Springs Mountain Sangha
Week of January 17, 2022

Dear Friends,

This week we’ll have several different kinds of encounter with the Dharma. 

On Monday evening we’ll commemorate the life, leadership and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  It’s important that we touch in here each year, many times but especially on this date, so that we can renew our commitment to the freedom of all—because the full, unhindered liberation of people of color from the oppression they have endured and continue to endure not only requires all of us but is required for the liberation of any of us.

On Wednesday evening we’ll launch into the series that will mess around in the guts of koan work:  the many kinds of koans and the many kinds of liberation they offer.

And on Saturday, we’ll continue to bring in voices of women, and of the female in us, as we explore the experience of the second decade of life.

We hope you’ll join into these conversations, these collaborations.

Yours,

Sarah Bender

Practice together this week, all accessible via Zoom.

Reminder that Monday evenings now start at 6:00 PM

Sunday evening Candlelight Meditation
8:00 to 8:30 PM, Zoom only
just half an hour of meditation together
(You really should try this sometime.) 

Monday evening, 6:00 to 8:00 PM MDT

Dharma Talk by Sarah Bender, Roshi in honor of
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The full schedule of events can be found here https://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/butlercenter/community-collaborations/csmlk2022.html

The Open Source is beginning a new series on this week
Wednesday, January 19, 7-8:30 PM

This week, Sarah Bender will launch the series, with an introduction to some of the ways koans work the magic of crossing the inconceivable gap between here and here—and the ways we can join them.

Please note that this series will use an Open Source zoom link rather than the Springs Mountain Sangha zoom link. The link for this series is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84468205285?pwd=TnM4VC84YUdxWHdyNTFSb3ZhNk9Vdz09

Suggested donation:
$10 per session
or $150 for the sixteen week series
Donations can be made at the following website
https://www.desertrainzen.org/retreats–special-programs.html

Winter Study Series with Sarah Bender
Continues Saturday, January 22, 10-noon

This series is exploring expressions of female perspectives both within and outside our lineage, and the power they bring to our practice of the Way. 

To join the email list for this series, please email Sarah Bender at sembender@gmail.com

MEANWHILE,

Early morning meditations continue on Zoom, Monday through Saturday at 6:30.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday are 6:30 to 7:30, two periods of meditation. Often a poem or koan will drop by at some point.

Saturday we sit from 6:30 to 8:00 AM, then someone speaks for a bit and kicks off discussion. These are rich conversations!
and we close at 8:30.  Join us!

And please let us know what winter connections you find for helping each other sustain loving action in the world.

---

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

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.