eMirror Vol 22, No. 14 (2018-04-06)

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Photograph by Ven. Shikai Zuiko sensei

eMirror Vol 22, No. 14

Friday, April 6th, 2018
Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho

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


 

        The shirt is
        wrapped within itself
        silently hiding
        its meaning as itself.

        Put it on,
        take it off,
        Take it off,
        put it on.

        Wear it out if you have to
        but penetrate it to the core.

        Thrust your fist in
        up to the armpit.

        This is the Teaching.

        Well?


-Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, Daijozan 1986, from the book "The Sky Itself". Published as well in Udambara: Journal of Minnesota Zen Meditation Center.
 


Upcoming Events


https://wwzc.org/upcoming-events

Fusatsu:  April 18th.

Hermitage:
The Roshi began a period of hermitage on Wednesday, April 4th, which will end on Sunday, April 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, April 7th. 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

Hanamatsuri Two-day Sesshin
The Hanamatsuri two-day sesshin begins at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 13th, and will end at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 15th.
On Saturday, April 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.
 


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


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

  • Sunday, April 8th formal sitting: SAkN “Root Cycle Three” by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: “Surrender into Radiance” (teisho 7 of 8)
  • Monday, April 9th general sitting: “Flowers and Clouds” by Ven. Anzan Hoshin: “The Fire Within” (5 of 12)
  • Thursday, April 12th associate sitting: “Mind the Gap” by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei
  • Saturday, April 14th associate and general sitting: “Every Breath You Take” by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei: “Goals” (Dharma Talk 4)

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.


Charitable Tax Receipts for Dana Contributions



Thank you to all who have offered monthly dana and special gifts over the past year to support the activities of the monastery, maintenance and renovation projects. Charitable tax receipts for donations made during 2017 were mailed out before the end of February. If you have made your donations to WWZC through CanadaHelps.org, you can access your charitable receipt for those donations through your account on the CanadaHelps.org website.
 


WWZC Website  www.wwzc.org


Newly Posted Recordings for Students

"Surpassing the Teacher", Memorial of Keizan Jokin zenji, by Ven Anzan Hoshin roshi (April 17, 1988, Daijozan). Direct link: https://wwzc.org/recorded-teachings/surpassing-teacher

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 Weekend Report

By Ven. Saigyo tando


Over the weekend of Saturday, March 24th and Sunday, March 25th we held the first Samu Weeknd of the year. 22 students attended over the two days. The main project during the weekend was the reorganization of the storage areas in the building. Over the previous weeks Jinmyo osho and the residents had worked to sort and clarify the attic, the furnace room, the finishing room and the pantry and during the Samu Weekend this major spring cleaning work continued. Many items that were no longer needed were donated or given away, garbage was removed, items were sorted for disposal at the toxic waste centre and the organization of the storage areas was refined and clarified. As well as this, the third floor the guest room, which is made available to those doing residential training or longer periods of retreat was repainted, as were areas of the trim from the basement to the third floor along the route of the rear staircase. All of the public areas in the monastery were thoroughly cleaned as well during Samu Sunday. 

        Thank you to the Roshi and Jinmyo osho for designing and creating the delicious midday meals each day and for the lovely refreshments which were very well received in the afternoons. 

        Thank you to the following students who offered samu over the two days to assist with the maintenance, upkeep and improvement of Dainen-ji:   
Fushin shramon, Endai shramon, Senbo, David Gallant, Sarah Goul, Larry Leclaire, Marc Valade, Sophia Stevenson, Tarik Kaya, Chantal Maheu, Denis Jaillet, Matt Broda, Leonardo Nobrega, Hannah Kent, Constantine Tikhonov, Louis Radakir, Laura Stone, Clive Serrao, Kathleen Johnson, Jesse Steinberg and Alex Groarke.
 


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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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 1994.

Original Face; Honrai no memmuku (J); That which arises as all that is and yet is no thing at all. Awareness itself. Koan phrase.

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


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:
Cavatappi pasta with a mushroom/goat cheese sauce (sauteed Spanish onion, crimini mushrooms, garlic, white wine, Parmesan cheese, goat cheese, small amount of cream); steamed and sauteed green beans with butter and garlic; cubed friulano cheese with gherkins. 

Tuesday Yakuseki:
Split pea soup (green split peas, vegetable stock, diced carrots, chopped onion, garlic, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, thyme, basil, lots of black pepper. Served with optional diced ham and grated friulano cheese); sourdough croutons; green cabbage slaw with thinly sliced white onion dressed with mayonnaise, lime juice, Dijon mustard)

Thursday Yakuseki:
Brown and white Thai jasmine rice coloured with turmeric; Thai green curry (diced sweet potatoes, cubed deep-fried tofu, poblano, cubanelle and orange shepherd bell peppers, coconut milk, lime juice, chiffonade of fresh basil, green Thai curry paste, garnished with roasted peanuts; sliced Asian pears with lime juice and red chili flakes. 

 

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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: Sarah Goul on behalf of the Bath Sangha for two boxes of incense to be delivered on our next visit; 

From Jinmyo osho:
Thank you to the Roshi for a Google Home Mini and to David Gallant for an Amazon Echo (for comparison purposes and to explore other possibilities such as use in the kitchen for taking inventory). 

From Saigyo tando:
Thank you to the Roshi for the many sho he has brushed which brighten and enliven the walls of the monastery. Thank you to Shikai sensei for excellent meringue treats for residents. Thank you to Jinmyo osho for leading the sittings whilst the Roshi has been unwell and for years of detailed instruction during food preparation in her role as Tenzo. Thank you to Fushin shramon keeping track of dairy supplies which are delivered to us. Thank you to Endai shramon for monastery lock-up each night and for overseeing the laundering of kitchen cloths and samu cloths. Thank you to Sarah Goul for the gift of a comprehensive medical kit for the monastery in case of emergencies.

From Endai shramon:
Thank you to Shikai sensei for instruction on the importance of clear communication. Thank you to Jinmyo osho for instruction in daisan and for explaining the importance of exerting oneself fully during practice, including while chanting. 

From Sarah Goul:
Thank you to the Roshi and monastics for the continuation of this Lineage of Zen. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to sit zazen and understand the Teachings with the guidance of a Teacher.
 


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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