Auckland Zen Centre Newsletter October 2015
From Amala-sensei
Survey
At our Sangha brainstorming back in May, a committee (Celstyna Galicki, Anthony Pashkov and Fern McRae) was tasked with gather ing information on the challenges people face in trying to practice Zen in Auckland. We hope to turn that data into strategies which develop our community and strengthen the Sangha. If you haven't already completed the survey (sent Tuesday), please take a few minutes to do it -- your feedback could help us to help! And, many thanks to the sixty-plus people who have already participated.
New Trainees and New Plans
Recently we have had several people join us for residential training. Kathryn Argetsinger was here briefly in August, staying in the former dokusan line area behind some folding screens. Chetan Kumar was here for several weeks, and now Jared Elliot is staying, back from trying out life in a Forest Monastery in Australia for a few months. He has been joined by Dylan Morgan from Hamilton. The spike in demand for residential training has informed our recent explorations into the possibilities for developing the Centre's facilities further. One of the other things that came out of our brainstorming back in May was that we needed to make any building plans (we had talked about doing caretaker's quarters first) in the context of the big picture, that is, our long-term vision for the Centre. Decent living quarters for residents is a part of that vision, and so is strengthening community. Our Building Task Force (Grant George, Helen Gallagher, Peter Christensen and me) is presently exploring permutations for utilising the space we have at 52 Princes Street, as well as ways to stage and fund a project. A lot will depend on what our planner advises us is possible under the new Unitary Plan, and we will keep everyone posted once we have completed the research phase of the process.
Priest and Trainee Support Fund (PTSF)
Over the years our small community has been able to provide some financial support for people wishing to do full-time training. The Centre assisted Kathryn Argetsinger on some of her later trips, mostly with travel costs, and now provides Helen Gallagher with a small stipend towards living expenses. So far the Centre has managed only a modest payment, and unless a person has some savings, he or she may not be able to cover unexpected large expenditures such a dental work, a visit to a specialist medical practitioner or travel for a family emergency. And of course the longer a person is in training the more likely it is that her savings will have dwindled. As it grows the Centre may be able to increase the level of the stipend, but in order to immediately address this need the Trustees have established a fund, the PTSF (Priest and Trainee Support Fund), administered by me, into which the Centre will contribute an amount annually from next year, with the aim of creating some reserves over time and possibly even an endowment at some stage. Donations and bequests for the fund will also be gratefully received. As well as being a recourse for cash-trapped trainees, the fund will offer people another opportunity for practicing the Paramita of generosity in a very concrete way. Since ancient times dana has been a pillar of Buddhism, with some people in a position to put their time into practice and others more able to offer material assistance. Both are necessary and both help to create good practice conditions for everyone involved. If you would like to contribute to the fund, just let us know your donation is for the PTSF.
Sensei
News
Pause in North Shore Sittings
North Shore sittings at Kate and Robin's house are suspended until further notice, as they are having to convert their zendo back into a bedroom for a while. The sittings may resume in the New Year.
New Auckland Zen Centre Facebook Page
For the last few years, we have been running a discussion group on Facebook for sharing ideas, articles and other information relevant to Zen practice. More recently, we've set up an official AZC Facebook page, for posting announcements from the Centre.
To join either of these, first log in to your Facebook account then follow the steps below:
Log into Facebook, and search for "Auckland Zen Centre", and click the "Like" button. This means you'll receive the official updates.
To join the discussion group, log into Facebook, and search for "Auckland Zen Centre Discussion Group" and ask to be added to the group. You can post in this group. New posts are moderated (to avoid spam).
If you have questions or ideas about other ways to help people from around the world who have a connection to Auckland Zen Centre stay informed about us, please email Sally (sally@aucklandzen.org.nz).
New Books in the Library
There have been a number of acquisitions and donations to the library lately. We now have several good books on mindfulness for children, as well as a greater selection of children's picture books. The Centre was also donated a beautiful collection of large format vegetarian cookbooks and some volumes of Ajahn Sumedho's (Thai Forest Tradition) teachings.
