Annular eclipse, photograph by Gillian Higgenbottom
eMirror Vol 25, No. 25
Friday, June 25th, 2021
Edited by the Practice Council
The White Wind Zen Community:
An international community practising and teaching Dogen’s Zen since 1985.
Dogen zenji says,
And so, we should ask and we should say, "What are fences, walls, tiles, stones?" In answering, we should answer, "primordially Awake Awareness." Maintaining it in this way, we should go on to investigate further. Just what are fences and walls? What is it we call "fences and walls"? What is their form right now? Are fences and walls made to appear from our fabrication?1 Does our fabrication appear from fences and walls? Are they a fabrication? Are they not a fabrication? Are they sentient? Are they insentient? Are they appearing before us now? Are they not apparent and present? Making resolute effort to investigate them in study through practice, whether it appears for shining beings or humans, in this land or in other worlds, primordially Awake Awareness is "fences, walls, tiles, stones." Nor has a single dust mote ever appeared to pollute it.
Our questioning is an expressing of primordially Awake Awareness and so is also an answering from primordially Awake Awareness. When we can maintain this non-discursive questioning we can continue to investigate our experience from further and further perspectives. Beyond the words "fences and walls", really, what are they? What is anything? Are there fences and walls apart from our fabricated ideas of fences and walls? Walls are fabricated, they are put together, they are made. But they are not the same as the words "fences and walls" or the idea "fences and walls". In our knowing of a wall, does a wall know? In the knowing of a wall, we are also there. We and the wall are arising together within the knowing. Is the wall sentient or insentient, are we sentient or insentient? Such questions are meant only to indicate the many directions and perspectives that can come and go when we engage with experience openly and allow ourselves to recognize the mind of the old Buddhas.
It is not a matter of getting lost in thoughts or of getting rid of thoughts. It is not a matter of learning to think the right thoughts, the ones that will win approval. It is a matter of learning how to think whole bodily and with the colours and forms and sounds and our experience as a whole.
Then we can realize that we are fences, walls, tiles, stones and that fences, walls, tiles, stones whether here or in other worlds, for human beings or beings of any world are all primordially Awake Awareness. The mind of the old Buddhas is every single mote of dust.
Please, this evening, enjoy yourselves.
1 Zosa. "Built." Term used for the Sanskrit
-Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, concluding the teisho "Fences, Walls, Tiles, Stones", Thursday, February 17th, 2005, at Dainen-ji, in the series "The Primordially Awakened Way: commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's Kobutsushin: The Old Buddha Mind".
Upcoming Events
Fusatsu:
June 23rd, July 7th, July 21st.
Yaza:
Yaza (all night sitting) will take place on Saturday, July 10th, from 10pm until Sunday, July 11th, at 8am.
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
Ven. Chunen angya, Rev. Chiso anagarika, deshi Senbo and deshi Isshin sat retreats in alignment with the June sesshin. Chantal Maheu sat a two-day retreat aligned with the June sesshin from Friday, June 11th to Sunday, June 13th at her home in Alymer, Quebec. Tarik Kaya sat a one-day retreat on Saturday, June 12th at his home in Ottawa, Ontario. Tracey Parker sat a half-day retreat on Sunday, June 13th at her home in Perth, Ontario. George Donovan sat a two-day retreat on Saturday, June 12th and Sunday, June 13th at his home in Ottawa, Ontario. Thach Hoang sat a one-day retreat from Saturday, June 12th to Sunday, June 13th at his home in Laval, Quebec.
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”.
Recorded Teachings Schedule
Saturday, June 19th to Saturday, June 26th
Saturday, June 19th: “Turning the Wheel of the Way” by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: "Shitou's Hit” (teisho 30 of 44)
Sunday, June 20th: SAkN: Dimensions of Space by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: "Outshining" (7 of 8)
Monday, June 21st: “Every Breath You Take” by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei: “When Going to the Toilet" (Dharma Talk 39)
Thursday, June 24th: "The Touchstone 5, Washing Rice with Water" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei
Saturday, June 26th: “Turning the Wheel of the Way” by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: "Daoxin's Stupa (teisho 31 of 44)
Listening to Teisho and Dharma Talks
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.
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
Dharma Talk by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei Posted on the WWZC Website
Dharma Talk Presented by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei on the occasion of receiving Inka: “Receiving the Dharma Seal: Hekiganroku Case 2: Zhaozhou’s ‘The Vast Way is Without Difficulty’”, Dainen-ji, Sogaku O-sesshin, Thursday May 20th 2021.
Read the transcript: Receiving the Seal
Listen to the recording (accessible only to students of this Lineage): Receiving the Seal
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
Congratulations
Congratulations and deep gassho to Leonardo Nobrega on being accepted as a formal student by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei on June 12, 2021. Leonardo began practising as an associate student in May of 2015; as a general student in February of 2017; as a probationary formal student in November of 2018.
Painted Cakes
(do not satisfy hunger)
Begun by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei
Finished by Rev. Fushin Comeau shramon following her death
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.
Shohõ jissõ (J) The true form (meaning nature) of all experiences.
Posted June 11th, 2021. New entries are posted every two weeks.
Office of the Tenzo
Dogen zenji taught in the Tenzo kyokun: Instructions for the Tenzo (https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/tenzo-kyokun-instructions-tenzo) 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 following meals were prepared for residents on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
The following meals were prepared during sesshin:
Saturday:
Breakfast: Hunan noodles, strips of Spanish onion, red bell and poblano peppers, ginger, garlic, shoyu, roasted chili paste, 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: Farfalle pasta in a butter-garlic sauce (butter, minced garlic, chopped spanish onion, parmesan cheese, lime juice, salt and pepper); tomato soup with red kidney beans (cooked then pureed minced spanish onion, garlic, tomato juice, diced tomatoes, dried thyme, red wine, olive oil); cubed friulano and gherkins.
Sunday:
Breakfast: Fried leftover farfalle pasta; scrambled eggs.
Lunch: Mixed white and brown jasmine and Thai sweet rice topped with cubed daikon sauteed in chile oil; seaweed soup (strained miso shiru broth, wakame seaweed, julienned ginger, shoyu, handmade Szechuan chile oil, mirin, cubed silken tofu, Shanghai bok choy); kimchi.
The following meals were prepared for residents on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings this week:
Monday Yakuseki:
Thai jasmine rice; Bulgogi tofu (chunks of tofu, sauteed chopped assorted peppers, dai gai choy and onions, with bulgogi sauce, garnished with sesame seeds; salad of Romaine lettuce, red and green leaf lettuce, radicchio, chopped tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions, chopped celery and scallions; dressing made from Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and mayonnaise.
Thursday Yakuseki:
Calrose rice; miso shiru with baby bok choy; cabbage rolls made with ground pork, minced onion, ginger and garlic, shoyu, egg, white pepper and salt, formed into patties, rolled in Napa cabbage leaves and then steamed, served at room temperature with chili sauce; vegetarian option: Beyond Burger.
Thursday Yakuseki:
Rice dish ( brown rice, Thai Jasmine rice, cubed fried potatoes, corn, diced onion, minced garlic and ginger); Doenjang soup (Korean miso, strained leftover miso soup from Tuesday, minced garlic, chopped onion, Napa cabbage and tofu); baechu kimchi.
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 sensei:
Thank you to Mishin godo for many hours of administration over the past few weeks; to Saigyo ino for meeting with contractors to get estimates and for doing all of the weekly shopping for the time-being; to Fushin shramon for taking such good care of Kitsune and Shindo (monastery cats) and for growing cat grass; to Senbo for sending out the eMirror each week and for making needed changes to our Website; to Senbo, Ryoshin, and Chantal for transcription; to Ryoshin for picking up medications for Kitsune, and for a gift; to Leonardo Nobrega for watering the grounds and for taking care of the monastery laundry; to David Gallant for all of the samu he does each week.
From Mishin godo:
Thank you to Jinmyo sensei for regularly making quantities of excellent kimchi; thank you to Senbo for improving the audio quality of several older recorded teisho by processing them through Audacity; thank you to Claude Schryer for picking up a Home Depot order.
From David Gallant:
Thank you to Jinmyo sensei for recent dokusan and for preparing a wide variety of delicious meals for residents each week. Thank you to Mishin godo and Saigyo ino for leading kata during formal sittings each week.
