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.
Zen Threads: The Zen threads Talk this month will be given by Kathryn Mcwilliams on Saturday May 7th. at 8:00 a.m. following three periods of mediation. Kathryn will talk about the continuing unfolding of her life after hip surgery. Discussion will follow, and we’ll close with our vows at 8:25, as usual.
Dharma Talks:
May 16 Sarah Bender, Sensei
May 23 Andrew Palmer, Sensei
Work in the Room: Saturday morning, May 21, 6:30 to 8:30 AM with Sarah Bender, SenseiIndividual meetings with a teacher, which we call “Work in the room,” are opportunities to sit face to face and take up what is most alive for you.
For a Saturday morning conversation, you’ll have up to 20 minutes. You’ll go downstairs and the teacher will be waiting there for a private conversation.
This is a chance to ask questions about your meditation practice, to ask for instruction, to explore an experience you’ve had, to investigate how your practice looks as it gets up off the cushion and travels through your day and night…..to wake up to this very life of your own.
You don’t have to have formed an individual student-teacher commitment to do this. Everyone is welcome.
This said, it is also possible to form an individual student-teacher relationship, and these can be very powerful in nourishing our practice. Ask a teacher if you’d like to know more about this.
To schedule an appointment for May 21, please contact Sarah (sembender@gmail.com)
You can also make an appointment to meet with
Andrew (alpsensei@gmail.com) or
Sarah (sembender@gmail.com) at another time.
Where: 417 Prairie Rd. CSC 80909 Parking on the side off St. Vrain and in front of house. For more information contact: Jacque Minehart jqminehart@yahoo.com
Steering Committee Meeting: May 4th 5:30 -8:30 pm at Liz Cramer’s house 533 Crystal Hills Blvd, Manitou Springs. Steering committee meetings are open to the entire sangha. Contact: Robert King kingrh5722@gmail.com
THIS MONTH
Vimalakirti Sutra Study Series with Sarah Bender
Tuesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 PM
April 26; May 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31; June 7, 14
7528 Jenkin Place
Requested donation: $10/ class
Registration is Required
contact: sembender@gmail.com
We’ve received permission to offer a Vimalakirti Sutra Study Group using Joan Sutherland, Roshi’s very rich series of talks. We’ll individually listen to the week’s talk before each class, and then have the class time for meditation with, and conversation around, the talk. The requested donation of $10/class will go to Cloud Dragon Dharma Works to support Joan’s work.
Here’s something Joan says about the sutra:
The theme of The Sutra as Spoken by Vimalakirti is nonduality, or as the Chinese say with typical pungency, not two. It’s about not two in a lot of different ways. Vimalakirti lived a life of a householder but was also deeply committed to his spiritual practice, and didn’t see those two things as different. He was a great bodhisattva, and he was sick. And this same theme of not two appeared over the next 1500 years in China, embodied in many different ways.
In the koan tradition, when presented with an apparent duality, we talk about resolving it not by choosing one or the other, A or B, but by looking for C, for that new thing that can contain and embrace A and B and create something new. Here, Vimalakirti himself is C, the reconciliation of the opposites; and so he is a great person to speak to us.
Looking Ahead
Coming up Very Soon!
June 19-25, 2016
SIXTEEN BODHISATTVAS MEDITATION RETREAT:
Our First Ever Multi-Sangha Open Source Retreat with our four Open Source Senseis: Sarah Bender, Tenney Nathanson, Andrew Palmer and Megan Rundel.
At beautiful Catamount Center, near Colorado Springs
June 19-25, 2016
Registration Deadline is May 16: coming up very soon!
Our setting is the lovely Catamount Center, near Colorado Springs. It’s a beautiful spot on the flanks of Pike’s Peak, with basic but pleasant lodging, tenting area, great vegetarian food, a Dharma Hall (and by then there will be a big yurt), a lake with a barrel sauna, a tipi, and lots and lots of space with trails. It’s a bit high, at 9,500 feet, but there will be little golf carts to help anyone who needs a boost getting around.
http://www.catamountcenter.org/geographic-setting/facilities
Excitement and energy are building as we look forward to this gathering. We hope you have saved the dates and are planning to join us.
The Open Source is the network of communities in the tradition of Joan Sutherland, Roshi, in the Pacific Zen School.
This week long meditation retreat will be co-led by our four Open Source teachers: Sarah Bender, Tenney Nathanson, Andrew Palmer and Megan Rundel.
With a full week’s retreat, there will be plenty of time for silent meditation, community koan meditation, Dharma talks, individual and collective conversation, and hanging out on the sacred ground of a young, rocky mountain at the spine of our continent.
Whether you are certain you will attend or simply thinking about it, please get in touch to let us know.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE AND CONTACT
Registration deadline is 05/16/2016, with late fees applying after that.
Click here for the registration form.
For more information and to register, please contact Steve Milligan steve_milligan08@comcast.net
COST
Full Time Options Deposit Fee (50%)
$750 – Double Room $375 – Double Room
$1,110 – Single Room $555 – Single Room
$540 – Tent Camping $270– Tent Camping
Part Time Options Deposit Fee (50%)
$125 per day (including overnight) $65 per day (including overnight)
$75 per day (no overnight) $40 per day (no overnight)
Some scholarship assistance will be available
Late Fee
$100 for full-time, $50 for part time
for registrations after the deadline, 05/16/2016
BUDDHA DAY
June 5th
Dear Friends and members of our vibrant and diverse Colorado Springs Buddhist community!
The Phap Vu Buddhist Temple (Rev. Pho Khai, Abbot), which is based in Vietnamese Pure Land and Zen traditions, isissuing a warm invitation to the Springs Buddhist community to join in the celebration of Vesak at the temple on June 5.
Vesak, or Buddha Day, commemorates Gautama Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death, or Parinirvana (final enlightenment). It is observed differently in different places, and on differing dates, but generally on or near the full moon of May. Celebrations usually include offerings of flowers and incense (perfect reminders of impermanence), chanting, singing and Dharma talks, and feasting together. It’s also traditional for each person to make some offerings of food or other necessities to those who are without; and to renew his or her own vows of generosity, making a fresh start.
There’s a pretty good Wikipedia article about the day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesak .
Rev. Pho Khai has graciously invited us to join in this celebration, at 10:00 AM on June 5.
The Temple address is 4920 Airport Road, 80916
Chanting and talks will be both in Vietnamese and English.
You can contact Rev. Pho Khai to hear more about the day and to ask how you or your group might contribute.
In particular, if there’s someone who could help with set-up of the sound system for the day, that would be very welcome!
email is pho_khai@yahoo.com
Temple’s # is 719-380-5020
Opportunities for Engagement
In the wider community (not sponsored by SMS)
BRAVERY: THE LIVING BUDDHA WITHIN YOU
Weekend workshop with Frank Berliner
May 6th-8th: a meditation intensive training at Sunwater Spa in Manitou Springs.
Frank Berliner has taught Buddhist psychology and meditation for 40 years, most recently as professor of Contemplative Psychology at Naropa University since 1995. He is the author of two books: Falling in Love with a Buddha and Bravery: The Living Buddha Within You. He is also a psychotherapist and life coach in private practice in Boulder, Colorado.
For more information, follow
This Link
Interfaith Cafe
Dear friends,
Unity Spiritual Center would like to invite you (to invite your students, friends and community members) to our first “Interfaith Cafe.” This evening of conversation is designed to move us from talking ABOUT interfaith dialogue into the actual experience of engaging in interfaith dialogue. The first gathering will be from 6:30-8:30 on April 15th and we have room for a total of 60 people to attend. There is no charge.
Ahriana
For More information or to R.S.V.P. please contact Ahriana Platten: Ahriana@UnityRockies.org