eMirror Vol 26, No. 22 (2022-05-27)

Mahavairocana in Hojo, photograph by Ven. Fushin Comeau shuso
Mahavairocana in Hojo,
photograph by Ven. Fushin Comeau shuso          
  


eMirror Vol 26, No. 22

Friday, May 27th
Edited by the Practice Council

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



So, unfortunately, I cannot speak of any art that is associated with the sense of touch. But by the word “feeling” we refer to more than touch, don’t we? There is also kinesthetics, the sense of motion, of the body moving. This involves many senses. Seeing, hearing, the sense of equilibrium, touch, and a great deal of cognitive and perceptual activity play together as kinesthetics.

The sense of kinesthetics, often not regarded as a sense or even as a form of intelligence, is essential to everything that we do. This involves many different aspects of intelligence. It involves the ability to understand and interact with dimensional shapes such that we are able to navigate through a room. It involves such things as a sense of timing and coordination, fine-motor control and the manner in which both the whole body and its parts move, or its deportment or dynamics. It is also involved in allowing us to apprehend the actions, feelings, or dynamic abilities of other people, without the medium of words.

We often speak in terms of being “touched” by an event, a teisho “takes up” an issue of practice, we are “gripped” by a novel, we are “led” to understand, we “grapple” with difficult subjects. Stomachs turn. Hearts leap. Breath quickens. We are “moved”. All of these descriptions of response derive from kinesthetic experience. 

However, there is also an ambivalence which is simply part of the conventions of language of many cultures towards bodily and kinesthetic experience and sensing. When something is truly true, majestic in its truth, we might say it is “pure and untouched.” Now of course there are sexual and social conventions behind this Western phrase. But see this even in this verse by Dogen zenji called Special Transmission Outside the Doctrines:

Along the reefs
break waves.
On a high peak:
an oyster washed beyond reach,
just as Reality
cannot be touched by words.

Even in terms of kinesthetics there are few artistic resources that I can point to. The temae or procedures of chado, of preparing tea, of wiping the tea scoop, folding the cloth, wiping and turning the bowl, whisking the tea, receiving the bowl, turning it, lifting and drinking, turning and wiping have derived from oryoki and the shingi. These are essential aspects of chanoyu or tea ceremony but are still somehow in the background.

- Ven Anzan Hoshin roshi, continuing Class Three: "Touching the Sensation of the World" in the series "Zen Arts: The Flowering of the Senses", October 1999 Daruma-ki O-sesshin, Dainen-ji.
 


Upcoming Events



Fusatsu: June 1st, 15th and 29th.

Samu Weekend on May 28th and 29th:
We shall be holding a Samu Weekend on Saturday, May 28th and Sunday the 29th. The samu will take place from 9:00a.m. to noon and from 1:30pm. to 6:00p.m. on each day with a meal at noon for those attending for the full day. Spring work will be taking place in the grounds as well as samu inside the building which will include painting the basement stairs and installing a plywood floor in the unfinished areas of the East Wing on the ground floor.  We shall be continuing to wear masks during the samu.  
Please send an email to saigyo.cross@gmail.com or by leaving a message on the office answering machine at 613 562 1568 if you are able to offer samu over this weekend. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions if you are planning on staying for lunch. 

June Two-day Sesshin:
The June two-day sesshin will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, June 10th and will end at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 12th. 

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


Congratulations



Congratulations and deep gassho to Fushin shuso, on receiving full monastic Vows in Shukke Tokudo from his Teacher, Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei on May 20, 2022. 

Fushin shuso was accepted as an associate student in 2005; as a general student in 2006; He was accepted as a probationary formal student by Shikai Zuiko O-sensei in 2009; as her formal student May 16, 2011 and received the Three Jewels in August of 2011. He received the Sixteen Bosatsu-kai and the Forty-eight Supporting Precepts in shukke-tokudo as a postulant for monastic training from Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi on May 22nd, 2015. On Friday, May 20th, 2016 he received Novice Monk Vows from Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi. Following the death of his Teacher, Ven. Shikai Zuiko O-sensei in October of 2020, he was accepted as a student by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei on November 14th, 2021. 

Having received full monastic vows in Shukke Tokudo as well as Shuso Hossen, he will now be referred to as “Fushin shuso”. The Shuso is a novice monk who acts as an exemplar of practice, who functions as a presentation of the mind of practice amidst the students. This does not mean that his practice is perfect, but that he acknowledges this quality of exposure and will attempt through that and in the midst of that, to display and manifest the actuality of our day-to-day, moment-to-moment practice. 

Congratulations and deep gassho to Rob Parisien who is a resident of New Hampshire, USA, and Brennan Beall, a resident of Ottawa, on being accepted as associate public students by the Roshi. 
 


Retreats



Rev. Chiso anagarika sat her weekly semi-retreat on Tuesday, May 24th at her home in the Berkshires. Aaron Ford sat a two-day retreat on Friday, May 20th and Saturday, May 21st at his home in Calgary, Alberta. Thach Hoang sat a one-and-a-half day retreat from Friday, May 20th to Saturday, May 21st at his home in Laval, Quebec. Julien Jefferson sat a half-day retreat on Saturday, May 21st at his home in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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.  After your retreat, please send an email to schedule@wwzc.org to confirm that you sat a retreat and include the duration and location.
 


Recorded Teachings Schedule


Saturday, May 28th to Saturday, June 4th

Saturday, May 28th: Bodymind of the Way: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's "Shinjin Gakudo": "Mountains, Rivers, and Earth: the Geography of Bodymind" (7 of 17)
Monday, May 30th: “Every Breath You Take” by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei: “Seeing People Unarmed" (Dharma Talk 91)
Thursday, June 2nd: "Slip" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei
Saturday, June 4th: " Bodymind of the Way: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's "Shinjin Gakudo": "Is a House a Home?" (7 of 17)
 


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.
 


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
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. 

 


Painted Cakes
(do not satisfy hunger)

Begun by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei
Finished by Rev. Fushin Comeau shramon following her death


scroll

Tanku (J): "One-sided emptiness" A partial understanding of emptiness (ku or sunyata) which becomes a misunderstanding. For example: understanding the emptiness of experiences but not of the experiencer; understanding that there is no experiencer but not understanding that there are no experiences, only Experiencing.

Posted May 27th , 2022. New entries are posted every two weeks.
 

 

bok choy sliced in half


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.

Monday Yakuseki:
Toasted naan with butter; lentil curry (chopped onion, jalapeno, cubanelle and red bell peppers, coconut milk, Madras curry powder, coriander, and lentils, served with roasted peanuts; Asian pear with lime juice and chilli flakes.

Tuesday Yakuseki:
Mixed grain (calrose medium grain white rice, arborio rice, pearled barley and Korean short-grain white rice), miso shiru with shitake mushrooms and baby bok choy; cooked salmon served chilled with a dipping sauce made from shoyu, wasabi, lime juice and honey, reduced to thicken it; vegetarian option: hyayaku tofu (silken tofu on a bed of grated daikon served with the dipping sauce described above. 

Thursday Yakuseki:
Biryani (Basmati rice, fried cubed Yukon gold potatoes, diced carrots, caramelised onions, butter, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, fennel seeds, black mustard seeds, cinnamon, fenugreek seeds, star anise, curry leaves, cardamom pods, turmeric, Kashmiri dried chillies, Thompson raisins); carrot/daikon and ginger soup (pureed cooked baby carrots, daikon, white onion, ginger, turmeric, popped mustard seeds, toasted cumin seeds, toasted ground coriander, black pepper, with a drop of cream); sauteed youchoy, bok choy and gai lan with butter and Dom’s hot sauce.
 

Monk in gassho - drawing


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 the Office of the Treasurer:
Thank you to Jinmyo sensei, Mishin godo, Saigyo ino, Fushin shuso, and Chantal Maheu for donations towards vintage hardware and hinges for the Shuryo. To Loic Ouellette, for donations towards construction of the Shuryo. To Jay Batzner for a donation towards garden landscaping. To Kathleen Johnson, Claude Schryer and Hannah Kent for donations towards the upcoming Samu Weekend. To Adda Hernandez for a donation. 

 

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