eMirror Vol 22, No. 2 (2018-01-12)
Photograph by Ven. Mishin Roelofs ino
eMirror Vol 22, No. 2
Friday, January 12th, 2018
Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho
The White Wind Zen Community:
An international community practising and teaching Dogen’s Zen since 1985.
Quotes from teisho are run sequentially in the eMirror
Shitou sat facing the wall of his grass thatched hut perched on the edge of a cliff. Walking, gathering chestnuts, roots, berries, he was exposed to the sere wind. Sitting, standing, walking and lying down, he shook loose the last threads of hesitation, and entered completely Exposed into what his teacher Qingyuan had transmitted to him.
Below the cliff in the countryside, people went about their tasks, living their lives in their various homes. Getting up in the morning, working in the fields or setting up shop, arguing with a husband or wife, beating the kids. They couldn't see each other, they couldn't see themselves.
From where are Old Stonehead sat on his cliff edge of course it was easy to see how all of these lives, all of these beings, all fit together with each other. It's not just that the little houses, the little carts and donkeys, the little straw hats and sandals, took place in the landscape that stretched around them. Each of these were intimately Exposed to everything else around them, and everything fit together. From where Old Stonehead sat as the Aware Space in which everything arises, he could see that each straw hat, each donkey's hoof, was also that in which everything arises, and that everything fit there, contained but not enclosed.
-Anzan Hoshin roshi, beginning teisho 4: "The Root of Your Life," September 16th, 1996 in "Studying the Mystery," Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Shitou Xiqian's "Sandōkai"
Upcoming Events
https://wwzc.org/upcoming-events
Fusatsu: January 17th and 31st
Introduction to Zen Workshop
The next Introduction to Zen Workshop will take place at Dainen-ji on Saturday, January 6th. For more information please see: http://www.wwzc.org/content/introduction-zen-workshop-ottawa
For information concerning our Long-distance Training Program, please visit this Web Page: http://www.wwzc.org/long-distance-training-program
January two-day Sesshin
The January 2-day sesshin begins at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, January 12th and will end at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 14th.
On Saturday, January 13th, 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.
Daiji-ki
January 22nd is the memorial of the date of death of Daiji Tenku daiosho, who was the Teacher of Joshu Dainen daiosho, both of whom Anzan Hoshin roshi studied with.
Retreats
To Schedule a Retreat
Please visit this Web page for information about scheduling a retreat and an explanation of the different kinds of retreat (duration and timing) you can sit: https://wwzc.org/retreats. Please note that retreats should be scheduled one week in advance.
Public students sitting retreats should send an email to schedule@wwzc.org to confirm they sat a retreat so that notice of it can be included in the eMirror. Please include the location of the retreat and the duration.
Teisho
Recorded Teachings Schedule
- Saturday, January 13th associate and general sitting: “Every Breath You Take”: Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei’s Comments on “The Practice of Purity”: “At Home” (Dharma Talk 1)
- Monday, January 15th general sitting: “Bodhidharma’s Eyes” by Ven. Anzan Hoshin: “Outside the Sutras” (7 of 13)
- Thursday, January 18th associate sitting: “Being Breathed” by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei: “Being Breathed part 1” (Dharma Talk 1 of 4)
- Saturday, January 20th general sitting: “The Primordially Awakened Way”: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's "Kobutsu-shin": “Fences, Walls, Tiles, Stones” (6 of 8)
Missed Sittings and Teisho
If associate students are unable to attend the Thursday evening associate sitting, they may attend one of the general sittings to make up for the sitting they missed. General sittings are held on Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m. (first Bell is at 7:15) and Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m. (first Bell at 9:15 a.m.). Please send an email to request permission to attend one of these sittings.
Teisho presented at general and associate sittings which are part of a series need to be listened to in the correct order and with none missed out. If you miss a sitting please borrow a copy of the missed teisho from the library or download it from the WWZC Media Site as soon as possible, so that the continuity of what is being presented is not disrupted. The weekly list of recorded teisho played at sittings is posted on the web site at:
https://wwzc.org/recorded-teachings-schedule
Online Access to Recorded Teachings
Students can access the password-protected online Recorded Teachings library on the WWZC website at https://wwzc.org/recorded-teachings or through the streaming site at http://app.wwzc.org. The custom-built media streaming site allows students to live stream recordings from the WWZC Recorded Teachings collection. It is optimized for use on smartphones and tablets, and works with most modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. It can also be used on desktops.
WWZC Website www.wwzc.org
Recorded Teachings for Public Access
While most of the online Recorded Teachings library is password-protected and only accessible to students of Zen Master Anzan Hoshin, a small selection of MP3 recordings of teisho are accessible to the public at https://wwzc.org/recorded-teachings. Additional recordings will be uploaded periodically.
MP3 recordings of five teisho 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
- Yaza 2007: Sit Through the Night, the Night is Bright Right Through https://wwzc.org/yaza-2007
- 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
Samu on Sundays
Each Sunday afternoon (except during O-sesshin and Sesshin), Caretaking Council (Saigyo tando, Fushin shramon and Endai shramon) do samu from 1:30p.m to 4:30p.m. on the various small projects required around the monastery. There are always a great many tasks that need to be done and so any students are welcome and encouraged to come to Dainen-ji to join the monastics in caretaking practice. If you would like to partake in the samu practice on Sundays please write to Saigyo tando at saigyo.cross@gmail.com.
Painted Cakes
(do not satisfy hunger)
by Shikai Zuiko sensei
Continuing on with “Painted Cakes: A Zen Dictionary” a limited edition text written by Anzan Hoshin roshi in 1994.
Omamaori(J); A talismanic object empowered by the teacher as a reminder of practice and an access point for transmission
Questions can be sent to me, Shikai sensei, at shikai.sensei@gmail.com.
Office of the Tenzo
Dogen zenji taught in the Tenzokyokun 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 osho serves as tenzo and Mishin ino and Saigyo tando offer assistance as tenzo-anja.
Monday Yakuseki:
Cavatappi pasta dressed with butter, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, parmesan; chickpea and zucchini soup with red onion, celery, chopped portobello mushrooms, white wine, vegetable broth, oregano, thyme; monastery white kimchi (abaechu, without chiles).
Thursday Yakuseki:
Basmati white and brown rice with butter; a curry of red onion, red, cubanelle and poblano peppers, sliced deep-fried tofu, lime juice, butter, cardamom, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, and chili paste; fermented strips of carrot and daikon mixed with mayonnaise and lime pickle.
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 Mishin ino:
Thank you to the Roshi for the "Sitting Up Straight" teisho series, commentaries on Keizan Jokin zenji's "Zazen Yojinki", which is wonderful everytime I hear it. Thank you to Fushin shramon for replying to scheduling and workshop registration emails.
From Endai shramon:
Thank you to Jinmyo osho for leading the chants at the formal sittings this week and for instruction on the proper rhythm. Thank you to David Gallant for samu to clear the snow around Dainen-ji.
From Claude Schryer:
Thank you to the Roshi and all the monastics for allowing me do a Training Session from January 1 through January 6. It was very enriching to participate in this session. It has helped me deepen my practice and increase my understanding of the Dharma.
From the Office of the Treasurer:
Thank you to Jinen for a donation.
What to do if you arrive late for a sitting
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.
Ongoing Project: "All is Change"
Dainen-ji, being a 140-year-old building, is continuously in need of maintenance and the costs associated with this can be astronomical when such things as porch repairs or exterior 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. If anyone would like to contribute to this fund, each penny will be appreciated. The “All is Change” container is on the wooden wall shelf under the Sangha Board in the cloak room.
