eMirror Vol 29, No. 16 (2025-04-18)

The mystery of who you are is what this practice is about. The mystery of who you are has been the sole concern of the Buddhas and Awakened Ancestors.   Huineng said about you, “Before your mother and father were even born, what is your Original Face?”   Sogaku Myojin zenji wrote a little poem for you. Isn’t that sweet? It says,  “Face, face, face.  Your mother’s face, your father’s face, your face.  Before all of these faces  bring forth This Face."  So you see, we’re always talking about you. Everything that we do here is all about you. Not who you think you are, not who you believe yourself to be, but who you are.   Now, I know who you are and I also know all the ways in which you pretend otherwise. That’s why we do the kinds of things that we do here: zazen, kinhin, chanting, Great Bows, teisho. You see, you keep fooling yourself and so you make us go to all this trouble just for you. The things that we do here are the things that we have been doing for roughly 2,600 years. We do them in slightly different ways over time because the Dharma has moved from India to China to Japan to right here. The Dharma is not the same as Indian culture or Chinese culture or Japanese culture, although it took place in these cultures. Zen has its own culture, its own way of doing things, its own reason for doing things and this has been expressed differently in Indian culture, Chinese culture and Japanese culture.   In western culture there seems to be very little available as yet that can be used within the context of the culture of Zen Transmission and practice. It’s not impossible but we need to learn how to walk first, how to stand, how to sit, how to breathe, how to hear, how to understand and how to learn, because as yet, we don’t really know how to do any of these things, or at least not how to do them very well.  The forms of our practice have been Transmitted from India to China to Japan to right here. I say they have been “Transmitted” rather than merely “inherited” because something that one inherits…well, you just

Dainen-ji's front grounds with early April snowfall
Photograph by Ven. Mishin Roelofs godo


eMirror Vol 29, No. 16

Friday, April 18th, 2025
Edited by the Practice Council

The White Wind Zen Community:
An international community practising and teaching Dogen’s Zen since 1985.



The mystery of who you are is what this practice is about. The mystery of who you are has been the sole concern of the Buddhas and Awakened Ancestors. 

Huineng said about you, “Before your mother and father were even born, what is your Original Face?” 

Sogaku Myojin zenji wrote a little poem for you. Isn’t that sweet? It says, 

“Face, face, face. 
Your mother’s face, your father’s face, your face. 
Before all of these faces 
bring forth This Face."


So you see, we’re always talking about you. Everything that we do here is all about you. Not who you think you are, not who you believe yourself to be, but who you are. 

Now, I know who you are and I also know all the ways in which you pretend otherwise. That’s why we do the kinds of things that we do here: zazen, kinhin, chanting, Great Bows, teisho. You see, you keep fooling yourself and so you make us go to all this trouble just for you. The things that we do here are the things that we have been doing for roughly 2,600 years. We do them in slightly different ways over time because the Dharma has moved from India to China to Japan to right here. The Dharma is not the same as Indian culture or Chinese culture or Japanese culture, although it took place in these cultures. Zen has its own culture, its own way of doing things, its own reason for doing things and this has been expressed differently in Indian culture, Chinese culture and Japanese culture. 

In western culture there seems to be very little available as yet that can be used within the context of the culture of Zen Transmission and practice. It’s not impossible but we need to learn how to walk first, how to stand, how to sit, how to breathe, how to hear, how to understand and how to learn, because as yet, we don’t really know how to do any of these things, or at least not how to do them very well.

The forms of our practice have been Transmitted from India to China to Japan to right here. I say they have been “Transmitted” rather than merely “inherited” because something that one inherits…well, you just put it in the attic and forget about it. The forms of our practice, the different aspects of our practice, must be practised. We must make use of them and so, in making use of them, they make use of us. That is to say, they change us. We learn how to stand; we learn how to take a step; we learn how mysterious we are; we learn how rich, how dignified, how vast we are. We learn what we are not and we learn what we are. 

-Continuing “I Know Who You Are!” a teisho presented by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin, Dainen-ji, March 13, 1999
 


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 Hatto (for formal sittings)
 

Zen with renovated floors and new Butsudan (August 2024)

The Zendo (for associate and general sittings)

 


Practice Schedule and Upcoming Events



Fusatsu (Renewal of Vows): April 30th, May 14th and 28th

Introduction to Zen Workshop Ottawa: The next two Introduction to Zen Workshops will take place on Saturday, May 3rd at 1:45 p.m. and Saturday, June 7th at 1:45 p.m. To register: 
https://IntroductionToZenWorkshop.eventbrite.ca; for more information please see https://wwzc.org/introduction-zen-workshop-ottawa

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.

Hanamatsuri: Festival of Flowers
Chants commemorating the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha will be recited on Monday, April 14th. 

Hermitage:
The Roshi is continuing an extended period of hermitage due to underlying health issues until the COVID-19 situation clarifies.

Spring Samu Weekend - Saturday, April 26th and Sunday, April 27th
We shall be holding a Spring Samu Weekend on Saturday, April 26th and Sunday, April 27th. As part of the weekend we shall be doing the work needed to prepare the grounds for the spring and summer months as well as continuing with various projects inside the monastery. As there will be a great deal to get done we encourage you to please make time to attend and assist the monastics with the maintenance and improvements of the practice environment of Dainen-ji. Saigyo ino will be writing to local students soon and so please pencil these dates into your calendar so that you are able to offer samu over the weekend. Thank you. 

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


Information About Scheduling Retreats or Training Sessions

Rev. Chiso anagarika sat her weekly semi-retreat on Tuesday, April 15th at her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mario Delisle sat a partial retreat on Tuesday, April 15th at Dainen-ji.
 


Recorded Teachings Schedule


Listening to Recorded Teisho and Dharma Talks

April 19th to April 26th:

General sitting Saturday, April 19th: Five Fingers, Ten Directions: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dogen zenji's "Jippo": Teisho 6: Completely It (23 minutes)
Formal sitting Sunday, April 20th: "Practising Mu" by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: Teisho 4: Mu-ji: The Great Mystery (17 minutes)
Associate sittings Monday, April 21st and Thursday, April 24th: "The Touchstone" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei: Dharma Talk 19: Fudo Myo-o, part 1 (12 minutes)
 


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
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: “Practising Without an Edge”
Teisho presented by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei on February 19th, 2025
https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/practising-without-edge

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 $12,210.

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.

Gingerbread

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.
 

Zenga by Hakuin

Zenga by Hakuin


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. 

Meals Prepared During the Hanamatsuri Two-day Sesshin:

Saturday
Breakfast: Fried leftover egg noodles with mushroom stroganoff with chopped yellow onion and diced red bell pepper; scrambled eggs.
Lunch: Calrose rice garnished with toasted sesame seeds; miso shiru (broth made from kombu, slivered ginger, shiro miso, shoyu, mirin, rice vinegar, Shanghai bok choy, cubed silken tofu, rehydrated shitake mushrooms); takuan and gari.
Supper: spiced rice dish (basmati rice, sauteed cubed potatoes, diced carrots, chopped onion, baby green peas, Madras curry powder, butter, currants); red lentil / chickpea soup (red lentils and chickpeas, coconut cream, minced garlic, ginger, slivered jalapeno, chopped poblano peppers, garam masala, toasted cumin and mustard seeds, a pinch of powdered cloves and cinnamon, and Kashmiri chilli powder); fresh pineapple with Tajin.

Sunday
Breakfast: Fried rice (leftover spiced rice, chopped red onion, 
Lunch: Mixed grain (Chinese rice mixed with leftover Calrose rice, garnished with sauteed cubed daikon); spicy wakame seaweed soup (leftover strained miso shiru broth, wakame, slivered ginger, shoyu, roasted chile oil, silken tofu); kimchi.

Monday Yakuseki:
White and brown basmati rice with butter; saag paneer (caramelized diced white and Spanish onions, minced garlic, minced ginger, finely chopped hot finger chilies, garam masala, ground coriander, ground cumin, a few tablespoons of yogurt) mixed with sauteed paneer coated in turmeric, cayenne and salt and sauteed spinach seasoned with butter, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper; raita made from chopped cucumber and vine-ripened tomatoes, mixed with yogurt, seasoned with cardamon, cumin, lots of black pepper. Cucumber and tomato raita (chopped cucumbers and tomatoes, plain yogurt, salt, black pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander. 

Tuesday Yakuseki:
Linguine with bolognese sauce (ground beef, sauteed mirepoix (diced onion, carrots, celery), minced garlic, red wine, whole milk, San Marzano tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, basil, lots of black pepper, slow cooked for several hours); salad of chopped romaine, green leaf lettuce, and radicchio with chopped celery and thinly sliced red onion with an optional dressing of white balsamic vinegar.

Thursday Yakuseki: 
Mixed grain (Chinese white rice, barley, sushi rice, brown jasmine rice); bulgogi tofu (seared cubed medium-firm tofu, chopped Spanish and red onion, poblano and red bell peppers, bulgogi sauce, shoyu); baechu kimchi.

 

Monk in gassho - statue


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 the Roshi for having established this monastery, creating an environment of practice, and for the thousands of teisho, Dharma Talks, classes and translations of traditional texts that he has presented over decades of Teaching such that the Dharma is available to anyone who wishes to practice. Thank you to Jinmyo sensei for the teisho "Practising Without an Edge" that she presented recently, for Teaching students of all categories of enrolment and for maintaining the Way transmitted to her by the Roshi.

From the Office of the Treasurer:
Thank you to the following for donations to the Bargeboard Restoration Fund: Jean-Francois St. Louis and Loic Ouellette; Thank you to the following for donations towards the upcoming Samu Weekend: David Alexander, Jean-Francois St. Louis and Stephanie Houle.

 

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