eMirror Vol 23, No. 39 (2019-09-27)
Digital image by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi
eMirror Vol 23, No. 39
Friday, September 27th, 2019
Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho
The White Wind Zen Community:
An international community practising and teaching Dogen’s Zen since 1985.
This phrase “know if it is hot or cold” is reflected in the Hokyo-ki, Dogen’s record of his time in China studying with Tiantong Rujing. In section 4 it says,
Dogen asked, "Teachers in the past and present talk about inherent or self-knowledge [Shochi. A Confucian term] which they compare to a fish drinking water and immediately knowing whether it's warm or cold. Awakening is this kind of knowledge, and this is itself enlightenment. Against this, I put it that if inherent knowledge is correct awakening, then all sentient beings will automatically become authentically enlightened Ones Come Thus, Tathagatas, because all sentient beings already do have this kind of knowledge. Some people say this is how it is, that all sentient beings from the beginningless beginning are original Thus Come Ones. Others say that sentient beings are not necessarily Thus Come Ones. They say that only those sentient beings who become know of their inherent wisdom are Thus Come Ones, and those who do not know it are not. Are any of these theories correct Buddha Dharma or not?
Rujing said, "Those who say that sentient beings are already Buddhas are actually professing a belief in the view outside the Way of spontaneous origination [instead of interdependent emergence]. This view is not at all in accord with the Way. To equate 'I' with the Buddhas is to mistake the unattained for attainment and what has not been experienced with the experienced.
As a Tendai novice monk Dogen had been trained in hongaku or the thought of “original awakening”. Although there are many complex doctrinal and textual matters concerned with hongaku shiso it basically comes down to this: The Mahaparanirvana sutra and other sutras and sastras say that all beings have Buddhata or Buddha Nature. Hongaku shiso says that simply by believing that one is a Buddha then one is a Buddha. That’s it. The young Dogen thought that if this were true, then why did the Buddha and other great masters need to seek the way and engage in practice with their bodyminds? He brought this question to his master Koin who said that he couldn’t answer him and suggested he study with Master Yosai who had returned from China with the seal of Awakening of Bodhidharma. As we know, Dogen then went to Kennin-ji to study with the aged Yosai and then his Dharma-heir Myozen and eventually received Myozen’s Dharma Transmission. Following this both Myozen and Dogen travelled to China where both studied with Rujing and Myozen died at Tiantong shan. Dogen received from Rujing the practice of shikan-taza, of just sitting; and shinjin-gakudo, or how to study the Way through the bodymind; and realized shinjin-datsaruku, or falling through the bodymind.
-Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, continuing teisho 3: "This is the Samadhi of Dharmata," Sunday, December 5, 2004 in the teisho series "Essentially Real: Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji’s 'Hossho: Dharmata'."
Upcoming Events
Fusatsu:
October 16th and October 30th.
Hermitage
The Roshi began a period of hermitage on Wednesday, September 25th, which will end at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 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 Friday, 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.
Shukke-tokudo and Shuso-hossen for Ven. Endai Mayeda shramon
On the evening of Thursday, October 10th in a private ceremony, Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi will Transmit the Precepts of full monastic ordination to Endai Mayeda shramon. Following this, Endai will present a brief Dharma Talk and will begin the major training position as "shuso" or "chief seat" in the sense of someone to be looked to as an exemplar of practice.
Endai shramon has been practising as a student since April of 2006 and was accepted as a probationary formal student by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho-ajari in March of 2009. He received the Three Jewels on August 14, 2011 and the 16 Bosatsu-kai in December of 2012 from Jinmyo Renge osho-ajari. He received the Vow of Brahmacharya on May 16th, 2014 from Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi. On February 19th, 2016, Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi gave him shukke-tokudo with the Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts and the Forty-Eight Supporting Precepts to Endai Mayeda and received him as a postulant for monastic training. Received shukke-tokudo from Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi as a novice in monastic training on Friday, May 26th, 2017. Endai shramon is the first student of a Dharma Successor of Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi to receive full monastic vows.
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 sat a one-day retreat on Wednesday, September 25th at her home in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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, September 14th during the September sesshin, Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi presented the Reading of Denkoroku Case 51: Tiantong Rujing as part of the ongoing series, "The Lineage of Luminosity: Part Two: The Lineage in China.”
- 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, September 28th: “Flowers and Clouds” by Ven. Anzan Hoshin: “Sunflower" (11 of 12)
- Sunday, September 29th: SAkN “Root Cycle Three: Aware Space" by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: “Open Details” (teisho 4 of 8)
- Monday, September 30th: "Rhythm and Song": Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dongshan Liangjie's "Hokyo Zanmai": "Practicing Beyond Buddha" (14 of 15)
- Thursday, October 3rd: “Before Thinking: Foundations of Zen Practice” by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: “Questioning" (20 of 71)
- Saturday, October 5th: “Every Breath You Take” by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei: “Crossing the Legs" (Dharma Talk 30)
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.
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.
Sakyamuni (S) “Sage of the Sakya clan”. The Buddha Siddhartha Gautama.
Questions can be sent to me, Shikai sensei, at shikai.sensei@gmail.
New Range of Incense For Sale
A wide assortment of incense is now available for sale in the first floor library. The selection includes incense suitable for regular use during zazen, premium incense, gift sets including incense holders, and a variety of small fragrant sachets perfect for any area that needs a fresh scent.
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:
Cantonese noodles with sauteed strips of cubanelle, poblano, and red shepherd bell peppers, slivered ginger, garlic, and shoyu; mushroom soup with cubed silken tofu (sliced cremini and shitake mushrooms, diced white onion, garlic, red wine, mushroom stock, black pepper, and shoyu); baek (white cabbage) kimchi.
Tuesday Yakuseki:
Sliced ham; tomato soup (pureed carrot, celery, onion, porcini mushrooms and garlic, tomato juice, red wine, thyme, basil, oregano, lots of black pepper and a dash of red balsamic vinegar); coleslaw (green cabbage, fennel, carrots, white onion, mayonnaise, horseradish, Dijon mustard, lime juice, salt, pepper); sliced friulano cheese; fresh rolls and butter.
Thursday Yakuseki:
Roasted Yukon gold potatoes, cauliflower, carrots and cheese (chopped cauliflower and carrots, parboiled, in a cheese sauce made with a roux, milk and grated extra-old cheddar, mustard powder, sauteed onions); deep-fried tofu marinated in chipotle adobo mixed with garlic and onion powder; baby peas and corn.
Baking by Shikai sensei:
Chocolate salted caramel chip cookies.
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 Mishin ino:
Thank you to the Roshi and Jinmyo osho for making several trips every week to purchase groceries and supplies for the monastery; to Saigyo tando for preparing the weekly recorded teisho schedule listing the recorded teisho series that will be played during sittings; to Endai shramon and Claude Schryer for dana processing; to Senbo for preparing the bi-monthly Introduction to Zen workshop ad for the Bytowne Guide.
From Endai shramon:
Thank you to the Roshi for the Teisho series "Essentially Real: Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji’s 'Hossho: Dharmata'", excerpts of which are currently being published each week in the eMirror. Thank you to Jinmyo osho for instruction in daisan and for instruction on practising mindfulness while composing email messages.
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.
