Rupa at Wolfville Zazenkai,
photograph by Dr. Jinen S. Boates
eMirror Vol 24, No. 42
Friday, October 16th, 2020
Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho
The White Wind Zen Community:
An international community practising and teaching Dogen’s Zen since 1985.
Before a Buddha ever appeared to proclaim the lion's roar of the Dharma, the Dharma had no name. Nameless, it was still present as every sound, every colour, every form, every stone, every name. Open and radiant everywhere as all directions and as every experience, it was not recognized by beings because whatever they heard, whatever they saw, was unrecognizable from where they crouched in the confines of their views of self and other. The three poisons of passion, aggression, and stupidity continuously flowed from the wound of the contraction of attention as a self and weakened and distorted the lives of people. Sakyamuni Buddha had walked away from the petty opulence of life as a privileged prince straight into the actual lives that everyone really lives, willing to acknowledge the hard truths of birth, old age, sickness, and death. He walked away from his family and friends and left them to their laughter and complaints and chattering and small concerns such as dynasties and wealth and the condition of their hair because there was nothing for him or indeed for anyone there that was true. His whole life had been lived, as most people's are, as an act of avoidance of the realities of birth, old age, sickness, and death. Everything had been glossed over by social custom and the mythologies of hope and fear that people tell themselves and each other while ignoring the vital truth of impermanence that is the very nature of all lives. He took off his silks and jewels and cut away his long perfumed hair and Sakyamuni sat down and woke up. The Dharma that he proclaimed through his practice and realization has brought liberation to countless beings throughout the ages. In each generation students have become Teachers who then give rise to new generations of students and Teachers.
-Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, beginning the teisho "Buddhas Loose in the World", Sunday, February 13th, 1990, at Dainen-ji, in the series "The Primordially Awakened Way: commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's Kobutsushin: The Old Buddha Mind".
Icicle hanging from Hojo roof
Not ‘Elective Surgery’
New Update on the Plan for Essential Repairs to the Hojo
(Abbot’s Quarters)
Hojo renovation funds raised to date: $34,495.50.
Fundraising goal: $40,000
The renovation project to carry out essential repairs to the Hojo (Abbot’s Quarters) began in August and will continue until approximately the end of October. The work is being carried out by Copperstone Renovations.
The three-month project involves taking down the ceiling in the Hojo washroom in order to insulate, raising the floor, repairing interior moisture damage, and addressing other structural problems (extremely uneven floors, and ventilation, plumbing, and electrical issues). We have had an ongoing problem with a gigantic icicle forming every year on that corner of the building, putting strain on the roof. Making repairs to the underside of the roof to stop the icicle from forming is a requirement of our insurance company, which in turn must meet the requirements of the mortgage company (lenders require insurance) and they set a deadline of a year for us to make the necessary repairs. So this was not ‘elective surgery’ on the building. It had to be taken care of to meet insurance requirements.
The cost of this portion of the work is approximately $40,000. While donations from monastics and lay students earlier in the year took us part way towards the total amount needed, fundraising was put on hold with the start of the Covid pandemic. However, icicles, insurance companies and mortgage companies don’t stop what they do because of pandemics, so we had to begin fundraising efforts again.
All donations are gratefully appreciated. Please contribute what you can to support this essential work. Donations will receive a charitable tax receipt from White Wind Zen Community.
Upcoming Events
Fusatsu:
October 28th.
Hermitage:
The Roshi is currently in an extended period of "self-isolation" due to underlying health issues until the COVID-19 situation clarifies.
Beginning Instruction in Zen Practice:
For information concerning our Long-distance Training Program, please visit this Web Page: https://wwzc.org/long-distance-training-program
Retreats and Sesshin
Rev. Chiso anagarika sat her weekly semi-retreat on Tuesday, October 13th at her home in the Berkshires. Thach Huang sat a retreat from 6:00a.m. on Sunday, October 11th to 6:00p.m. on Monday, October 12th at his home in Laval, Quebec. Chantal Maheu sat a one-day retreat on Wednesday, October 14th at her home in Ottawa.
Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, it is not possible at this time to schedule retreats in the monastery. If you would like to sit a retreat at home please follow the schedule outlined in this page: https://wwzc.org/retreat-schedule-public-students. We can arrange for a telephone interview or daisan providing this does not conflict with the sesshin or O-sesshin schedule listed above, under “Upcoming Events”.
Listening to Teisho
Associate and general students should continue to follow the recorded Teachings schedule for the sitting you were attending at the monastery, and listen to that during your home practice.
You can access the online Recorded Teachings Library at wwzc.org/recorded-teachings-schedule.
You can also use the streaming site at app.wwzc.org to live stream recordings from the online Library. If you have forgotten your password or need assistance with accessing the recorded Teachings, please email schedule@wwzc.org.
Please note that teisho should be listened to in the correct order and with none missed out as themes, metaphors, questions raised and answered evolve in spirals throughout the series.
Recorded Teachings Schedule
Saturday, October 17th to Saturday, October 24th
Saturday, October 17th: "Rhythm and Song": Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dongshan Liangjie's "Hokyo Zanmai": "Not the Path of Birds" (10 of 15)
Sunday, October 18th: SAkN: Tathagatagarbha by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: "Bodhicitta" (4 of 4)
Monday, October 19th: "Return to the Root" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge Osho-ajari
Thursday, October 22nd: "Sitting and Walking” by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: “Simplicity” (teisho 1 of 3)
Saturday, October 24th: "Rhythm and Song": Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dongshan Liangjie's "Hokyo Zanmai": "All at Once and Again and Again" (11 of 15)
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.
Photograph of Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Daijozan, mid-1980s,
by Ven. Shikai Zuiko sensei
Translations
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. Many of these will be posted on our website over the next few months.
Newly-Presented Teachings
During the January 2020 Sesshin, Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi presented the following teisho as part of the ongoing series, "The Lineage of Luminosity: Part Two: The Lineage in China”:
January 11th: “Rujing's Broken Broom of Mu”.
During the December 2019 Rohatsu O-sesshin, Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi presented the following teisho as part of the ongoing series, "The Lineage of Luminosity, Part Two: The Lineage in China”:
December 2nd: Rujing’s Plum Blossoms Again
December 3rd: Rujing’s Flower for Pindola
December 4th: Rujing’s Painting Plum Blossoms
December 5th: Rujing’s Frogs and Worms
Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi presented the following teisho during the November Sesshin, as part of the ongoing series, "The Lineage of Luminosity: Part Two: The Lineage in China”:
November 9th: Rujing and the Old Plum Tree
Newly Posted Transcript on the WWZC Website
"Zen is Not Kidding" by Shikai Zuiko sensei https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/zen-not-kidding
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
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
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.
Shodo (J) “Way of the Brush”. The Zen art of brush calligraphy as practice. A “sho” is a work of such calligraphy.
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. The following meals were prepared for residents prior to the evening sittings on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
Meals Made for the Last Three Days of O-sesshin:
Friday:
Breakfast: Fried pasta (leftover cavatappi pasta with chopped deep-fried tofu and peppers leftover from the previous evening's meal, parmesan cheese).
Lunch: White and brown Calrose rice garnished with sesame seeds; miso shiru (kombu stock, shiro miso, ginger, shoyu, mirin, rice vinegar, silken tofu, rehydrated shitake mushrooms); takuan and gari.
Supper: Thai jasmine rice; Thai curry (chopped Spanish onion, poblano peppers and red shepherd bell peppers, chopped dai gai choy, ginger, Aroy-D coconut milk, red Thai curry paste; chunks of Asian pear with lime juice and red chili flakes.
Saturday:
Breakfast: Scallion congee (calrose and arborio rice, chopped scallions, slivered ginger, coriander stems, shoyu, sesame oil, white pepper); scrambled eggs.
Lunch: White and brown Thai jasmine rice; seaweed soup (strained leftover miso shiru stock with wakame seaweed, slivered ginger, shoyu, sesame oil, chile paste, and silken tofu); thin slices of cucumber mixed with baechu kimchi, shoyu, white pepper, xiaoxing wine.
Supper: Lundberg Farms short-grain brown rice cooked with turmeric, mixed with sauteed diced potatoes, Spanish onion, peas and corn, seasoned with butter and cumin; mushroom soup (cremini mushrooms, diced white onion, mushroom stock, garlic, smoked paprika powder, shoyu, thyme, rosemary, and lots of black pepper.
Sunday:
Breakfast: Chow mein noodles with sauteed thin strips of yellow onion, poblano, and red shepherd bell peppers, slivered ginger, shoyu, bulgogi sauce, chile oil; scrambled eggs.
Meals Made on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday Evenings:
Monday Yakuseki:
Mashed Yukon gold potatoes made with butter, Dijon mustard, black pepper; sliced deep-fried tofu in a mushroom gravy (cremini and porcini mushrooms, smoked paprika, garlic, mushroom stock, shoyu, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, pinch of cumin; roasted carrot batonettes, steamed green cabbage with butter, salt and pepper.
Tuesday Yakuseki:
Roast pork loin, fresh rolls, sliced tomatoes; coleslaw (green cabbage, daikon, carrots, mayonnaise, lime juice, horseradish, lots of pepper).
Thursday Yakuseki:
Lundberg Farms short-grain brown rice with butter; tomato soup (chopped onion, mushrooms, poblano peppers, red shepherd bell peppers, tomato juice, red wine vinegar, pinch of sugar, basil, oregano, black pepper, cumin, and chili flakes; salad of Napa cabbage, thinly sliced red onion and tomatoes with sriracha/mayonnaise dressing.
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 David Gallant:
Thank you to Jinmyo osho for daisan during the October O-sesshin and for her continual efforts as Tenzo, preparing varied and delicious food for residents at Dainen-ji each week. Thank you to Saigyo ino for allowing me to use his truck occasionally over the past few months.
From Leonardo Nobrega:
Thank you Jinmyo osho for daisan by phone throughout the Spring and Summer and daisan by phone and email and meals during the O-Sesshin. Thank you Mishin godo for meals during the O-Sesshin; Thank you Saigyo ino for preparing samu tasks during the Summer; Thank you David for help with moving some belongings from my address in Gatineau to the monastery when I moved in.
