Win/Win/Win

⚡️ACZC Happenings, 9/14 - 9/20⚡️

“Don't sell yourself short. It's been done by lesser people than you. It might've even been done by you when you weren't paying attention...” - Dave Cuomo

Hello Sangha!

First the news: as some of you may heard, there are fires currently burning in the mountains to the East, including in the area around Mt Baldy. Last we heard no one has been hurt, and Mount Baldy Zen Center hasn't been harmed yet, but our friends up there had to evacuate, and the fire was not too far from the center. We of course offered to help with whatever they might need when everything settles down and they’re allowed to return. That’s everything we know at the moment. We’ll keep you updated as we know more, and how that might affect our plans for the Fall, and will let y’all know if there’s a call out for volunteers for clean up or anything else.

In the meantime, we’ve got a great week for you as always down here at ACZC. Robert Holliday returns to the hot seat tomorrow (9/14, 10am) for another exploration of experimental music in Zen mixed in with some dynamic wisdom from Katagiri and the Lankavatara Sutra (a real banger if we’ve ever heard one).

And Sunday (9/15, 7pm), we’d be delighted if you wanted to join us for the oldest, and some say most beautiful ceremony in Buddhism, our monthly Full Moon Ceremony where we get a little melodious ourselves and chant some very good, very old ideas together, reciting the vows and remembering why they were such a good idea in the first place.

And Dave’s talking on Monday (9/16, 7:30pm) about how to take responsibility and the give the world the gift of accountability when nothing is anyone’s fault anyway.

And we’ve got a real lovely ephemeral little koan for you Wednesday (9/18, 7:30pm) about how to request the most giving gift you could ask for in a death. And we would love to see you at any or all of those gatherings.

But speaking of the wins that never exhaust themselves of winning, this week on the podcast we are very excited to bring you Win/Win/Win (Spiritual Attainments) w/ Dave Cuomo. Dave takes a nitty gritty bare bones look at spiritual attainments in Buddhism to try and find out where Zen gets it credibility from, whether we can trust them on that, and what we can aspire to ourselves. What are the stages of meditation that lead to awakening? What’s beyond them? Is the idea of dharma transmission just good PR? And if we do manage to drop off the cliffs of enlightenment, will anyone else be there to catch us?? Find out here!

Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.

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And hey, here’s a koan classic for this week:

Case in point:
National Teacher Huizhong was approaching death and went to say his goodbyes to Emperor Suzong. The emperor asked him, “What can your humble student do to remember you?”
Huizhong said, “Build me a flawless monumental tower - with no joints, cracks, or seams.”
The Emperor said, “Please tell me, what kind of monument would that be?”
Huizhong paused for a moment, then said, “Do you get it?”
The Emperor said, “No, I don’t.”
Huizhong said, “My student Danyuan can explain it for you.”
In the Winter of 775, Huizhong laid down on his right side and died. His students buried him in a monumental tower in Dangzi Valley.
Sometime later the Emperor sent for Danyuan and asked him about what Huizhong had said.
Danyuan responded with a poem:
“South of the Southernmost river, North of the Northernmost point,
There’s a land overflowing with gold.
Under the shadeless tree, we’re all in the same boat.
On top of the sapphire hall, there’s nothing we need to know.”

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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 - 9/14, 10am - 2pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Robert Holliday - Our biggest day of the week! Two half hour rounds of zazen, and then our resident auditory expert Robert returns to the hot seat with another dive into Zen and experimental music, including some choice cuts from our old friend Katagiri and the Lankavatara Sutra. See y’all there!

Sunday - 9/15, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Full Moon Ceremony - Join us for a short and sweet half hour of zazen before we chant 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 - 9/16, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Dave Cuomo - One half hour round of zazen and then Dave is back with a talk on personal responsibility vs social accountability. Is the problem the neighbor playing their music too loud, or the uptight person inside who can’t just let them be? Does practice mean cleaning up the world’s messes, or was the real hot mess inside us all along? Let’s discuss.

Wednesday - 9/18, 7:30pm - 9pm (Zoom Only)
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Dave - An Emperor wants to do right by his soon to be lost teacher, but these Zen folks are just so hard to please. Sometimes, when you’re looking for lost treasure, the X that marks the spot is the one carved onto your own heart. Let’s take a look.

Friday - 9/20, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week! We chant the Heart Sutra in English followed by Sengcan’s own lyrical little map guiding us directly to the truth inscribed on our own hearts and minds, The Faith in 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