eMirror Vol 23, No. 35 (2019-08-30)
"Ko", "Light", sho by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi
eMirror Vol 23, No. 35
Friday, August 30th, 2019
Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho
The White Wind Zen Community:
An international community practising and teaching Dogen’s Zen since 1985.
Dogen taught that the zanmai-o-zanmai, the sovereign of all samadhis is this bodymind just sitting up straight in zazen, balancing whatever arises. Whatever might be realized must be released into gyoji-dokan, turning the wheel of continuous practice. A moment of opening must be continued moment after moment. Kensho must be released into the First Daikensho of the Mirror of Mind, which is continuous realized-practice throughout the waking state. And this must be released and opened out into the Second Daikensho of Polishing the Mirror, which is continuous realized-practice throughout the dreaming and sleeping states. And this can be released into the Third Daikensho of Seeing the Dust Motes Shine and the Fourth Daikensho of Shattering the Mirror. There is even a Fifth Daikensho but we haven’t yet been able to find a way to talk about how to practice throughout it.
And so, Dogen zenji says, “Know that we enter the samadhi of dharmata through meeting the sutras or meeting a Master. To enter and receive samadhi as dharmata is what is called natural wisdom.”
So what is the samadhi of dharmata, the harmonization of essential reality?
-Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, concluding teisho 2: "What is the Samadhi of Dharmata," Saturday, December 4, 2004 in the teisho series "Essentially Real: Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji’s 'Hossho: Dharmata'."
Upcoming Events
Fusatsu:
September 11th, September 25th, October 16th and October 30th.
Hermitage
The Roshi will begin a period of hermitage on Wednesday, September 4th, which will end on Sunday, September 8th, at 9:30 a.m., 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, September 7th. For more information please see: http://wwzc.org/introduction-zen-workshop-ottawa
For information concerning our Long-distance Training Program, please visit this Web Page: http://www.wwzc.org/long-distance-training-program
September Two-day Sesshin
The September 2-day sesshin begins at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, September 13th and will end at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 15th. Formal students are reminded to send their schedules to schedule at wwzc dot org as soon as is possible.
On Saturday, September 14th, associate and general students may attend a sitting held in the Zendo. Arrival time is 9:15 a.m. (in time for First Bell). The sitting ends at 11:30 a.m. Students attending are reminded to remain on the first floor.
Hermitage
The Roshi will begin a period of hermitage on Wednesday, September 25th, which will end at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 29th, 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, September 28th. For more information please see: http://wwzc.org/introduction-zen-workshop-ottawa
For information concerning our Long-distance Training Program, please visit this Web Page: http://www.wwzc.org/long-distance-training-program
Daruma-ki O-sesshin
The Daruma-ki O-sesshin will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 4th, and will end at noon on Sunday, October 11th 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: Please note that there are no sittings on Monday and Thursday evening during the week of O-sesshin. Instead, you may attend a morning sitting on Saturday, October 5th. The sitting begins at 9:30 a.m. (please arrive by 9:15 in time for first Bell) and ends at 11:30 a.m. Students are reminded to remain on the first floor.
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.
Cancelled Sitting October 7th
The general sitting that would normally take place on the evening of October 7th is cancelled as O-sesshin will be in progress.
Cancelled sitting October 10th
The associate sitting that would normally take place on the evening of October 11th is cancelled as O-sesshin will be in progress.
Dharma Assembly
On Saturday, October 19th, Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho will lead a Dharma Assembly, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. (please arrive by 9:15, in time for first Bell) and will end at 9:00 p.m. Dana is $40.00, which includes two meals: lunch and supper. Participants are asked to bring clothing and shoes appropriate for samu practice. To register, please send an email to schedule at wwzc dot org or leave a message on the office answering machine at 613-562-1568. Dharma Assemblies are open to all students.
Note: The 9:30 a.m. general sitting that would ordinarily take place on October 19th is cancelled owing to the Dharma Assembly.
Retreats
Elizabeth Eve, visiting from her home in Halifax, Nova Scotia sat a three and a half-day retreat beginning on the evening of Wednesday, August 21st which concluded on Sunday, August 25th. Mohamed Zakzouk sat a two-day retreat on Tuesday, August 27th and Wednesday, August 28th.
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
Newly Presented Teachings
- On Saturday, August 24th, Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho-ajari presented the Dharma Talk “The Sky Sits Up Straight”, the first presentation in “The Sky Around the Clouds”, a new series of Dharma Talks.
- On Saturday, August 10th during the August sesshin, Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi presented the teisho “Zhijian's Concealed and Unconcealed” as part of the ongoing series, "The Lineage of Luminosity: Part Two: The Lineage in China.”
- During Yaza on Saturday, July 13th, Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi presented the teisho “Yaza: The Buddha and the Lies”.
Recorded Teachings Schedule
- Saturday, August 31st: “Flowers and Clouds” by Ven. Anzan Hoshin: "Changing Changes" (8 of 12)
- Sunday, September 1st: SAkN “Root Cycle Three: Aware Space" by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: “Entering Aware Space” (teisho 1 of 8)
- Monday, September 2nd: "Rhythm and Song": Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dongshan Liangjie's "Hokyo Zanmai": "Not the Path of Birds" (10 of 15)
- Thursday, September 5th: “Before Thinking: Foundations of Zen Practice” by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: “Beginners Mind Workshop Part 1" (16 of 71)
- Saturday, September 7th: “Flowers and Clouds” by Ven. Anzan Hoshin: "The Sound of Zazen" (9 of 12)
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.
Help Required with Archiving Project
We would like assistance from students to work on an archiving project which has been underway for a number of years. Approximately 100 recordings of teisho and Dharma Talks presented by the Roshi in the late 1980's and early 1990's are still not available to students on our web-site. These were recordings were made on audio cassette. The process for preserving these cassette recordings and making them available to students is as follows:
- Transfer the cassette recording to a digital format
- Edit the single digital files from each cassette side to separate the presentations.
- Clean up the quality of the recording as much as possible using computer software and in the cases of a recording being of very poor playback quality, using the services of a professional audio restoration company.
- Rename, digitally tag each presentation and add the recording information to the database.
- Create archive quality master CD copies of the recordings for long term storage including printing all of the CD case inserts and graphics.
- Upload completed audio files to the WWZC sound-site so that they are available to students to listen to.
This process is extensive and time consuming, requiring at least 4-5 hours of work for each individual recording. The amount of work required for the monastic sangha to complete this project expediently is not possible, so we are asking for help from the rest of the sangha.
A student would be required to offer regular commitment of time, a block two to three hours weekly is ideal but also a commitment every two weeks would work well. Students would be trained in the work they would be doing and so no specific skill set is needed.
If you are able to assist with this vital project to preserve the Teachings please write to Mishin ino or Saigyo tando or send a message to WWZC.org. Thank you very much.
WWZC Website
wwzc.org
Newly Added Recorded Teachings for Associate and General Students
MP3 of “Yaza: The Buddha and the Lies”: Yaza: The Buddha and the Lies
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:
- Dharma Position https://wwzc.org/dharma-position
- Eyes See, Ears Hear https://wwzc.org/eyes-see-ears-hear
- Embarrassment https://wwzc.org/embarrassment
- Yaza 2007: Sit Through the Night, the Night is Bright Right Through https://wwzc.org/yaza-2007
- 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
Roof Repair and Essential Repairs to the Hojo (Abbot’s Quarters)
The image above shows the icicle that forms every winter on the roof of the Hojo. It is often over 20 feet long and is causing damage to the exterior trim and roof line and may be causing interior damage and mould inside the walls. Following a recent inspection from our insurance company, a stipulation for continued insurance was that we rectify this situation. The problem is caused by structural issues, inadequate ventilation, and very poor insulation in the ceiling of the Hojo washroom. To insulate this space we need to take down the ceiling in the Hojo washroom, tear out the shower, and use spray foam insulation on the underside of the roof between the joists. As this will make it necessary for the Roshi to vacate the Hojo during these repairs, we have decided that we will also address other problems in that wing of the building, which include extremely uneven floors (a difference of seven inches from one side of a room to the other), as well as other structural problems, ventilation, plumbing and electrical issues. The Hojo has never been renovated properly because emphasis has always been placed on renovating public spaces in the monastery.
We have met with three renovation companies in the last few months to obtain quotes for this work and the cost will obviously be substantial. How much we are able to achieve will depend on donations from students. The Roshi does not travel and spends the majority of his time in the Hojo (Abbot's Quarters). It is therefore appropriate that we ensure that the Hojo is an adequate living space.
All donations are tax deductible.
Thank you very much,
The Office of the Caretaking Council.
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.
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.
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.
Sesshin (J): “Gathering up the heart”. A period of intensive formal practice led by the teacher of anywhere from two to seven days.
Questions can be sent to me, Shikai sensei, at shikai.sensei@gmail.
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:
Mixed grain (calrose short-grain white rice, Thai rice and barley); grilled shitake mushrooms (shitake mushrooms, dried Chinese chilis, garlic, minced ginger, sesame oil, tamari, thinly sliced scallions, sesame seeds) arranged on a bed of steamed and then shocked bok choy leaves; sauteed, cubed, deep-fried tofu seasoned with shoyu, sriracha sauce and garlic; white kimchi.
Tuesday Yakuseki:
Cantonese Noodles; bulgogi pork tenderloin (thinly sliced pork and Spanish onions seared with shoyu, gochujang - Korean chili paste - pureed white onion, rice wine, minced fresh garlic, sesame oil, minced ginger, black pepper); baechu kimchi.
Thursday Yakuseki:
Mixed grain (arborio, basmati and pearled barley); jjigae made with mushroom stock, shoyu, doenjang (Korean miso), gojuchang (chili paste), ginger, white onion, Napa cabbage, white pepper); sauteed gai lan and dai gai choy seasoned with lime juice, salt and black pepper; Asian pear.
Baking by Shikai sensei:
Simple and simply delicious Brown Butter Cookies; chocolate chip raisin date cookies; date squares; oat raisin sweet & salty cookies; apple rhubarb crisp; apple stuffed cinnamon puffy pillow cookies; Ooey gooey lemon butter cake.
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 Anzan roshi:
My deep appreciation and thanks to Endai shramon for obtaining from Japan a new rupa of Idaten Sonten (Vajrapani), a traditional Dharmapala (Dharma Protector) associated with the principles of integrity, quick action, and taking care with fire and knives in the monastery kitchen. And to Chiso anagarika for a Daikokuten (Mahakala) rupa, a Dharmapala associated with the principles of integrity, taking good care of monastery provisions.
From Jinmyo osho:
Thank you to the Ino for extra help with kitchen work this week; to Saigyo tando, Fushin shramon and David Gallant for ongoing work to reorganize the basement.
From Mishin ino:
Thank you to the Roshi for recommending the miniseries “Chernobyl. Thank you to Shikai sensei for apple-stuffed cookies and rhubarb-apple crisp. Thank you to Jinmyo osho for leading the Dharma Assembly “The Sky Around the Clouds, presenting the Dharma Talk, “The Sky Sits Up Straight”, and for a delicious coconut rice and curry for supper. Thank you to Fushin shramon for keeping the bird feeders filled and for cleaning candle holders for practice halls. Thank you to David for setting up a backup system for my computer. Thank you to Claude Schryer for dana processing samu.
From Elizabeth Eve
Thank you to the Roshi for establishing and maintaining the White Wind Zen Community, and for the many recorded teisho that are available to students. Thank you to Jinmyo osho for daisan, for leading the Dharma Assembly and for the Dharma talk, also for reading and commenting on my practice journals. Thank you to Shikai sensei for pointing to the joy and simplicity in practice, and for refreshment for retreatants. Thank you to the Office of the Tenzo for the preparation and presentation of nourishing, tasty meals during the Dharma Assembly and my retreat last week. Thank you to Mishin ino for very helpful instruction on sitting up straight. Thank you to Saigyo tando for ensuring that as a retreatant I can be at the right place at the right time, for taking care of many small details, and for the caretaking and maintenance of the building and grounds. Thank you to Fushin shramon for leading kitchen clean-up. Thank you to David Gallant for making coffee.
From Ian Richard:
Thank you to Jinmyo osho for leading the recent Dharma Assembly, and for the new Dharma Talk presented on content and context as clouds and sky. Thank you to Mishin ino for answering my questions about forms, showing me what self-image was doing, and reminding me of the difference between noticing and opening around that which is noticed. Thank you to Thea Yeatman for making my practice clothing, and to Saigyo tando for an introduction in how to wear it.
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.
