Springs Mountain Sangha, September 2024

September Offerings

Monday, September 2; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel
     Meditation and Sutra Service

Thursday, September 5; 6 PM, on Zoom Book Discussion with Geri Johnson

Monday, September 9; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel
     Meditation and Community Night

Monday, September 16; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Meditation and Dharma Talk with Sarah Bender, Roshi

Monday, September 23; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel, Meditation and Dharma Talk with Sarah Bender, Roshi

Monday, September 30; No Monday evening meditation – this begins our fall Open Source retreat, so meditation on September 30 is cancelled.

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

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Looking Ahead

Spring Retreat

It is time to start thinking about and planning our Spring retreat. The steering committee has done some initial work with possible places to host our retreat and it is ready to hand off to a planning committee which is now forming. If you would like to help plan this upcoming retreat, please contact Kelly McFarland at s.kelly.HLS@gmail.com

Summer Book Study Series: A Fire Runs Through All Things by Susan Murphy
with Geri Johnson

When: Thursdays, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM MT

Dates: 8/29, 9/5

Where: online only via Zoom

Let Geri know you plan to attend, at gejohnson411@gmail.com

Some copies of the book are available, so please let Geri  know if you would like to have one.

Reading Plan:

Week 5 – Pages 193 to 224 – discuss on 9/5

Fall Open Source Series

with Sarah Bender, Roshi, Tenney Nathanson, Roshi and Megan Rundel, Sensei

Beginning after the Fall retreat, the Open Source teachers will offer a discussion series on Wednesday nights. More info to come, but save the dates: Oct 16, 23, 30, Nov 6, 13, 20

Upcoming Retreats

September 30-October 5 
The whole world is medicine
An Open Source Retreat

at Bodhi Manda Zen Center
in Jemez Springs, NM
with Megan Rundel, Sarah Bender, and Tenney Nathanson

While the retreat is currently full, you can still sign up on the waiting list in case a spot opens up

As we step into Autumn, light moving inwards, the generous dark extending its arms around us, we can enter a time together steeped in silence and conversation, to hold in intimate companionship the big questions of our lives.  

Click the following link to fill out the Registration Application and join the waiting list 
https://forms.gle/r8DUysPHpsCxJM3q8

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Ongoing Meditation Schedule, All available
 via Zoom; Monday Eves available in person as well

Weekly Meditations (all times MDT) on Zoom:

• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday are 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

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Many Arms of Guanyin

There will be live music, interactive food-related stations, a silent auction, and a variety of food and drink from local businesses.  
Tickets are just $30 with early-bird pricing, so get yours today!

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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

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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 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