eMirror Vol 29, No. 2 (2025-01-10)

At Knowlan Mountain Zendo, White Wind Zazenkai. Nova Scotia

At Knowlan Mountain Zendo, White Wind Zazenkai. Nova Scotia

eMirror Vol 29, No. 2

Friday, January 10th, 2025
Edited by the Practice Council

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



Just as reflections arise within a mirror, the mirror is always standing free of what it’s reflecting and yet intimate with each reflection. Each reflection arises on its very face. “So Awareness always stands unconditionally free as the heart of all experiences, as the heart of all worlds.”1 This Awareness itself can never truly become confused because confusion arises within it.

Mindfulness is beginning to attend to our experience as it is rather than as we believe it to be. It means taking our beliefs and asking ourselves if they are true or not. Finding out whether they are true or not by examining them in the bright light of our direct experience of this moment of seeing and hearing, of touching and tasting, smelling, thinking and feeling. It is seeing the arising, dwelling and decaying of all of our experiences, penetrating into the impermanence and emptiness and openness and transparency of this activity of experiencing. Mindfulness is zazen; it is kinhin; but it is also sleeping, dreaming. All of our experiences must be penetrated so that we can realize all of these experiences to be the activity of this great space and activity and space to be simply Knowing. We can only do such a thing when we are completely open to our experiences. If we wish to avoid confusion, then certainly there is no room for such a deep inquiry, for such a thorough and penetrating questioning.

-Beginning "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



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.
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.

Fusatsu (Renewal of Vows):  January 15th and 29th.

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

January Two-day Sesshin:
The January Sesshin will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, January 10th and will end on Sunday, January 12th at 6:00 p.m. 

January 11th General Sitting:
On Saturday, January 11th, during the sesshin, there will be a sitting in the Zendo for general students which will begin at 9:30 a.m. (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.

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.

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
 


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



General student David Alexander sat a two-day retreat on Friday, December 27th and Saturday, December 28th 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


January 11th to January 18th:

General sitting Saturday, January 11th: Zen Arts: The Flowering of the Senses by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: Teisho 3: Sea of Sounds (36 minutes)
Associate sittings Monday, January 13th and Thursday, January 16th: "The Touchstone" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei: Dharma Talk 7: Faster Than the Speed of Thoughts (23 minutes)
General sitting Saturday, January 18th: Zen Arts: The Flowering of the Senses by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: Teisho 4: Touching the Sensations of the World (32 minutes)

Recorded Teisho Schedule for sesshin:

Saturday, January 11th afternoon: SAkN: Dimensions of Space Teisho 4: Dimensions of Mental Space (42 minutes)
Saturday, January 11th evening: SAkN: Dimensions of Space Teisho 5: Dimensionless Space (26 minutes)
Sunday, January 12th afternoon: SAkN: Dimensions of Space Teisho 5: Dimensionless Space (26 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



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 $6,670.

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.

Bargeboard at Dainen-ji

From across Friel street showing the height of the window in the above photograph.

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.
 


Request for help with upkeep of the monastery grounds



If you would like to help with the upkeep and improvements to the monastery grounds through the summer months your help would be much appreciated. A regular commitment of an hour or two each week would go a long way to keeping the gardens looking good for the sangha and visitors we have at Dainen-ji. Saigyo ino will provide all of the instruction so even if you don't know much about gardening this is no problem. Please write to Saigyo ino at saigyo.cross@gmail.com if you would like to get involved. Thank you.

 

5.4 lbs of monastery mushrooms

5.4 lbs of monastery mushrooms


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 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings:

Monday Yakuseki:
Mixed grain (calrose, arborio and pearled barley); oyster mushroom soup made from mushrooms stock, shoyu, white pepper, ginger, monastery-grown yellow oyster caps; ganmodoki - tofu balls (mashed silken tofu, chopped medium-firm tofu, minced jalapeno and poblano peppers, minced scallions and ginger, egg whites, salt, rice flour and potato flour) formed into balls and deep-fried until golden brown; dipping sauce made from Japanese shoyu, rice vinegar and grated ginger; takuan and gari.

Tuesday Yakuseki:
Crusty rolls with butter; split pea soup (green split peas, small diced carrots, celery, chopped onion, thyme, minced garlic, lots of black pepper) served with optional diced cooked ham; a salad of red leaf and romaine lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, grated carrots, thinly sliced red cabbage with an optional dressing of equal parts mayonnaise, dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar with black pepper and honey.

Thursday Yakuseki:
Corn chips; black bean soup (cooked black beans, diced onion, diced tomatoes and potatoes, cumin, chipotle adobo, red balsamic vinegar, chopped coriander, topped with sliced bananas); 
coleslaw (thinly sliced green cabbage, white onion, and carrot, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, horseradish, lime juice, salt and pepper). 

 

Mishin godo bowing


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 Jinmyo sensei:
Thank you to the Roshi for menu designs. Thank you to Mishin godo for growing cat grass for the monastery felines and for many errands; to Saigyo ino for all of his work to set up the mushroom grow tent that is now producing many pounds of lion’s mane and oyster mushrooms being used in our meals; to Fushin shuso for archiving samu to remove distortion from 35 year old recordings of teisho; to Senbo for sending out the eMirror to our subscription list each week; to Myocho for transcription; to Yujin for work to prepare a new Website for White Wind Zen Community. 

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