The Real Point
⚡️ACZC Happenings, 5/17 - 5/23⚡️
“ This will be strange. This will be hard. You're not gonna know why you do it. You might feel a little funny afterwards. Let’s call that ‘going deeper in Buddhism’.” - Dave Cuomo
Hello Sangha!
90 days is a weird amount of time. It seems short enough that you can conceivably commit to doing anything for 90 days without thinking too hard about it. It’s only 90 days! But when you’re in the middle of it, the time stretches out. By the end of 30 days, you think, “It’s never going to end! 60 days are a damned eternity!” By the end of 60 days, you think, “Oh! time is so fleeting! Only 30 days left!” And then in the last month, you find the days just blasting by and you’re simultaneously ready to be done and wondering what you’ll miss about it all when it’s over.
Well, that’s where we are in our spring practice ango. Two weeks left, and time is indeed passing at a rapid clip. This week on the podcast, Dave takes us on a deep dive of the Ryogone, the 20 minute-long chant we’re doing every day during ango that has been described with words and phrases like, “bonkers,” “OMG!,” “that was a ride!,” “intense,” “spirited,” “athletic, even!” and other under-the-breath mumblings we did not quite catch. We won’t be doing this chant again until our next ango period in spring of 2026, so if this is an experience you’d like to have for yourself, get in now while the getting is good!
Ango has been full of other good things, too — twice now due to last minute changes to the speaker’s schedule, we’ve had the opportunity to do spontaneous, off the record Q&A’s with the sangha instead of talks, and each of those discussions have taken us into fascinating territory. The last one resurfaced a favorite Leonard Cohen quote, which Dave has lovingly rendered in this week’s cartoon. Everything has been exactly as it should be, even when it hasn’t gone according to plan!
Speaking of things not going to plan, when was the last time you surprised yourself? We can almost guarantee you will if you join us for our monthly Zen Writing Workshop, tomorrow, Sat, 5/17 at 1:00 pm. An afternoon for writers, non-writers, and anyone wanting to flex their imaginations in the company of other curious, imaginative beings! Here’s the deal: you show up with a notebook and a pen, we lead you through a series of prompts, zazen, and free-writing, and, somehow, the universe delivers fresh insights and flash poetry that no one could have dreamed up on their own. It’s a pretty special way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
And speaking of flights of fancy, this week on the podcast we are very pleased to present “The Real Point” (Magic and Daranis) w/ Dave Cuomo. Dave unpacks the Ryogone, that monster of a magical incantation we’ve recently incorporated into our laid back secular practice here, and along the way explains how to work with magical traditions in the modern age, the use of chanting and daranis in Zen practice, and a whole host of legends and lore complete with a battle of five armies. Can the secular among us pray so that it works and what does that actually mean?? What keeps us coming back to our Zen Centers after the honeymoon glow wears off? If we don’t believe in ghosts, can we still ask them for help?? Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
🚨 It’s getting close to last call for our annual Spring Retreat! 🚨 We’re gathering Fri, June 6 - Mon, June 9 at nearby Sozenji temple in Montebello for our trademark mix of zazen, yoga, dharma talks, and good friends in great community, and we’ve got just a couple of spots left. Details and registration are here. As always, reach out with any questions!
Ready for your weekly delivery of ZenLit(™)? Coming right up!
A fish swims through the water, yet no matter how far it goes, it doesn’t reach the end. A bird flies through the sky, yet no matter how far it flies, it doesn’t reach the end. Nevertheless, from the beginning, fish and birds have never left the water and sky. It’s just that when the need is great, their use is great. When the need is small, their use is small. In this way, it’s not that each being fails to create their own boundaries, it’s that they do not wander around aimlessly in emptiness. Even though one doesn’t say if a bird leaves the sky or a fish leaves the water, it immediately dies, one should understand that water is life, and that the sky is life. Birds are life, and fish are life. Life is bird, and life is fish. Beyond this, things continue to unfold. There is practice and realization, and those who truly live, live like this.
Even so, if a bird or a fish tried to move through the water and the sky only after thoroughly comprehending them, it would not be able to find a path or place. Yet if we just inhabit this very place, our conduct naturally actualizes the fundamental point. If we just walk the path in front of us, our practice is in alignment with the truth of reality. It’s not large, and not small. It’s not self, and not other. It’s not from the past, and does not simply appear now. And for this reason, it is just like this. If we practice the Buddha Way, to realize one dharma is to penetrate that dharma fully. To encounter one practice is to cultivate that practice. This gives us a path and a place to inhabit, and because the way penetrates everything, the limits of knowing cannot be known intellectually. The Buddha Dharma can only be known by living and practicing it. This is how it is.
Do not become accustomed to turning your insights into personal knowledge, or view the dharma as something you can know intellectually. Even though understanding may manifest suddenly, it’s mysterious. One sees that the real question is, “Why should realization be visible?”
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 - 5/17, 7am - 12:30pm
Sit & Talk w/ Pedro Peres - Our biggest day of the week! Two half-hour rounds of zazen, and then our buddy Pedro returns to the hotseat to look at the history of lay people practicing zazen outside of monastic settings. See you there! (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)!)
Saturday - 5/17, 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Zen Writing Workshop - Join us for ACZC’s signature mashup of zazen, freewriting, deep listening, and creative practice! All are welcome, no previous writing experience required. Let’s get weird!
Monday - 5/19, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Sara Campbell - One half hour of zazen and then Sara is back to tell us about her deep dive into Dogen’s Genjo Koan. What do translating classic literature and practicing modern Zen have in common, how do we find our path, and what does it actually mean to live in the moment?? While we can’t promise concrete answers, we will certainly offer some interesting options! Join us!
Wednesday - 5/21, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit Night - The conclusion of our three part series on Dogen’s Genjo Koan! Featuring facilitation from our good friend Dave and commentary from our trainee-in-residence Sara, this week we’ll close out by examining whether we’re doing a capable enough job of awakening to the reality of all beings so that we can live our lives harmoniously within it. NBD, OK!?! Come on out and let’s discuss.
Thursday - 5/22, 7:30pm - 8:40pm
Evening Zazen - ACZC’s latest addition to the schedule! Join us for two 30 minute rounds of serene evening sitting to wind down your day and week. See you there.
Friday - 5/23, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - Friday morning ceremonies are shining brighter than ever during ango - get it while you can (it’s going fast)! Join us this week as we chant the Ryogon Shu along with the Heart Sutra and the late great Shitou’s Declaration of Unity, that lovely reminder that distinctions are delusion. 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.
7:00 - 8:00am………………Zazen
8:05 - 8:40am………………Chanting
8:40 - 9:10am…………..…Zen Breakfast
9:10 - 9:50am………………Work Practice
See y’all soon!
Love,
ACZC