Appeal: Help Increase Accessibility, Inclusivity and Safety
Lots of news from the Zen Center this month. We are building ramps for accessibility, testing using the 113 House for hosting classes and events for Zen Center and other groups while taking steps to ensure the safety of the center. We would appreciate contributions in any amount to help with these projects. Read more details on the vandalism, updates, and future plans below.
If you have questions or would like further information, please contact:
Lisa (noble@cruzio.com) or Sara (sara_marisa_m@yahoo.com).
or call (831) 457-0206 to leave a message and we will return your call.
If you prefer, you may mail your donation to: Santa Cruz Zen Center, 113 School Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Spring 2023
Dear Sangha:
Santa Cruz Zen Center is an active place! The SCZC Board of Trustees wants to ensure that the Sangha is aware of recent events and future plans we are considering that support the mission and vision of Santa Cruz Zen Center.
Mission
The purpose of Santa Cruz Zen Center is to embody and communicate the teachings of the Buddha. Our understanding of the non-duality of wisdom and compassion, practice and realization, has been conveyed through the teachings of the Soto School. The focus of our center is on integrating Zen practice and everyday life.
Vision
The vision of Santa Cruz Zen Center is to keep alive the Buddha’s open-hearted way, compassionately engaging with ourselves, our community, and our world.
In February 2023, the Board took action to increase accessibility and inclusivity at the Zen Center. Reverend Gene Bush and a Sangha member built a ramp from the zendo porch to the concrete so that people using wheelchairs are able to join others on the concrete for activities such as sipping tea, doing kinhin, full moon ceremonies held outside, and sewing. We also purchased a temporary ramp to make the 113 School Street house (the SCZC-owned property next to the zendo) accessible to people using wheelchairs so that they are able to enter the house to use the library, rest inside during sesshin, and join group meetings there. Further improvement is needed so that people using wheelchairs are able to access the house independently.
Another change that occurred in February is that our renter at 113 School Street moved out because he needed a bigger house to share with his family. The Sangha Home Subcommittee was formed to consider how we could expand use of the house for practice and community events, rather than renting out that space. This plan is structured as a trial period for one year to determine if this use of the house meets basic financial and practical needs of the Sangha.
The purpose of developing our Sangha Home at 113 School Street will be to bring into better balance activities reflecting our commitment to the three Treasures: Buddha treasure, Dharma treasure, and Sangha treasure. Not only will a full expansion of Sangha activities enrich the practice of many long-time participants here at the Zen Center but may open the door for new members who might initially be unsure of their relationship to some of the forms and rituals of the zendo. Awakening Together, Foundations of Practice, and other classes are now meeting in the house. We are planning to have movie nights and potlucks there as well. Shakti Bell expressed interest in hosting a group for people with disabilities and people living with chronic pain. Steve Palmisano expressed interest in hosting a group dedicated to climate justice. The kitchen is used for community service such as cooking for the Homeless Garden Project. Groups use the facilities for meetings such as the Thich Nhat Hanh Heart Sangha and Hungry Ghosts United.
To assist Sangha members with children, we are considering starting a children’s program so that parents could sit in the zendo while their children are safe playing games, making crafts, and learning about the way of Buddha in the 113-home. It is the hope that more activities will generate increased participation at the Zen Center and increase membership. As we all know, the Santa Cruz Zen Center is itself a real Jewel, and it is exciting to think of using its fullest potential for the benefit of all beings!
In January 2023, a person vandalized Zen Center property. The Board took steps in response to the vandalism to keep the Sangha safe and protect the property. We installed locks on the outdoor electrical outlets to discourage use of the outlets for charging electronic devices. We purchased and installed a motion-activated Wyze camera and flood light. We filed police reports and asked the police for more patrols. We chanted for the person who did the vandalism. These measures have succeeded as we have been incident-free since 2/1/23.
The work we are doing to increase accessibility and inclusivity at the Zen Center, to attract new members, and to protect the Zen Center requires that we ask Sangha for financial support.
We need to raise $18,000 to make up for the loss of rental income from the 113-home during this trial period. Would you please consider a specific financial donation towards this goal?
If you have questions or would like further information, please contact Yaro (treasurer@sczc.org) or Lisa (noble@cruzio.com).
You may also easily contribute online using the donate button on the upper right hand corner of our website. (Please label your donation "Spring Appeal".)
Joyfully, we offer our time and energy to maintain our zendo and facilities for practice.
Santa Cruz Zen Center Board of Trustees
Sara McLellan, President
Lisa Noble, Vice President
Yaro Jane Arny, Treasurer
Christine Marez, Secretary
Shakti Bell, Member-at-large
Anita Elliott, Member-at-large
Sandra McCann, Member-at-large
Rene Netter, Member-at-large
Gilbert Ramirez, Member-at-large