I would hold fast
this heart that wanders
answering every cloud
and steady it
like the cloud-bearing mountain
Saigyō
All times listed below are Mountain Time
Overview of December Offerings
Thursday, December 1, 7 PM: Zoom: Movie Night Discussion – The Conspiracy
Sunday, December 4, 3 PM, Hybrid: Koan Series
Monday, December 5, 6 PM, Zoom: Meditation and Sutra Service
Tuesday, December 6, 6:15 PM, Zoom: Steering Committee Meeting
Saturday-Sunday, December 10-11, Hybrid: Bodhi Day Retreat
Monday, December 12, 6 PM: Zoom: Community Night: Meditation and Precepts Conversation
Sunday, December 18, 3 PM, Hybrid: Koan Series
Monday, December 19, 6 PM: Zoom: Dharma Talk, Sarah Bender, Roshi
Wednesday, December 21, 6:30 PM, Zoom: Winter Solstice Ceremony
Sunday, December 25, NO Candlelight Meditation
Monday, December 26, 6 PM: Zoom: Koan Exploration, Sarah Bender, Roshi
DETAILS OF SOME OF THESE EVENTS BELOW, PLEASE READ THROUGH “MANY ARMS OF GUANYIN!”
Ongoing Meditation Schedule
Sundays: Candlelight Meditation 8 to 8:30 PM
Mondays: Meditation and evening starting at 6:00 PM
On Mondays you can also join at 6:25 or 6:55
Wednesdays: Morning meditation 6:30-7:30 AM
Saturdays: Morning Meditation 6:30-8:00 AM, discussion 8-8:30 AM
Most Saturday mornings, a sangha member will kick off a discussion with a brief talk, pertaining to their own experience of practice right now. These conversations are rich and real!
Additional Early Morning Meditations
A simple, early morning sit is offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 6:30-7:30 AM. There will be no designated leader, but the Zoom Zendo will be open and available for those who would like to join. Please leave your camera off while the meditation is in progress.
Upcoming Events
Movie Night
Thursday, December 1st at 7 PM on Zoom
The Conspiracy, for which Sarah’s son, Joe, is cinematographer, will be available for screening Nov. 18 to 27. Tickets are available for purchase now.
Here’s the link: https://www.docnyc.net/film/the-conspiracy/
Here’s a blurb about the film:
WORLD PREMIERE It’s an insidious, centuries-old conspiracy theory that continues to rear its ugly head today: Jews have a secret international plot to control the world. How do such preposterous ideas get started, and why do they flourish? Filmmaker Maxim Pozdorovkin orchestrates bold, striking animation and exceptionally talented voice artists to walk us through almost 250 years of anti-Semitic ideology, focusing on how times of uncertainty give rise to anxieties in marginalized populations, and how three Jewish family dynasties came to bear the brunt of irrational scapegoating. – Jaie Laplante
Winter Koan Series
Sundays 3-5 PM Hybrid Zoom and In Person
November 6, 13, 20 and December 4 and 17th
(Note the final session will be Saturday)
Please join us for our weekly koan series starting this weekend. We will gather for meditation and reflection about koans chosen by our teacher, Sarah Bender, Roshi. Share your insights, questions and what arises as you allow the koan to companion you and you companion it. If you would like to receive emails for this series, please email Sarah at sembender@gmail.com.
The suggested donation for this series is $10 per session and that dana via check can go directly to Sarah.
Sarah Bender
7528 Jenkin Place
Colorado Springs, CO 80919
As is true for all of our offerings, no one will be turned away due to financial considerations.
Steering Committee Meeting
Tuesday, December 6th, 6:15 PM Zoom
The Springs Mountain Sangha Steering Committee meets once a month for approximately 2 hours on the first Tuesday of the month. All are welcome to attend. This month will be the first meeting of the newly approved committee so the primary objective of this meeting is to determine who will take each of the roles on the committee. We also plan to have some discussions about the upcoming calendar for 2023.
Realizing the Mystery
An evening with Open Source Teachers
and
Spring Mountain Sangha Bodhi Day Retreat
Saturday and Sunday, December 10-11th
December 10th will be on Zoom and December 11th will be accessible by both zoom and in person participation
Registration is Open – email s.kelly.HLS@gmail.com to sign up
We come together for an evening and a day of meditation and companionship, to honor, inhabit and realize the beautiful strangeness of a tradition in which we find we are made of awakening, and we practice this awakening with body, heart and mind.
Springs Mountain Sangha is offering a Bodhi Day Retreat, on the evening of Saturday, December 10th and Sunday, December 11th.
We will start of the retreat together online Saturday evening at 6:30 PM with the Open Source teachers on the SMS Zoom link below. All are welcome to join Saturday evening even if you can’t attend the full retreat. There is no cost if you attend only Saturday evening.
The retreat will continue on Sunday both online and in person at Creek Bend Zendo. The day will start with optional morning tea and meditation at 5:25 AM. We will all return after the breakfast break at 9 for meditation and a Dharma Talk by Sarah Bender, Roshi and continue the retreat until 5PM.
For those in person, breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Registration is $75. Scholarships are available for the asking. Please do not let funds keep you from attending the retreat.
You can pay via PayPal here:
https://www.smszen.org/supportsms/
Please email Kelly McFarland if you plan to attend the retreat. An email to s.kelly.HLS@gmail.com letting us know if you plan to attend in person or online is all you need to do to register. If you plan to attend in person and would like to contribute salad, bread or dessert for lunch, please let Kelly know that too.
Upcoming in January
Small Group, In Person Meetings
Saturdays 10-noon starting January 7th at Creek Bend Zendo
A small in person group will begin meeting on January 7th continuing weekly for an in depth exploration of Vows and how they meet our lives. Please contact Kelly McFarland at s.kelly.HLS@gmail.com if you are interested in being part of this in person group.
Introduction to Zen Meditation with Sarah Bender, Roshi
January 8th from 9-noon in person at Creek Bend Zendo
Please contact Kelly McFarland at s.kelly.HLS@gmail.com if you are interested in attending this half day introduction to Zen. We will need a minimum of 5 people in attendance for this gathering to happen, so please let Kelly know if you plan to be there.
Suggested donation is $20 and can be placed in the dana bowl at the top of the stairs at Creek Bend. As always, no one will be turned away for financial reasons.
Open Source Email List
If you’d like to join the info/discussion group for Open Source (which is a place for you to offer your insights, spark discussions, etc. as well as receiving notices) just email the address below with your name and email address.
opensourcezen+subscribe@groups.io
AND, LOOKING AHEAD
Movie Night, Thursday, February 23 on Zoom, 7 PM
Have a movie you’d like to propose? We watch them beforehand at our leisure, and then meet to discuss.
Work in the Room
Work in the Room by telephone or Zoom can be arranged with Andrew Palmer, Sensei at alpalmer128@gmail.com or with Sarah Bender, Roshi at sembender@gmail.com. Work in the Room is a close encounter of the sacred/ordinary kind—an encounter among you, a teacher, and the great matter that is most deeply real for you right now—and what clearly matters because it shows up in a conversation about the Way, whether, on the face of it, it seems sacred or ordinary. No special undertaking is required.
Newsletter Additions
Do you have artwork, a poem or a volunteer story to share in our newsletter? If so, please send them to Kelly McFarland at s.Kelly.HLS@gmail.com.
Many Arms of Guanyin
TESSA was established in May 1977 in response to a high rate of calls to local law enforcement from women threatened or assaulted by their partners. At the time, Domestic Violence was considered a private matter and resources were difficult to locate, if they existed at all. With assistance from within the legal and philanthropic communities TESSA emerged as an information provider and resource referral service. That initial effort has evolved into a multi-faceted agency that includes a confidential Safehouse, Victim Advocacy, Counseling and Children’s Programs, a 24/7 Safe Line, and Community Outreach and Education. Through these efforts, TESSA strives to realize our vision of a community free of personal violence for all.
Fundamentally, we do three things:
1. Provide immediate safety at our confidential Safehouse for women, children, and other victims escaping abuse.
2. Empower survivors through programs and support such as Advocacy and Counseling.
3. Create a safer future through Education and Outreach to schools, businesses, and other organizations.
Ways to Give
Direct to TESSA
https://www.tessacs.org/donate/
Give!
https://givepikespeak.org/nonprofit/tessa-of-colorado-springs/
Empty Stocking Fund
https://emptystockingfundco.org/donate/
However you choose to share the love, your donation to TESSA provides safety, support, and empowerment to those impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and stalking.
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.
About Dana
During these times when we cannot meet in person, you can donate to Springs Mountain Sangha through our PayPal account. You can get to the SMS PayPal link on the SMS web site at:
https://www.smszen.org/supportsms/
You can also mail donations 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
Support for Cloud Dragon
An easy way to support Cloud Dragon, the Joan Sutherland Dharma WorksAmazon shoppers, sign in at smile.amazon.com and choose Cloud Dragon Dharma Works as the charity you would like 0.5% of your purchases to go to. It costs you nothing extra. We’re grateful for your generosity.
See also Joan Sutherland’s Patreon site,
https://www.patreon.com/posts/do-you-trust-yr-31567633
This is another good way to support Joan’s work and receive fresh teachings from her.