Springs Mountain Sangha, May 2026
May Offerings
Monday, May 4; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Meditation, Sutra Service and Conversation
Tuesday, May 5; 6:30 PM, on Zoom, Steering Committee Meeting – all are welcome
Thursday, May 7; 6:30 PM, on Zoom, Great Matter Series with Sarah Bender, Roshi
Sunday, May 10; 4-5:30 PM, on In person at Creek Bend and on Zoom, Spring Koan Series
with Sarah Bender
Monday, May 11; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Meditation and Dharma Talk by Sarah Bender, Roshi
Sunday, May 17; 4-5:30 PM, on In person at Creek Bend and on Zoom, Spring Koan Series
Tuesday, May 19; 6:30-7 PM, on Zoom Welcome to New Comers Evening with Brandy Lancaster
Monday, May 18; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Precepts, Meditation and Community Night
Monday, May 25; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Meditation and Dharma Talk by Sarah Bender, Roshi
Thursday, May 28; 6:30 PM, on Zoom, Great Matter Series with Sarah Bender, Roshi
Every Sunday from 8 to 8:30 PM Candlelight Meditation, you are invited to join candlelight meditation online. Simple and lovely.
More information on the offerings listed above:
The Great Matter of Livingdying
a series of conversations with Sarah Bender
We’ll continue our dive into the teachings Joan Sutherland has offered in our Ceremonies Manual, around caring for someone dying and after death. You can find these on page 29 at
https://joansutherlanddharmaworks.org/cgi-bin/dharma/jump.cgi?ID=177;view=PDF3
Suggested dana $10-$15 per session
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. sembender@gmail.com
Spring Koan Group continues
on Sunday afternoon 4-5:30 PM, May 10 and 17thth
in-person at Creek Bend Zendo and online,
with Sarah Bender, Roshi
Please let Sarah know if you would like to be added to the email list for this group.Suggested dana to Sarah $10-15 per session
Welcome to New Comers Evening with Brandy Lancaster
Tuesday, May 19th, from 6:30-7PM MT
on SMS Zoom
New to the practice or Sangha? Have questions to ask? Pop on the Zoom at 6:30 on the 3rd Tuesday of the month to meet with a Sangha member and learn more about our practices.
We look forward to connecting with you!
Leadership Development
Dear Ones,
We are happy to announce that Open Source/Cloud Gate
will be offering a Leadership Development group, open to all.
The group will meet monthly on Sunday evenings,
starting Sunday, May 31.
This group is designed for those who may be interested in stepping into sangha leadership within Cloud Gate, and will help participants hone leadership skills and identify suitable projects with mentorship.
We define leadership broadly and welcome participants with a variety of levels of leadership and practice experience. The only requirement is an interest in sangha service as a practice of the Way, and an openness to learning together.
The group will meet with the three teachers on the last Sunday of every month, from 5:30-6:30 PT, 6:30-7:30 MT.
Together we will explore leadership as Dharma practice, honing skills, identifying appropriate service projects, working supportively on obstacles, and developing a culture of service
within the sangha.
If you are interested, please fill out this quick Google form and we will keep you posted. If, for some reason, you can’t fill out the form, just contact your teacher.
Warmly,
Megan, Sarah, and Tenney
2026 Upcoming Retreats
Mark your calendar and save the date for these retreats coming up in 2026 – more information will be available as the dates get closer
June 5-7 Integrative retreat: Jizo Bodhisattva
Weekend Commuter Integrative Retreat June 5-7, 2026 with Sarah Bender, Roshi
Last day to register: Friday, May 29, 2026
Our integrative retreat will open us to the life of Jizo Bodhisattva, also known as Ksitigarbha…..Protector of Children, and Guide Through the Underworld.
Sometimes revered as the stone figure that still stands after the whole temple has burned down, sometimes the one whose clear eye sees all the comings and goings without judgment.
In this time of war and devastation across the globe and at home, steeping ourselves in the stories and koans, and bringing Jizo into our meditations, is a natural, easing and encouraging move.
We will spend a weekend together doing just that, and we invite you to join us!
In an integrative retreat, we move back and forth between silent meditation and conversation, taking up a story of transformation as our own,
in the koan way.
Location: Creek Bend Zendo, 7528 Jenkin Place, Colorado Springs, CO 80919
Dates/times:
Friday June 5th, 6:30 PM – 9 pm
Saturday June 6th, 9 am – 5 pm
Sunday June 7th, 9 am – 2 pm (Please stay until 3 to help us clean up).
Cost: $125. (Scholarships available)
Meals: Vegan/vegetarian lunches will be provided.
Creating a retreat is a wonderful part of our life in Springs Mountain Sangha. Together, we bring into being a community for our own practice, as well as for the practice of others.
To register for the retreat, please follow these steps:
1) Email Susan at cayugadogrescue@gmail.com and let her know that you plan to attend. She will send you back a few questions related to your comfort and safety at the retreat, and will answer any questions that you have about the retreat.
2) Submit your $125 payment for the retreat through our PayPal account. You can get to the SMS PayPal link on the SMS website at: http://www.smszen.org/supportsms/
August 30 Ullambana retreat
October 17-23 Open Source retreat in Tucson
December 6, 2026 Bodhi Day retreat
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. One of the challenges that comes with offering this many retreats is that we can’t hold a retreat without a coordinator so we really appreciate people offering to step up and help coordinate.
Ongoing Meditation Schedule, All available
via Zoom; Monday Eves available in person as well
Weekly Meditations (all times MDT) on Zoom:
- Weekdays from 6:30 to 7:30 AM. We sit for two periods and people come and go as they need to, and leave camera off. (Often a poem or koan will drop in at some point.)
- Saturday we sit from 6:30 to 8:00 AM, then someone speaks for a bit about their practice to kick off a deep and lively discussion (til roughly 8:30) These Zen Threads talks are now alternating every other week with “mini-threads” group discussions of practice with multiple paths emerging and joining seamlessly. You can join the meditation at 6:30, 7:00, 7:30 or 8:00.
- Sunday 8:00-8:30 PM Candlelight Meditation
Volunteer with SMS
Are you interested in volunteering to help with a specific project within the sangha? Do you have a particular skill or enthusiasm for something that might be helpful? Would you like to help out, but not sure how? SMS truly values and depends on the many efforts given freely by the sangha to the sangha. This is dana and is so much appreciated. If you have questions or want to help, please contact Kelly McFarland S.Kelly.HLS@gmail.com
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 by selecting the donate icon:
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
Support for Cloud Dragon
The easiest way is to make a donation at the website, here:
https://joansutherlanddharmaworks.org/cgi-bin/dharma/page.cgi?g=Support%2FDonate%2Findex.html;d=1