Dear Springs Mountain Sangha,
As I write this, birds are singing loudly on a
sunny morning (storm with hail yesterday, exciting!) and the cherry tree
outside my window, which was just barely budding when I arrived in New Zealand,
is covered with blossoms.
Friends back home are posting gorgeous photos of Aspen covered mountain valleys,
and it’s time to come home!
I’m very much looking forward to falling into fall with you. October
already?
Here’s a summary of opportunities for you to practice with me this autumn.
Please feel free to contact me at sembender@gmail.com with questions.
Wishing you a steadfast heart and room to revel in the Golden Wind of autumn,
Sarah
Monday evening 5:00 practice discussions:
I’ll be facilitating our sessions on October 7, 14 and 28, November 4 and 11, so that will give me a chance to reconnect with you all and offer a series of discussions. These will be koan centered and bringing in different eras of our tradition.
Work in the Room:
Regularly scheduled work in the room sessions at Shove Chapel are on Saturdays October 19 and November 19.
Announcements for these will appear the week before, so you can sign up for a time.
I also offer work in the room at Creek Bend by appointment (contact me at sembender@gmail.com). Work in the room allows a depth of practice commitment, continuity and teacher support that are not easy to access in other ways. You can come for occasional conversations with a teacher, but it’s also possible to form an ongoing teacher-student relationship.
Koans in Community:
This fall we’ll have a six-session series of koan explorations, with 3 on Saturday mornings and 3 on Sunday afternoons. This may make it more possible for some of you to engage in this practice of deep shared inquiry, which is so central to Open Source Zen.
All sessions are at Creek Bend (7528 Jenkin Place)
Sundays, 3:00 to 5:00 PM Saturdays, 10:00 AM to Noon
October 13
October 20 November 2
November 9
November 17 November 23
The Great Wheel of Life: Ceremony for the Beloved Dead
This is one of the ceremonies our founding teacher, Joan Sutherland, designed for us to use (and to further evolve). On All Souls Day, Dia de los Muertes, we gather in a simple ceremony to remember those we care about who have died.
We’ll hold it at Shove Chapel
during our Saturday morning meditation,
8:00 AM on Saturday, November 2
Retreats
Our October meditation retreat is changing location and format!
Dates: Wednesday, October 23 to Sunday, October 27
Place: Creek Bend Zendo, 7528 Jenkin Place, Colorado Springs
Format: Full schedule, but with flexibility for attendees
Commuter or residential, but rooms very limited.
Camper vans okay and hotels very close by
Part time participation is possible.
Form will be very simple and meals very basic, but the daily schedule is not altered: meditation, work in the room, Dharma talks, movement meditation, walks.
Registration and cost information will follow shortly.
Bodhi Day Retreat December 7 and 8
This retreat celebrates awakening: that of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, our own, and the awakening of all beings. As winter approaches, we plunge into the radiant darkness and join this mystery.
Watch the newsletter for details closer to the time.
We’ll keep you posted as other opportunities appear.