Springs Mountain Sangha, July 2024

July Offerings

Monday, July 1; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel
Meditation and Sutra Service

Tuesday, July 2; 6:15 PM Steering Committee Meeting
Steering Committee meets monthly on zoom.
Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings.

Monday, July 8; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel
Meditation and Dharma talk with Sarah Bender, Roshi

Friday, July 12th, MOVIE NIGHT
Grab the popcorn and join us for a movie night at 7:30 pm Mountain Time on 12 July to discuss “The Monk and the Gun”!

In 2006, as Bhutan prepares to hold its democratic election, Bhutanese government stages a mock election as a training exercise. In the town of Ura, an old lama instructs young monk Tashi to procure some firearms by way of preparation for the impending upheaval. Meanwhile, American visitor Ron Coleman arrives in the country to acquire for a weapons collector an antique rifle – which by chance falls into the monk’s hands…

Winner of the Showcase Audience Choice Award at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival and a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, “The Monk and the Gun” was an international collaboration between Bhutan, Taiwan, the US, France, and Hong Kong. It is currently available on Kanopy (public library website) or other streaming options.

Monday, July 15; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel:
Meditation and Community Night, including vows and discussion

Friday, July 19-21 in person at Creek Bend Zendo
Integrative Retreat with Sarah Bender, Roshi

Registration is open! email frank.actis@gmail.com to sign up

In an integrative retreat, we move back and forth between silent meditation
and conversation, taking up a juicy story of transformation as our own,
in the koan way. Lunches are provided.
Cost is $150, scholarships available.

Monday, July 22; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel:
Meditation and Dharma Talk with Sarah Bender, Roshi

Monday, July 29; 6 PM, on Zoom & in person at Shove Chapel:
Meditation and Wayfaring Mind Talk with Frank Actis

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

Looking Ahead

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: 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, 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 1 – Pages ix to 25 – discuss on 8/1
Week 2 – Pages 28 to 73 – discuss on 8/8
Week 3 – Pages 75 to 128 – discuss on 8/15
Week 4 – Pages 129 to 192
(matches up with skipping 8/22 and gives everyone more time to read) – discuss on 8/29
Week 5 – Pages 193 to 224 – discuss on 9/5

Upcoming Retreats

July 19-21
Integrative retreat
with Sarah Bender, Roshi

THE STORY OF VASILISA the BRAVE
A Russian Tale of Transformation

A Weekend Integrative Commuter Retreat

7 PM Friday, July 19 to 3 PM Sunday, July 21
at Creek Bend
with Sarah Bender, Roshi

Creating a retreat is a wonderful part of our life in Springs Mountain Sangha.
Together, we bring into being a community for our own practice, as well as for the practice of others.

Please respond right away if you plan to attend,
and let us know if you are able to be part of making it happen. We are asking people to register by the end of Friday, July 12th, but please register as soon as you can so we understand who is able to attend.
email frank.actis@gmail.com to sign up

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

Registration Due:9/6/24

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
https://forms.gle/r8DUysPHpsCxJM3q8

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

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

Many Arms of Guanyin

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

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 selecting the donate icon:

Or you can mail a check 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

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