“Having insight doesn’t mean you know how to use it appropriately. You can fully see through the whole game while still being fully wrapped up in it. You can see that it’s all empty, and then use that to one-up someone.”
- Sara Campbell
Hello Sangha!
Our trailblazing year continues, as Dave and I completed our maiden voyage onto Substack Live yesterday. We talked about the genesis of Open Secrets, our new weekly translations of and commentary on classic Zen lit, and it was fun to get Dave yapping!
Topics discussed include a dog-eared Tao Te Ching, why “preserving the joke” is Dave’s MO for translation, Dunning-Kruger but make it dharma, the monk’s bar exam, three stars on Yelp for a Zen master’s shouting, getting drunk at 3 a.m. to defeat academic jargon, Solomon’s baby minus the happy ending, a sandal on a head and a very dead cat, irony without the cynicism, AI slop, being the center of the universe while also not existing, why r/zen is a cautionary tale, and firm assurances that no cats are ever harmed at ACZC.
Full video here:
For my part, I really enjoyed trolling cornering Dave on camera and asking him to explain the great cosmic joke at the heart of Zen literature. I don’t think he was as crazy about it but he did humor me, so let’s consider that a win!
We loved having the chance to talk off the cuff, and are planning to do it again soon. If you have anything you’d like us to cover, comment on this post or send us an email. We want to know what you think and if this seems like something you’d tune into going forward!
🍁🧘🏽🍂 THE FALL RETREAT IS AROUND THE CORNER! 🍁🧘🏽🍂
We’re hosting our annual fall retreat from the evening of Friday, November 6th through Sunday, November 8th. This one is a commuter retreat, beginning with Friday night dinner and orientation at ACZC, followed by two full days of practice at Sozenji Temple (Gyokei’s home temple in Montebello).
It’ll be our usual mix of zazen, chanting services, yoga, dharma talks, and homemade meals in community, a lovely way to spend a weekend before the holiday madness descends. Join us!
And speaking of having it out with each other, this week on the podcast we are very pleased to present 🎙️ “Winning and Winners (Competition) w/ Sara Campbell” 🎙️
Sara wrestles with the competitive spirit, who we’re really competing with, and what we might actually be trying to win. What does a healthy relationship to being right look like? Can we become winners without making losers? Is there a compassionate way to be a know it all?? Find out here!
Up now at https://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
📖 This Week in ZenLit(™): 📖
No killing. Don’t kill living things. Buddha’s seed grows. Nurture buddha’s life and wisdom. Do not kill a living thing.
No stealing. Heart, mind, and circumstances are as they are. The door to liberation is open.
No sexual misconduct. The three wheels are clean and complete, wanting for nothing. Go as a fellow traveler of the buddhas.
No lying. The dharma wheel has been always turning, never too much, never too little. One drop of honey is finding reality and finding the truth.
No dealing in intoxicants. What hasn’t come, don’t let intrude. This is clear understanding.
No speaking of faults. In the buddha dharma, we share the same path, same dharma, same recognition, same practice. Don’t speak of faults, don’t obstruct the way.
No praising yourself and disparaging others. It is buddha, it is the ancestors, recognizing the end of open space, recognizing the vast earth. When the great body appears, there is no inside or outside to space. When the dharma body appears there is not even an inch of ground on earth.
No withholding dharma or material wealth. One line, one verse is everything, every blade of grass. One teaching, one recognition, is every buddha and ancestor. There has never been anything to withhold.
No being angry. Not falling back, not going forward. Not true, not false. There is a bright shining ocean of clouds. There is a majestic ocean of clouds.
No disparaging the three treasures, buddha, dharma, and sangha. A body appears and proclaims the dharma, a ford and bridge to the world. Its love and power return to the all knowing ocean, immeasurable. Revere, honor, and uphold it with every effort.
⚡️This Week in Zen! ⚡️
All times Pacific. All sessions are in-person + on Zoom unless otherwise noted (email us for Zoom info).
Saturday - 10/3, 10am - 12:05pm
Sit & Talk with Chris Arnett - We'll do two half-hour rounds of zazen, and our Canadian friend Chris returns to the hotseat. He'll share his ongoing struggle to keep his lawn up to his neighbors’ standards, and what it has to do with Dogen's Shōaku Makusa and what it means to “do good.” Come on out!
Monday - 10/5, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Talk w/ Andy Thomas - One half hour of zazen and then Andy is back for a talk about dealing without melancholy and despair without really trying. Is it possible to practice goallessness and not be a loser? See you there!
Wednesday - 10/7, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & ZenLit(™) Night - This week! We take a critical look at our precepts aka guidelines? And Dogen’s enigmatically quippy exhortations you may recall from such hits as the full moon ceremony. Come help us work through the latest draft of our chant book in progress! What even are rules when they’re meant to be broken and couldn’t be broken if we tried?? Let’s discuss.
Friday - 10/9, 8am - 8:40am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We chant the Maka Hannya Haramitta Shingyo and our fresh new translation of the Heart Sutra, our lineage ancestors, and the Daihishin Darani, and the Declaration of Unity. 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