Wednesday, August 19, 2020

August 19, 2020

 A Different Perspective by Shannon Bergman

 s a 30+ year veteran of high-tech – actually being in technology before the word hi-tech existed and when the Internet came into being, I am having a different experience than most during our time being sheltered in place. Most of my career has been in front of a computer screen, and for the last ten years, I have worked almost exclusively from home spending 6-10 hours a day working or in online meetings.

I actually was the Director of Global Technical Operations for WebEx (a corporate Zoom if you will) back in the early 2,000’s when the technology for online meetings was first coming online and WebEx was leading the way. One of the things I am most proud of in my career was during 9/11, when my group was able to get AMEX (and other big companies) back to work and in critical meetings within three days of the attack as long as they had a dial tone.

For the most part, I haven’t felt disconnected from people during these times. And in fact, I feel that having our daily online zazen has deepened my practice at a rate that I would not have had if this had not happened. It has also brought people we wouldn’t be able to see from other geographies back into our daily lives. Our daily sittings and conversations included diverse opinions, the feeling of belonging, the sharing of the ups and downs of people’s lives and have all made me feel closer to individuals.

I do like human and animal companionship, but I get that from my loving husband and greyhounds. I get my exercise and connection with nature everyday when I walk my hounds three times. I especially love going out in the early morning before the world has woke up and I hear the respiration of nature herself and I witness the awe-striking beauty and promise of the sunrise.

I do like being with people in person and I do miss our time in the zendo and Monday evenings, but I DO feel connected to all of you – and I can hear things better online. I look forward to when we can meet in person again but hope we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water when we do. I hope we can integrate some of our online practices in the culture of our Sangha as we move into whatever “the new normal” becomes. 

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Our ZHS on-line schedule

  • Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
  • Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
  • Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
  • For more information:  www.zenheartsangha.org) 
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Special bows for today: 
  • Please offer bows for Phyllis Merrill, Misha's mother, who is dying
  • Please offer bows for Ofelia mendez, Jorge Luis Mendez, Lazara and her mother, relatives of Lilliana Mendez-Soto who have contracted COVID
  • Please offer bows for John Lewis, civil rights leader, who died on July 17th
  • Please offer bows for Gail Boreman Bird, Stephen' Boremans sister, who died on June 27th at age 75
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:   
    • Sherril Miller, Shannon's aunt, who has a broken humerus
    • Brent DeNardo, Aaron's brother, who has contracted COVID
    • Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home undergoing chemotherapy
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Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:
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