eMirror Vol 23, No. 41 (2019-10-11)

 

Photograph by Ven. Fushin Comeau shramon
Photograph by Ven. Fushin Comeau shramon

eMirror Vol 23, No. 41

Friday, October 11th, 2019
Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho

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



Knowing when we drink water whether it is hot or cold is not enough. But it can be a place to start. How many people are available enough to drinking water or tea to taste each sip, to feel the flowing over the tongue and the vanishing down the throat? When drinking water, where does the sensation end as it is swallowed into the tubes and sacs? Is the glass still being felt with the fingers and thumb and palm? What of the back of the hand? What is felt there? And the other hand and wrist and forearm and elbow? Where are the feet during all of this? And the colours and forms and sounds of the whole moment of drinking that are all around the drinking?

There is so much to unfold. To return to the passage we are studying:

When we drink water we know if it is hot or cold but the principle of the Great Way is not like that. All the Buddhas and all those open to openness1, and all living beings realize and clarify the Great Way of dharmata through the power of natural wisdom. Following the sutras or masters and clarifying the Great Way of dharmata is the actualization of one's own dharmata. The sutras are dharmata, they are one's self. Masters are also dharmata, and are one's self. Dharmata is masters, dharmata is our self. Since it is dharmata that is one's self, it is not the mistaken presumptions of a “self” of those outside of the Way or demons. In dharmata there are none outside of the Way or demons; there is just eating congee when it is served, receiving rice when it is served, and drinking tea when it is offered.

Someone asked in dokusan why Dogen only speaks of eating, receiving, and drinking and not of cooking, serving, and pouring. I thought that was a very nice point. However, the life of a monk can sometimes be day after day of zazen with the only activities other than zazen and kinhin being sleep and defecation and receiving oryoki meals and tea at their seats in the Sodo. The generosity of the efforts of the Office of the Tenzo is received with gratitude. I believe that Koun Ejo daiosho was the tenzo during this time at Kippo-ji while Dogen and the small group of his monks that had come from Kosho-Horin-ji awaited the construction of the new monastery that would be Eihei-ji.

Receiving each moment as dharmata, receiving the Teachings as dharmata, is receiving the self that is not “your” self but who you are as dharmata. This is the samadhi of dharmata, the harmonization of essential reality.

Please, this evening, enjoy yourselves.

1 Bodhisattvas.

-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.

Shukke-tokudo and Shuso-hossen for Ven. Endai Mayeda shramon
For various reasons this has been postponed until Rohatsu O-sesshin.

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.


Recent Changes in Monastic Training Posts



During the Daruma-ki O-sesshin, there were the following changes:  Mishin ino began training as Godo and Saigyo tando began training as Ino.
 


Retreats



Christian Pustilnik sat a one-day retreat on Sunday, October 6th at his home in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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.
 


Newly Presented Teachings


 

  • Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi presented the following teisho during the October Daruma-ki O-sesshin, as part of the ongoing series, "The Lineage of Luminosity: Part Two: The Lineage in China”:
    • October 7th: Rujing and the Stainless
    • October 8th: Rujing, the Abbot of Tiantong part 1
    • October 9th: Rujing, the Abbot of Tiantong part 2
    • October 10th: Rujing’s Windbell
  • 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, October 12th: “Flowers and Clouds” by Ven. Anzan Hoshin: “Hidden Not Hidden" (12 of 12)
  • Sunday, October 13th: SAkN “Root Cycle Three: Aware Space" by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: “The Presumption of Separateness” (teisho 5 of 8)
  • Monday, October 14th: "Rhythm and Song": Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dongshan Liangjie's "Hokyo Zanmai": "But then that's just me" (15 of 15)
  • Thursday, October 17th: “Before Thinking: Foundations of Zen Practice” by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: “The Jewel of the Sky" (21 of 71)

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.
 


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:

 


Roof Repair and Essential Repairs to the Hojo (Abbot’s Quarters)


 

MVIMG_20190127_084840.jpg

Essential repairs are needed to the Hojo (Abbot’s Quarters), and we are in the process of planning how we can best proceed with this large project. The needed work includes replacing the roof over that area of the building, taking down the ceiling in the Hojo washroom to repair interior damage and properly insulate, and address structural problems (extremely uneven floors, and ventilation, plumbing, and electrical issues). We have received quotations for much of the work but are still waiting on some information. We will be providing the Sangha with a detailed plan breaking the work into phases, along with the amount that must be fundraised.

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.

image3.gif


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.

Shashu (J) The hand gesture used in walking or standing practice. The right hand is formed into a loose fist and is covered by the left, with the left thumb held inside the right fist, hands held at the diaphragm.

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. 

Oryoki set drawing


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.

Saturday
Breakfast
: Chow mein noodles with sauteed strips of white onion, poblano, and red shepherd bell peppers, slivered ginger, garlic, shoyu, sesame oil, bulgogi sauce; scrambled eggs.
Lunch: Calrose rice; miso shiru (kombu stock, shiro miso, ginger, shoyu, mirin, rice vinegar, silken tofu, rehydrated shitake mushrooms); takuan and gari.
Supper: Roasted Yukon gold potatoes; tomato soup (pureed cooked tomatoes, shitake mushrooms, onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, red wine, porcini mushrooms) with puffed deep-fried tofu; cubed Friulano cheese and gherkins with lemon zest.

Sunday
Breakfast
: Congee (leftover calrose rice, chinese celery, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, sesame oil, salt, white pepper); scrambled eggs.
Lunch: Mixed grain (Calrose medium-grain white rice, Jasmine white and brown rice, basmati and Chinese long-grain white rice) topped with cubed, sauteed daikon with chile sauce; seaweed soup (strained leftover miso shiru stock with wakame seaweed, slivered ginger, shoyu, sesame oil, chili paste, and silken tofu); baechu kimchi.
Supper: Korean fried rice (chopped Spanish onions, lots of garlic, leftover Yukon gold potatoes from the previous day’s evening meal, chopped yam, cooked mixed grain), mushroom soup (shitake, cremini and king oyster mushrooms, ginger, mushroom stock, garlic, chopped white onion, mushroom shoyu and white pepper); bulgogi tofu with strips of onion and red shepherd bells.

Monday
Breakfast: Fried rice (leftover Korean rice from the previous day’s supper, bulgogi tofu, chopped baechu kimchi).
Lunch: Calrose rice; miso shiru (kombu stock, shiro miso, ginger, shoyu, mirin, rice vinegar, silken tofu, rehydrated shitake mushrooms); takuan and gari.
Supper: Mixed grain (Arborio, basmati white rice, calrose medium-grain white rice, pearled barley, and Chinese rice) with chopped scallions and sesame oil; dai gai choy soup (chopped dai gai choy, celery and white onion, slivered ginger, shaoxing cooking wine, shoyu, vegetable stock, white pepper, puffed deep-fried tofu); Asian pear with lime juice and chili flakes.

Tuesday 
Breakfast: Chirashizushi (calrose rice, omelette strips, diced cucumber, gari, takuan, and scallions, gari juice)
Lunch: White and brown jasmine rice topped with cubed, sauteed daikon with chile sauce; seaweed soup (strained leftover miso shiru stock with wakame seaweed, slivered ginger, shoyu, sesame oil, chili paste, and silken tofu); baechu kimchi.
Supper: Coconut rice (Chinese white rice cooked in coconut milk, topped with roasted peanuts); tamarind curry (chopped Spanish onions, chopped cubanelle and red shepherd bell peppers, thin carrot batonettes, sliced gai lan stems and greens, deep-fried tofu, cubed potato, shitake and eryngii mushrooms,  red onion, galangal, tamarind, chili, salt, turmeric); green cabbage, carrot and onion slaw with mayonnaise, lime juice, and chopped lime pickle. 

Wednesday
Breakfast: Fried rice (coconut rice and coconut curry leftover from previous evening’s meal, scallions) garnished with peanuts. 
Lunch: Mixed grain (white and brown calrose rice); miso shiru (kombu stock, shiro miso, ginger, shoyu, mirin, rice vinegar, silken tofu, rehydrated shitake mushrooms); takuan and gari.
Supper: Lundberg Farms short-grain brown rice with baby green peas; butternut squash soup (cooked, pureed butternut squash and white onions, thyme, a dash of lime juice, lots of black pepper, sauteed chopped Spanish onions, with a little cream, garnished with Parmesan cheese); cubed Friulano with black olives, radishes, a drizzle of bran oil and fresh cracked black pepper.

Thursday
Breakfast: Fried rice (short-grain brown rice with baby peas, white and brown calrose rice, and white and brown jasmine rice, all leftover from the previous days, minced garlic and ginger, chopped Spanish onion, chopped red Shepherd bell pepper, chopped bok choy, curry powder, ground cumin); scrambled eggs.
Lunch: White and brown jasmine rice topped with cubed, sauteed daikon with chile sauce; seaweed soup (strained leftover miso shiru stock with wakame seaweed, slivered ginger, shoyu, sesame oil, chili paste, and silken tofu); baek kimchi.
Supper: Cavatappi pasta with tomato sauce (vine ripened tomatoes, garlic, chopped white onion, fresh basil, rosemary, thyme and oregano, Parmesan cheese); mixed vegetables with beans (dai gai choy, bok choy, baby bok choy, strips of Spanish onion, strips of poblano, cubanelle and red shepherd bell peppers, garlic, lots of black pepper, balsamic vinegar, Romano and red kidney beans); Friulano cheese with sweet gherkins and lemon zest).

Baking by Shikai sensei
Oat cakes with hemp hearts and sesame seeds; Prune muffins with citrus sour cream and a crispy cinnamon sugar butter topping; Freshly baked lemon tart with whipped cream, mandarin orange slices and coconut;

 

Gassho-Sign


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 Jinmyo osho: 
Thank you to the Roshi for the teisho he presented this week; Thank you to Saigyo tando for installing hooks in the Osho-ryo; to Endai shramon for a stove repair during O-sesshin; to David Gallant for a tradescantia (house plant). 

From Mishin godo:
Thank you to the Roshi for the four teisho presented on Tiantong Rujing daiosho during the O-sesshin, intimately introducing us to our Lineage Ancestor, and to his own and Eihei Dogen zenji’s words on his master from 800 years ago. Thank you to Shikai sensei for excellent baked refreshments during the O-sesshin. Thank you to Jinmyo osho for designing and preparing delicious O-sesshin meals including a wonderful butternut squash soup, and for showing me how to turn leftovers into something new. Thank you to Saigyo ino for leading the daily chants and the Vow of Samantabhadra each evening.

From Endai shramon:
Thank you to the Roshi for presenting further teisho in the series "The Lineage of Luminosity, Part 2: The Lineage in China", this time on our Lineage Ancestor Tiantong Rujing daiosho. Thank you to Shikai sensei for preparing tasty refreshments, especially the lemon tart. Thank you to Jinmyo osho for leading O-sesshin this week and for instruction in daisan.
 


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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