eMirror Vol 26, No. 51 (2022-12-16)



A Tibetan thangka of Rahula
A Tibetan thangka of Rahula

eMirror Vol 26, No. 51

Friday, December 12th, 2022
Edited by the Practice Council

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



What is "great wisdom"? Great wisdom is seeing reality as it is. Nothing fancy. Just actually knowing what it is. Not coming up with some theory about it, not expounding this or that about it. Not praising it, or blaming it, but just seeing it as it is.

Rahula said, “Form only? This is how I should regard only form?” The Buddha replied, “As with form so it is with basic reactivity, symbolization, habitual patterning, and consciousness.”

In other words, “No, of course not just forms, not just what is apparently outside of you. Remember, I said internal and external. So all that you feel, all that you see, all that you know, must be seen as it is with great wisdom. If you see it as it is, then you realize that you cannot own it because you can’t stand apart from it to grasp it. You cannot find yourself inside of it. In the moment of seeing, in the moment of hearing, where are you? Just see it as it is with great wisdom, just know what is going on. Know yourself, know your world. Just pay attention, Rahula.”

Rahula apparently was a little embarrassed by this because he had been caught red-handed. Or red-minded, anyway. So he said to himself, “Acha.1 How can I go into town for alms after receiving face to face Teachings from the Generous One?” Turning back, he sat at the root of a tree, crossed his legs and set the body erect and kept mindfulness present.

1 Indian expression for “Yes. No. I don’t know. Don’t ask me. What the…”
 
-Ven Anzan Hoshin roshi, continuing Teisho Two: "The Elements of Bodymind" in the series "Flowers and Worms", Hanamatsuri sesshin, April 11th to 14th, 1991, Zazen-ji.
 


Upcoming Events



Fusatsu: December 21st,  January 4th and January 18th.

Introduction to Zen Workshop Ottawa
The next Introduction to Zen Workshop will take place on Saturday, January 7th, at 1:45 p.m. To register: https://IntroductionToZenWorkshop.eventbrite.ca
For more information please see: Introduction to Zen Workshop (Ottawa) 

For information concerning our Long-distance Training Program 
For students living an hour or more commuting distance from the monastery in Ottawa, please visit this Web Page: Long Distance Training Program | White Wind Zen Community

Joya (New Year’s Celebration)
On Saturday, December 31st at 10 p.m. until Sunday, January 1st at 12:00 a.m., we will celebrate Joya or New Year with 108 recitations of the Mahaprajnaparamita Hridaya sutra mantra at midnight.

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


White Wind Zen Community Website Update



“River of Memory”: transcript of teisho presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, on March 21st, 1991: 
https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/river-memory 
 


Retreats



Deshi Isshin sat a seven-day retreat in her home in Saint John, New Brunswick, in alignment with the O-sesshin that took place at Dainen-ji from December 1st to the 8th. Aaron Ford sat a two-day retreat on Saturday, December 10th and Sunday, December 11th at his home in Calgary, Alberta. Elizabeth Eve travelled to Dainen-ji from her home in Halifax, Nova Scotia to sit a retreat from the morning of Sunday, December 11th to noon on Monday, December 13th. 

If you would like to sit a retreat at Dainen-ji, please email schedule@wwzc.org to register a week in advance. For further information please visit this page: https://wwzc.org/retreats

If you would like to sit a retreat at home please follow the schedule outlined in this page:
https://wwzc.org/retreat-schedule-public-students.  After your retreat, please send an email to schedule@wwzc.org to confirm that you sat a retreat and include the duration and location.
 


Recorded Teachings Schedule


Saturday, December 17th to Saturday, December 24th

Saturday, December 17th: "The Landscape of Reality" by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: "Here We Are" (1 of 12, 34 minutes)
Sunday, December 18th: SAkN: "Questioning the Enigma" by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: "To Be and Not To Be" (teisho 2 of 4)
Monday, December 19th: "The Touchstone" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei: "The Touchstone 6, Not a Tourist" (teisho 6 of 22, 24 minutes)
Thursday, December 22nd: "The Touchstone" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei: "The Touchstone 6, Not a Tourist" (teisho 6 of 22, 24 minutes)
Saturday, December 24th: "The Landscape of Reality" by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: "Nehan" (2 of 12, 34 minutes)
 


Listening to Teisho and Dharma Talks



​Associate and general students should continue to follow the recorded Teachings schedule for the sitting you were attending at the monastery, and listen to that during your home practice.

You can access the online Recorded Teachings Library at wwzc.org/recorded-teachings-schedule. 

You can also use the streaming site at app.wwzc.org to live stream recordings from the online Library. If you have forgotten your password or need assistance with accessing the recorded Teachings, please email schedule@wwzc.org.

Please note that teisho should be listened to in the correct order and with none missed out as themes, metaphors, questions raised and answered evolve in spirals throughout the series.
 


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. 
 


Painted Cakes
(do not satisfy hunger)

Begun by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei
Finished by Rev. Fushin Comeau shuso following her death



scroll

Three times or three measures of time: Past, present, future; all time itself.

Posted December 16th, 2022. New entries are posted every two weeks.

 

Seeds on a tray


Office of the Tenzo



Dogen zenji taught in the Tenzo Kyokun: Instructions for the Tenzo (https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/tenzo-kyokun-instructions-tenzo) 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 following meals were prepared on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings:

Monday Yakuseki:
Mixed grain (white and brown calrose rice, arborio rice, and barley); bulgogi tofu (chopped Spanish onion, poblano and red bell peppers, and Napa cabbage, cubed and seared firm tofu, bulgogi sauce, shoyu, salt, black pepper); chopped Asian pears with lime juice and chile flakes.

Tuesday Yakuseki:
Mashed Yukon gold potatoes; Vegetarian option: Beyond burger patties in a mushroom gravy; peas, corn and diced carrots with butter, salt and pepper.
For those who wished to supplement their diet with meat: miso-braised brisket (seared strips of brisket seared with onions and cremini mushrooms, miso, shoyu, a little maple syrup, tomato paste, rice vinegar, chicken stock, cayenne pepper, lots of black pepper.

Thursday Yakuseki:
Noodles with garlic sauce (spaghettini noodles, reduced sodium shoyu, minced garlic, sambal oelek, vegetarian oyster sauce, ginger and sesame oil); sauteed green beans with garlic; miso-carrot soup (garlic, ginger, chopped carrots, apple, leeks, tomato, cumin, cayenne, sweet paprika, turmeric, coconut cream); salad of Romaine and leaf lettuce, chopped tomatoes, radishes, thinly sliced celery, served with white balsamic vinegar.

 

Little monks bowing, Japanese drawing


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 Saigyo ino:
Thank you to the Roshi for Dainen-ki, the memorial chant for his Teacher, Yasuda Joshu Dainen Hakukaze zenji, which we chanted each morning this week and for so many times suggesting terrific books I should read. Thank you to Jinmyo sensei for a thorough reorganisation of the dining hall cupboards to make everything more easily accessible and create lots of extra storage space. Thank you to Mishin godo and Senbo for organising the delivery of archival copies of the Roshi's Teachings to our off-site storage unit. Thank you to Fushin shuso and Ian Richard for continuing to update and complete our eMirror hardcopy archives. Thank you to Leonardo Nobrega for archiving samu and to David Gallant for taking various e-waste for donation and appropriate disposal. Thank you to Tarik Kaya and Ian Richard for joining residents on Sunday afternoons for samu (caretaking practice).

From David Gallant:
Thank you to Jinmyo sensei for continually clarifying and organizing various physical spaces at Dainen-ji, which has also helped me to do the same in my resident space. Thank you to Mishin godo for arranging for a cable Internet speed upgrade for our main building LAN this week.

From Elizabeth Eve:
Thank you to the Roshi for establishing and maintaining Dainen-ji in Ottawa, making this Teaching available in every possible way, while preserving the Lineage. Thank you to Jinmyo sensei for daisan, and for showing me the renovation in and around the Shuryo. Thank you to Mishin godo for taking care of many administrative tasks, and for a face-to-face practice interview, as well as for clear instruction on how to do samu tasks. Thank you to Saigyo ino for welcoming me at Dainen-ji, for providing everything needed for sitting in retreat, and for the dedication to renovating the heritage mansion that is the monastery, including the grounds. Thank you to Fushin shuso, Leonardo and David for attending to all the details of maintaining the monastery, and thus wordlessly showing how one practises on and off the cushion. Thank you to the office of the Tenzo for preparing tasty and nutritious meals while I was in retreat this week. Thank you to Amy and Pat in Halifax for providing care at home while I came to Ottawa. 

 

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