eMirror Vol. 11, No. 28

Friday, July 13th, 2007

Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho


 Quotes from teisho are run sequentially in the eMirror

 

Whether sentient beings recognize it or not, realize it or not, actualize it or not, they are dharmata abiding in the samadhi of dharmata. They can never leave the samadhi of dharmata because, whether they are alive or crumbled into fine powder or even finer into molecules, as long as this universe exists they are still within dharmata’s samadhi. Dharmata does not create or destroy anything because it is not a thing. But creation and destruction and all things are dharmata. As this is so, dharmata is always already available for anyone who would return to life from the ghostly pale world of self and other and knower and known. As Zen practitioners who have received the samadhi of dharmata from our Lineage Ancestors it is our responsibility to make it possible for sentient beings to meet Masters and question into the Way, to meet the sutras and encounter reality.

            All samadhis are ultimately dharmata samadhi because whatever is, that too is dharmata. Thus the Zanmai-O-Zanmai, the sovereign of all samadhis of sitting up straight in zazen is dharmata samadhi as expressed through this living bodymind. So stop perching on your shoulders peering out from behind your eyes and sit down. And when you stand, stand forth from the haunted and dead thoughts of the past and idle and wasteful speculation about the future and take a step.

            Please, this evening, enjoy yourselves.

 

-Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, concluding teisho 5: “Actualizing the Samadhi of Dharmata” in the series “Essentially Real, commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji’s Hossho: Dharmata”. Presented on Tuesday, December 7, 2004.

 

Upcoming Events

 

Fusatsu and the Vow of Samantabhadra

Chanting of the Precepts will take place on July 25th, August 15th and August  29th. The Vow of Samantabhadra will be chanted on July 18th and August 1st, 8th and 22nd.

 

Yaza

Our annual tradition of Yaza (all night sitting) will take place on Saturday, July 14th from 10 p.m. until Sunday, July 15th at 8 a.m. Zen Master Anzan Hoshin will lead the Yaza. Students attending should arrive by first bell at 9:45 p.m. A light breakfast will be served before the end of the Yaza. All students are welcome to attend. Please register soon as is seating will be limited. The suggested dana contribution for Yaza is $25.00. To register, please send an email to schedule at wwzc dot org or leave a message on the Zen Centre office answering machine at 562-1568.

 

Oryoki for General Students

On Saturday, July 21st, 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 at wwzc dot org.

 

Dharma Assembly

On Saturday, July 28th, Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho will lead a Dharma Assembly entitled “Dealing With the Demon” which 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 at wwzc dot 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 a period of hermitage on Wednesday, August 1st, which will end on Sunday, August 12th, 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, August 4th. 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.  

 

August Two-day Sesshin

The August two-day sesshin will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 10th and will end at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 12th. On Saturday, August 111th, associate and general students may attend a sitting held in the Zendo. Arrival time is 9:15 a.m. (in time for First Bell). The sitting ends at 11:30 a.m. Students attending are reminded to remain on the first floor.

 

Oryoki for General Students

On Saturday, August 18th, 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 at wwzc dot org.

 

Samu Weekend

The next Samu Weekend is scheduled to take place on August 25th and 26th.

 

Hermitage

The Roshi will begin a period of hermitage on August 29th which will end on Sunday, September 2nd, when he leads monastics in Acalanatha Sadhana.

 

Recorded Teisho Schedule

Saturday, July 14th general sitting – This World of Ten Directions: “The Cave of Ghosts” (teisho 6 of 10).

Monday, July 16th general sitting – Studying the Mystery: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin’s commentaries on Shitou Xiqian’s Sandokai: “Waking Up is Not A Matter of Up” (teisho 2 of 4).

Tuesday, July 17th formal sitting – Mikkyo-zo: Monastic Jishu: “Chu-u” (Class 4 of 15).

Thursday, July 19th associate sitting – The Realm of Appearances: “Opening the Three Marks” (teisho 2 of 3).

Saturday, July 21st general sitting – This World of Ten Directions: “Turning and Rolling” (teisho 7 of 10).

 

Retreats

John McAffrey began a two-day retreat on Thursday morning. Deshi Vicki Robichaud sat a one-day retreat in her home on Gabriola Island on Thursday.

 

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 Jinmyo at trytel 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.

 

Summer Garden Work

During the summer months there is always work to be done in the grounds, including regular watering, weeding, planting, deadheading and tidying. If you can offer some time to help maintain the monastery grounds please contact Saigyo chiden at saigyo@telecomottawa.net or by leaving a message on the office answering machine at 613 562 1568

 

 

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. Meals served on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, prior to the sitting:

 

Monday Yakuseki

Chinese white rice and Lundberg Farm short grain brown rice; cotton tofu cubes braised with leeks, Asian eggplant, cubanelle and red bell peppers, jalapeno with sesame oil; hot and sour soup with black fungus, dai gai choy, and celery; salad of seeded Lebanese cucumbers dressed with olive oil infused with roasted tomato and lime juice.

 

Tuesday Yakuseki

Pulled slow cooked whole pork leg and crackling; small fresh kaiser rolls with Normandy cultured butter and Dijon mustard; porcini and cremini mushrooms and sliced chorizo in a soup with San Marzano tomatoes, red wine, chipotle and adobo, cumin, and oregano; salad of seeded plum tomatoes and Lebanese cucumbers dressed with extra virgin olive oil and lime juice with whole basil leaves; slaw of red and green cabbages with white onion, dressed with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and lime juice.

 

Thursday Yakuseki

Eight grains (Indian millet, red and white quinoa, Korean brown and white sticky rices, barley, gohan, kasha, Lundberg Farm short grain brown rice); collard greens, baby Shanghai bok choy, yu choy and white onion braised in Scotch; morel and oyster mushrooms sauteed in butter; roasted halved and crosshatched baby eggplants with garlic and chipotle barbecue sauce; salad of sliced plum tomatoes and halved hot cherry chiles with feta and dressed with ngoc mam, Dijon, and extra virgin olive oil.

 

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 vianet dot ca. (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 Jinmyo osho, “Thank you to the Roshi for having founded over twenty years ago, White Wind Zen Community and the Northern Mountain Order of monastics; for establishing an environment of practice appropriate to both monks and lay students; for the thousands of teisho he has presented; the books he has written; the wonderful collection of sho (calligraphy) he has brushed; and for continuously setting examples of how to do what we do as thoroughly and completely as is possible. Thank you to public students for their patience while we have made the transition from proprietary software to Linux systems. These changes will greatly reduce costs associated with purchasing computer equipment and software and will make it possible for us to provide a wider range of resources for all students.”

From Mishin tando, "Thank you to the Roshi and Jinmyo osho for several shopping trips weekly to purchase monastery food supplies and for the delicious meals prepared prior to evening sittings; to Shikai osho for an assortment of excellent buns to accompany the Tuesday evening meal; to Chunen ino and David Clawson for looking after Dainen-ji's computers.

 


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 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 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 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.

 

Improvements to the Second Floor Washroom

A project that has been on the high priory list for a number of years is the renovation of the second floor washroom. Even though this is the most frequently used washroom in the building it has never had any substantial improvements apart from being painted last year. Work on this washroom, which was scheduled to be taking place late this year or early next year, will again need to be delayed due to the necessity of a urgent roof repair to the west side of the roof. This repair will cost in the region of $13,000 and as this is considerably higher than our available budget we have had to cut back on other important work. Because of this, we have decided to fundraise in order to gather sufficient money to make the improvements to the washroom. The work to be done will include a new sink and cabinet and a new ceiling light, fan and exhaust. This will cost in the region of $1000 to complete. Students are encouraged to donate towards this project so that it can be scheduled some time in the winter and the improved facilities will be available by 2007. Improvements to this room will benefit every student that comes to the monastery for sittings.

Thank you for your generosity to help with this project.

Gassho,

Saigyo chiden, shissui.

 

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.

 

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