And Back To One

Greetings from Spring Green!

This week, about 15 of us are in Wisconsin attending summer sesshin, seven days of intensive Zen training. We spend many hours doing zazen.

At the start of the week my mind sounds something like this: Check your posture. Breathe into hara. Count the breaths, onnnnnnnnnneeeee…twoooooooo. Sit up straighter. I wonder how my mom is doing? Relax the shoulders. Ouch, my right leg is falling asleep, if I just move it a t-i-n-y little bit, will the jiki yell, “Don’t move!”?

We’ve all been there – meditating while a thundering herd of thoughts runs through our minds.

Of all the guidelines I use during zazen, the one I use most regularly is counting my exhalations and, when I lose count, coming back to one.

It’s reassuring: I lose count, I catch myself, and I can always start again with sincere effort.

“Back to one” is especially resonant right now. As you may have heard, IZL’s sister organization the International Zen Dojo of Wisconsin has purchased an old mission church near downtown Madison. Our new Madison dojo needs a lot of TLC. Every time we start one project, we discover another. “And back to one,” I remind myself.

If you can, please add your sincere effort to help the Madison dojo reach its “$20K in 20 days” goal and check out the revamped website, thanks to Anita Taylor.

PS The Higgs boson, or “God particle,” is considered the building block of the universe and lasts only a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a second—taking tiny ferociously fast loops into and out of existence—so that the universe is continuously being reborn. Read more about “going back to one” in this context in this article from the winter solstice edition of Tricycle magazine: https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/winter-solstice-buddhism/

Please join us at an upcoming Zen Leader program:

text: Collective Trauma Summit 2021 - Collective Healing in Action - September 19th through 28th

Collective Trauma Summit – Partner Event

Begins September 19, 12:00 amEnds September 28, 11:59 pmOnline

“By attending the online Summit, you will be part of creating a powerful healing container to bring light to collective trauma for the collective consciousness of humanity at this pivotal time on our planet.”

THOMAS HÜBL

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HEAL 1: Online Weekend Program

Begins October 21, 5:00 pmEnds October 24, 12:00 pmZoom – US Central Time Zone

Immerse yourself for a long weekend and see how wonderfully different you feel by Sunday.

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Zen Leader 1: Online Weekend Program

Begins October 21, 5:30 pmEnds October 24, 12:00 pmZoom – US Central Time Zone

Awaken the Zen Leader In You. Your leadership will never be the same.

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Resonate: 6-Week Program

Begins October 25, 11:00 amEnds November 28, 12:00 pmOnline – US Central Time Zone

Take this online, interactive, 6-module program at your own pace.

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HEAL 1: In-person Weekend Program

Begins November 4, 6:00 pmEnds November 7, 1:00 pmSpring Green Dojo

This rare, in-person opportunity to immerse yourself in the setting of a Zen dojo is open to the first 10 people to register.

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Zen Leader 2: Online Weekend Program

Begins November 18, 7:00 pmEnds November 21, 12:00 pmZoom – Central Time Zone

Take the next step towards unleashing your capacity to lead from your whole self.

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HEAL 2: Online Weekend Program

Begins November 18, 7:00 pmEnds November 21, 12:00 pmZoom – US Central Time Zone

HEAL 2 is where we work at removing fear, first in ourselves and then helping others. We’ll trace the roots of fear and share several ways to overcome it, along with skills to resolve conflict, empower others and deepen relationships.

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Zen Leader 3: Online Weekend Program

Begins January 27 2022, 7:00 pmEnds January 30 2022, 12:00 pmZoom – US Central Time Zone

This final program in the Zen Leadership trilogy completes your journey through the “flips” of The Zen Leader, equipping you with skills and practices by which you can sense the whole picture, seize opportunities and transform visions into value.

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HEAL 3 : Online Weekend Program

Begins January 27 2022, 7:00 pmEnds January 30 2022, 12:00 pmZoom – US Central Time Zone

The final course in the HEAL Series equips you with the physical condition to face challenging situations with resilience, joy and a sense of abundance. You’ll deepen your resourcefulness for realizing desired shifts in your practice, clinic, or system. We’ll guide you in taking on a transformation project of your choice, where you apply all the “flips” and practices you’ve learned with support from instructors and peer coaches.

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