Fall President Greeting

Sangha-wide meeting on ZRS financial future
Saturday, November 3, 2018, following practice
You are invited to bring a dish to share

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Dear sangha family and friends,

The solstice has passed and the days are getting shorter now; soon the evenings will be chilly again, and not so very long after that, the snow will begin to fall and another year will have come and gone. Time and life do not wait for us; our observation of reality shows us the truths of sickness, old age, and death. This is the “great matter” of birth and death, and our matriarchs and patriarchs exhort us to take heed and to attend to our practice so we can wake up, be liberated, and share this liberation with all sentient beings.

Our lives are busy and full–and we often feel acutely that they are stressful, difficult, confusing. We are all deeply blessed, though–we have a strong sangha, an excellent facility to practice in, multiple opportunities to fit service and practice into our schedules so that we can return to our contemplation of the great matter. I have seen in my experience how this practice enables me to engage with the aspects of my life that seem overwhelming or uncertain, as I think many of us have. There is a strength and capacity for presence and curious, sincere engagement that grows out of meditation.

The sangha will be calling on this curiosity and sincere engagement from all of us this season. On November 3rd, we will be holding a potluck and meeting after our regular sit, in order to discuss the sangha’s desires,

capacity, and ideas for our financial goals and the continuation of our community and practice. We have the fortune of material support for our activities due to the great generosity of many, but we as a community also have the responsibility to determine what we feel is sustainable and necessary in the long-term. Please do all that you can to hold this date on your calendar and to attend this sit and meeting, and watch for more information to be released on the email list as the date approaches.

Liaoran Tess Grey