March 20, 2015
Springs Mountain Sangha
April 2015 Newsletter
2015 Spring Retreat
April 13-19
The Abbey, Canon City
“Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Springs comes,
and the grass grows, by itself.”
-Matsuo Basho
First, words from our Senseis
Dear Friends,
Each April, our Colorado Open Source community (including Springs Mountain Sangha and Wet Mountain Sangha) comes together for a week-long meditation retreat. As new life quickens in the ground and pushes toward sunlight and air, we take time to join this deep meditation of the world. Our retreat will include a Ceremony of Taking Refuge in the Bodhisattva Way. Some members will formally take refuge, speaking their personal vows and receiving the precepts as they take up the Bodhisattva Way.
The retreat itself is a vow both individual and collective, as we put down the habitual patterns and activities of our days and join into a rhythm of waking and eating, sitting, walking and being cared for, in silence—and it is refuge, a place where we come together and can be utterly and simply this.
A refuge ceremony strengthens this vow quality. Its power strengthens and nourishes all as it permeates the retreat and flows on through life itself.
We very much hope you will join us,
Sarah and Andrew
Contact persons: Steve Milligan steve_milligan08@comcast.net or (719) 633-5925; or, Sarah Bender, Sensei at sembender@gmail.com
You can see the full notice for the Spring Retreat on the SMS website at: https://www.smszen.org/2015-spring-retreat.
Please note!!! This retreat affects the April WITR schedule see below
Ongoing Events
Newcomer Orientation:
2nd Monday of the month, CC Shove Chapel, Dharma Hall upstairs at 5:45 pm to meet anyone who would like some orientation to meditation, to our tradition, or to our sangha and customs.
Dharma Study and Discussion:
Each Monday 5:15 pm, CC Shove Chapel, Dharma Hall downstairs.
Zen Threads: April 4th
Mary Montoya will give the Zen Threads talk this month at 8:00 am following three periods of meditation. Discussion will follow, and we’ll close with our vows at 8:25, as usual.
Once our nomadic Dharma hall is packed away, all who are interested will go to Wooglins for breakfast and more conversation.
Dharma Talks:
April 20 Sarah Bender, Sensei
April 27 Andrew Palmer, Sensei
Work in the Room: April 18th
Cancelled due to Spring Retreat
Steering Committee Meeting: April 1
Contact: Robert King @ kingrh@comcast.net) for updated information
Spring Koan Series
When: Mar. 29, April 5 and 26, May 3 and 17, 3:00-5:00
Where: Creek Bend Zendo
Looking Ahead
Deep Listening with Jane Rigler and Mary Jane Sullivan, Monday, July 6th
Deep Listening© is a method developed by Pauline Oliveros and several of her colleagues (starting around the 1970s to the present day) that gently gathers together a global community to attend to the world around us by developing our sense of hearing. One of the objectives of Deep Listening is to notice the difference between hearing and listening, but there are, in fact, many intentions behind this philosophical method.
Jane Rigler (musician) and Mary Jane Sullivan (poet, philosopher, film-maker) are both undergoing a three-year Deep Listening Certification Program with Pauline and other mentors.
We have invited Jane and Mary Jane to present Deep Listening to us during our meditation. We have experienced Jane once before when she brought her flutes and took us to lovely creative places.
For a complete calendar of 2015 retreats, please go to our website at smszen.org