eMirror Vol 27, No. 24 (2023-06-16)


Dainen-ji grounds, photograph by Senbo Pham-Dinh

Dainen-ji grounds, photograph by Senbo Pham-Dinh


eMirror Vol 27, No. 24

Friday, June 16th, 2023
Edited by the Practice Council

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



Next, the Buddha says, “Practise the recognition of impermanence, Rahula. Practising the recognition of impermanence, asserting the self is released. Practise being mindful of the breath, Rahula. Practising continuous mindfulness of breathing in and breathing out leads to a vast harvest and great richness. And how, Rahula, is mindfulness of breath practised, how does the sincere practice lead to a great harvest of richness?”

Well, why don’t we just explore that a little bit on our own now, and see what we can come up with? And perhaps tomorrow, we’ll pick up the Sutta once more.
Right now let’s pick up the flower of this moment. 

Please, enjoy yourselves.

-Ven Anzan Hoshin roshi, concluding Teisho Five: "The Flower of Twilight" in the series "Flowers and Worms", Hanamatsuri sesshin, April 11th to 14th, 1991, Zazen-ji.

 

The Hatto (for formal sittings)
The Hatto (for formal sittings)

 

The Zendo (for associate and general sittings)

The Zendo (for associate and general sittings)

 


Practice Schedule and Upcoming Events



Formal Sittings for WWZC Students: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday Mornings The formal sittings begin at 6:00 a.m. You would need to arrive by 5:45 in time for First Bell. The sitting ends at 7:25 with the Chants. Following that there is a Daruma-kata Aiki review which ends at about 7:50. If you need to leave before the kata, please let us know that in advance by sending an email to schedule@wwzc.org.
Saturday Morning General Sitting for WWZC Students: The general sitting begins at 9:30 a.m. You would need to arrive by 9:15 a.m., in time for First Bell. The sitting ends at 11:45 a.m. Some general students attend the 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning formal sitting, stay for breakfast and then attend the general sitting. If you stay for breakfast you will need to make a $5.00 dana contribution for the meal. Proceeds from meals go to White Wind Zen Community.
Monday and Thursday Evening Associate Sittings for WWZC Students: The associate sitting begins at 7:30 p.m. You would need to arrive by 7:15 p.m., in time for First Bell. The sitting ends at 9:10 p.m.
Friday (Hosan): There are no formal sittings scheduled at the monastery on Fridays, but you are expected to sit at home if you have committed to sitting zazen daily.
Sunday Formal Sitting: The Sunday morning formal sittings are reserved for monastics, formal students, and probationary formal students.

Fusatsu (Renewal of Vows):  June 21st, July 5th, July 19th and August 2nd.

Introduction to Zen Workshop Ottawa:
The next Introduction to Zen Workshop will take place on Saturday, July 1st, at 1:45 p.m. To register: https://IntroductionToZenWorkshop.eventbrite.ca; for more information please see https://wwzc.org/introduction-zen-workshop-ottawa

Yaza
Yaza (all night sitting) will take place on Saturday, July 8th, from 10pm until Sunday,  July 9th, at 8am. Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei will lead the Yaza. 

Hermitage:
The Roshi is continuing an extended period of hermitage due to underlying health issues until the COVID-19 situation clarifies.

Long Distance Training Program:
For students living an hour or more commuting distance from the monastery in Ottawa, please visit this Web Page: https://wwzc.org/long-distance-training-program
 


What to do if you Arrive After the Sitting Begins



If you arrive after the sitting starts and the door is locked, you don't need to turn around and go home. Ring the bell once and then sit on the bench on the front porch. If possible, we will come and unlock the door for you right away. If we are in the middle of the chants or listening to a teisho, we will come to let you in as soon as the teisho finishes.
 


Request for assistance with video editing and filming



If anyone in the local sangha has video editing experience and would like to assist with a project to produce short videos of the forms that we use at Dainen-ji please write to Saigyo ino at saigyo.cross@gmail.com. If you also have a decent camera that shoots video this would be helpful, though not essential. Thank you very much.
 


White Wind Zen Community Website Update



"Difficulty, Strangeness, Beauty": transcript of a Dharma Talk presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, December 13, 1988: https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/difficulty-strangeness-beauty

"Standing in the Rain (Tangaryo)": transcript of Dharma Talk presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, December 13th, 1988: https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/standing-rain-tangaryo

"Snow": transcript of Dharma Talk presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, November 18, 1989: https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/snow
 


Retreats



Rev. Chiso anagarika sat her weekly semi-retreat on Tuesday, June 13th in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Deshi Isshin sat a two-day retreat in alignment with the sesshin schedule at Dainen-ji, in her home in Saint John, New Brunswick. Aaron Ford sat a half-day retreat on Monday, June 12th at his home in Calgary, Alberta.

If you are a student of Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi and  would like to sit a retreat at Dainen-ji,, please email schedule@wwzc.org to register a week in advance. For further information please visit this page: https://wwzc.org/retreats

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, Saturday, June 17th to Saturday, June 24th, 2023

Saturday, June 17th general sitting: “Bowing and Receiving”: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dogen zenji's "Raihai Tokuzui: Bowing and Acquiring the Essence": "What Will Be Lost" (12 of 13, 29 minutes) 
Sunday, June 18th formal sitting: SAkN: Infinite Infinities by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: "Points of Experience" (5 of 7, 18 minutes)
Monday, June 19th associate sitting: “Before Thinking: Foundations of Zen Practice” by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: “Inside and Outside” (10 of 71, 14 minutes) 
Thursday, June 22nd associate sitting: “Before Thinking: Foundations of Zen Practice” by Zen Master Anzan Hoshin: “Inside and Outside” (10 of 71, 14 minutes) 
Saturday, June 24th general sitting: “Bowing and Receiving”: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dogen zenji's "Raihai Tokuzui: Bowing and Acquiring the Essence": "Sacred Space" (13 of 13, 21 minutes)
 


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 Ven. Fushin Comeau shuso following her death



scroll

Zafu (J): round cushion for zazen

Posted June 9th, 2023. New entries are posted every two weeks.
 


Fundraising 2023: Roofs



We are in the process of gathering estimates for roof repairs to several areas of our roofs shown in yellow and white in the following graphic. All of the other (grey) sections of roof have already been taken care of. We have needed to redo the roofs a section at a time because the costs of replacing them, given the size and extreme angle of our roofs is very high. In the next week or two we will post the details of the best estimate we receive. We do know that the total cost to reshingle all of the areas that need to be redone will be in the neighbourhood of $30,000 but we should have a more exact figure in the next few weeks.

Roof Sketch

 

Monk holding bowl


Office of the Tenzo



Dogen zenji taught in the Tenzo Kyokun: Instructions for the Tenzo (Tenzo kyokun: Instructions for the Tenzo | White Wind Zen Community) 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 WWZC does not advocate any particular diet. However all meals prepared during practice events, such as Dharma Assemblies, sesshin, or retreats are vegetarian as most people can eat this. On Tuesday evenings there is an optional meat dish, as some people find that a purely vegetarian diet, especially as they get older, is not sufficient for their health. If you are adhering to a strictly vegan diet, you can write to the tenzo, Jinmyo Renge sensei, at jinmyo.renge@wwzc.org a week prior to attending an event to request vegan foods. If you are lactose intolerant or have allergies to foods, you should write to the tenzo about dietary restrictions a week before attending events.

The following Meals were Prepared During the June Two-day Sesshin:

Saturday
Breakfast: Acorn squash congee (Thai jasmine rice, minced garlic, chopped and roasted acorn squash, green peas, salt); scrambled eggs.
Lunch: Mixed white and brown calrose rice; mushroom soup (mushroom broth, mushroom powder, shoyu, white pepper, xiaoxing wine, sauteed mushrooms, cubed silken tofu); takuan (pickled daikon) and gari (pickled ginger). 
Supper: Thai brown and white Jasmine rice; ‘scrambled’ firm tofu mixed with sauteed onions, chopped poblano and red bell peppers, minced ginger and garlic, rice vinegar, Chinese soy sauce, dark soy sauce, chilli-garlic sauce, sesame oil, chilli oil and chopped scallions; Salad of chopped romaine and leaf lettuce, radicchio, thinly sliced celery, red onion, chopped tomatoes.

Sunday
Breakfast: Pancakes (all purpose and whole wheat flour, milk, white vinegar, baking powder, baking soda, eggs, butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt); scrambled eggs.
Lunch: Mixed leftover grain from previous meals (Lundberg brown rice, white and brown calrose rice, barley) mixed with chopped scallions and served with topping of sauteed daikon mixed with furikake; seaweed soup (wakame seaweed, slivered ginger, roasted chile oil, shoyu, mirin, rice vinegar, cubed silken tofu); baechu kimchi.

The following meals were prepared on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday Evenings:

Monday Yakuseki:
Noodles with garlic sauce (spaghettini noodles, reduced sodium shoyu, minced garlic, sambal oelek, vegetarian oyster sauce, ginger and sesame oil) served with roasted peanuts; a soup made from mushroom stock, slivered ginger, sliced shitake mushrooms, sliced cloud ear mushrooms, sauteed medium-firm tofu, chopped celery, and Nappa cabbage; baechu kimchi.

Tuesday Yakuseki:
White and brown Thai Jasmine rice; Thai curry (reduced coconut milk, Thai red curry paste, lime juice, vegan ‘chicken seasoning’, chopped coriander stems, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, seared daikon and carrots, served with fresh coriander leaves, celery leaves and chopped scallions.
Vegetarian option: Sauteed tofu served with the curry.
For those who wished to supplement their diet with meat: seared chopped skinless, boneless chicken thighs.
Salad of Romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, radicchio, sliced red onion, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and celery. 

Thursday:
Vegan ‘chicken’ burgers (wheat gluten mixed with ground chickpeas, vegan ‘chicken’ seasoning, paprika, garlic and onion powder, Thyme, chilli sauce, in a batter made from panko, potato starch and all-purpose flour) on dairy-free buns, served with lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, Vegan aquafaba mayonnaise mixed with sriracha; french fries. 

 

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 Stacey Loyer for garden samu and for bringing plants from her garden.

From Challian Christ:
Thank you Saigyo ino for helping me arrange my home Butsudan, and for your detailed instruction and oversight during my recent samu hours. Hearing about the history of the monastery and getting to be intimately involved in restorations is giving a deep appreciation for all the work that has gone into making Dainen-ji the remarkable practice space it is today. Thank you Mishin godo for delicious meals every Saturday morning. Thank you both Saigyo ino and Mishin godo for your patience and humour in my most recent practice interviews. Thank you Anzan Hoshin roshi for performing Kaigen on the rupa I presented. 

From the Office of the Treasurer:
Thank you to Lanny Cardow for a donation towards the upcoming Samu Weekend and to Adda Hernandez for a donation.

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