Retreats and Training Sessions
Pavel Grebenkov began a retreat on Tuesday, March 2nd, which will end on Monday, March 8th. Deshi Isshin sat a one-day retreat on Wednesday, March 3rd. Steven Karcz sat two day retreat on Saturday and Sunday February 27th and 28th at his home in Saskatoon.
To Schedule a Retreat
Please email schedule at wwzc dot org to schedule a retreat, even if you
have made verbal arrangements with a practice advisor or a Dharma
Teacher. Emails sent to that address are routed to all members of the
Practice Council who will need this information for the purposes of
meal planning, preparing tapes for your retreat and planning samu
assignments. Retreats are defined in the following way:
Half-day Retreat
(you would need to arrive 15 minutes before the actual starting time)
Begin at 6:00 a.m., end at noon. Or begin at 9:30 a.m., end at 6:00.
Or begin at 3:00 p.m., end at 9:10.
Partial Retreat
(You would need to arrive 15 minutes before the actual starting time)
Begin at 6:00 a.m., end at 6:00 p.m. Or begin at 9:30 a.m., end at
9:10 p.m.
Full retreat
(you would need to arrive by 5:45) Begin at 6:00 a.m., end at 9:10 p.m.
Please remember to bring a change of clothes suitable for samu
(caretaking practice). If staying overnight, please remember to bring
a sleeping bag, a towel and other such necessities. If you have been
diagnosed by a medical doctor as having allergies to specific foods,
please contact the tenzo, Jinmyo osho at rengezo at gmail dot com, a
week in advance of your retreat to inform her of dietary restrictions
as this affects food purchases and meal planning. The suggested dana
for retreats is $40 a day, which covers the basic cost of food and
other materials. Donations above this figure are very welcome and all
donations are tax deductible. There is also a retreat schedule for
public students posted on our Website at:
http://www.wwzc.org/Resources/Public.student.retreat.schedule.htm
Public Students' Retreats
For retreats to be mentioned in the eMirror, public students are asked
to send an email to schedule at wwzc dot org after they sit a retreat
mentioning the date of their retreat and whether it is a partial,
half-day or full retreat. Please also include the name of the city in
which you live.
Training Sessions For Students Living in Ottawa:
There are a number of options available to associate and general students
who wish to practice more intensively, such as sitting a full or partial
retreat for one or several days, or extending their practice at home to
include two or three rounds.
In addition, associate or general students may register for a "training
session". This requires making a commitment to a one-week, month-long,
or three month period during which they would attend all of the formal
sittings at the monastery, morning and evening with the exception of
Tuesday evening and Sunday morning (which are reserved for formal
students and monastics) while continuing to live at home. The training
sessions are intended to allow students to experience what it is like to
participate in the monastery's full schedule. Formal sittings are led by
Roshi and include chanting practice and more extensive use of the forms.
Students engaging in a training session would also have more
opportunities to meet with Dharma Teachers or practice advisors to
discuss their practice. At the end of a training session, students would
return to their normal schedule. There would be no extra dana involved
in practising a training session.
With the Undo serving as a dormitory space students can register for
periods of residential training at Dainen-ji for anywhere from overnight
to several weeks. This involves attending the practice schedule, evening
meals, participation in regular soji (cleaning the practice halls) and
samu (care-taking). During the days one would go to one's job or could
do extra sitting and study outside of a retreat schedule. The dana for
this is $40 a day; work scholarships can also be arranged.
To register for a training session or residential training, please send
an email to schedule at wwzc dot org or telephone the Zen Centre office
at (613) 562-1568 and leave a message.
When scheduling a training session, please remember not to include dates
that fall within a sesshin or an O-sesshin.
Training Sessions For Public Students:
This requires making a commitment to a one-week, month-long, or
three-month period during which public students sit zazen according to
the following schedule:
Monday morning: 6:00 a.m. to 7:25 a.m.; Monday evening: 7:30 to 9:10 p.m.
Tuesday morning: 6:00 a.m. to 7:25 a.m.
Wednesday morning: 6:00 a.m. to 7:25 a.m.
Thursday morning: 6:00 a.m. to 7:25 a.m.; Tuesday evening: 7:30 to 9:10
p.m.
Friday morning 6:00 a.m. to 7:25 a.m. (Friday is Hossan and there are no
scheduled sittings at the monastery, but students are expected to sit
at home).
Saturday morning: 6:00 a.m. to 7:25 a.m.
Sunday morning: 6:00 a.m. to 7:25 a.m.
Public students who wish to do a Training Session should send an email
to schedule at wwzc dot org to state their intention and specify the
duration and schedule of their Training Session. After completing the
Training Session, please send an email to Chunen ino at chunen at gmail dot com to confirm that you have fulfilled your commitment and
notice of it will be included in the eMirror.
Front Doors
Our beautiful old front doors are quite breezy. To help with cold air leaks they have been weatherstripped and this can make the door more difficult to close. Please do not slam the doors as this weakens the antique hinges and is not good for an old door. Push or pull it firmly to close it. Thank you
Samu Weekend Report
Over the weekend of February 27th and 28th we held out first Samu Weekend of 2010. 35 students attended over the weekend and a tremendous amount was accomplished. Here is a list of some of the tasks which were completed over the two days.
Work continued in the kitchen, with the newly exposed shuryo floor and the breezy exterior walls which were revealed after taking down the old plaster and lathe ceiling being fully insulated. Wiring for the new lighting scheme was also begun. Walls were constructed in the laundry room in the basement to replace the temporary sheeting and a new pocket door was installed, which has vastly improved this area. Work was done to improve the second-floor washroom with a fresh coat of paint, new bath tub caulking and a freshly painted floor. The pantry was extensively reorganized creating a large clear area for a new and dust-free painting and glue-up area for bigger work projects. Many zafu were re-stuffed and repaired and the computer 'sickbay' in the pantry was sorted and organized. Clearing was done in the attic and the tongue and groove wall next to the attic staircase was removed, revealing the large space which will become shelving and storage.
Thank you very much to the Roshi and Jinmyo osho who prepared wonderful meals for the participants even without the use of the main kitchen whilst the renovation is in progress.
Thank you to the following students who offered time over the weekend to help maintain and improve Dainen-ji: Chunen ino, Mishin tando, Jido anagarika, Muryo, Senbo, Jennifer Comeau, Graham Mayeda, Nathan Comeau, Samantha Drouin, Gillian Higenbottam, David Gallant, Hanna Grazyna, Margaret McGarry, Michael Lifshitz, Abigail Lixfeld, Francois Fournier, Peter McRae, Oliver Fisher, Elizabeth Eve, Mary Korika, Michael Urbanski, Pierre Trahan, Andrew Mayeda, Sophia Stevenson, Jack Deyirmendjian, George Donovan, Curtis Cheslock, Rob McBride, Chantal Mayhue, Murielle Paradelle, Denise Beaudot, Pavel Grebenkov, Diane Smith and Mouktar Abdilahi.
Snow Shovelling
Over the coming months we are requesting the help of students at times of heavy snowfall to shovel snow on the property. The time spent by monastics snow shoveling is time that could be spent on replying to practice journals from those who cannot attend sittings at the monastery, meeting with preliminary students and spending time on such things as archiving. So any help would be very much appreciated and will support the practice of other students. Arriving early to a sitting or staying on for even 15 minutes after a sitting to assist with this would be very helpful. Snow shovels are situated by both porches and at the rear of the building. Thank you.
Office of the Tenzo
Dogen zenji taught that the work of preparing and serving meals was "a
matter for realized monks who have the mind of the Way or by senior
disciples who have roused the Way-seeking mind." In alignment with this,
part of Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's samu for the Community involves
personally overseeing the activities of the ancient office of tenzo.
Jinmyo Renge osho serves as tenzo and Mishin tando and Saigyo chiden
offer assistance as tenzo-anja.
The following meals were prepared during the Samu Weekend:
Saturday Lunch: One bowl meal: Mabo tofu: sesame oil, red onions, red bell peppers, cubanelle peppers, whole red bird chiles, chopped green chiles, pi xian chile broadbean sauce, minced garlic and ginger, soy sauce, ginger broth, chopped cremini mushrooms, sliced eryingi mushrooms; mixed grain: Lundberg Farms short-grain brown rice, Thai rice, pearled barley, bap, black Japonica rice, Chinese long-grain white rice and arborio rice; grated carrot and white onion slaw dressed with roasted chile oil, lime juice, ngoc mam, slivered ginger, garlic paste.
Sunday: Satay cabbage curry: Spanish onions, green cabbage, Napa cabbage, red bell peppers, mung bean sprouts, atsuage tofu triangles in a satay sauce with popped mustard seeds, cumin seeds, roasted chile oil, coriander; Thai jasmine rice; kkukdugi kimchi (cubed daikon).
The following meals were prepared prior to the evening sittings on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday:
Monday Yakuseki
Ziti with a creamy mushroom sauce: butter, olive oil, minced white onion, minced garlic, white and brown beech mushrooms, chopped eyringi mushrooms, porcini paste, thyme, milk; tomato soup: chopped white onion and garlic, San Marzano tomatoes and passata, red wine, basil, cumin, oregano; gardein (soy and gluten) faux "chicken" strips and red bell pepper strips roasted with a Dijon mustard and ancho chile sauce.
Tuesday Yakuseki
Dahk kalbi: chicken thighs, drumsticks, and wings roasted with soy sauce, garlic, and kalbi sauce; gat (mustard greens), mung bean sprouts, eryingi mushrooms and sliced pyogo (shitake) mushrooms in doenjang (Korean soy bean paste) broth with slivered ginger; bap (calrose rice); baechu kimchi (Napa cabbage).
Thursday Yakuseki
Gassho,
Thursday Yakuseki:
Baked potatoes with labneh (goat and cow milk yougurt cheese); meinjin (gluten) with mushrooms (cremini, eryengi, oyster and porcini) in a Dijon mustard sauce; lightly cooked fresh ong choy (Asian spinach) with butter and lemon.
Students attending sittings on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings may
make arrangements to join residents for meals prepared by the Office of
the Tenzo. Please email schedule at wwzc dot org at least one day in
advance; Contribution is $10.
Thank You
If you would like to thank someone for a contribution they have made,
please feel free to send an email to Jinmyo osho at rengezo at Gmail
dot com, but be sure to type "eMirror" in the subject line.
From Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi:
My thanks to all who participated in our recent Samu Weekend, as always to Shikai osho for her advice and energy, Jinmyo Renge osho for her organizational skills and throwing herself bodily into what needs to done, and to Saigyo chiden as shissui, and shissui-anja Graham Mayeda and Anne Muryo Schmitz for their work on the Kuin (kitchen), and to Jido anagarika and Francois Fournier for their extraordinary completion of a laundry room with a pocket door over a mere two days. To Chunen ino for his continuing work on our website and newsletter (and so much else) and to Zenrin for his support on this. To Mishin tando for all of her administrative mastery, now extending to researching range hoods following Muryo's suggestions, and great efforts. To Chiso anagarika for the gifts of a small folding desk for working with laptop and books from the floor in the Hojo (abbot's office) and several other stationary materials.
From Jinmyo osho:
Thank you to the Roshi for the use of the small kitchenette in the Hojo for preparing meals for residents during the week and for students participating in the Samu Weekend. Thank you to Muryo for climbing ladders (even with a bad knee) to install new light fixtures and prepare other wiring for the kitchen; to Graham Mayeda for his knot-tying skills which proved invaluable when lowering planks of wood 17 feet long from the kitchen ceiling; to Ian Hepburn for a gift.
From Mishin tando:
Thank you to the Roshi and Jinmyo osho for the delicious meals prepared for all who participated in the Samu Weekend; to Saigyo chiden for the many hours spent planning and undertaking the ongoing kitchen renovation project; to Jido anagarika for cleaning candles holders used in practice rooms; to Senbo for archiving samu.
From Chiso angarika:
Thank you to Roshi for the translation and presentation of "Bendowa", a
text which comes to life after each teisho. Thank you to Shikai osho
for making and teaching me how to make ginger tea (which I have been
drinking ever since). Thank you to Jinmyo osho for the care and
interest in my well being when I wasn't feeling good during Sesshin.
On top of her other responsibilities she made sure that I have what I
need. Thank you to Chunen ino for taking time to see what I can and
cannot do for samu. Thank you to Mishin tando for her support. Thank
you to Saigyo chiden for the clear Dharma Talk and humorous
presentation; also for demonstrating how to do over 100 great bows with
grace (with not so good knees). Thank you to Jido anagarika for the
much needed coffee. Thank you to Muryo for letting me park at her
house and picking me up from Dainen-ji. Thank you to Graham Mayeda for
moving my things up to the 3rd floor and to Senbo for bringing them
down.
From Tettsu:
Thank you to Abigail Lixfeld for the clarity of forms - her energy and straight-backed stillness and for bringing the Before Thinking CDs for Harrow Zazenkai; and to Mishin tando and everyone involved with preparing CDs for Branch students. To Marco and Geoff for their ongoing practice; to my partner Aelwyn for her immaculate preparatory housework help the day before- despite having just arrived that morning from India's Golden Triangle. And most of all - thank you to the Roshi for making all this possible.
From Michael Lifshitz:
Thank you to the Roshi for a vast treasury of teisho that point past who I think I am to the reality of this moment. Thank you to the Roshi, Jinmyo Osho and Mishin tando for many wonderful meals at Dainen-ji. Thank you to Shikai osho for daisan and for empowering a mala.
Ongoing
Request for Assistance, Office of the Treasurer
As part of clarifying and streamlining the financial processes of White
Wind Zen Community, we would like to have pairs of students rotate to
help process dana contributions on a weekly basis. To date, most of
this work has been done by Mishin tando with the assistance of one or
two other students, but it is time to restructure the system so that
the work of the Office of the Treasurer becomes more manageable and
more students are helping with this responsibility. If you would be
available on Saturdays prior to the General Sitting for about a hour
(from 8:15-9:15 a.m.), your help will be appreciated. Please email
Mishin at trytel dot com. Training will be provided. No special
financial skills are needed other than an eye for detail and accuracy.
Archiving Samu
Since 2002 the teisho presented by the Roshi and the Dharma Talks given
by the Dharma Teachers have been recorded directly onto CD and copies
made available to students. Prior to this time all of the recordings
were made on cassette tape. Over the last years the monastics, with
the help of several students, have worked to transfer the taped
material onto CD, not only because cassette tape technology is fast
becoming outdated but because the early tape recordings are
deteriorating quickly and may soon become unplayable. To lose these
Teachings would be disastrous. We are presently making direct CD copies
of all of the early tapes so that there is a back-up copy available
should anything happen to the master tape which makes it unplayable
but there is much work to be done. There are still over 100 tapes from
the 1980's and 1990's that need to be re-mastered, relabeled and
copied and this constitutes many hundreds of hours of work. If you are
able to commit to a regular weekly schedule of two or three hours samu
to continue this vital work, please let us know by writing to tapes at
wwzc dot org. Full training will be given.
Daily Samu
Samu each day to prepare the monastery for the arrival of the students
is a very important practice for the monastics. Any help to assist the
monks with brightening and clarifying the practice environment is very
much appreciated. If you are able to come early before a sitting to do
samu, please consult the samu notice board situated between the side
entrance doors to find a task which has not been done recently. If you
have any questions about the task please ask any monastic.
CDs Available to the Public
A selection of CDs of teisho and Dharma Talks is available on our
web-site. The page is found at
http://wwzc.org/CDWebSales/CDWebSales.htm or follow the link for
Dharma Texts and CDs on the home page. Over time more teisho and
Dharma Talks from the over 2500 presentations made by the Roshi,
Shikai osho and Jinmyo osho will be made available for purchase.
Mountain Gate
Our handmade wooden Mountain Gate has been kicked in three times and repaired by shissui, Saigyo chiden, but it is only a matter of time before that, too, succumbs, so we shall need to work towards replacing the wooden gate with a wrought iron one that will withstand drunken kicking. Donations for this project now total $550.00.
If you would like to contribute to the purchase of a wrought iron Mountain Gate, please contact Mishin tando at treasurer at wwzc.org or leave a message on the Zen Centre office answering machine at 613-562-1568.
Ongoing Project: "All is Change"
Dainen-ji, being a 135-year-old building, is continuously in need of
maintenance and the costs associated with this can be astronomical
when such things as roof repairs or painting are needed. This is
something that we cannot afford to do, yet must do and so the "All
is Change" project has been created. The "All is Change" project is
very simple. Most of us have a bowl or a jar or some other kind of
container that we keep somewhere at home and fill up with loose change
because it's too heavy to carry around. Many hundreds of dollars has
been collected so far both in loose change and Canadian tire money
which has been put towards the building maintenance fund. If anyone
would like to contribute to this fund, each penny will be appreciated.
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