Hi Everyone,

• This week there are several things on the agenda. First of all, Steve and I will be offering this Saturday night a repeat of our presentation of how we work together combing Zen and Art Practice. We will start at 6:00 p.m. with a potluck dinner and encourage any of you who could not make it the first time, please join us Saturday night. 
• Sunday morning, after sitting, we will have a follow-up meeting to discuss how each of us will be involved in our artistic presentations for our show at the Solano Beach gallery during the month of May. I want to ask each of you who was here this past Sunday to join us again and, equally important, those of you who could not come last Sunday, to please join us this time around. It is an exciting opportunity for the Vista Zen Center and for each of us so I hope you all will come.
• Immediately following the gallery meeting, I will conduct the first in our next series of Jukai classes for those who are considering taking Jukai (receiving the precepts) or would just like to know more about what it means to be a Zen practitioner. 
• We will hold one of these classes about every six weeks with a goal of holding the next Jukai ceremony this summer.
• Our next Zazenkai (all day retreat) will be Sunday March 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Please let me know which of these events you plan on attending. Thanks!
• And this week’s quote from Shunryu Suzuki Roshi:

“Even if the sun were to rise from the west, The Bodhisattva has only one way.”   Have a wonderful week!  Jake Sensei

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

To one and all the very best in the coming new year.Keep your feet warm and your head cool, and remember, I’ll be watching you!  

Vista Zen Center will be open to anyone wishing to practice zazen. 

• 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. – Monday through Friday
• 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – Sunday
• 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m – Thursday

 Instruction is available. Please call in advance or arrive at least 20 minutes prior to zazen. 

One of the great national parks is just 20 minutes west of Las Vegas. This is a late summer photo taken after a thunderstorm.

Hi Ya’all, I’m testing to see how photos show up on the blog. 

This is an example of a blog. We’re considering using this format to announce events that take place at Vista Zen Center, make available podcasts and video blogs, and also to create an arena where members can voice opinions about practice. The blog you’re looking at is just an example of what is possible. Categories can be created for whatever interests you. You will be able to write whatever, whenever. You can post a poem you wrote, say “Hello” to friends, complain about the teacher, propose ideas for social action, review books and movies — gosh darn anything you can think of can be added to this blog. This blog would also take the place of the announcements that Jake emails every week. He’s still email a quote encouraging practice, but the “nuts and bolts” of all the different programs would be here.Think of this as a website, except that now you can add your “Two-cents” to the pot.I’ve chosen this particular theme just to illustrate what is available. More themes can be seen at www.wordpress.comPlease take a minute to check this blog out and if you like or dislike the idea, let Jake know. Communication is the cornerstone of, well, eh — communication, and if nobody lets us know what the think then – oh, what a lonely world it will be.ThanksScott 

Hi Jake,This is an example of how well a blog can work for the center. Each of these posts can be designated to one or all of the categories listed on the right hand side of this page.click the FOUR VOWS DISCUSSIONYou can also add photos and all kinds of stuff.I’ve set this up with a lot of filler just to show how it would look.If you go to WordPress.com you can select any one of 50+ themes.Let me know what you think.Quite frankly, this will eliminate a large amount of time on your part returning calls about events and programs and you’ll only have to post the information once.Scott 

• No sitting here Christmas morning, but we will be here the rest of the week. 
• Our New Year’s Eve sitting begins at 9:00 p.m. with music and socializing followed by zazen at 11:00 taking us into the New Year. About 12:15 we’ll share a potluck of whatever strikes your fancy to bring if you can join us. If you can’t be here with us in person,I highly recommend meditating through the midnight hour. It’s been a tradition of mine for almost forty years and I can think of no other way better to start off the New Year.
• Our beginning of the year sesshin starts January 2 and will finish with a Jukai ceremony January 6. The ceremony will start at 10:30 a.m. after our regular 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning zazen practice. Linda, Steve, and David will be taking Jukai and I invite you all to join us. 
• If you are planning on attending New Year’s Eve, any part of the sesshin, or the Jukai ceremony, would you please contact me and let me know of your specific plans.

Holiday Greetings and Happy Winter Solstice,I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. I know many of you will be traveling this year to wonderful places like Hawail and Italy, just to name two I know of, and I certainly hope everything goes smoothly. We will not be sitting here Christmas morning, but we will be here the rest of the week.Our New Year’s Eve sitting begins at 9:00 p.m. with music and socializing followed by zazen at 11:00 taking us into the New Year. About 12:15 we’ll share a potluck of whatever strikes your fancy to bring if you can join us. If you can’t be here with us in person,I highly recommend meditating through the midnight hour. It’s been a tradition of mine for almost forty years and I can think of no other way better to start off the New Year. Our beginning of the year sesshin starts January 2 and will finish with a Jukai ceremony January 6. The ceremony will start at 10:30 a.m. after our regular 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning zazen practice. Linda, Steve, and David will be taking Jukai and I invite you all to join us.If you are planning on attending New Year’s Eve, any part of the sesshin, or the Jukai ceremony, would you please contact me and let me know of your specific plans.I’ve asked Linda, as part of her practice, to help me out by sending me a couple of quotes each week that I might use. When you see her mentioned as the source of the quotes she is doing so to help me and to help deepen her understanding. Any one of you may send a quote at any time and I will very likely use it. It’s a great practice and will take you into areas of study you do not expect. If you are interested in this as a personal practice, please let me know and we’ll make it happen.Today’s quote from Linda:From The Diamond Sutra translation by Red Pine, in the commentaries“In our thoughts, the moon may be full or new, bright or dim, present or not present, but the moon itself has none of these characteristics. The moon is just the moon.”May your holiday season be filled with joy, Jake