most extraordinary, the Ultimate Buddha, the Blissful Buddha, or the Living Buddha?”
Dongshan said, “This is where I’m always breaking through.”
A monk later asked Caoshan, “What did he mean?”
Caoshan said, “If you want my head, cut it off and go.”
The monk then asked Xuefeng. Xuefeng picked up his staff like he was about to leave and said, “I’ve been to Dongshan’s too.”
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 - 12/14, 10am - 12:30pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Sara Campbell - Our biggest day of the week! Two half hour rounds of zazen, and then Sara regales us with a talk on Dogen’s classic Instructions to the Cook in her further explorations of a Zen that builds us up as much as breaks us down (like say a soufflé of self??) . See y’all there!
Sunday - 12/15, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Full Moon Ceremony - Join us for a short and sweet half hour of zazen before we go raise the roof moonward with the lyrical and melodious Ryaku Fusatsu, where we recite the precepts in glorious one note harmony and remember why they were such good advice in the first place. All are welcome! (No prior precept commitment required)
Monday - 12/16, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Dave Cuomo - One half hour of sweet sweet zazen followed by a talk with Dave on body scans and body mind (by popular request) and where the two might intertwine, and how to do intentional meditations without hurting yourself as learned through Dave’s misadventures in the times he kinda did. Join us!
Wednesday - 12/18, 7:30pm - 9pm (Zoom Only)
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Dave - And speaking of hot holiday bodies, which body of Buddha’s are we most impressed by and where does Dongshan go when we breaks on through to the other side? Do we really have to choose between being happy, wise, or alive?? Let’s discuss.
Friday - 12/20, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We chant the Heart Sutra in English and then Dogen and Hongzhi’s classic smash cut classic watery words of zazen wisdom - The Zazenshin. 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