eMirror Vol 29, No. 12 (2025-03-21)
Feather on zafu,
photograph by Dr. Jinen S. Boates, Wolville Zazenkai
eMirror Vol 29, No. 12
Friday, March 21st, 2025
Edited by the Practice Council
The White Wind Zen Community:
An international community practising and teaching Dogen’s Zen since 1985.
Now, as we were saying, the motive to kill something is based on separation, based on “this” and “that”, subject and object. If for you there is no subject or object, if for you there is no this and that, if for you in your experience there is really nothing that you can call a body, nothing you can call a mind, nothing that you can call a world because everything is what we can call Buddha or Awareness in Itself, then you have no motivation to kill. You can’t separate yourself from anything and so you can’t kill anything. You can’t distance yourself in that kind of way.
So we say there is no killing for that kind of mind. So then that means we have to look at all the ways in which we do kill, all the ways in which we do produce wrong action. At that point we are saying there is no killing, perhaps in the sense that - I‘d better not because it’s bad, it causes suffering, it causes harm and I can recognize though that it’s bad because it does not accord with the nature of reality. It is a refusal to recognize mutuality. It is a refusal to recognize the vast interdependence of everything which is; and that everything which is arising within Awareness and that Awareness is presenting itself as each and every being, that that which is arising as you is arising as all beings. A refusal to recognize this is killing.
So we start to recognize that when we kill, kill time, kill whatever, there is a contraction present. There is an inability to experience our experience clearly and openly and so we open that. So this is a matter of working with killing or stealing or anything of this nature, not from a purely moral stance or an ethical stance, but working with it directly within our experience. So having worked with it in that way quite thoroughly we see all the motivations for killing, say, or stealing or lying or sexual misconduct or slander or miserliness or anger, so on and so forth - are ways in which we defile our experience of the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha or Space, Activity and Knowing.
Seeing those, and having seen them so thoroughly, we can’t convince ourselves of them anymore. Those motivations simply do not arise for us anymore. So that is another facet of understanding this Precept ‘there is no killing.’
- Continuing the Mondo "Confusion is the Mother of Wisdom", from a Dharma Assembly presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, May 1991
Death notice
With sorrow we inform the Sangha of the death of Jennifer Ryoshin Comeau. Ryoshin was accepted as an associate student in 2000; as a general student in October of 2004, and was accepted by Ven. Shikai Zuiko osho as a probationary formal student in January of 2008. She was accepted as a formal student of Shikai Zuiko osho on June 20th, 2010. She was 50 years of age. She had been ill with multiple myeloma since March of 2010.
The Hatto (for formal sittings)
The Zendo (for associate and general sittings)
Practice Schedule and Upcoming Events
Fusatsu (Renewal of Vows): March 26th, April 9th and 30th.
Introduction to Zen Workshop Ottawa: The next two Introduction to Zen Workshops will take place on Saturday, April 5th at 1:45 p.m. and Saturday, May 3rd at 1:45 p.m. To register:
https://IntroductionToZenWorkshop.eventbrite.ca; for more information please see https://wwzc.org/introduction-zen-workshop-ottawa
Keizan-ki
March 21st is the memorial for Keizan Jokin zenji.
Hanamatsuri Sesshin:
The April Hanamatsuri sesshin will begin on Friday, April 11th at 8:00 p.m. and will end on Sunday, April 13th at 6:00 p.m. Formal students are asked to send in their schedules as soon as possible.
General Sitting:
The Saturday, April 12th general sitting will take place in the Zendo. Arrival time is 9:15 a.m., in time for First Bell. The sitting will end at 11:30 a.m.
Hermitage:
The Roshi is continuing an extended period of hermitage due to underlying health issues until the COVID-19 situation clarifies.
Long Distance Training Program:
For students living an hour or more commuting distance from the monastery in Ottawa, please visit this Web Page: https://wwzc.org/long-distance-training-program
Weekly Practice Schedule
Formal Sittings for WWZC Students: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday Mornings. The formal sittings begin at 6:00 a.m. You would need to arrive by 5:45 in time for First Bell. The sitting ends at 7:25 with the Chants. Following that there is a Daruma-kata Aiki review which ends at about 7:50. If you need to leave before the kata, please let us know that in advance by sending an email to schedule@wwzc.org.
Saturday Morning General Sitting for WWZC Students: The general sitting begins at 9:30 a.m. You would need to arrive by 9:15 a.m., in time for First Bell. The sitting ends at 11:45 a.m. Some general students attend the 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning formal sitting, stay for breakfast and then attend the general sitting. If you stay for breakfast, there is a $5 contribution which can be made through Eventbrite: Register for Saturday Breakfast Proceeds from meals go to White Wind Zen Community.
Monday and Thursday Evening Associate Sittings for WWZC Students: The associate sitting begins at 7:30 p.m. You would need to arrive by 7:15 p.m., in time for First Bell. The sitting ends at 9:10 p.m.
Friday (Hosan): There are no formal sittings scheduled at the monastery on Fridays, but you are expected to sit at home if you have committed to sitting zazen daily. Retreats may be scheduled on Fridays.
Sunday Formal Sitting: The Sunday morning formal sittings are reserved for monastics, formal students, and probationary formal students. It starts at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 10:10 a.m. with the chants. Following that there is a Daruma-kata Aiki which ends at about 10:30 a.m.
Alternate parking for sittings near Dainen-ji
If you need alternate parking near the monastery due to snow parking bans or lack of parking spots you can use the Loblaws car park located at 363 Rideau Street -
https://en.parkopedia.ca/parking/parkade/loblaws/k1n/ottawa/?arriving=2…
The car park is open until 10:00 p.m and charges $4 per hour. A full day 6:00a.m. to 6:00 p.m. is $10.
What to do if you Arrive After the Sitting Begins
If you arrive after the sitting starts and the door is locked, you don't need to turn around and go home. Ring the bell once and then sit on the bench on the front porch. If possible, we will come and unlock the door for you right away. If we are in the middle of the chants or listening to a teisho, we will come to let you in as soon as the teisho finishes.
Retreats and Training Sessions
Associate student Sarah Little sat a half-day retreat on Saturday, March 15th at Dainen-ji. General public student Beth Buerkle sat a one-day retreat on Tuesday, March 18th at her home in Chamcook, New Brunswick. General student David Alexander sat a two-day retreat on Thursday, March 20th and Friday, March 21st.
Information About Scheduling Retreats or Training Sessions
Recorded Teachings Schedule
March 22nd to March 29th
General sitting Saturday, March 22nd: Five Fingers, Ten Directions: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dogen zenji's "Jippo": Teisho 2: Fields of Awakening (21 minutes)
Formal sitting Sunday, March 23rd: “Practising Mu” by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: Teisho 1: Actualizing Mu: Dogen's Comments from the Gakudo. Yojin-Shu: Working With Mu (30 minutes)
Associate sittings Monday, March 24th and Thursday, March 27th: "The Touchstone" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei: Dharma Talk 15: Ceaseless Activity (15 minutes)
General sitting Saturday, March 29th: Five Fingers, Ten Directions: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dogen zenji's "Jippo": Teisho 3: A Whole World (22 minutes)
Listening to Recorded Teisho and Dharma Talks
Recorded Teachings for Public Access
While most of the online Recorded Teachings library is password-protected and only accessible to students of the Lineage of Zen Master Anzan Hoshin, a small selection of MP3 recordings of teisho are accessible to the public at wwzc.org/recorded-teachings Additional recordings will be uploaded periodically. MP3 recordings of four recorded teisho by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi are currently available:
Dharma Position https://wwzc.org/dharma-position
Eyes See, Ears Hear https://wwzc.org/eyes-see-ears-hear
Embarrassment https://wwzc.org/embarrassment
Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi's reading of his translation of Eihei Dogen zenji's “Bendowa: A Talk on Exerting the Way”: https://wwzc.org/bendowa-talk-exerting-way
Translations and Texts
Photograph of Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Daijozan, mid-1980s,
by Ven. Shikai Zuiko sensei
Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi has recently completed translation work on some shorter texts by Eihei Dogen zenji from the Shobogenzo. The work on these particular texts is based upon the literal translations that he worked on with Joshu Dainen roshi at Hakukaze-ji around 1977-78 followed by many years of putting them down, picking them up, and polishing. Naturally, more essential texts such as Uji, Genjokoan, Shinjin Gakudo and some 40 others were completed first and have been given extensive commentaries by the Roshi. This batch of texts includes Baike: Plum Blossoms, Ryugin: Howling Dragon, and Udonge: The Udumbara Blossoming and many others are nearing completion. Annotation details and successfully conveying them across various document formats are the issue at this point.
Work on Bussho: Buddha Nature, a very long and nuanced text by Dogen zenji, is ongoing.
Roshi is also finishing an update to the Saijo Shingi: The Deportment of Radiance, our manual of monastic training standards which is a supplement to the ancient Eihei Shingi and Keizan Shingi.
White Wind Zen Community Website Update
Teisho: “I Know Who You Are!”
Teisho presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, presented at Dainen-ji on March 13th, 1999
https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/teisho-i-know-who-you-are
Dharma Assembly: On Karma
Mondo by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, presented in April of 1986, River Road Zendo.
https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/dharma-assembly-karma
Bargeboard Restoration
We received a first detailed quotation for this work of $22,700 plus HST and after receiving other quotations hope to be able to move forward with this project in the spring of 2025. The amount raised to date is $10,680.
From the “Heritage Conservation Glossary”: Bargeboard (bordure de pignon): Boards or other decorative woodwork fixed to the edges or projecting rafters of a gabled roof, sometimes called “gingerbread”.
Being subjected to the extreme fluctuation of Ottawa’s freezing, dry winters and the heat and humidity of summers for 150 years have taken their toll on the monastery’s elaborate gingerbread. Some of it is so old and damaged that it was necessary to take it down before it fell down. Other areas are badly cracked and all of it needs restoration, sanding and repainting.
As all of the gingerbread is four floors up and difficult to access because of the steep pitch of our roofs, this is not work we can do ourselves. It is going to require someone skilled in the use of a “cherry picker” and scaffolding, and will also require excellent carpentry skills as some of the gingerbread will need to be recreated. And so we are beginning the process of finding a company that we can hire to do the work.
Because Dainen-ji is a heritage building, these repairs must be done or we could lose our heritage status.
We will post the estimated cost of the repairs as soon as we have received that information from contractors we are negotiating with. Any amount you can contribute would be gratefully received.
Dainen-ji mushroom garden
Office of the Tenzo
Dogen zenji taught in the Tenzo Kyokun: Instructions for the Tenzo (Tenzo kyokun: Instructions for the Tenzo | White Wind Zen Community) that the work of preparing and serving meals is "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. Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei serves as Tenzo and Mishin godo and Saigyo ino offer assistance as tenzo-anja.
The WWZC does not advocate any particular diet. However all meals prepared during practice events, such as Dharma Assemblies, sesshin, or retreats are vegetarian as most people can eat this. On Tuesday evenings there is an optional meat dish, as some people find that a purely vegetarian diet, especially as they get older, is not sufficient for their health. If you are adhering to a strictly vegan diet, you can write to the tenzo, Jinmyo Renge sensei, at jinmyo.renge@wwzc.org a week prior to attending an event to request vegan foods. If you are lactose intolerant or have allergies to foods, you should write to the tenzo about dietary restrictions a week before attending events.
Monday Yakuseki:
Baked naan with friulano cheese; salad of chopped green leaf lettuce, romaine, grated carrots, thinly sliced celery with an optional dressing of equal parts mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar with mango chutney, honey, and black pepper; ‘cream’ of mushroom soup (yellow and blue oyster mushroom stems sauteed, pressure cooked with water and then blended to create a silky smooth soup, seasoned with a pinch of garlic, onion powder, thyme, lots of black pepper, with added sauteed chopped mushroom caps).
Tuesday Yakuseki:
Mixed grain (Calrose rice, arborio rice and pearled barley mixed with chopped bok choy); meat loaf (ground beef and pork, yellow onions, minced garlic, grated ginger, cooked rice, eggs, thinly sliced green onions, low sodium soy sauce, gojuchang); served with a sauce made from grated ginger, minced garlic, low sodium soy sauce, gojuchang, dash of ketchup, thickened with cornstarch; chopped tomatoes mixed with fresh speckled pea sprouts dressed with oil and white balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
Thursday Yakuseki:
Rice cakes (cooked calrose rice seasoned with butter and Madras curry powder, formed into cakes and fried on the griddle); chickpea curry (slow cooked ground onions, ginger and garlic, Thai curry paste, tamarind, coconut milk, chopped carrots, red bell peppers, chickpeas); raita (chopped cucumbers and tomatoes, plain yogurt, black pepper, ground coriander).
Thank You
If you would like to thank someone for a contribution they have made, please feel free to send an email to Jinmyo sensei at rengezo@gmail dot com, but be sure to type "eMirror” in the subject line.
From Mishin godo:
Thank you to Fushin shuso and Daniel Roach for picking up three items (bookshelves and filing cabinets) for the Office of the Treasurer, and carrying them up to the attic with the assistance of Yujin.
From Saigyo ino:
Thank you to Rowan Russell and Tarik Kaya for offering a weekly period of samu to work with me on current woodworking projects required in the building. Thank you to Ian Reynolds, George Donovan, Mario Delisle and An Nguyen for regular samu. Thank you to David Alexander for a gift of funds towards tools for the monastery workshop. Thank you to Jessie Steinberg for sourcing a repair for the workshop bandsaw and for donating funds for the parts.
From the Office of the Treasurer:
Thank you to Mishin godo for a donation for the purchase of bookshelves for the Office of the Treasurer; to David Alexander for a donation towards the Office of the Shissui equipment and projects.
