eMirror Vol 29, No. 15 (2025-04-11)
Kwannon by Enku, Edo period
eMirror Vol 29, No. 15
Friday, April 11th, 2025
Edited by the Practice Council
The White Wind Zen Community:
An international community practising and teaching Dogen’s Zen since 1985.
Oooh, you are so mysterious!
You think to yourself, “Who, me?”
Well, that’s actually a rather good question but we’ll come to that later. Right now the point I want to make is – you don’t think you’re fooling me, do you?
You can fool your family, you can fool your friends, you can even fool yourselves and you do, but you can’t fool me because I’ve seen your kind before. In fact, everyone is your kind, but we’ll get to that later. I know how you hide in thoughts and feelings and storylines, how you pretend that you are sitting there behind the eyes, in the meat, looking out at a world that has nothing to do with you.
One of the ways that you do this is by pretending that the world is all about you. But that’s only because you feel so distant from it that you try this way and that to bring it closer. But of course, as soon as anything comes close: a colour, a form, a sound, you retreat. I know all about you. You sit there, looking so innocent….
[Students laugh]
…as if you’re not doing anything, but you [Roshi strikes the hansaku on the floor – bang!] explode everywhere. You are not doing anything but [bang!] you explode everywhere as the ten directions and three times, as all beings and all worlds. I know what you’re doing.
Well, it’s not actually that you are doing it, as it is That which does you also is as everyone, everywhere. And that is who you are. You’re not behind the eyes. You’re not within the meat. You’re not anywhere to be found, first of all because whatever you believe yourself to be, that’s just a belief; whatever you feel yourself to be is just a feeling. The strongest, densest, most contracted feeling of “I” - feeling of a “self” - is still just a feeling. A self that feels itself shows by this that it is not what it pretends to be. It cannot be the knower and be a known at the same time. So the jig’s up. That, which presents itself as you, presents itself everywhere, as everyone, as everything. Who you are is not any one, it is not any place and it is not any thing.
“Who me”?
Yes, you.
-“I Know Who You Are!” a teisho presented by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin, Dainen-ji, March 13, 1999
Death notice
With sorrow we inform the Sangha of the death of Jennifer Ryoshin Comeau. Ryoshin was accepted as an associate student in 2000; as a general student in October of 2004, and was accepted by Ven. Shikai Zuiko osho as a probationary formal student in January of 2008. She was accepted as a formal student of Shikai Zuiko osho on June 20th, 2010. She was 50 years of age. She had been ill with multiple myeloma since March of 2010.
The Hatto (for formal sittings)
The Zendo (for associate and general sittings)
Practice Schedule and Upcoming Events
Fusatsu (Renewal of Vows): April 30th, May 14th and 28th
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
Hanamatsuri Sesshin:
The April Hanamatsuri sesshin will begin on Friday, April 11th at 8:00 p.m. and will end on Sunday, April 13th at 6:00 p.m. Formal students are asked to send in their schedules as soon as possible.
General Sitting:
The Saturday, April 12th general sitting will take place in the Zendo. Arrival time is 9:15 a.m., in time for First Bell. The sitting will end at 11:30 a.m.
Hanamatsuri: Festival of Flowers
Chants commemorating the birth of Sakyamuni Buddha will be recited on Monday, April 14th.
Hermitage:
The Roshi is continuing an extended period of hermitage due to underlying health issues until the COVID-19 situation clarifies.
Spring Samu Weekend - Saturday, April 26th and Sunday, April 27th
We shall be holding a Spring Samu Weekend on Saturday, April 26th and Sunday, April 27th. As part of the weekend we shall be doing the work needed to prepare the grounds for the spring and summer months as well as continuing with various projects inside the monastery. As there will be a great deal to get done we encourage you to please make time to attend and assist the monastics with the maintenance and improvements of the practice environment of Dainen-ji. Saigyo ino will be writing to local students soon and so please pencil these dates into your calendar so that you are able to offer samu over the weekend. Thank you.
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.
Alternate parking for sittings near Dainen-ji
If you need alternate parking near the monastery due to snow parking bans or lack of parking spots you can use the Loblaws car park located at 363 Rideau Street -
https://en.parkopedia.ca/parking/parkade/loblaws/k1n/ottawa/?arriving=2…
The car park is open until 10:00 p.m and charges $4 per hour. A full day 6:00a.m. to 6:00 p.m. is $10.
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
Associate student Stacey Loyer sat a one-day retreat on Saturday, April 5th at Dainen-ji. Associate student Sarah Little sat a partial retreat on Saturday, April 5th at Dainen-ji. Associate student An Nguyen completed a six-day period of residential training at Dainen-ji between Sunday, April 6th and Friday, April 11th.
Information About Scheduling Retreats or Training Sessions
Congratulations
Congratulations and deep Gassho to Onur Onder of Ottawa who has been accepted as an associate student.
Recorded Teachings Schedule
April 12th to April 19th
General sitting Saturday, April 12th: Five Fingers, Ten Directions: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dogen zenji's "Jippo": Teisho 5: Everyday Talk (22 minutes)
Associate sittings Monday, April 14th and Thursday, April 17th: "The Touchstone" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei: Dharma Talk 18: Vastness (15 minutes)
April 2025 Hanamatsuri Sesshin Recorded Teisho:
“Practising Mu" by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: Teisho 3: This Morning is a Good Morning: Questioning the Questioner, including comments by Yasuda Joshu roshi (21 minutes)
Listening to Recorded Teisho and Dharma Talks
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
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: “Practising Without an Edge”
Teisho presented by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei on February 19th, 2025
https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/practising-without-edge
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
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 $10,710.
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.
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.
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.
Monday Yakuseki:
Mixed grain (Calrose, Arborio, Thai white and brown, and pearled barley); deep fried medium-firm tofu and monastery-grown yellow oyster mushrooms in a spicy batter (equal parts all-purpose flour, potato starch and rice flour, minced garlic and ginger, finely chopped seeded red jalapeno chillies, finely chopped scallions); dipping sauce of low sodium soy sauce, sake, minced chillies, minced ginger, chopped scallions, salt and white pepper); clear “pepper soup” (mushroom stock, slivered ginger, dehydrated mushroom powder, low sodium soy sauce, lots of white pepper); baechu kimchi mixed with thinly sliced cucumber and fresh speckled pea sprouts.
Tuesday Yakuseki:
Crusty rolls with butter; Chicken and white beans stew (pieces of chicken thigh and cannellini beans with diced carrots, celery, onion, minced garlic, diced potato, pearled barley, chicken stock, white wine, lots of black pepper); coleslaw of thinly sliced green cabbage, carrot, and white onion with a dressing of equal parts mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar with honey and black pepper.
Thursday Yakuseki:
Twisted egg noodles; vegetarian stroganoff: seared, torn oyster mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, flavoured roux (flour, oil, low sodium soy sauce, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, thyme, smoked paprika, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, tahini and coconut milk); Shanghai bok choy halved, seared with butter and red balsamic vinegar; braised rectangles of medium-firm tofu (lightly fried, then braised in a mixture of lime juice, smoked paprika, garlic powder and vegetarian chicken bouillon powder.
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 Saigyo Ino for designing and building cabinets and a window sill in the Sensei-ryo. Thank you to Fushin shuso for his help in installing the cabinets; to Senbo, Rowan Russell, and Tarik Kaya, for tasks they did in connection with building the cabinets and for carrying many, many tools and other assorted items up and down the stairs.
From Mishin godo:
Thank you to An Nguyen for daily samu during her residential training period including pricing the new shipment of incense for Myomaku.
From Saigyo ino
Thank you to the Roshi for decades of unwavering commitment to make the Dharma available to anyone willing to learn. Thank you to the Roshi and Jinmyo sensei for designing the residents and retreatants meals. Thank you to Jinmyo sensei for correspondence on the Long Distance Training Program with new applicants. Thank you to Mishin godo for organizing a stove repair, to Fushin shuso for overseeing the install of the new washer and dryer and to Yujin for donation trips and for returning undeliverable mail. Thank you to Rowan Russell and Tarik Kaya for samu to assist with a project in the Sensei-ryo. Thank you to Senbo, Myocho, David Alexander, An Nguyen, Ian Reynolds, Marilyne Bonsirven and Daniel Roach for samu on Sunday on a variety of projects around the building.
From Yujin:
Thank you to the Office of the Tenzo for the delicious resident meals this week. Thank you to Mishin godo for meeting with the stove technician. Thank you to Saigyo ino for taking care of the necessary ceiling repair in the Hatto. Thank you to Fushin shuso for overseeing the installation of the new washer and dryer units on Thursday.
From Gillian Hern:
Thank you to both Mishin godo and Saigyo ino for the assistance, encouragement and advice they have given me at retreats and in monthly practice interviews, especially since my last retreat in October, 2024. After moving away from Ottawa and transitioning to a general public student, followed by a few years when retreats were not possible due to Covid, my last two retreats at Dainen-ji made it really clear to me that my practice was suffering from a certain amount of untidiness. Both the Godo and the Ino have been very clear at pointing this out, and very helpful in returning my attention to basic core teachings that support our practice. For this I cannot be more grateful. In addition, I wish to thank Jinmyo sensei for the Dharma Talk series “The Touchstone” which I was encouraged to listen to again, and am finding very helpful.
