Creative Program update!

Hi All,

• I want to thank those of you who were able to come to the presentation Steveand I made last Sunday at the Zen Center. We will be doing a repeat of thepresentation very soon as there were several people who could not come, butindicated they would come if it was held for a second time.

• While the topic of the presentation concerned how a student and teacher canwork together in a way that takes advantage of the student’s interests ineveryday life, there also was the news that we presented at the end of ourdiscussion that a non-profit gallery in Solano Beach (where William andAlessandra were married) is interested in our Zen Center hosting an art showduring the month of May.

• It is fascinating to me that something several of us have envisioned for a longwhile, a gallery showing, may be able to become a reality just as Steve and Iwere wanting to bring our practice together to the community as a whole.

• All of you are creative in some way and it is my desire to work with you in away that supports your traditional Zen practice with your everyday life activities- especially those activities which bring you great joy and which you choose todo whenever you can.

• I have already spoken to several people about the possibility of themparticipating in a gallery show in May put on by our Zen center. Many of youhave already said you will participate and I am now turning to the sangha as awhole to see how many of you are interested in playing/working with us inputting together something very special and very much our own.

• We want to display a variety of talents including, but not limited to,paintings, poetry, cooking, the Way of Tea, Origami, flower arranging, and anyothers I am leaving out. We will have a broad Zen Buddhist theme to work off ofand in this spirit show one or two films with discussions afterwards. We wouldlike to have one evening set aside for a discussion of how a community can worktogether to do just what we are doing and what might be the expected resultsfrom working in this manner.

• As it is being thought of now we would have four weeks (and four weekends) toshow our visual art pieces and different days where activities such as the Wayof Tea, Poetry/Prose readings/Film presentations/etc. would be scheduled forvisitors to come and participate in our activities, either as audience members,or as actually sharing in the presentation as might be exemplified by The Wayof Tea.

• We are aware that many of us are brand new at something like this, but that isvery much a part of the beauty and fun of the challenge. Our Zen practice isabout stepping out into the unknown and seeing what we make of it and what welearn in the process. Those of you who do not see yourselves participating as”creators” of a specific form of art are needed as much as anyone else to helppull it all together. There is a lot of work involved in planning,installation, and helping coordinate the various events being planned. I seethis as a project where everyone is needed and, I hope, everyone will choose toparticipate.

• The gallery is a non-profit business and the goal is to raise money to help thegallery get its start and to help it raise money for local needs, such asrelief for the victims of the recent fires. Because the point is to help raisefunds we will be donating our time to help this event take place and we willcontribute some funds to its execution. Those people who are showing theirvisual art will be asked to make a financial contribution to participate and toshare a percentage of the proceeds they make on each sale. For activities likethe Poetry/Prose Readings or the Way of Tea the people who come to visit thegallery and attend the Readings or Way of Tea will be asked to make a donation.The Zen center itself will make a contribution to help offsetadvertising/printing costs.

• Steve, William, Alessandra, and I have been meeting with the owner of thegallery and we have told him we would get back to him in about ten days to lethim know if we are really wanting to go ahead with this project and make it areality. We need to hear from each of you and we need to know if you think thisis a project you can support both through your own creative endeavors or byyour willingness to help make it happen by providing logistic and other supportas it arises. 

• I think this is a great opportunity for our sangha, and for each of us asindividuals, to share what we are learning and experiencing as Zenpractitioners. 

• If you willjoin those of us who are considering moving forward with this adventure andchallenge please call or e-mail me within the next week so we can talk moreabout what is involved. I’m hoping you will want join us and see what amazingadventures might be awaiting us!

 Thanks,Jake Sensei