Welcome to the Orlando Zen Center newsletter!
UPCOMING PRACTICE
VIDEO OF THE MONTH
TEACHING SELECTION OF THE MONTH
SANGHA SUBMISSIONS
We encourage all our Sangha members to share Buddhism-related pieces of wisdom with us. If you have anything you’d like to share in our monthly newsletters, please contact us via our website.
This month, Senior Dharma teacher Robert Lockridge shared an original poem with us:
When at times my own karma
Feels dark,
and heavy,
and fearsome
Like a great mountain
On a moonless night.
The Great Way asks,
How do you survive a
Path of fire?
Hah!
Simple as plain white rice:
Bow in tribute to the gifts
Of the universe,
Sit and awaken to true self’s reality,
Hold and be held in your truth
by an authentic heart.
* * *
This day is done,
This poem is written,
And a cooling breeze
Flows along the long shadows pointing to the east,
Bringing peace.
— RL May 12, 2013
Sangha-member Alden also shared a poem that he found particularly striking:
Watching the moon
at midnight,
solitary, mid-sky,
I knew myself completely,
no part left out.
– izumi shikibu (974?-1034) court poet
SANGHA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
We are always on the lookout for ways to give back to the community. If you know of any local group volunteer opportunities, please contact us via our website or by emailing us.
If you are interested in volunteering for certain jobs during in-person practice, please contact us as well. The jobs include opening the altar at the start of practice, performing the Evening Bell Chant, and signaling the start/end of meditation with the chukpi (wooden clapper).
DID YOU KNOW?
Orlando Zen Center is an affiliate of the Kwan Um School of Zen, an international organization of more than a hundred centers and groups.
MEMBERSHIP
By becoming a dues-paying member of Orlando Zen Center, you help support its ongoing practice and programs. You’ll also automatically become a member of the international Kwan Um School of Zen, and part of its effort to bring this teaching to new students and to other parts of the world. The practice is always free, but if you aren’t ready/able to become a dues-paying member, donations are always appreciated and help support our center.
IN CLOSING
Thank you again for signing up to receive this newsletter. We hope to grow it each month with more current opportunities to connect with our Orlando Sangha both in and outside of the Dharma room. We plan to send these newsletters out to subscribers every Monday of the week before Long Sit, so be on the lookout for our next edition on 3/16. If you would like to assist with creating the newsletter, please contact us via our website or by emailing us.