For those joining us this Saturday, February 6th, for our 1st Saturday of the month Upaya Sangha of Tucson meeting, we will meet from 10:00 am to noon, and our meeting will include brief sutra chanting, participant check-in, announcements, sitting meditation (Zazen), and a brief tea break. After this, since Sensei Al will be away teaching in Santa Fe, we will have a guest teacher and musician, Paul Amiel, who will be playing and discussing the shakahuchi flute, which has a long history in Japanese Zen tradition.
Paul focuses on Medieval, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Middle Eastern, and rather ancient music. He plays many instruments for groups such as Okiraku, Kyklo, Musica Sonora, Summer Thunder Chinese Music Ensemble, Seyyah, Zambuka, and Hey, Bucko!, and served as Musical Director for The Rogue Theatre and Theatre 3.
These days , Paul is very interested in the use of music, specifically the shakuhachi, as a meditation tool — what that means as a practice, the way music is viewed in zen contexts, and how making music is part of a self-cultivation process. Paul will play and demonstrate the shakuhachi. He will also compare it to another spiritual tradition, the sufi ney flute, used in the whirling dervish ceremonies. A general discussion of music and spirituality should ensue.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE: Since the TCMC space will not be available for our usual 3rd Saturday meeting, the sangha will meet again on Saturday, February 13, when Sensei Al will be giving a dharma talk related to his teaching in the Zen Brain program at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe.
If this is your first time to join us, we meet at Tucson Community Meditation Center (TCMC), 1231 E. Edison St., one block south of Grant, just west of Mountain, on the north side of the street. We meet the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. There are plenty of zafus (meditation cushions) and chairs.
Parking reminder: It’s important to the future of TCMC to observe mindful parking by not parking on the same block as the Center and by leaving an empty parking space in front of the homes on the neighboring blocks. Please reserve TCMC driveway parking for people who cannot walk far.
Please help us to accommodate our members who are chemically sensitive to fragrances or other scented products. Thank you for not wearing perfume, aftershave, or similar products.
Thanks