eMirror Vol 29, No. 10 (2025-03-07)

Photograph by frank Tettsu Woods, Harrow Zazenkai, UK

Photograph by frank Tettsu Woods, Harrow Zazenkai, UK

eMirror Vol 29, No. 10

Friday, March 7th, 2025
Edited by the Practice Council

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



[Student]: Can you talk about the Precepts?

[Roshi]: I can, but it is a rather vast topic. In fact, we are in the process of preparing transcripts of some Talks that have been done on the Precepts. I believe when it is all complete, because there is also the Kyojukaimon and so on, it will probably be about 300 pages.

So briefly, the Precepts are not merely a set of moral codes or ethics. Precepts are “kai”, which means something like “aspects” or “facets”. They are aspects or facets of the mind of practice and of wisdom. They are something that formal students might commit themselves to at certain points as a way of deepening their practice, of committing themselves to their practice. And of allowing themselves the opportunity to see just how wisdom happens and how confusion happens, by consciously intending the Precepts moment after moment and exposing yourself to them so you can see that, say, slander is something that you are almost always doing; you know, you are slandering by not recognizing the truth of something, by saying only part of something, by being partial about something, on and on and on. So you begin to use that Precept as a way of understanding the various motivations and activities of self-image and attending to them because our experience itself is very vast and very open.

Any harmful state, any way in which we harm ourselves or others, is based on a contraction. When we become angry, we narrow and we exclude most of our experience. When we are fearful we do the same kind of thing. All harmful states are contracted states. In order, as I mentioned, for there to be a contraction there has to be openness first. I can’t make a fist without having first had an open hand. So, while these harmful states, these ways in which we cause suffering for ourselves and others, tend to be almost second nature to us. They are not first nature.

Our first nature is wisdom, is clarity, is compassion.

- Continuing the Mondo "Confusion is the Mother of Wisdom", from a Dharma Assembly presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, May 1991

 

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): March 12th and 26th.

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;

March Two-day Sesshin:
The March two-day sesshin will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 7th, and will end at 6:00 p.m . on Sunday, March 9th. Formal students are reminded to send their schedules as soon as possible.

Saturday, March 8th General Sitting:
The Saturday, March 8th sitting for general students will take place in the Zendo. Please arrive by 9:15 in time for First bell. The sitting will end at 11:30 a.m. Students attending are reminded to stay on the first floor.

Keizan-ki
March 21st is the memorial for Keizan Jokin zenji.

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.


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



Rev. Chiso anagarika sat her weekly semi-retreat on Tuesday, March 4th in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Formal Public student Jinen sat a retreat at Dainen-ji from Thursday, February 27th to the morning of Saturday, March 1st. Associate student Kathleen Johnson sat a half-day retreat on Thursday, February 27th. General student Tarik Kaya sat a two-day retreat on Saturday, March 1st and Sunday, March 2nd at Dainen-ji. General student George Donovan sat a partial retreat on Monday, March 3rd at Dainen-ji.

If you are a student of Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi and  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 are a public student and 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.

If you would like to engage in a training session either at the monastery or at home by aligning with the schedule of the monastery, please read the information on this page: 
https://wwzc.org/training-sessions 
 


Recorded Teachings Schedule


March 8th to March 15th

General sitting Saturday, March 8th: Five Fingers, Ten Directions: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dogen zenji's "Jippo": Reading of the text (16 minutes)
Associate sittings Monday, March 10th and Thursday, March 13th: "The Touchstone" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei: Dharma Talk 13: Living in the Space of Maitri (25 minutes)
General sitting Saturday, March 15th: Five Fingers, Ten Directions: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dogen zenji's "Jippo": Teisho 1: Naked Awareness (19 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. Teisho and Dharma Talks are presented during sittings and so should be listened to while you are sitting.

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

Please note that recorded teisho should be listened to in the correct order and with none missed out as themes, metaphors, questions are raised and answered from different angles throughout each 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.
 


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

Dharma Assembly: Freefall
Dharma Talk presented by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei on January 7th, 2007: https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/dharma-assembly-freefall

Before Thinking (Dharma Talk 68): A Jewel in Bright Light
Dharma Talk by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi presented at Zazen-ji on September 14, 1991: https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/jewel-bright-light

Kwannon
Teisho by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, transcript of a teisho presented on May 6, 1986, at River Road Zendo: https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/kwannon

Cultivation of the Ground of Mind
Transcript of a teisho Presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, on June 4, 1989: https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/cultivation-ground-mind

The Practice of Boards and Stones
Teisho presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, on June 18, 1989: https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/practice-boards-and-stones

Difficulty, Strangeness, Beauty
Transcript of a Dharma Talk presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, December 13, 1988: https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/difficulty-strangeness-beauty

Standing in the Rain (Tangaryo)
Transcript of Dharma Talk presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, December 15th, 1988: https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/standing-rain-tangaryo

Snow
Transcript of Dharma Talk presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, November 18, 1989: https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/snow

 


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 $10,280.

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.
 

Daikon zenga by Ve. Anzan Hoshin roshi

Daikon zenga by Ve. Anzan Hoshin roshi


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. The following meals were prepared during the week of O-sesshin:

Monday Yakuseki:
Baked naan with optional butter; minestrone soup (sauteed diced red and yellow onions, celery, and carrot, minced garlic, chopped poblano and red bell peppers, chopped cremini, zucchini, red kidney beans, San Marzano tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, pepper, dried thyme, smoked paprika, bay leaves, olive oil); salad of thinly sliced Napa cabbage, carrots, white onions, and daikon with optional dressing of equal parts mayonnaise, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, with honey and black pepper.

Tuesday Yakuseki:
White and brown Thai rice; tofu mendoan (medium-firm tofu and oyster mushrooms in a spicy batter made from all purpose flour, rice flour and potato starch, minced garlic, chopped scallions, minced red pencil chillies, coriander powder, deep fried); dipping sauce made with low sodium Chinese soy sauce, dark soy sauce, shaoxing cooking wine, rice vinegar, minced chillies, chopped scallions and rice vinegar); mushroom soup with sauteed cremini mushrooms and oyster mushrooms (mushroom stock, slivered ginger, shaoxing cooking wine, and shoyu.

Thursday Yakuseki: 
Fried rice (leftover Thai jasmine and Lundberg brown rice, chopped onion and poblano peppers, minced ginger, sauteed lion’s mane and yellow oyster mushrooms, low sodium soy sauce, ketjap manis (Indonesian soy sauce), minced garlic, tomato paste), garnished with peanuts; blanched Shanghai bok choy seasoned with lime juice and white pepper; baechu kimchi mixed with fresh speckled pea sprouts

 

Gassho sign (hands in gassho in in a circle)


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 Yujin for working with students after every associate and general sitting to clean the boot mats and front hallway of winter grit.

From Saigyo ino:
Thank you to the following students who offered samu this week to work on various tasks required around the monastery: George Donovan, Mario Delisle, David Alexander, Ian Reynolds, An Nguyen, Rowan Russell, Daniel Roach and Tarik Kaya.

From Yujin:
Thank you to the Roshi for creating the format for a Dharma Assembly. Thank you to Jinmyo sensei for leading the recent Dharma Assembly and presenting a new teisho; to the monastics for your hard work in support of the event; and, to the Office of the Tenzo for many delicious meals during my past retreats and the Dharma Assembly.

Printer Friendly, PDF & Email