eMirror Vol 22, No. 18 (2018-05-04)

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Photograph by Ven. Shikai Zuiko sensei

eMirror Vol 22, No. 18

Friday, May 4th, 2018
Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho

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


 

        This spring
        you are surprised.

        The long white winter,
        the calendar and days,

        the quick thaws,
        eager frosts,

        have left expectation
        snowblind and starving,
        far from the main road.

        When the green begins

        you stop and wonder
        where you are.

        A sparrow cries out, out.

-Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, Daijozan 1986, from the book "The Sky Itself".

 


Upcoming Events


https://wwzc.org/upcoming-events

Fusatsu:  May 16th and 30th

Hermitage
The Roshi began a period of hermitage on Wednesday, May 2nd, which will end at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 6th, when he leads monastics in Acalanatha Sadhana.

Introduction to Zen Workshop
The next Introduction to Zen Workshop will take place at Dainen-ji on Saturday, May 5th. For more information please see:
https://wwzc.org/introduction-zen-workshop-ottawa
For information concerning our Long-distance Training Program, please visit this Web Page: https://wwzc.org/long-distance-training-program

Cancelled General Sitting
The Monday, May 14th, 7:30 p.m. general sitting is cancelled due to O-sesshin.

Cancelled Associate Sitting
The Thursday, May 18th, 7:30 p.m. associate sitting is cancelled due to O-sesshin.

Sogaku-ki  O-sesshin
The Sogaku-ki O-sesshin will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, May 11th, and will end on Friday, May 18th, at noon. Formal students are reminded to send their schedules to schedule at wwzc dot org as soon as is possible.
For associate and general students: On Saturday, May 12th, there will be a sitting in the Zendo which will begin at 9:15 a.m. (First Bell) and will end at 11:30 a.m. Please remain on the first floor. Please note that the Monday evening general sitting is cancelled, as is the Thursday evening associate sitting. The 9:30 a.m. general sitting will take place on Saturday, May 21st.

A Note to Preliminary and Public Students Concerning O-sesshin
During an O-sesshin the schedule is such that there is no time to meet face to face with preliminary students or to reply to email correspondence sent by public students. Public students are asked to send their weekly practice journals, as they will be reviewed. But unless there is something that needs an immediate reply, you will not receive an email reply until the week following the O-sesshin.

Sogaku-ki
May 18th is the memorial for the death of Sogaku Myoshin Hakukaze daiosho, the 80th Lineage Ancestor and, it is said, the author of “Scattered Notes On The Daruma-kata”. Sogaku Hakukaze daisho lived during the Tokugawa era.  He received transmission from Manzan Dohaku daiosho and gave transmission to Anzan Daiko daiosho.

Fudo ennichi
May 26th is a day traditionally dedicated to Fudo Myo-o. Fuo Myo-o (J) Acala Vidyaraja (S) A manifestation of “Mahavairocana” or all pervading Awareness as a wrathful guardian figure; a symbol of boundless energy, determination and compassion. Used as a symbol of the Teacher’s mind in this Lineage. Fudo stands glaring and snarling like a demon; it holds the sword of insight in one hand and the cord of the Precepts in the other; it has chained itself to a rock in the midst of the raging flames of the deepest hell to work for the liberation of all beings there. 

Hermitage
The Roshi will begin a period of hermitage on Wednesday, May 30th, which will end on Sunday, June 3rd, at 9:30 a.m., when he leads monastics in Acalanatha Sadhana.
 


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.


Retreats


Deshi Senbo sat a one-day retreat on Saturday, April 28th. Mohamed Zakzouk sat a one-day retreat on Sunday, April 29th. Deshi Tettsu sat a half-day retreat on Sunday, April 29th at the Harrow Zazenkai in London. Kail Shankar sat a half-day retreat on Sunday, April 29th at the Harrow Zazenkai in London. Beth Buerkle sat a one-day retreat on Tuesday, May 1st at her home in Chamcook, New Brunswick. 

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, May 5th general sitting: “Without Difficulty”: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on Jianzhi Sengcan's “Xinxin Ming: Words on Trusting Awareness”:  “Faith in Mind, Trusting Awareness” (3 of 26)\
  • Monday, May 7th general sitting: “Flowers and Clouds” by Ven. Anzan Hoshin: “The Sound of Zazen” (9 of 12)
  • Thursday, May 10th associate sitting: “The Point of Wisdom: Minding Your Own Bodymind” by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei (Dharma Talk 1 of 1)
  • Saturday, May 12th associate and general sitting: “Every Breath You Take” by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei: “Amusement” (Dharma Talk 5)
     

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:


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.
 

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Dharma in Prison

By Ven. Shikai Zuiko sensei


On Wednesday, the 25th of April the schedules trip to Bath Institution and Treatment Centre to meet with the Zen group was different, right from the start. Ryoshin was driving a van on loan from a friend. Ryoshin, a deshi (formal student), had accompanied me to Bath Institution for the first time five years ago. White Wind Zen Community was responding to a request for a Zen teacher from Sr. Regina Lannon, the chaplain at the time. Ryoshin was diagnosed with multiple myeloma shortly after the regular visits started and was unable to continue until recently. Peter McRae volunteered to drive. The 25th was the first time in some four years of driving that Peter had a chance to really see the countryside and inspired by Ryoshin’s spoken phrase “empty trees” wrote:

“Empty trees forming dark intricate shapes against a leaden sky
Swirling air around hints of green-grey, cloudy, foggy, wet, but mild.
Spring.”

        After the two and a half hour trip we turned in to the road to Bath Institution and were greeted by three young, very alert yet relaxed does grazing in a field. The field across the road only a few yards further showcased six more calmly grazing deer and a wild turkey. The wildlife seemed to know they were secure and safe from humans. A practitioner confirmed this telling us the deer will come so close to the perimeter fence you could touch them. 
        All of a sudden. A loud bang. A gunshot? 
        No. The explosion was some sort of air ‘grenade’ to scare seagulls away from their nests on the roof of the prison. The men said the gulls stay away for all of ten minutes before returning to their perches. The turkey and the deer are not alarmed. 
        The chapel at the Centre for Spiritual Development was in disarray as preparation for painting and redecorating the room was underway. I asked the sangha about a man who had been consistent in his practice and was surprised to learn he was out of prison. We wish him the best. The CD playback machine was not available. Zafu and seiza benches were. The seven practitioners, Peter and Ryoshin, sat zazen. I was able to see three students for daisan. A gift of incense from Sarah Goul was delivered to Padre Sue for distribution to the men for their regularly scheduled Wednesday afternoon sitting. May 30th was set as the date for the next visit.

 

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Painted Cakes
(do not satisfy hunger)

by Ven. Shikai Zuiko sensei


Continuing on with “Painted Cakes: A Zen Dictionary” a limited edition text written by Anzan Hoshin roshi in the 1980s and last revised in 1994.

[Correction to last week’s entry, which simply defined “Osho” as “a senior monk”. That definition is from an older version of the text and is too simplified.]

Osho (J): high or venerable monk; derived from the Sanskrit upadhyaya or ordination master; in now sometimes used in Soto-shu for a monastic of ten years full ordination; in WWZC used as short-form for osho-ajari

Osho-ajari (J): in WWZC a Dharma Teacher who has received shiho and is a Dharma-holder of the Lineage; is able to accept deshi (formal students) and present jukai [such as Shikai Zuiko sensei and Jinmyo Renge osho-ajari]

Questions can be sent to me, Shikai sensei, at shikai.sensei@gmail.com.

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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:
Fried rice (leftover brown rice, chopped onion, chopped poblano and red bell peppers, ginger, garlic, shoyu, honey garlic); spinach stalk soup (chunks of white onion and rough chopped celery simmered in a broth of shoyu, ginger, roasted scallion paste, shaoshing, with added blanched spinach stalks which turned varying shades of green and pale yellow, and puffed deep-fried tofu); white kimchi. 

Tuesday Yakuseki:
Punjabi lamb curry (cumin seeds, finely chopped red onions, minced fresh ginger minced, freshly ground cumin and coriander, turmeric, kashmiri chili powder, tomato puree, lamb cut into roughly one inch cubes, stock made from lamb bones, garam masala and fresh coriander leaves and stems); aloo beans (cut green beans, cubed Yukon gold potatoes, mustard and cumin seeds, turmeric, cumin, coriander and red chili powder, lemon juice and garam masala); non-dairy naan made with flour, soybean milk curdled with vinegar, and yeast; raita (almond yogurt [almond milk, probiotics], grated cucumber, roasted cumin powder, chili powder, black pepper, chopped coriander leaves); basmati rice. 

Thursday Yakuseki:
Lo mein noodles tossed with sliced scallions and bean sprouts; Tofu and vegetables in a mild curry sauce (blended caramelized red onion, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, minced garlic and ginger, sriracha, lime juice, sliced deep-fried tofu, sliced Spanish onion, red bell peppers, cubanelle peppers; sauteed baby bok choy and spinach leaves with garlic and lime juice. 

Extra items made this week: 
almond yogurt, non-dairy naan

Baking by Shikai sensei:
Mini-pita bread; “Tricky” cookies; peanut butter, egg, puffed quinoa, stevia and a hint of turmeric, some with cocoa nibs, some with chili flakes, all sprinkled with mid-Atlantic sea salt.
 

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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 Shikai sensei:
Thank you to; Ryoshin for transportation for Kitsune to and from the veterinarian and catnip filled sleeping mats for Kitsune and Shindo; to Peter McRae for many ‘on-the-road’ lunches.

From Jinmyo osho:
Thank you to the Ino for taking care of many administration tasks; to Endai shramon for ongoing transcription of teisho; to Senbo for custom-coding two-step email address verification for the WWZC website; to David Gallant for sending the eMirror to the subscription list each week; to Hannah Kent for maintenance on the attendance application which she wrote the code for. 

From Saigyo tando:
Thank you to the monastics and residents for taking care of my responsibilities whilst I was on a recent trip to the U.K. Thank you to Tettsu for over 18 years of carefully maintaining the environment of practice at the Harrow Zazenkai in his home. Thank you to Varsha Shankar for a generous and welcoming meal during my stay at Harrow. 

From Tettsu (Harrow Zazenkai):
Thank you to Saigyo tando for practising with Kail and myself here at Harrow Zazenkai; for encouraging us to open up in and around states; for clarifying what needs to be done and how to do them, in both formal and informal practice. Thank you to Kail’s wife Varsha and my partner Rosemary for delicious meals. Thank you especially to the Roshi for making the Tando’s visit possible and for creating this precious environment of realised practice.  

From: Tettsu and Kail Shanker (Harrow):
Thank you to Saigyo tando for leading and guiding us during the half-day retreat at Harrow Zazenkai on Sunday 29th April. It was very much appreciated. Also, our deep gassho to Saigyo tando, whose company, practice advice and support we truly appreciated since last Wednesday 25th April, for a number of sittings and the half-day retreat on Sunday. 
It highlighted the immense value of the face-to-face/direct experience (with Saigyo Tando), over other means of communication; in terms of gaining more insight and deeper understanding of the practice (Kail). 

From Kail Shanker (Harrow):
Thank you to Tettsu, for his kindness and hospitality during this week at Harrow Zazenkai, and for preparing the food on the half-day retreat on Sunday. 

From Sarah Goul:
Thank you to Roshi for accepting me as a general student.  Thank you to the Sensei from Komox for stylish cat toys. Thank you to the Osho for ongoing Maitri instruction. Thank you to the Ino for tips on wearing the kunsu, for a clarifying practice interview during my April retreat, for Saturday eggs and for access to leftovers. Thank you to the Tando for tips on effective painting and proper care for paintbrushes. Thank you to Endai shramon for my first cup of macha green tea, which was served in a pretty pottery cup, and also for making a lemon cake which was served for retreat refreshment. Thank you to Leonardo for acting as Jikido during our concurrent April retreats.   

From the Office of the Treasurer:
Thank you to David Gallant for donating the funds for a new computer to make archiving samu faster. Thank you to Gillian Higenbottam for a gift of dana to support materials for the Bath Institution practitioners, and a gift of dana for upcoming samu weekends. 

 


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.

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