April 2022 Newsletter – Springs Mountain Sangha

All things return to the One. What does the One return to?

Dear Friends,

As Spring, with a little help from some rain and snow here in the Front Range, begins its magical unfurling under our feet, brightens over our heads, sings and chats among the tree branches, fattens buds just about to bursting and stirs in our own blood, we in Springs Mountain Sangha launch into a practice period.

We began with a retreat centered on one of our core readings, Taking Part in the Gathering. And indeed, a practice period is a way of taking part in the gathering. We deepen our practices and renew our vows individually, and collectively. This year, some of us began by spending some time in retreat, with darkness and light.

How does our intimate experience of the wondrous nature of being bring forth, through us, responses to the aching, heartbreaking needs of a world—-and to the beauty of the same world? This seems to me the only possible theme for practice period this year. We’ll explore it in my koan series, and in a number of other ways. Stay tuned, and come be part of shaping this exploration!

Yours in the Dharma,
Sarah

April

Sunday, April 3, 3-5 PM, Zoom: Spring Koan Series, Sarah Bender, Roshi. “All things return to the One. What does the One return to?”
Monday, April 4, 6 PM, Hybrid: Meditation and Sutra Service
Tuesday, April 5, 6:15-8:15 PM, Zoom: Steering Committee Meeting
Wednesday, April 6, 7-8:30 PM, Zoom: Open Source Koan Series with Sarah Bender. Using a radish to point to the radishes.
Sunday, April 10, 3-5 PM, Zoom: Spring Koan Series, Sarah Bender, Roshi
Monday, April 11, 6 PM, Hybrid: Community Night: Meditation and Conversation: Refuge, the core of practice period.
Wednesday, April 13, 7-8:30 PM, Zoom: Open Source Koan SeriesSunday, April 17, 3-5 PM, Zoom: Spring Koan Series, Sarah Bender, Roshi
Monday, April 18, 6 PM, Hybrid: Meditation and Dharma Talk, Sarah Bender, Roshi
Wednesday, April 20, 7-8:30 PM, Zoom: Open Source Koan Series
Sunday, April 24, 3-5 PM, Zoom: Spring Koan Series, Sarah Bender, Roshi
Monday, April 25, 6 PM, Zoom: Koan exploration, Sarah Bender, Roshi
Wednesday, April 27, 7-8:30 PM, Zoom: Open Source Koan Series

May

Sunday, May 1, 3-5 PM, Zoom: Spring Koan Series, Sarah Bender, Roshi
Friday-Sunday, May 13-15: Save the date SMS Integrative Retreat

July

Monday-Saturday, July 25-30, In Person: Open Source Maha Sangha Retreat

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

SMS Spring Koan Series

With Sarah Bender, Roshi
Sundays 3-5 PM Zoom, April 3, 10, 17, 24 and May 1
Please join us as we embark on our Spring Koan Series, led by Sarah Bender, Roshi. This gathering will take place via zoom to facilitate koan discussion and exploration together. There will be a separate email discussion list for this series, so if you would like to receive these emails, please let Sarah know by emailing her at sembender@gmail.com.

Steering Committee Meeting

Tuesday, January 3; 6:15 PM on 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. We plan to continue discussions about the upcoming calendar for 2023.

Open Source Koan Series

One Wild Word, Many Enlightening Encounters

Wednesdays 7 PM Mountain Time starting January 19
With Open Source Teachers
Andrew Palmer, Megan Rundel,
Sarah Bender and Tenney Nathanson
Koans are gateways to awakening, words for wordless transmission of the Way.
So how does that work? We’ll explore the different ways koans can come to meet us, and we can come to meet them.

This Series will continue through May 11.

Open Source In Person Retreat
July 25-30 In Person at Pueblo Mountain Park, CO

Registration is now open for
Open Source Mahasangha Retreat

A Midsummer Dream
Monday, July 25th through Saturday, July 30th, 2022
Pueblo Mountain Park, Beulah, CO

In-Person Meditation Retreat
With Open Source Teachers Sarah Bender, Roshi; Tenney Nathanson, Sensei; Andrew Palmer, Sensei; and Megan Rundel, Sensei

Taking part in the Gathering
Over pandemic time, Open Source Zen communities have become more interconnected than ever. This summer, we can finally gather in person again, streaming in from our different directions to dream a Dharma dream with the mountain pines of Colorado. Come and share koans, dreams, walks, conversations and the deep stillness of meditation under the starry skies and the new moon of mid-summer.

Daily retreat schedule includes periods of sitting and walking, Dharma talks and discussion, individual meetings with the teacher, ample time for meals, rest and walks outside.

Cost for full-time attendance starts at $650 for dorm-style accommodations

July 8, 2022 is the due-date for registration and full payment!

Vaccination and current boosters are mandatory for all participants

TO REGISTER:

Please choose one of the options below:

1. Click on this link and fill out the online registration form: online registration form
2. Click this link, download, print, fill out the registration form and mail it to the address below: registration form

TO PAY:

The registration and full payment deadline is July 8, 2022. The registrar must receive the registration form and full payment by the registration deadline. Payment may be submitted via PayPal through the “donate” button at www.smszen.org (please specify in the description that it is for the summer retreat).

Checks may be sent to Springs Mountain Sangha:

Springs Mountain Sangha
Attn: Regan Arntzen
PO Box 2613
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

The registrar for the retreat is Regan Arntzen. Please email any questions to rrarntzen@gmail.com
*Scholarships are available for the asking. Please do not let funds keep you from attending the retreat.

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.

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

Open Source Website

The Open Source is looking for help building content for a new website. Please email Megan Rundel at meganrundel@gmail.com if you are interested in joining this team.

July Open Source Retreat Planning Committee

The Open Source is planning an in person retreat July 25-30 and we need your help on the planning committee. If you are willing to join us in making this retreat happen, please email Kelly McFarland at s.Kelly.HLS@gmail.com.

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

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.