UPCOMING PRACTICE
Our regular LONG SIT (September 18), which happens the 3rd Saturday of each month from 9:00am to 3:00pm, is coming up this weekend. It is a “come as you can, leave as you must” event. All the details can be found on our website. This is a Zoom-only event. 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 What is enlightenment? by Dyan Eagles JDPSN.
TEACHING LIBRARY SELECTION OF THE MONTH
Our Teaching Library selection of the month is is Clear Mary by our founding teacher, Zen Master Seung Sahn.
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, Sangha-member Alden shared a poem:
蒲團 The Meditation Mat
蒲 團 一 片 絕 遮 攔 A single piece of circular mat has no cover or fence,
覆 天 翻 地 在 處 安 [yet even if] heaven and earth were overturned, here is peace.
聖 號 凡 名 都 坐 斷 Both sage titles and worldly fame lose their grip in the sitting,
大 千 收 在 一 毫 端 and the infinite world is reduced to the tip of a hair.
– Qiyuan Xinggang (1597-1654)
This translation is from an essay found here.
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 Robert and Jane Raymond are hosting a “take what you want” house cleanout. This residence belonged to a family member who collected many interesting things. Since they still can’t locate occasional items of value, they ask that you let them have the final say regarding anything you’d like to take. Other than that, everything must go!
Location: please email us for location
Date/Time: Tuesday, September 15th, 7:00pm to 11:00pm
Consider it a very dusty treasure hunt!
Additionally, there is an Orlando Lakes Clean Up opportunity with Keep Orlando Beautiful to help beautify a portion of Lake Eola! The event takes place on Friday, September 18th, from 9:00am to 11:00am. If you’d like to participate, click here to register. 
OZC Sangha members at a previous lake clean up event.
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 10/12. If you would like to assist with creating the newsletter, please contact us.