Welcome to the Orlando Zen Center Newsletter!
UPCOMING PRACTICE
Our regular LONG SIT (Mar. 21), which usually occurs on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 9:00am to 3:00pm, is canceled this month. We hope to see you next month, Apr. 18th!
Sunday Evening Practice is every Sunday, 6:30pm to 8:00pm on Zoom and in-person at The New Romantics bookstore.
More information about the schedule can be found on our website.
VIDEO OF THE MONTH
Our teaching video of the month selection is “You Already Have It: A Zen Teaching About Awakening” by Tony Sager, JDPSN.
TEACHING LIBRARY SELECTION OF THE MONTH
Our Teaching Library selection of the month is “Listen with Intention, Hear with Compassion” by Kathy Park, JDPSN.
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 or by simply replying to this email.
This month, Sangha-member Alden shared an original poem with us:
We find a character
drawn in the corner
which means nothing
Clouds in strata
Turning in every direction
blossoms proliferate there
transparent multitudes
dancing in the light dawn wind
Yesterday, remind me
what were my reasons
for sighing?
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.
This month, Sangha members Anamaria and Andrew connected with Jeannie from the Farmworker Association of Florida and are in the process of setting up a recurring monthly volunteer day to help with their community garden. This will most likely be the last Saturday of each month, 9:00am to 12:00pm, at their Apopka location. FWAF has many additional volunteer opportunities and is excited to work with us. If you are interested in volunteering, please reply to this email or speak with Andrew at Sunday-evening practice. We hope to begin volunteering next month.
Additionally, Sangha-member Susie reached out to Carver Middle School to coordinate a supply-drive. The school is looking for the following items:
Notebooks, loose leaf paper, pencils, pens, highlighters, folders, backpacks
Hygiene items for students including deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and small personal care items
If you would like to donate any of these items, please bring them to Sunday-evening practice or contact us. We plan to collect these donations for the next several weeks, then coordinate a drop-off. We also hope to make this a quarterly supply-drive, donating to an underfunded school in our area each quarter.
Lastly, there is a cleanup volunteering opportunity at Lake Rowena with Keep Orlando Beautiful on Apr. 11th, 9:00am to 12:00pm. If you are interested in joining, please click here to visit the opportunity details page, then click the green “Sign Up” button. When signing up, specify that you are with a group, and select Orlando Zen Center. We hope to see you there!
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 chugpi (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 4/13. If you would like to assist with creating the newsletter, please contact us via our website or by emailing us.