Springs Mountain Sangha is a Zen Buddhist practice community located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “Sangha” is a Sanskrit word for “community,” traditionally used to refer to the community of Buddhist practitioners. A Sangha is a close community of people with a shared purpose: to wake up to the intimate, core reality of being (small proposition, right?) so that we can do something helpful in this complex, heart-breaking and beautiful world- without so much tripping over our own feet all the time. For almost 30 years, we have been studying and practicing this ancient and yet imminently present way of awakening together.
Meeting us, we think you’ll notice pretty quickly that we are particularly inspired by a form of practice called koan inquiry. (here’s where you can find more information on koans and their particular part in this endeavor). Koan practice is woven into our meditations, our conversations, our studies, our retreats. You don’t have to like them or be drawn to them to practice with us—not at all! But we are pretty sure you’ll find them worth meeting.
While this form of practice is an individual undertaking, it is more powerful when practiced in community. Some of us attend regularly, some only rarely. We consider a member to be anyone who wishes to be considered a member. There are no membership dues or sign-up requirements, though we welcome, and in fact depend on, donations. Decisions are made as a whole or by an elected steering committee, and there are a number of ways to participate. Members bring offerings of flowers, incense, food, readings, their own writings or thoughts, and most importantly, their own sincere practice (See Support SMS page).
Springs Mountain Sangha meets Monday evenings at Shove Chapel, on the Colorado College campus in Colorado Springs and online, via Zoom, for silent meditation and sutras, talks, discussion or informal conversation. See our Meditation Schedule for directions and Zoom information. We offer classes, koan practice and study groups. We also hold one-day, weekend and longer meditation retreats. Our teacher, Sarah Bender, offers individual practice meetings. You can contact her at sembender@gmail.com for more information.
All are welcome to all our events. If you’re in the area, we hope you’ll join us!
A note on lineage and tradition: Zen practice doesn’t require abandoning other religious traditions. Rather it tends to deepen our understanding of religious traditions and practices; and the wisdom of other traditions enriches our practice of Zen. Our particular stream of Zen comes through the lineage formed in Japan by Hakuin Yasutani Roshi. It was further developed by Robert Aitken, Roshi, who founded the Diamond Sangha, and now by the Pacific Zen School, under the leadership of John Tarrant and Joan Sutherland. This lineage is characterized by a lay practice rather than a monastic one; a teaching style rich with encouragement and wide in scope, including both Soto and Rinzai teaching methods; and by a dedication to embodying the dharma in 21st century America, welcoming insights from sources old and new, Eastern and Western. Springs Mountain Sangha is a part of “Cloud Gate Zen,” a network of individuals and communities whose teachers are authorized to teach by Joan Sutherland and is part of the Pacific Zen School. For more information on the Pacific Zen School, which includes John Tarrant’s Pacific Zen Institute and Cloud Gate Zen, please see www.pacificzen.org and http://joansutherlanddharmaworks.org/
2026 Members of the SMS Steering Committee:
Ex-officio: Sarah Bender, Roshi
Chairperson: Kelly McFarland: s.kelly.hls@gmail.com
Secretary: Zina Mercil: zina.mercil@gmail.com
Treasurer: Brandy Lancaster: BDL0824@gmail.com
Leader Scheduling: Tim Sparks: timsparks@me.com
Member at Large: Frank Actis: frank.actis@gmail.com
Member at Large: Jeff Wagner: jjusafa23@gmail.com
Member at Large: Alo McGarigal: alisonmcgarigal@gmail.com