Springs Mountain Sangha May 2015 Newsletter

April 23, 2015

Cherry_blossoms_tree

Springs Mountain Sangha 

May 2015 Newsletter

Ongoing  Events

 
Newcomer Orientation:

2nd Monday of the month, CC Shove Chapel, Dharma Hall upstairs at 5:45 pm to meet anyone who would like some orientation to meditation, to our tradition, or to our sangha and customs.

Dharma Study and Discussion:

Each Monday 5:15 pm, CC Shove Chapel, Dharma Hall downstairs.

Zen Threads:

May 2nd  Frank Actis will give the Zen Threads talk this month at 8:00 am following three periods of meditation.  Discussion will follow, and we’ll close with our vows at 8:25, as usual.

Once our nomadic Dharma hall is packed away, all who are interested will go to Wooglins for breakfast and more conversation.

 
Dharma Talks:

May 18  Sarah Bender, Sensei
May 25 Andrew Palmer, Sensei

Work in the Room:

May 16th Sarah Bender Sensei

Steering Committee Meeting:  May 6th

Contact: Robert King @ kingrh@comcast.net) for updated information
 

Spring Koan Series

 

When:  Mar. 29, April 5 and 26, May 3 and 17, 3:00-5:00

Where:  Creek Bend Zendo

Spring Gathering May 2

In many parts of the world, the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, is marked at or near the full moon of the fourth lunar month.
This year, that’s May 3. May 2 is close enough. Let’s get together, sons and daughters of Buddha, just to share some food and each others’ presence, stories, music, and maybe some of our dreams for this practice family. A real zendo made from Sarah’s garage? some structured and consistent study opportunities?
More ways to support each others’ practice?  Service? Other, to be discovered?

Place: 7528  Jenkin Place
Time: 4 PM to 7 PM roughly
Food:  Vegetarian, Pot Luck

A-F       APPETIZERS
G-M     SALADS
N-S      MAIN COURSES
T-Z       DESSERTS

If someone would like to bring alternative or additional items, please contact Becky Myers at 578-9268.  (We don’t want 20 desserts…or maybe we do!)
RSVP:  Responses really do help planners, so many thanks, if you do.  Becky Myers,  578-9268

Introduction to Zen June 19-20 with Frank Actis

June 19-20      Introduction to Zen
with Frank Actis
the Woman’s Club, 20 Mesa Road
Friday6:30 to 8:30 PM
Saturday9 AM to noon (followed by optional brown bag lunch)
contact: Frank Actis   Frank.Actis@gmail.com

Earth Holders Climate Watch Vigil May 16th

Dear Environmentalists,

We would like to invite you and the members of your organizations to our monthly Climate Watch Vigil. Our next vigil is Saturday April 18 at 9:30am at America The Beautiful Park.

We began last September with a short meditation each month to raise our own awareness about the effects of burning fossil fuels on climate change.

We chose to do this in view of the smokestacks of the coal burning Drake Power Plant. We do not have a specific agenda, but are more interested in providing an uplifting and nurturing practice to help us face the often overwhelming task of addressing global climate change.

We have found that bringing together individuals of different backgrounds and environmental interests to sit quietly in front of our beautiful mountains and the smokestacks helps to strengthen our resolve and nurture a sense of fellowship.

We would very much like to share this experience with all who share a commitment to preserving our planet.

The purpose of Earth Holders is, in the words of one of the starters of this,  “to reflect on the way we, ourselves inevitably contribute to climate change and what we might do about it – or anything else that enters our minds.”

Earth Holders Climate Watch Vigil is an “ongoing public meditation to bear witness to the impact of burning fossil fuels on climate change. We seek to raise awareness to change our personal and collective behavior so we can build momentum to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and transition to cleaner energy resources as soon as possible.”

Third Saturday of every month, 9:30 to 10 a.m.
America the Beautiful Park, 126 Cimino Drive (at the end of Cimino Drive near the cul-de-sac).
Please bring meditation cushions or chairs.
Following the vigil, all are invited for conversation, planning and discussion of future events at The Coffee Warehouse on S. Tejon, near Southside Johnny’s.
For more information, call 970/309-3929

 

Buddha Day: May 30
Saturday 1:00-4:00 
Sun Water Spa, Manitou Springs

Mark your calendar
volunteers needed
more information forthcoming

 

 

Looking Ahead

June 29 Wayfaring Mind Talk: With Jessica Wong

Stay tuned…

Monday, July 6th Deep Listening with 
Jane Rigler and Mary Jane Sullivan

Deep Listening© is a method developed by Pauline Oliveros and several of her colleagues (starting around the 1970s to the present day) that gently gathers together a global community to attend to the world around us by developing our sense of hearing. One of the objectives of Deep Listening is to notice the difference between hearing and listening, but there are, in fact, many intentions behind this philosophical method.

Jane Rigler (musician) and Mary Jane Sullivan (poet, philosopher, film-maker) are both undergoing a three-year Deep Listening Certification Program with Pauline and other mentors.

We have invited Jane and Mary Jane to present Deep Listening to us during our meditation.  We have experienced Jane once before when she brought her flutes and took us to lovely creative places.

 

For a complete calendar of 2015 retreats, please go to our website at smszen.org