Springs Mountain Sangha, January 2026

All times listed below are Mountain Time

January Offerings

Monday, January 5; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Meditation and Sutra Service

Wednesday, January 7; 6 PM, on SMS Zoom, Open Source Koan Series

Thursday, January 8; 6:30 PM, on Zoom, Great Matter Series with Sarah Bender, Roshi

Monday, January 12; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Meditation and Dharma Talk by Sarah Bender, Roshi

Thursday, January 15; 6:30 PM, on Zoom, Precepts Group with Sarah Bender, Roshi
Please note the new time

Monday, January 19; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Community night, Precepts recitation and conversation with Percy Pellerin in honor of MLK Day. Percy will reflect on the history of his own family, which is fascinating!

Tuesday, January 20; 6:30 PM, on Zoom, Steering Committee Meeting – all are welcome

Wednesday, January 21; 6 PM, on SMS Zoom, Open Source Koan Series

Thursday, January 22; 6:30 PM, on Zoom, Great Matter Series with Sarah Bender, Roshi

Monday, January 26; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Meditation and Dharma Talk by Sarah Bender, Roshi

Tuesday, January 27; on SMS Zoom, SMS Movie Night, Movie will be announced as the ate gets closer

Thursday, January 29; 6:30 PM, on Zoom, Precepts Group with Sarah Bender, Roshi

KOANS FOR THE NEW YEAR
with Open Source Teachers

Megan Rundel, Tenney Nathanson and Sarah Bender

The Gate of Not Knowing: Types of Koans

Every other Wednesday Evening, 6:00-7:00 MT
January 7 and 21, February 4 and 18
on the SMS Zoom

In our winter koan series, Sarah, Tenney, and Megan will explore some of the different types of koans we encounter in our curriculum and the invitation each offers to us. Join us as we take up the different facets of koans and life, along with some meditation and conversation along the way.

Candlelight Meditation

Every Sunday from 8 to 8:30 PM, you are invited to join candlelight meditation online. Simple and lovely.

The Great Matter of Livingdying
a series of conversations with Sarah Bender

continues Thursday, January 8 and 22, 6:30-8 PM MT
Zoom Zendo

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.
sembender@gmail.com

Refuge and Precepts study series:
Refuge in the Bodhisattva Way

Continues 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.

This month we will meet January 15 and 29 at 6:30 PM Mountain Time. We have spent time with each of our 10 Bodhisattva vows so on January 15th we will begin our slow walk through the Four Boundless Vows.

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.

Habitat for Humanity Interfaith Unity Build Day

Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity is organizing faith communities around the region to participate in volunteer Interfaith Unity Build Days for their construction projects. This is a great opportunity to give back to the community, connect with others, and learn new skills!

The next opportunity is going to be on Saturday, February 7th, located in the Sand Creek subdivision (near Platte Ave. and Wooten, just a few blocks east of Asia Pacific Market). No previous experience in construction is required.

Please contact Hunter, hunter.groves@live.com, if you’re interested in helping out!”

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

February 8 half day retreat with Megan Rundel

Not Too Loose, Not Too Tight:
Concentration in Zen Practice
Megan Rundel Sensei

9-noon MT on the SMS Zoom

In this half-day retreat, we will explore traditional Zen concentration practices and play with approaches that are not to tight and not too loose in koan practice.

Cost of this retreat will be $30 which can be sent to SMS by paypal or mailed to our PO Box at

Springs Mountain Sangha
P.O. Box 2613
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

For more info and to register, contact Kelly, coordinator at s.kelly.HLS@gmail.com

Other Retreats (details to be announced)

May 24 Buddha’s Birthday retreat

June 5-7 Integrative retreat

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

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:

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

Habitat for Humanity Interfaith Dialogue

Together, We Overcome Barriers to Build Stability
Sunday Feb 1, cost $10

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