eMirror Vol 26, No. 30 (2022-07-22)

Vegetables on dining hall counter
Vegetables drying after washing


eMirror Vol 26, No. 30

Friday, July 22nd
Edited by the Practice Council

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



[Learning about taste through cooking] can involve good equipment and using it well. Do not buy a set of knives for $150 because they will be worthless. Use that money to purchase a single good chef’s knife and learn how to use it. Purchase paring knives, fruit knives, boning knives after you have learned how to use the chef’s knife. Or just stay with the chef’s knife as I do. Learn the weight and balance of a good knife as it moves through different materials such as red onion, shallots, cheese, ong choy, poblano chiles. Do not buy too many kitchen gadgets. They do not save time. They might chop quickly but they take a great deal of time to set up and to wash afterwards. Use the knife, perhaps a hand blender or occasionally a large countertop blender. But use the knife. Learn the structure of the food. Examine the structure inside of a bell pepper, the difference in aroma of the inside from the outside. Slice or chop or mince or dice to bring out something about the vegetable you want to make available. If you eat meat, learn how to bone and skin. Learn how to move the knife between muscle groups. Learn where the cartilage, tendons, and connective tissues are.

It can and should involve reading although one must be careful about this. Cooking books can be useful in making explicit something that had not been clear, providing examples and suggestions and guidelines, and perhaps some approaches that would not have occurred to one otherwise. But knowing how to cook does not mean learning or acquiring recipes. Cooking through following a recipe (an eighth of a teaspoon of cumin, two and four fifth cups of broth) means that the cook cannot be alive to how the ingredients and flavours are arranging themselves with each other right now. Recipes lead to a pedantic, scholarly, fussy approach and deadens the experience of the actual aromas and flavours and colours and textures of the food as it changes throughout the course of cooking the meal and the capacity to respond appropriately. This might be fine for cooking as something that just has to be done to feed oneself or others. But this is not the art of cooking. Instead, read through the encyclopaedic Larousse Gastronomique and other classics. Read books intended for professional chefs.

Explore regional cuisines but do not make substitutions carelessly. Instead, take the methods and ingredients and use them coherently. Thai jasmine scented rice or Chinese rice utterly ruin a Japanese meal. If you are cooking South Western or Latin cuisines, use corn oil. If you are cooking Asian food do not use olive oil. If you are using olive oil do not purchase cheap oils. Use a fine grade for cooking, an excellent grade for dressings.
  
Learn plating and presentation. Do not use garnishes that cannot be eaten or that do not highlight some ingredient or set of flavours in the dish.
    
As with Zen brush work that requires thousands of strokes to learn how to brush a stroke so that the unexpected can be incorporated into the body of the stroke as a whole, each meal is like a sketch. Be willing to fail miserably.
    
-Ven Anzan Hoshin roshi, continuing Class Five: "It Becomes You" in the series "Zen Arts: The Flowering of the Senses", October 1999 Daruma-ki O-sesshin, Dainen-ji.
 


Upcoming Events



Fusatsu: July 27th, August 10th and 24th.

August Two-day Sesshin
The August two-day sesshin will begin on Friday, August 12th at 8:00 p.m. and will end on Sunday, August 14th at 6:00 p.m.

Dogen-ki (August 28th)
Dogen-ki August 28th is Dogen-ki, the memorial of Eihei Dogen zenji's death.

Samu Weekend
The next Samu Weekend will take place on August 27th and 28th. Each day begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 6:00 p.m. Please pencil these dates into your calendar so that you will be able to attend some or all of this weekend of samu practice. Saigyo ino will be writing soon to students with more details about the activities taking place over the weekend. To register please send an email to Saigyo ino at saigyo.cross@gmail.com.

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



Rev. Chiso anagarika sat her weekly semi-retreat on Tuesday, July 19th at her home in the Berkshires. Deshi Isshin sat a one-day retreat on Saturday, july 16th at her home in Saint John, New Brunswick.  

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.
 


Retreats at Dainen-ji



Although the monastery is not open to associate and general students for scheduled sittings, if you would like to sit a retreat at Dainen-ji, that is now possible. 

You would need to schedule your retreat a week in advance. You will also need to get a rapid antigen Covid test done the day before you arrive and email us to let us know that you are Covid negative.

You can sit a partial retreat, half-day retreat or full retreat for one or more days (providing you stay in the monastery and do not leave). The duration of retreats is as follows:

Half-day Retreat
You would need to arrive 15 minutes before the actual starting time. Begin at 6:00 a.m., end at noon. Or begin at 9:30 a.m., end at 6:00. Or begin at 3:00 p.m., end at 9:10.

Partial Retreat
You would need to arrive 15 minutes before the actual starting time. Begin at 6:00 a.m., end at 6:00 p.m. Or begin at 9:30 a.m., end at 9:10 p.m.

Full retreat
You would need to arrive by 5:45 a.m. Begin at 6:00 a.m., end at 9:10 p.m. Please remember to bring a change of clothes suitable for samu (caretaking practice). If staying overnight, please remember to bring a sleeping bag, a towel and other such necessities. If you have been diagnosed by a medical doctor as having allergies to specific foods, please contact the tenzo, Jinmyo osho at rengezo at gmail dot com, a week in advance of your retreat to inform her of dietary restrictions as this affects food purchases and meal planning. The suggested dana for retreats is $50 for a full day or $40 for a partial day, which covers the basic cost of food and other materials. Donations above this figure are very welcome and all donations are tax deductible.

If you would like to schedule a retreat, please send an email to schedule@wwzc.org.
 


Monastery Room for Rent



We are in the process of building a new room in the monastery which will be available for rent in the Autumn. If you would like to engage in a period of long-term training, please contact Mishin godo at mishin@gmail.com for further details. 
 


Recorded Teachings Schedule


Saturday, July 23rd to Saturday, July 30th 

Saturday, July 23rd: "Bodymind of the Way: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's "Shinjin Gakudo":"Evening Practice Comments: Absolute Effort" (15 of 17)
Sunday, July 24th: SAkN “Root Cycle Five” by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: “The Collapse of SAkN” (teisho 3 of 5)
Monday, July 25th: “Every Breath You Take” by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei: “Seeing a Castle" (Dharma Talk 99)
Thursday, July 28th: "The Contraptions of Contraction" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei
Saturday, July 30th: "Bodymind of the Way: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's "Shinjin Gakudo":"The Embrace of Emptiness is the Ten Directions" (16 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

Teishõ (J): "Tei" means to pick up or to carry; "shõ" means to present or proclaim. A formal discourse of a Zen teacher used to stir up recognition in students.

Posted July 22nd, 2022. New entries are posted every two weeks.
 

 

Basil by Ven. Mishin Roelofs godo
Basil by Ven. Mishin Roelofs godo


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 “. 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 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings for residents:

Monday Yakuseki:
Chilled noodles with peanut sauce (spaghettini, broken in half before cooking tossed with thinly sliced celery, carrots, daikon, scallions, and radicchio, mixed with a sauce made from peanut butter, sesame oil, shoyu, rice vinegar, cayenne pepper, sauteed minced ginger and garlic); chilled ‘cream’ of carrot soup (blended cooked carrots, red onion, apple and tomato, seasoned with coconut cream, cumin, turmeric, red pepper flakes, miso and smoked paprika; kimchi.

Tuesday Yakuseki:
Chilled macaroni salad (cooked macaroni, chopped, sauteed red onion, jalapeno, poblano and banana peppers, minced garlic, chopped monastery-grown parsley, basil and oregano, capers, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and honey; For those who wished to supplement their diet with meat, chopped ham that could be added to the salad. Vegetarian option: hardboiled eggs; 
chilled cream of chickpea soup (blended cooked carrots, celery, onion and garlic, chickpeas, white kidney beans, seasoned with salt, lots of black pepper, zafrani masala, cumin, cardamom, coconut milk, served chilled; kimchi.

Thursday Yakuseki:
Sourdough baguettes; egg salad (chopped boiled eggs, capers, minced jalapeno, red onion and garlic, chopped celery, capers, chopped scallions, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard; tomato soup (cooked, blended San Marzano tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion and garlic, tomato juice, salt and pepper, served chilled.
 

 

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 Mishin godo:
Thank you to Senbo for managing the Mailchimp program to send out the eMirror every week. Thank you to Chantal Maheu and Elizabeth Eve for offering transcription samu so that the rest of the "Before Thinking" recordings can be transcribed and eventually published.

From Saigyo ino:
Thank you to Jinmyo sensei for overseeing so much of the recent samu and for skillful scheduling of tasks and for finding new shoji style window film for the Hojo. Thank you to Mishin godo for always excellent Sunday evening meals for residents. To Fushin shuso for work to repurpose two tables into usable benches. Thank you to Stacey Loyer for regular weekly samu to take care of the grounds and to Greg Parker for repairs and painting required for the new hinges to the main door into the Shuryo.  

From David Gallant:
Thank you to Roshi for presenting the SAkN teisho series, which are absolutely brilliant. Thank you to Jinmyo sensei for many years of regular instruction and for often helping me to see clearly what to do when I feel stuck. Thank you to the Office of the Tenzo for accommodating my dairy-free dietary requirements for resident meals.

From Andrew Campbell:
Thank you to Mishin godo and Saigyo ino for the ongoing support of my practice through practice interviews and practice journals. Thank you also to the Roshi for doing Chuu-jo after the death of my sister in law.
 

 

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