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25.01.2022 Sun Mountain Zen is adapting and moving online for a while! We welcome you to our virtual Zendo on Zoom every Monday from 7pm - 8pm (sitting) and 8pm-8:30pm (discussion and sharing about Zen and practice. Starting Monday 23rd March. Enter the virtual Zendo by clicking here or below from a laptop, tablet or smartphone:... https://us04web.zoom.us/j/224076089 Meeting ID: 224 076 089 Or if you want to dial in by phone then dial by your location +61 3 7018 2005 Australia +61 8 7150 1149 Australia +61 2 8015 6011 Australia Meeting ID: 224 076 089

25.01.2022 Important Notice Regarding Sesshin Registration To all planning to attend Sesshin beginning on October 14th. Thanks for those who have already registered. Some important notices: 1) If you have not yet registered and plan to do so please advise today (Monday 8th October) as preparations are being made for the week.... 2) Even if you have already responded or advised in person could you please e-mail [email protected] with times /days you are planning to attend - or if attending the full week please indicate "full-week". If any dietary requirements please indicate. Sesshin is a week long meditation retreat and provides a significant opportunity to deepen ones practice. This year it is being held from 14th October to 20th October in Brisbane. Gassho, This is the final Sesshin notice. Registrants will receive an e-mail on the evening of Tuesday 9th October with final details regarding preparation of meals etc if you dont receive this mail Tuesday evening please contact us via [email protected].

25.01.2022 Our August Zenkai (one day meditation retreat) is on this Saturday 4th August. An ideal way of extending your practice through a combination of zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin (walking meditation) and teisho (Zen talk). Details here http://sunmountainzen.org.au/zenkai-one-day-meditation-ret/ and registration here http://sunmountainzen.org.au/retreat-registration/. Our community is called Sun Mountain Zen. I took the photo below of a beautiful sun mountain recently. Its near Cairns. Anyone able to guess which mountain it is?

25.01.2022 Zenkai (online morning meditation retreat) Saturday 10th October - https://mailchi.mp//zenkai-online-morning-meditation-retre

23.01.2022 Some of the teachers and members of the SMZ Sangha have spent a wonderful long weekend engaged in deepening their practice together at our annual Mini-Seesshin - Mervyn, Cecilie, Sue, Maureen, Suzanne, Michael, Bart and Brian. Our Butsudan was refreshed with a beautiful carved circular piece from New Zealand courtesy of Michael. Weekly sittings will now recommence at St Pauls in East Brisbane on Mondays from the 14th May from 7pm - 8:30pm, on at St John Bosco Church in Kenil...worth every Thursday (note the change of day from Wednesday) from 10th May from 5:30pm to 7pm. All welcome, full instruction will be given, along with a cup of tea and some welcoming conversation afterwards. See www.sunmountainzen.org.au for more information. Gassho.

23.01.2022 SMZ newsletter with instructions for sitting meditation and notice of our online Zenkai (meditation retreat) which you can participate in from the safety of your own home - this Saturday morning - all are welcome

23.01.2022 Notice of Online Meditation Retreat / Sesshin Monday 24th August Friday 28th August 2020 (Zoom sitting 7-9 a.m. & 7-9 p.m daily with individual schedule outside of these times and Dokusan arranged with teacher). DearSMZ members and friends,... We invite you will take the opportunity of a virtual sesshin, to take time out of your usual busy schedule and Commit to sit.It is a rare and valuable gift to oneself. The title of this online retreat is Commitment to sit: Continuous Practice in the time of Covid.19 (Title inspired by teachings of the New York Zen Centre.) Details to be found on frontpage of our website www.sunmountainzen.org.au

21.01.2022 Zenkai (Online Mediation Retreat) Saturday Morning 5th September - https://mailchi.mp//zoom-zenkai-online-meditation-retreat- (Image design by Satyavajri)

20.01.2022 Links to this Saturdays meditation retreat, weekly meditation event on Mondays & meditation resources are available here: https://us16.campaign-archive.com/

20.01.2022 Our next online Meditation Meeting and Dharma Talk is 7-8:30 pm this evening Log in using this link https://us04web.zoom.us/j/224076089

20.01.2022 Every day is a good day. Before, during and after flexi-sesshin. Here's a photo of the SMZ community members who participated in flexi-sesshin this year. A special flexi-sesshin where we sat with and in memory of our dear friend, teacher and community member, Glen Wolter.... Gassho.

19.01.2022 Dharma Talk from Zoom Zazen meeting 30/03/2020 Zen in a time of Uncertainty. The Way of the Buddha is intrinsically accomplished and perfect; the principle of Buddhism is complete freedom ... (from the Fukan Zazenji [Dogens essay on recommending Zazen to everyone]) Our Zen practice is a refuge that can help us in times of uncertainty It offers stability in terms of a concrete and embodied practice we show up on our cushions or chair each day (its a daily practice) as we assume the forms (sitting practice, kinhin, mudras, gassho etc) and bodily posture (straight back, soft front, eyes half closed, etc) The forms we practice time and time again, build familiarity and ease and help us move into a space of calm and concentration. It can be a balm to the mind as our interior practice (Mu, counting the breath, following the breath, etc) brings us back to the present - time and time again - providing a respite from the many thoughts of our monkey mind - which the wisdom of the practice instructs us neither to cherish nor to chase away but simply notice as we return again and again to our practice (1000 thoughts are 1000 opportunities to return to the practice). It provides the refuge of community / Sangha - it is a social practice - we meet as companions on the way and support each other through the various activities of the Sangha - why is it that we are continuing online when we cannot meet in person? If we are studying with a teacher this social dimension is deepened with a 1-1 support/guide on the spiritual journey. It is a compassionate practice, helping us to be comfortable with not knowing and to glimpse beyond the border of the small I to see the big I which includes the needs of others around us - and to play our part in acting with an appropriate response (for guidance here refer to the Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers: Not Knowing, Bearing Witness, and Loving Action which arises out of the first two). It helps us also to be compassionate with ourselves and our own shortcomings - just as we are with others. Ultimately it can help us be at peace and find joy (the complete freedom Dogen refers to) even in a place of not-knowing where we experience the reality of impermanence and change. Indeed it is a practice for the times!

19.01.2022 Thoughts on the relationship between what you practice and what you are from 'The Eight Gates of Zen' by John Daido Loori: "Expressing gratitude is transformative, just as transformative as expressing complaint. Imagine an experiment involving two people. One is asked to spend ten minutes each morning and evening expressing gratitude (there is always something to be grateful for), while the other is asked to spend the same amount of time practicing complaining (there is after... all, always something to complain about). One of the subjects is saying things like 'I hate my job. I can't stand this apartment. Why can't I make enough money? My spouse doesn't get along with me. That dog next door never stops barking and I just can't stand this neighbourhood.' The other is saying things like 'I'm really grateful for the opportunity to work; there are so many people these days who can't even find a job. And I'm sure grateful for my health. What a gorgeous day; I really like this fall breeze.' They do this experiment for a year. Guaranteed, at the end of that year the person practicing complaining will have deeply reaffirmed all his (or her) negative 'stuff' rather than having let it go, while the one practicing gratitude will be a very grateful person. What you practice is what you are; practice and the goal of practice are identical, cause and effect are one reality. Expressing gratitude can, indeed, change our way of seeing ourselves in the world." Gassho.

19.01.2022 CHRISTMAS NOTICES Dear Friends of SMZ another year is almost over! We thank everyone who has journeyd with us this year and look forward to seeing you in the next :) A peaceful time to all over the end of year break.... Notices relating to sitting times over the Christmas / New Years and our Flexi-Sesshin in January are below. Hall Closures: * The final sitting at East Brisbane is tomorrow night and we will bring some Christmas cake to share. Sitting resumes in East Brisbane on Monday 4th February * Kenilworth is closed for sitting from the 21st December resuming Thursday 10th January. Flexi Sesshin 2019: Flexi Sesshin (Flexible Zen retreat in January) is scheduled from 22-26th January culminating in a BBQ on Saturday 26th January which all friends and family are welcome to attend - regardless or participation in the Sesshin. As part of the retreat there will be a trip to GOMA to see and reflect upon the works that form the Asia Pacific Triennial, a visit which has become part of our Flexi Sesshin Tradition. Flexi-Sesshin Registration: We encourage all people interested in attending to register now for Flexi Sesshin indicating days and times you would like to attend. You can do this via the registration form. Flexi Sesshin http://sunmountainzen.org.au/retreat-registration/ Remember whilst full attendance is welcomed - usual requirements of attendance are waived for this event so you can participate as you can. Gassho

19.01.2022 An evening to reflect on the life and work of John Vanier. On Monday the 13th May (not 15th April as previously posted) the normal East Brisbane sitting will not be on. Instead we are going to the cinema to see a documentary that will help us appreciate the life and work of the founder of LArche, John Vanier. Tickets can be purchased here:... https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/summer-in-the-forest-premie And you can find out more about the philosophy and work of LArche here: https://www.larche.org.au/model-care/philosophy-care/

18.01.2022 Hello everyone, we use mailchimp to send out our mass emails. Weve become aware that folk using gmail have not been receiving our emails. We looked into it and it seems that emails from [email protected] sent via mailchimp end up in the promotions folder if you use gmail. Can you please check and mark our emails as safe if you use gmail? If you use another email system please check the junk, clutter or other similar folder in case you are receiving our emails but they end up in the wrong place. Many thanks. Gassho.

18.01.2022 "Astonishment is a gift." Stephen Batchelor May this festive season bring you renewed opportunity to slow down, take time, appreciate and wonder.... Our retreat calendar for 2018 is now available from http://sunmountainzen.org.au/events/. Notably our first major event of 2018 will be our flexi-sesshin, a multi-day meditation retreat starting on 21st January and ending on 26th January. While maximum participation in any Sesshin is encouraged, the usual requirement for full attendance is waived in favour of flexibility of attendance so the meditation periods may be integrated with the normal activities of the week including work and family events. Flexi-sesshin offers a time for intensive practice and is an excellent way to begin the New Year! Our normal weekly meditation sittings are currently suspended for the holidays and will resume as follows in 2018: - Kennilworth restarts on Tuesday 10th January - East Brisbane restarts on Monday 29th January - Aspley restarts on Tuesday 30th January We look forward to seeing you in 2018.

17.01.2022 Our May Mini-Sesshin is approaching fast. Friday 4th May at 5pm until 11am on Monday 7th May. The schedule is here - http://sunmountainzen.org.au/mini-sesshin-schedule/. Mini-Sesshin is an ideal opportunity to gain a sense of what Sesshin is as a focussed opportunity to practice with only a small time commitment. A great way to deepen your engagement with Zen. If you want to participate in the whole Mini-Sesshin then please sign up via our website by following the link above.... If you would like to discuss participating in some rather than all of it then please contact us via [email protected] to agree on arrangements. We will close registrations on Sunday 29th April. Gassho.

17.01.2022 Lindy Lee is a respected Australian artist and Zen practitioner, many of her works explore themes connected with Zen tradition

17.01.2022 Zenkai (online) tomorrow morning - all welcome.

17.01.2022 VOW OF HUMANKIND We end every evening sitting with two chants, one of them being a version of the Vow of Humankind originally written by Hisamitsu Shinichi. It capture and expresses much. "Calm and composed, let us Awaken to our... True self, make full use of our abilities according to our respective vocations, Discern suffering, both individual and social, and its sources, Recognize the right direction in which history should proceed, joining hands as kin beyond the differences of race, nation, and class. Let us, with compassion, vow to bring to realization our deep desire for emancipation, and construct a world in which all can live truly and fully" If you are interested in the origins of the Vow you can read more here http://www.fas.x0.com/about/aboutuse.html#vow

16.01.2022 Notice: Zenkai today (21st March) will be run virtually. Sitting in own house and teisho (teaching) plus Sun Mountain Zen AGM run online using Zoom. For connection details please message us. 9am first sit. Notice: Zenkai today (21st March) will be run virtually. Sitting in own house and teisho (teaching) plus Sun Mountain Zen AGM run online using Zoom. For connection details please message us. 9am first sit.

16.01.2022 Reminder that our online Sesshin (5 Day Retreat) begins tomorrow morning at 6:58 a.m. online. All are welcome. Details available here: https://mailchi.mp//august-sesshin-2020-online-and-in-home (Photo of Nudgee Creek, Nudgee Brisbane)

16.01.2022 Hello everyone, we use mailchimp to send out our mass emails. We've become aware that folk using gmail have not been receiving our emails. We looked into it and it seems that emails from [email protected] sent via mailchimp end up in the 'promotions' folder if you use gmail. Can you please check and mark our emails as safe if you use gmail? If you use another email system please check the junk, clutter or other similar folder in case you are receiving our emails but they end up in the wrong place. Many thanks. Gassho.

16.01.2022 March 10th Zenkai & Introductory Lectures followed by Sun Mountain Zen Association AGM On 10th March we will be holding a one day Zenkai or meditation retreat at our Aspley Zendo. This is an ideal opportunity to deepen your practice or to immerse yourself and experience a day of Zen sitting. More details on the daily schedule are here along with a link to register for the event - http://sunmountainzen.org.au/zenkai-one-day-meditation-ret/. ... After this meeting (at approximately 2.30 p.m.) will be an Annual General Meeting of Sun Mountain Association to which all are welcome to attend.

16.01.2022 DHARMA TALK (MONDAY 6TH APRIL 2020) Teacher Sue Wolter Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who died in a concentration camp, wrote:... Living without mystery means knowing nothing of the mystery of our own life, nothing of the mystery of another person, nothing of the mystery of the world; it means passing over our own hidden qualities and those of others and the world. It means remaining on the surface. Perhaps we can say that living with mystery is the practice of not knowing. Bonhoeffer learned to live life as now without clinging to false hope. When Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was released from the Gulag labour camp after 8 years of imprisonment he looked back at this time and wept. He said the tears were a mixture of relief and gratitude. The gratitude was for what camp life had taught him about himself and the human heart. He discovered mystery. Mystery of himself, of creation and all that is. Tears are mystery. They arise without invitation. That is a common experience in silence and stillness. As we sit every day, or as we can, gratitude arises for this practice. We bear witness to the pain and do our best to take action where appropriate. In the Vow of Humankind we vow to construct a world in which all can live truly and fully. What that world looks like is mystery. In the meantime we enter the great pause that is Covid-19. Have you noticed the myriad butterflies? There are four young green frogs living in my bathroom they feast on the small insects at night. We take refuge here, they claim! Mervyn spoke about the Three Refuges on Saturday. We take refuge in the Buddha, we take refuge in the Dharma, we take refuge in the Sangha. The frogs know this too. Gassho Next Zoom Zazen is Easter Monday log in using this link https://us04web.zoom.us/j/224076089

15.01.2022 Dear friends, This week we are sitting in our annual flexi-Sesshin. We are sitting with thoughts of our beloved friend and teacher Glen Wolter who sadly died on the 20th January. A mat for Glen has been at the centre of the Zendo all this week.... Glen brought joy, freedom and beautiful artwork to the Sun Mountain Zen community. He often said every day is a good day and we have been using this theme throughout our flexi-Sesshin as a device for teaching and reflection. Glens funeral will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday 25th January at John Bosco Catholic Church in Kenilworth. Everyone is welcome. He lives on in all of us. May he rest in peace. Gassho. On behalf of the Sun Mountain Zen teachers Mervyn and Cecilie Lander.

14.01.2022 Join us this Saturday for our monthly online Zenkai (meditation retreat). All are welcome! 9am 11am (AEST) Saturday July 4th, including a Zen talk (Teisho). Click to join via https://us04web.zoom.us/j/373795021 Meeting ID: 373 795 021... Introductory Zen Lectures can be made available upon request to [email protected], and afterward we will have a discussion about our annual Sesshin (Weeklong Retreat) in relation to how we adapt to the impact of COVID-19. Our Chant Sheet for virtual events can be downloaded via the following link: https://drive.google.com//1HbnkGjROld8t1E0_J01Bf7ZTR/view

13.01.2022 Our flexible Sesshin (flexi-sesshin) will be on in January 2019 from the 22nd to the 26th. A great opportunity to deepen your practice beyond a one day retreat (Zenkai) and a stepping stone to a full Sesshin. More information and registration details can be found here http://sunmountainzen.org.au/flexi-sesshin/.

11.01.2022 Thank you to our Roshis, Mervyn, Cecilie and Sue who led a wonderful Mini-Sesshin over the May Day holiday weekend. Great to be able to spend time focussing and deepening the practice together. Please see our website http://sunmountainzen.org.au/ for details of our one day and multi-day meditation retreat calendar for the rest of the year.

10.01.2022 The annual Sun Mountain Zen flexi-sesshin meditation retreat was held last week and a great success. We engaged in sitting and the development of our practice, in koans, and through teishos and talks with the work of Bernie Glassman and the Zen Peacemakers organisation that he founded and which still operates despite Bernies passing late last year. You can find out more about the Zen Peacemakers here - https://zenpeacemakers.org/. If you are interested in participating in meditation with the Sun Mountain Zen community we will be starting our 2019 Monday night sittings in East Brisbane on Monday 4th February at St. Pauls Church from 7pm until 8:30pm, and our Wednesday night sittings in Kenilworth at St John Bosco Church from 5:30pm until 7pm. More details can be found on our website here - http://sunmountainzen.org.au/.

10.01.2022 Monday 27th January is the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp. To bear witness and to commit to ensuring such a place can never again be created the Sun Mountain Zen sangha will be sitting at 7pm AEST. Please join us wherever you are for 25 minutes of breathing meditation. We will not be in our normal Monday sitting location in East Brisbane as the hall is closed for the public holiday on Monday. Instead we shall sit at t...he same time in our own homes or wherever we may be. Gassho. http://auschwitz.org/en/home-page75/

09.01.2022 Thoughts on the relationship between what you practice and what you are from The Eight Gates of Zen by John Daido Loori: "Expressing gratitude is transformative, just as transformative as expressing complaint. Imagine an experiment involving two people. One is asked to spend ten minutes each morning and evening expressing gratitude (there is always something to be grateful for), while the other is asked to spend the same amount of time practicing complaining (there is after... all, always something to complain about). One of the subjects is saying things like I hate my job. I cant stand this apartment. Why cant I make enough money? My spouse doesnt get along with me. That dog next door never stops barking and I just cant stand this neighbourhood. The other is saying things like Im really grateful for the opportunity to work; there are so many people these days who cant even find a job. And Im sure grateful for my health. What a gorgeous day; I really like this fall breeze. They do this experiment for a year. Guaranteed, at the end of that year the person practicing complaining will have deeply reaffirmed all his (or her) negative stuff rather than having let it go, while the one practicing gratitude will be a very grateful person. What you practice is what you are; practice and the goal of practice are identical, cause and effect are one reality. Expressing gratitude can, indeed, change our way of seeing ourselves in the world." Gassho.

08.01.2022 Just a friendly reminder to those who sat with us today for Mini Sesshin - the link we will use tonight is the usual Monday Night one which is included below. See you shortly, Every Monday night: 7pm 8.30 pm; 2 sits, kinhin (walking meditation) and chants, short dharma discussion.... Click to join Zoom Meeting: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/224076089 Meeting ID: 224 076 089 Dial by your location +61 3 7018 2005 Australia +61 8 7150 1149 Australia +61 2 8015 6011 Australia Meeting ID: 224 076 089

08.01.2022 Tonight we sat and remembered Roshi Bernie Glassman, founder of the inspirational Zen Peacemakers, who passed away on Sunday. Learn more about Bernie and the Peacemaker tenets and practices here - https://zenpeacemakers.org//our-founder-bernie-has-passed/

07.01.2022 Zenkai (day long zen meditation retreat) coming up on Saturday 21st March. Suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners alike. More details can be found here https://sunmountainzen.org.au/zenkai-one-day-meditation-re/. Please let us know if you would like to participate - you will be made very welcome.

06.01.2022 Monday Evening Zoom Zazen - https://mailchi.mp/98094e296d69/monday-evening-zoom-zazen Join us tomorrow evenign for meditation and discussion online via Zoom. All welcome.

05.01.2022 Our online Mini-Sesshin started today (Saturday 2nd May) and runs to Monday (4th May). 9am-11am each day. Today our Teacher from Kenilworth, Sue, delivered a wonderfully creative and beautiful Teisho. In it she wove together the theme of the red (or golden) thread across Miscellaneous Koan case 15, Leunigs poem Solitude along with the words and teachings of others including Sue Murphy. Gassho, Sue.

05.01.2022 Our annual October Sesshin retreat has just finished (thank you to Mervyn and Cecilie for hosting and guiding) and we will be getting back into weekly sittings as normal in East Brisbane from Monday 16th October. 7pm start if you are interested at St. Pauls Anglican Church, 554 Vulture Street. In the meantime, a little seasonal Zen poetry to help us on the Way ... SPRING... bees humming tires spinning spring mud By Gary Snyder Does anyone have a Zen poem that they would like to share?

03.01.2022 Over 4 days in early January the Sun Mountain Zen sangha met for annual flexi-Sesshin. Flexi is an opportunity to deepen and broaden practice but in a less formal format than full Sesshin. This year we included a guided visit to the Water exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA, pictured below), as an opportunity to reflect on the focus of the flexi. Taking to heart the principles and practices enunciated by Bernie Glassman, the founder of the Zen Peacemakers, the flex...i-sesshin was focussed on learning about, reflecting on and resolving to take action to tackle climate change and the impacts that it is having globally. We reflected on eco-dharma and the role it has to play. The Sangha committed to take part in developing and implementing the emerging Sanbo Kyodan position on climate change and as part of this to measuring and reducing the carbon emissions associated with SMZ activities and for each individual member, with their own household activities. The Sangha also committed to developing a template letter to send to State and Federal MPs to ask about and advocate for action against climate change, and to both distributing the template for people to use and sending letters using the template themselves. Watch this space for some resources.

03.01.2022 Every day is a good day. Before, during and after flexi-sesshin. Heres a photo of the SMZ community members who participated in flexi-sesshin this year. A special flexi-sesshin where we sat with and in memory of our dear friend, teacher and community member, Glen Wolter.... Gassho.

01.01.2022 View our most recent circular for details on this weekends MiniSesshin (mediation-retreat) all are welcome. https://mailchi.mp/190008501697/mini-sesshin-this-weekend