The Winning Ticket
ACZC happenings, 4/20-4/26
“My sense of self is an illusion. It is all emptiness. And maybe everything is fundamentally perfect. But whenever I think that way, I think, no, you're skipping a lot of steps to say that. This is the tension. I don't want to just skip to these teachings without confronting the things that I have to work on.”
- Tanya Orlov
Hello sangha!
Your newsletter writer is sitting on the other side of the country, watching sunrises over the ocean instead of sunsets, missing California and all of you in your meat suits, and joining in the fun on Zoom when bedtimes permit. Which is kind of a weird place to be when one is giving the weekly report for the sangha!
And yet the folks on the ground tell me all is going swimmingly! No house fires, lockouts, earthquakes, or other disruptors to speak of. Just a lot of good old-fashioned zazen, deep dharma, and the occasional penetrating question to keep things interesting. Yay us! Thanks to all of you for showing up and doing your part, even if that just means turning on the Zoom here and there or tuning into a podcast. Your presence is everything.
This Sunday, 4/21 is the return of the Full Moon Ceremony. Join us at 7:00 pm sharp for 30 minutes of zazen followed by the loveliest, spookiest ceremony of the month. All those eerie bell clanks and all that ancient, twisted karma. There’s nothing else like it.
And speaking of things that are special, this week on the podcast we are pleased to present The Winning Ticket (Spiritual Bypassing) with Tanya Orlov. ACZC’s own resident brings us some wise warnings about our purported wisdoms with an in depth look at spiritual bypassing; what it is, how to know when we’re doing it, and how it might be holding us back from the real peace we’re trying to claim. Is our practice making us the cool, calm, collected people we always wished to be, or is that just another delusion we’re clinging to? What kind of grit does it take to get to the good sit? And how do we (or should we...) tell our noisy neighbors they’re being too loud? Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
I suppose you’ll be wanting a koan for the week. How about:
Whether we defeat others or are defeated, we live out the self that is only the self. There’s no way to become someone else. So we should return to the self with peace of mind. This is the practice of zazen, in which we sit “letting go of all associations, and putting all affairs aside,” as Dogen’s Fukanzazengi says.
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 - 4/20, 10am - 12:30pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Robert Holliday - Our biggest day of the week! Two half hour rounds of zazen, one walking meditation in the middle, and then Robert returns to the hot seat with more sonic explorations and meditations. This week he’ll be diving into John Cage’s 4’33” and the Surangama Sutra. It’s sure to be a good one (sorry)! Join us.
Monday - 4/22, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Jitsujo Gauthier - One half hour of zazen and then friend of the sangha/ZCLA’s own Jitsujo will lead us through a talk and discussion on practicing with resistance. Her talks are always bangers, so do join in!
Wednesday - 4/24, 7:30pm - 9pm (Zoom Only)
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Emily Eslami - ACZC veteran/champion/Pali canon enthusiast Emily’s back in the house for koan night! She’ll lead us in a discussion of Chapter 6 of The Zen Teaching of Homeless Kodo. Don’t miss it.
Friday - 4/26 at 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’re chanting the Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi and paying tribute to our male ancestors. Come on down and start your Friday off right!
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
p.s. Passing along a sweet pic of cherry blossoms falling like snow behind Kanzeon-ji from certain Zen priest/poet in Japan we all know and love. Enjoy!
