eMirror Vol. 11, No. 1

Friday, January 5th, 2007

Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho

 

 


Quotes from teisho are run sequentially in the eMirror

 

In kinhin, we are not going anywhere. We are simply stepping. We are simply stepping this step. And so the steps can be quite small, and in fact in order to maintain clear balance point, the length of the step – depending of course upon the length of the legs and the proportions of the body as a whole – should generally be about the length of one foot, perhaps slightly less. The hands are held in shashu, with the left hand cupped over the closed fist of the right hand, the left thumb held inside the grip. Again, the elbows hang from the body, the shoulders roll back, the crown of the head points to the sky: allow the nape of the neck to push back slightly, feel the lengthening of the spine. It seems to grow longer as one appreciates its length. Always have a sense of the relationship between your present step and the space between you and the person before you and behind you.

      Feel the space in which the movement occurs, the space of the foot lifting, moving, placing, contact; the space around the body, the volume of the space of the room, the dimensionality of the foot, the leg. Feel the rippling of the calf muscles, the tendons, the bending of the knee, the movement of the thigh, the rolling of the hip. In stepping forward with the left foot there is a ripple that occurs in the muscles of the back, along the right shoulder. You can allow the pace to be somewhat like the length of a breath, although of course this will change as your practice deepens. What seems to be a normal breath for you now will be at some point about a fourth or a fifth of the time in which you breathe in and out a full breath as your practice continues and deepens, not only on the cushion but off the cushion as well. Feel the relationship between the weight of the body, the space, and the movement. Feel how these are always changing, details rising and falling.

 

- Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, continuing teisho 3: “Flowing” in the “Sitting and Walking” series of teisho presented on April 11th, 1993 at Zazen-ji.

 

Upcoming Events

 

Fusatsu and the Vow of Samantabhadra

Chanting of the Precepts will take place on January 17th. The Vow of Samantabhadra will be chanted on January 10th, 24th and 31st.    

 

Hermitage

The Roshi began a period of hermitage on Wednesday, January 3rd, which will end at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 7th, when he leads monastics in Acalanatha Sadhana.

 

Introduction to Zen Workshop

Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho will present the next Introduction to Zen Workshop at Dainen-ji on Saturday, January 6th. For more information please see:

http://www.wwzc.org/programs/Introduction_To_Zen_Workshop_Ottawa.htm.

            For information concerning our Long-distance Training Program, please visit this Web Page:

http://www.wwzc.org/programs/longDistance.htm.

 

Two-day Sesshin

The January two-day sesshin will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, January 12th and will end at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 14th. Roshi will continue the teisho series "Doing Not-Doing: Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's Shoaku Makusa.

            On Saturday, January 13th, associate and general students may attend a sitting held in the Zendo, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. (please arrive by 9:15 in time for first Bell) and will end at 11:30 a.m.

 

Oryoki for General Students

On Saturday, January 20th, general students who attend the 6:00 a.m. formal sitting may participate in oryoki practice led by Jinmyo osho. Associate or visiting public students who are in retreat at the monastery on that day may also participate in oryoki. Dana is $10.00. You do not need previous experience of oryoki to attend. For more information or to register please send an email to schedule@wwzc.org.

 

Dharma Assembly

The next Dharma Assembly will take place on January 27th and will be led by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho who will present a Dharma Talk on the theme of “Freefall”. The Dharma Assembly will begin at 9:30 a.m. (please arrive by 9:15, in time for first Bell) and will end at 9:10 p.m. Dana is $40.00, which includes two meals: lunch and supper. Participants are asked to bring clothing and shoes appropriate for samu practice. To register, please send an email to schedule@wwzc.org or leave a message on the office answering machine at 562-1568. Dharma Assemblies are open to all students.

          The general sitting that would ordinarily take place from 9:30 to 11:40 on Saturday morning will be cancelled due to the Dharma Assembly.

 

Hermitage

The Roshi will begin period of hermitage on Wednesday, January 31st, which will end on Sunday, February 4th at 10:00 a.m. when he leads monastics in Acalanatha Sadhana.

 

Change in Training Posts

During the Joya, the Roshi announced that Ven. Mishin Roelofs and Ven. Saigyo Cross have moved to higher major training posts. They will now be referred to by those posts as Mishin tando and Saigyo chiden. Congratulations and gassho.

 

Recorded Teisho Schedule

Saturday, January 6th general sitting – Sitting Up Straight: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin’s commentaries on Keizan Jokin zenji’s “Zazen Yojinki”: “The Real World of True Zazen” (teisho 9 of 17).

Sunday, January 7th formal sitting - SAkN: Root Cycle Two: “Locatedness and Framing” (teisho 2 of 3).

Monday, January 8th general sitting – Without Difficulty: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin’s commentaries on “Xinxin Ming: Words on Trusting Awareness” by Jianzhi Sengcan: “Wunan, Bunan, just Do It!” (teisho 3 of 25).

Tuesday, January 9th formal sitting – Being Between-Being: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin’s Teachings on practising throughout the process of death: “Being Between-Being” (teisho 3 of 6).

Thursday, January 11th associate sitting – This World of Ten Directions: “This One Phrase” (teisho 2 of 10).

Saturday, January 13th associate sitting – This World of Ten Directions: “Each Flake of Snow Is Snow” (teisho 3 of 10).

 

 

New Teisho Series

During the Rohatsu O-sesshin, Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi began a new series of teisho entitled “Doing Not-Doing: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's ‘Shoaku Makusa’ and the Three Pure Precepts.” The following is a list of teisho presented during that week:

 

Reading of Shoaku Makusa (December 2, 2006)

Teisho 1: Dogen's Intention (December 3, 2006)

Teisho 2: Seven Buddhas, Three Categories, Unborn Nature (December 4, 2006)

Teisho 3: Makusa (December 5, 2006)

Teisho 4: Before the First Move (December 6, 2006)

Teisho 5: Wrong Action Does Not Arise (December 7, 2006)

 

Additions to the CD library for Students

This is a list of the additions made this month to the first floor CD library:

Doing Not-Doing: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin’s commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji’s “Shoaku Makusa” and the three Pure Precepts: CDs 1-6

River of Memory

Eight Awarenesses: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin’s commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji “Hachi Dainin-gaku”

Bodhidharma’s Show Me This Mind

Hekiganroku 52: Zhaozhou’s Stone Bridge

Shikan: Stopping and Looking

Going Beyond Concentration and Self Deception

 

Retreats

Chantal Maheu sat a one-day retreat on Tuesday. Public student Andrew Campbell visiting from St. George, Ontario, sat a retreat at Dainen-ji from Tuesday afternoon until Thursday morning following the formal sitting. Probationary deshi Zantui Rose sat a one-day retreat on Thursday.

 

To Schedule a Retreat

Please email schedules@wwzc.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 Jinmyo@trytel.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@wwzc.org mentioning the date of their retreat and whether it is a partial, half-day or full retreat.  

 

Dana Contributions for 2007:

Pre-authorized Remittance and Post-dated Cheques

At the start of each year, many students have helpfully provided a series of post-dated cheques for their monthly dana. If you would like to make dana arrangements for 2007 confirm or confirm whether your stock of cheques has run out, and, please contact Mishin tando at Mishin@trytel.com  This year there is also the option of arranging for pre-authorized dana contributions: you will know the exact debit date (the 20th or 21st of each month) and no longer have to wonder if your supply of cheques has run out. The benefits to White Wind Zen Community are that it evens out the cash flow and reduces the administrative samu needed to process dana process. Whichever method you prefer for dana contributions, your donations are essential for meeting high monthly expenses (e.g. mortgage, utility, renovations and repairs) and maintaining the practice environment. Thank you to students who contributed regular dana and special gifts in 2006, enabling us to undertake a number of essential repairs and improvements to the practice environment. -Gassho, Mishin tando, Administrator & Treasurer

 

Upcoming Administrative Council Meeting

The next Administrative Council meeting will be held on Sunday, January 7th at 6:30 p.m. in the Third Floor Common Room. All students are welcome to attend. Please contact Mishin tando at Mishin@trytel.com if you would like more information. Gassho, Mishin tando, Administrator

 

Samu Weekend

The first samu weekend of 2007 is scheduled to take place over the 24th and 25th of February. Please mark this in your calendar so that you will be able to attend some or all of the two days of work practice.

Thank you. Gassho, Saigyo chiden, shissui

 

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. The following is a list of meals prepared on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, prior to the evening sittings.

 

Monday yakuseki

Lundberg Farm short grain brown rice; leeks, huagu (flower mushrooms), and puffed tofu in a soup with Chinese hot soybean paste (similar to Korean gojuchang); salad of blanched sugar snap peas, pomelo slices, lozenges of celtuce (Chinese lettuce stalk) with toasted almonds dressed with mirin, ngoc mam, and canola oil.

 

Tuesday yakuseki

Cantonese noodles with a dan dan, shoyu, lemon, and sesame oil sauce; roasted red and yellow bell peppers, and poblano peppers with white onion with sweet chile sauce; slices of rare seared Angus rib and strip loin steaks with a dipping sauce of Dijon mustard blended with shoyu and lime; sautéed yu choy; slaw of green cabbage and fennel dressed with mayonnaise, lime juice, chat masala, and fennel seeds.

 

Thursday Yakuseki

Curried roasted root vegetables (rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, daikon and Yukon gold potatoes); tamarind soup made with onion, dai gai choy (Chinese mustard greens) and pillow tofu; salad of cubed Manouri sheep’s milk cheese with seeded plum tomatoes and Lebanese cucumbers tossed in a dressing made from the juices of roasted red and yellow bell peppers.

 

Monastery Breadbasket

4 dozen Middle Eastern flat breads; 9 dozen mini banana sunflower and flax seed muffins; 2 pain de Pepin; 2 banana and walnut loaf

 

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@wwzc.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 jinmyo@trytel.com. (Owing to the volume of mail I receive, please note that an email sent to me containing a thank you intended for the eMirror should specify that it is to be included. Otherwise I will likely assume that you are just sending me an email, will think, "Thank you very much," and that will be the end of it).

 

From Shikai osho, “Thank you to Jinmyo osho for a fun photograph on the poster for the Dharma Assembly ‘Freefall’; to Senbo shramon for an on-going supply of freshly ground dark roast coffee; to Jido anagarika for designing and installing a pulley system so the huge, ceiling suspended clear acrylic container filled with dragon and Christmas cactus can be lowered for care; to Zantui Rose for a thoughtful gift.”

From Jinmyo osho, “Thank you to Peter Walker for donating a Coleman stove for the monastery ‘power blackout’ emergency kit.”

From Mishin tando, “Thank you to the Roshi for the fun of Joya and ringing in the New Year 108 times with the Mahaprajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra; to the Roshi and Jinmyo osho for the new year’s meal after the sitting; to Shikai osho for using an assortment of her photographs as visually interesting note cards; to Zantui Rose for administrative samu; to Ian Hepburn and Francois Fournier for assistance with dana processing; to two students for recent gifts to White Wind Zen Community of funds towards renovation costs and other essential expenses; to the growing number of students who are choosing to make their dana contributions by pre-authorized remittance, which is greatly simplifying dana processing samu.”

From Saigyo chiden, “Thank you to the Roshi for the teisho ‘Joya: The Time of Our Lives’ presented on December 31st at our annual Joya celebration. Thank you Zantui Rose for weekly samu and to Jennifer Comeau for work to format and prepare the Caretaking Council information Manual. Thank you to Gillian Higenbottam for samu to repair the basement stairs handrail and to Neil Porter, Carl Anderson, Nathan Comeau and James MacAulay for archiving samu.

From Sean Moreland, “Thank you to Roshi for leading the recitations of the Mahaprajnaparamita Hridaya sutra during Joya.  Thank you to Jinmyo Osho for instruction on forms and powerful encouragement during daisan, and to the Office of the Tenzo for the preparation of a nourishing, delicious meal.”

From Marrie Schryer, “Thank you to Roshi for leading us in the Joya celebration which was, among other things, startling and rich in sound of drums and voices.  Thank you to all of the monastics for their involvement and to everyone who attended.  It was way better than getting drunk.”

 

Wish List

New fire escapes

Rural centre for intensive practice

 

 


 

Ongoing

 

Samu

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@trytel.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 teaching 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@wwzc.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.

 

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. Several hundred dollars has been collected so far both in loose change and Canadian tire money which has been put towards the building maintenance fund. Most of the collected money was spent on materials for the new front path and we have also been able to purchase several new tools which will help greatly with ongoing renovations. If anyone would like to contribute to this fund, each penny will be appreciated.

 

 

WWZC home

© 1999-2006 White Wind Zen Community. All rights reserved.