Ah, it’s a good thing we students of Zen are enthusiastic about change, isn’t it? Big changes, little changes, so many changes. The old Monastery is no longer ours. A new Monastery has not materialized. This means no in-person practice center. Thus, we have realized, it makes no sense to have a Sunday morning group primarily for folks in California who sat at the Center in Mountain View or at the Monastery in Murphys. Our closest Sangha is now in the Pacific Northwest, yet we have no ability to welcome them to a meditation and group discussion here. Oh, my. Plus, if that weren’t change enough, there’s the monthly newsletter to consider. From the Guide had already morphed into the weekly blog from Sequim. Without a physical location we have no kitchen to report from, no photos from the property, and no residents to write about the garden or Everything Is the Buddha.
For these reasons we have a new format for the newsletter and other communications. Week one will be news from Sequim, week two will be news from Kantolomba, week three will be a practice report, and week four will be the Musings article. We shall endeavor to keep everyone up to date and properly informed.
Speaking of keeping people informed…
Apparently, I confused folks with my “Possibility” note. People didn’t understand that I was suggesting refusing to contribute to the financial gains of those so concerned with their profits that they won’t address the gun violence in the nation. To be clear: the suggestion is that July 4 be a day of national protest, a “financial sit-in” if you will. The statement is made that the citizens intend to take back the ability to choose the country they want, and the way that will be accomplished is to cut off the flow of financial profit to those willing to sacrifice the country to their bottom line.
One person wrote in with an addition to the program—make July “No Buy July.” Refuse to spend a single dollar on anything not necessary to keep body and spirit together. Food, yes. Gas to get back and forth to work, if necessary. But nothing extra. One month like that and big business, big politics, and big media would be eager to at least appear to do as asked. Especially if there was the possibility of “Profit Bust August.” (Okay, not quite as catchy, but someone would come up with the needed message.) If you’re interested in such a thing, you can let us know and we will pass along your information to those taking this on. It would be grand to come up with a message that would go viral….
And…
I’m pretty sure I neglected to give an update on Lomi, the in-house composting machine. It is fabulous. I’ve made a giant mess over the past 8 months attempting to be a good composting citizen. What I have is a great big pile of stuff that may compost in the next couple of years. Maybe. But with Lomi? Put in scraps from the day, fire it up, and remove in a few short hours what can be returned to the earth as is. I don’t think I’ve ever been so in love with a machine, and I’ve loved some machines in my day.
Something new in the change department: a Sangha get together! A Socratic Email class, June 20 - July 17. For details and to sign up, visit our website.
In gasshō
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