Sudden Changes
Retreat postponed and a reading to come
“The beginning—the next era—comes after the end of the last one, and in between comes a lot of falling apart.” — Rebecca Solnit, The Beginning Comes After the End
Spring Retreat Postponed to May 14-17
Adjustments due to a cat emergency have led to a change of scheduling.
Those who were signed up for April and plan to sit in May, please sign up again with your new plans for participating.
All are welcome to join us during any or all of the days. Thursday May 14 and Friday May 15 will primarily be “open zendo” hours when you can come and go and share the zendo on whatever schedule works for you, with timed formal sittings only in the early morning and evening hours. Saturday May 16 and Sunday May 17 will be fully scheduled days, with chanting services, dharma talks, and organized meals, and a request to attend the full day.
The complete schedule and sign-up sheet can be found here.
Please sign up well in advance if you plan to participate, especially if you will join us for Saturday and/or Sunday, when full day participation is preferred.
Theo is okay but needs to be confined to the inside and kept from going up and down stairs—a challenge as all who know him will recognize. More photos of his disapproval below.
A Reading Beyond the Zendo
On Saturday June 6 between 2 and 4 we’ll have a book gathering at Ben and Noah’s to discuss Rebecca Solnit’s new The Beginning Comes After the End. (You can order with a 40% discount directly from the publisher, Haymarket Books, through April. It’s also available from the library.) Save the date and watch for a notice from Ben with details closer to the time.
Work on the Front Stairs
I’ve scheduled replacement of the crumbled front steps, provisionally the last week of May. If you’re scheduled to sit on a day when the front entrance is obstructed I’ll let you know about coming around to the back. In the meantime, watch your step—and be sure to use the sign-up sheets.
A Zoom Offering from Renko at Deep Spring
The Denkōroku (Record of the Transmission of the Light) by Keizan Zenji relates the legends of our lineage’s ancestral teachers, whose names are chanted during morning service. In recounting these stories, Keizan was introducing the literary tropes of Zen to his assembly and clarifying the religious identity of the early Soto Zen community.
Join Renko Hatfield to explore this important yet infrequently read text. Expect storytelling, life lessons, and a little mandatory poetry. The first session will provide a brief introduction to Keizan and the text. It will be held over Zoom on the third Thursday of the month, from 7 - 8 pm.
People can email Renko directly at renko.deepspring at gmail to receive the Zoom information. The first meeting is this Thursday April 16.
Theo disapproves of his confinement …
