The storehouse of treasures
opens of itself.
You may take them and use them
any way you wish.
Eihei Dogen
A note from Sarah Bender
Dear Friends,
Here we are in the deep green of summer, the flourishing, earth full of sun’s summer power and sprouting, and flowering, and ripening. And it’s hot, this earth, and plants, animals and people are suffering in so many ways. Hard times are in front of us, and you may be grieving losses and deaths; the failures, the harm–both personal and historic, individual and systemic, that have caused Black Life, Black Lives in this country to be so full of oppression—hardship of all the kinds. And that have sickened our collective life and our individual lives, our whole culture, so that a long time of healing will be required. A lot, a magnificent and daunting mountain of healing. An intensity of intention never seen before: to see and to hear, to listen and to speak, to transform delusions, truly to set endless heartache to rest as we have vowed to do. And you may be tired.
At the same time, there’s a current of energy running strong as the sun, and intimate as the moon; there’s a sprouting, flowering and ripening of understandings that have been a very long time coming; and with the leadership of the oppressed indigenous people of all the lands, of people of color in their vast diaspora, of Black Lives Matter right here; of enslaved people and free people who remember the wisdom of their ancestors and have been bringing it forward all along, joining the wisdom of the experiences of people of all sorts, something new is happening already.
The storehouse of treasures opens of itself. Perhaps there is nothing that is not in there.
For our ongoing schedule please see our website at smszen.org
It has amazed many of us to see how rich Dharma connections can be in this time when we are meeting on computer and phone screens.
You might be surprised, if you haven’t tried it, how deep your meditation can go and how very real and fruitful conversations can be at our weekly meditation times: Monday evenings, Wednesday mornings, Thursday evenings, Saturday mornings and afternoons, and occasional other gatherings and retreats. We are fortunate indeed, and grateful for the leaders who continue to make these offerings possible.
We have gone to a single Zoom link for the whole month. To receive the links for SMS Zoom meetings , please contact both Kelly McFarland: S.Kelly.HLS@gmail.com and Jeff Wagner: jjusafa23@gmail.com
Zoom schedule has been designed to leave time for open conversation via Zoom after each of our scheduled meditations.
July
Thursdays, 6:30 PM: July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Precepts Practice Group,
with Sarah Bender, Roshi sembender@gmail.com
Saturdays, 4 PM: July 4, 11, 18, 25 Koan meditations, Sarah Bender, Roshi
Monday, July 6: Sutra Service
Sunday, July 12: Open Source One Day Retreat (see flyer below)
Monday, July 13: Community Night
Monday, July 20: Dharma Talk, Sarah Bender, Roshi
Tuesday, July 21: 6:30 PM Ecodharma group
Monday, July 27: Dharma Talk, Andrew Palmer, Sensei
~UPCOMING EVENTS~
Stepping Off the 100 Foot Pole
A One-Day Open Source Online Retreat
Sunday, July 12, 9 am – 4 pm PDT, 10 am – 5 pm MDT
Sarah Bender, Roshi; Andrew Palmer, Sensei; Tenney Nathanson, Sensei; Megan Rundel, Sensei
Free by Zoom; dana gratefully received.
(Registration information will follow, and Zoom link provided with registration)
The Gateless GateCase forty-six
Master Shih-shuang asked, “How will you step forward form the top of a hundred-foot pole?” Commenting on this, another ancient master said, “Even though one who is sitting on the top of a hundred-foot pole has entered the way of awakening, it is not yet authentic. She must step forward from the top of the pole and manifest her whole body throughout the ten directions. He must step forward from the top of that pole and manifest his whole body throughout the ten directions.“
Wumen’s commentary
If you can step forward and reveal yourself fully, there will be no place where you are called dishonorable. So, right now, tell me. How do you step forward from the top of the hundred-foot pole?
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.
Recordings of Talks
Did you know that you can listen to previously recorded talks online? Sarah Bender, Roshi’s talks are available here. This link also includes talks she has given through Pacific Zen Institute. Andrew Palmer, Sensei’s talks are available here.
Newsletter Additions?
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.
Precepts Group
Thursday evenings by Zoom at 6:30
This is a series. Some members of the group are in a process of inquiry coming from a desire to renew their Refuge Vows. Some are stepping towards taking these Vows formally for the first time. And some are there just because….because to study and practice the precepts is in itself a potent refuge right now. You are welcome to join in, even if you haven’t attended other sessions. This Thursday we’ll be taking up the first Bodhisattva Vow, I vow not to kill.
Koan Meditation Group
Ongoing, Saturday afternoons at 4:00
No previous experience with koans is required. You are welcome to join in. This week’s koan is the one at the top of this page.
Ecodharma Group
Tuesday July 21st, 6:30 pm
“How does the Dharma help us be a part of the great turning of this time?”~Roshi Sarah
It’s been an unexpected ride on our SMS ecodharma group journey, starting with the Amazon fires in late summer 2019. Here we are in July 2020 perhaps wondering at which phase we find ourselves in this journey. Some recent quotes from our group members reveal what’s currently on our minds:
“How is this ecodharma work liberating to us?”~“How is the dharma sustaining you on this arduous ecodharma journey?”~“Restorative action is going to be a tough road. Zen is going to learn from the Black community how we are going to do this.”~“Eco-justice cannot move forward without social justice.”~“How is it to ‘not know’, to bear witness, and then take action?”~“I would like to talk about some experiences I had when I lived in Alabama,…and attended some Black Congregation services,”~“The youth who work for me are an inspiration during these times.”~“Preaching is not where it’s at for me” ~“…power of love and resilience” ~“multigenerational healing”~“Young people are showing up” ~“bottom up movement”~”butterfly effect.” ~“Legislative action… But there are other things too, where we can’t necessarily see what is happening.”
Please join in the conversation, as we provide a place to listen and share, and companion each other.
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/
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
An easy way to support Cloud Dragon, the Joan Sutherland Dharma WorksAmazon shoppers, sign in at smile.amazon.com and choose Cloud Dragon Dharma Works as the charity you would like 0.5% of your purchases to go to. It costs you nothing extra. We’re grateful for your generosity.
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.