Springs Mountain Sangha, November 2025
November Offerings
Sunday, November 2; 9 AM to 4 PM, In person at Creek Bend Zendo and on Zoom, Ancestor’s Retreat
Monday, November 3; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Meditation, Sutra Service, and conversation
Thursday, November 6; 6 PM, on Zoom, Precepts Group with Sarah Bender, Roshi
Saturday, November 9; 12:30 PM, Sangha meal at Rico’s; … No Rico’s gathering this month
Sunday, November 9; 3-5 PM, In person at Creek Bend Zendo and on Zoom, Koan Series
Monday, November 10; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Meditation and Dharma Talk by Sarah Bender, Roshi
Tuesday, November 11; 6:30 PM, on Zoom, Steering Committee Meeting, all are welcome
Thursday, November 13; 6:30 PM, on Zoom, Great Matter Series with Sarah Bender, Roshi
Sunday, November 16; 10 AM to noon, In person at Creek Bend Zendo and on Zoom, All-sangha meeting with potluck following
Sunday, November 16; 3-5 PM, In person at Creek Bend Zendo and on Zoom, Koan Series
Monday, November 17; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Community night, Precepts recitation and conversation
Thursday, November 20; 6 PM, on Zoom, Precepts Group with Sarah Bender, Roshi
Sunday, November 23; 3-5 PM, In person at Creek Bend Zendo and on Zoom, Koan Series
Monday, November 24; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Meditation and Dharma Talk by Sarah Bender, Roshi
Sunday, November 30; 3-5 PM, In person at Creek Bend Zendo and on Zoom, Koan Series
Candlelight Meditation
Every Sunday from 8 to 8:30 PM, you are invited to join candlelight meditation online. Simple and lovely.
More information on the offerings listed above:
SMS Ancestors Retreat
with Sarah Bender, Roshi and community
Sunday, November 2
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
At Creek Bend and online
Contact: Karl Pilato kmpilato@gmail.com
In Autumn when the veils between worlds grow thin, we take
A day to rest in stillness together,
join in meditation and connect with ancestors,
offer thanks, understanding and blessings.
You might just see who shows up in your meditation, or you may have lost some dear ones during the past year and wish to thank them and wish them well. Collectively, we can offer thanks and blessings, open our hearts to those who have died or suffered deeply. And we can contemplate the mystery of our relationships, and how they change and continue through life and death.
If it happens that you are having a sense of some unfinished, somehow sticky relationship with someone who has died, or some part of your life or yourself that seems haunting, you might want to spend a little time in meditation with this sense before the retreat.
For your interest: You can find talks on transforming ghosts into ancestors, here. This is not required preparation for the retreat.
Requested dana $60
Please do not let lack of funds keep you from attending the retreat.
You can pay via PayPal here:
http://www.smszen.org/supportsms/
*Be sure to note that the donation is for this Nov 2nd retreat*
Refuge and Precepts study series:
Refuge in the Bodhisattva Way
Extends from June 2025, all the way
to March, 2026 at our Spring retreat, where we will hold
a Refuge Ceremony for any who are ready to formally
take refuge in the Bodhisattva Way.
We’ll be holding two meetings per month, as consistently as we can through the year. This month these will be November 6th and 20th at 6 PM Mountain Time.
In December due to the holidays, the Precepts group will meet on December 11th.
You are welcome to participate whether or not you are considering formally taking refuge. All of us long for refuge, and wish to offer refuge, and this process of deep inquiry into refuge itself, and vows, and ethical teachings is one we find most powerful when we take it up both individually and in community.
Questions? Feel free to contact Sarah at sembender@gmail.com.
And if you are considering taking refuge, please let her know this, especially if the times listed do not work in your schedule.
Sunday Autumn Koan Series
with Sarah Bender, Roshi
Begins Sunday, November 9th, at 3-5PM MT
in-person at Creek Bend and on Zoom
The series will continue November 16, 23, and 30th.
You can join at any time, but please let Sarah know if you plan to attend in person—-and if you’d like to be on an email list for the series—-at sembender@gmail.com
You don’t need to have any previous experience with koans to join in.
Suggested dana is $10 per session, or more, or less, as your heart and circumstances allow.
Questions? Feel free to contact Sarah at sembender@gmail.com.
The Great Matter of Livingdying
a series of conversations with Sarah Bender
continues Thursday, November 13, 6:30-8 PM MT
Zoom Zendo
Going forward, the Great Matter group will meet on December 4th and 8th.
Dana is appreciated but not required. Suggested dana $10-$15 per session can be sent to Sarah via check or paypal.
If you’d like to join the series and haven’t let Sarah know already please do so, to be added to the email list.
http://sembender@gmail.com
All Sangha Meeting
Sunday, November 12th 10AM-12PM
In-person at Creek Bend and Online
Once a year, in November, we host an all-sangha meeting where we have space to discuss our collective experiences of our beloved sangha.
We look forward to connecting as a community. In preparation consider, whether you are new or have been around a while, is there something particular you may be wishing for? Are there offerings or gatherings that help you feel your practice is being supported?
All are welcome in this conversation, you are needed, and what you do matters.
Upcoming Retreats
Save the dates – more information coming
If you are interested in helping to coordinate a retreat, please let Kelly McFarland know via email at s.kelly.HLS@gmail.com Coordinating a retreat is a great way to support the sangha. All who have an interest are welcome regardless of how long you have been practicing with SMS.
Bodhi Day Retreat
December 7 hybrid
Many Arms of Guanyin
Please share with us ways we can support our wider community in practice and service, to be included here.
Support our local food banks and organizations:
November SNAP benefits will be on hold for many across the US, including those in Colorado Springs. Please consider if you have means to offer support, via volunteering or donation, connecting with these local food banks and helping agencies:
Care and Share: Food Bank for Southern Colorado
Food Bank of the Rockies
Power to Food
Support for Springs Mountain Sangha
You can donate to Springs Mountain Sangha in person at Shove Chapel using the dana bowl at the entrance to the dharma hall. You can also donate through our PayPal account. You can get to the SMS PayPal link on the SMS web site at:
http://www.smszen.org/supportsms/
Or you can mail a check to:
Springs Mountain Sangha
P.O. Box 2613
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
*We depend on the generosity of our members to support the work of our sangha*
If you want to make a donation to Sarah Bender specifically, for example, dana for classes, group meetings or work on the phone (suggested donations for these are $10 per class, or $20 for a 20 min. individual meeting) you can do this by sending a check directly to her.
Sarah Bender
7528 Jenkin Place
Colorado Springs, CO 80919
or by Paypal to sembender@gmail.com
https://joansutherlanddharmaworks.org/cgi-bin/dharma/page.cgi?g=Support%2FDonate%2Findex.html;d=1