Cloud Mountain Summer Zazenkai, February 24, 2024

A wild, unruly and determined group of members have pushed for resumption of some of our old, pre-Covid Cloud Mountain Saturdays.  And Roshi Susan has given way and agreed!  Very happily, in fact.

Full day attendance is, of course, strongly encouraged -- but you can also attend for just the morning if necessary, and the entire day is offered on a Dana-only basis, to help support the teaching and the temple.

Cloud Mountain is at Wattamolla Rd, Woodhill.  Train times can be found at South Coast Line timetable here: https://transportnsw.info/routes/details/intercity-trains/sco/02SCO

Warren Summers has nobly offered himself as ’point person’ for enquiries, and possibly to help you find a way to car-pool from Sydney.  It is always a lovely addition to the day to travel in sangha company.

Contact Warren at  [warren dot summers at gmail dot com]

There’s a word about the importance of Dana, below.  Please read it carefully

The shape of the day:

MORNING

10.45    Gather over morning tea (bring something small to share)

10.30 Zazen (Zen meditation) and mindful walking

12.00 Koan inquiry

12.45 Finish for the morning

(Optional) AFTERNOON

1.00 Shared lunch (bring food to share)

2.15 Zazen

3.00 Dharma talk

3.45 Finish for the afternoon

4.00 Possible swim in the creek before heading back

Theme for this zazenkai (day of practice): Zen foundations – questions of posture (of body and mind), breath awareness, the intimate state of not supposing, not opposing, not-knowing - in which everything can stand up alive, brand new, and no longer separate from you.

A Word about Dana:

Dana keeps the Dharma alive. In accordance with the 2,500-year-old Buddhist tradition of Dana (‘self-donation’), this opportunity for practice and teaching is provided free of charge, relying on your gift in return in the form of financial support, offered according to your means.

Dana, pure giving, is non-compulsory and has no prescribed rate, but thrives in a spirit of gratitude and generosity. Offering and receiving are freed to complete each other, as one enlarging move of the heart.