All-sans, I forgot to add a Dharma Talk in our calendar for September 30, 2025. In such cases my fallback is “Open Discussion.” So this Tuesday night we will have both a topical and open discussion.
Topics
- Review of our Fifteenth Anniversary Service on September 27, 2025 at the Church of the Messiah
- An update on my (sensei’s) health
- Zoom only for October
- FSZS business meeting on October 21, 2025
- An update on our October 29 – November 2, 2025 Retreat and Sesshin
Open (suggestions) https://www.montereybayzencenter.org/blog/2021/9/28/opps
- Flower Garden Sutra
- Independent Study
- Zen and Politics
We have much going on in our lives, sangha, country, world, and universe. One way of responding to arising stuff is to discuss it within the sangha.
This open-discussing is central to our values:
- We vow to be welcoming to newcomers and inquirers
- We vow to consider all beings as our Sangha, as best we’re able
- and to continually express the dharma through body, speech, and mind
- We vow to welcome and include all who want to learn, practice, and live the dharma
- We vow to take-up the way of listening deeply
- We vow to live a life of self-learning
- We vow to help others deepen our practice
- We vow to make no distinction between ourselves and others
- We vow to express compassion in our thought and action
- We vow to support the Guiding Teacher and Practice Leader
- We vow to pay respect and take refuge in the three treasures for ourselves and others
- We vow to create a harmonious community by mindful and compassionate behavior
- We vow to not waste this life