Moss claimed Buddha rupa at Wolfville Zazenkai,
Photograph by Dr. Jinen S. Boates
eMirror Vol 27, No. 30
Friday, July 28th, 2023
Edited by the Practice Council
The White Wind Zen Community:
An international community practising and teaching Dogen’s Zen since 1985.
Near the end of this little list here in the Sutta the Buddha says, “One practises, ‘Realizing renunciation, I breathe in.’ One practises, ‘Realizing renunciation, I breathe out.”‘ And that is the capper. After all of this stuff about happiness and joy, it ends with renunciation. Renunciation is presented as the final summation, the fruition of happiness and joy. Is renunciation then, such a bad thing? What do we mean by renunciation?
I think that renunciation means leaving aside our confusion, putting away our games, folding away the web, and realizing that we don’t need to catch anything. We don’t need to feed on any flies because we are not lizards and we are not spiders, we are human beings. We are twenty-five foot worms and that is something to be proud of, because we are fingers and toes, because we can be kind to each other, because our intelligence presents itself as the world of experiences. Because there is an air, earth, fire, water, and space of mind and of body. And both mind and body, and air and fire and earth and water and space, are all ways in which our intelligence presents itself. But our intelligence is never limited by any of the things that we are intelligent about.
-Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, continuing Teisho Six: "Beginning at the Beginning" in the series "Flowers and Worms", Hanamatsuri sesshin, April 11th to 14th, 1991, Zazen-ji.
The Hatto (for formal 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): August 2nd, 16th, and 30th.
Introduction to Zen Workshop Ottawa:
The next Introduction to Zen Workshop will take place on Saturday, August 5th at 1:45 p.m. To register: https://IntroductionToZenWorkshop.eventbrite.ca; for more information please see https://wwzc.org/introduction-zen-workshop-ottawa
August Two-day Sesshin:
The August two-day sesshin will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 11th and will end at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 13th.
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.
Congratulations
Congratulations and deep gassho to Luis Fumero of Orleans, Ontario who has been accepted as an associate student by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi.
Retreats
Aaron Ford sat a two-day retreat on July 22nd and 23rd in his home in Calgary, Alberta. Julien Jefferson, doing a one-month period of residential training at Dainen-ji, sat a two-day retreat on July 24th and 25th and half-day retreats on July 27th and 28th. Beth Buerkle sat a half-day retreat on Tuesday, July 25 in her home in Chamcook, New Brunswick. Brennan Beall sat a one-day retreat at Dainen-ji on Wednesday, July 26th.
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
Recorded teisho schedule - Saturday, July 29th to Saturday, August 5th, 2023
Saturday, July 29th general sitting: "Wandering on Medicine Mountain": Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on "Medicine Mountain": The Recorded Sayings and Doings of Zen Master Yaoshan Weiyan: "Shit, Bowls, Lion, and a Knife" (teisho 4 or 22, 21 minutes)
Sunday, July 30th formal sitting: "SAkN: Dimensions of Space'' by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: "Speaking of Space" (teisho 2 of 8, 24 minutes)
Monday, July 31st associate sitting: "Before Thinking: Foundations of Zen Practice" by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: "Beginner's Mind Workshop Part 1" (16 of 71, 20 minutes)
Thursday, August 3rd associate sitting: "Before Thinking: Foundations of Zen Practice" by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: "Beginner's Mind Workshop Part 1" (16 of 71, 20 minutes)
Saturday, August 5th general sitting: Wandering on Medicine Mountain": Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on "Medicine Mountain": The Recorded Sayings and Doings of Zen Master Yaoshan Weiyan: " The Source of Wisdom" (teisho 5 of 22, 23 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
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.
White Wind Zen Community Website Update
“Cultivation of the Ground of Mind”: transcript of a teisho Presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, on June 4, 1989
https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/cultivation-ground-mind
The Practice of Boards and Stones” teisho presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, on June 18, 1989
https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/practice-boards-and-stones
"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 15th, 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
Painted Cakes
(do not satisfy hunger)
Begun by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei
Finished by Ven. Fushin Comeau shuso following her death
Zazenkai (J): Zen sitting group — sometimes used to refer to a gathering of laypeople for practice or the practice period itself — used for branch centres of the Zen Community.
Posted July 21st, 2023. New entries are posted every two weeks.
Fundraising 2023: Roofs
Total donated to date: $5,950.00
After receiving several estimates for the repairs to the remaining areas of the roof, we now know that the total cost will be between $30,000 and $35,000 (depending on when the work begins, as estimates are only good for three to six months and costs keep increasing). 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.
Any contribution that you can make will be gratefully received.
Thank you and Gassho
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 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday Evenings:
Monday Yakuseki:
Short-grain brown rice with butter and shoyu, served with roasted peanuts; a mushroom soup made with sauteed cremini mushrooms, slivered ginger, mushroom stock, white pepper, shoyu, and a little sesame oil, with cubed medium-firm tofu; baby bok choy cut into long ribbons cooked with chopped leeks and strips of white onion and chopped red bell pepper, seasoned with vegetarian oyster sauce, togarashi, white pepper, shoyu and minced garlic.
Tuesday Yakuseki:
Vegetarian option: chickpea salad made from cooked, lightly mashed chickpeas, vegan mayonnaise (chickpeas, aquafaba, bran oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt and bran oil, mixed with lightly cooked minced jalapeno and red onion, minced garlic, finely chopped chives, scallions and parsley; bean butter made from white kidney beans blended with some vegan mayonnaise, vegan ‘chicken’ bouillon powder ((nutritional yeast, onion powder, sea salt, turmeric, Italian seasoning, celery salt, dried thyme); lemon juice, and Dijon mustard; dairy free bread; tomato salad with red onion, drizzled with bran oil and white balsamic vinegar.
For those who wished to supplement their diet with meat or fish: cooked Coho salmon made into a salmon salad, with low-fat mayonnaise, chopped scallions, minced red onions, jalapeno, minced garlic, chopped chives and parsley, Dijon mustard), served with bread and tomato salad.
Thursday Yakuseki:
Basmati rice; curry (masala made with chopped onions and diced tomatoes, with garlic, ginger, yellow mustard seeds, cardamom, cumin seeds, turmeric, asafoetida, chopped fresh coriander, kashmiri chilli powder, garam masala, coconut milk, chopped carrots and spinach; side dish of lightly cooked snow peas and sugar snap peas (a gift from Shigemi) with butter, salt and pepper; Napa cabbage salad (thinly sliced Napa cabbage, carrots, daikon, white onion, served with a dressing made from red pepper paste, mayonnaise, popped mustard seeds and toasted cumin seeds.
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 Jinmyo sensei:
Thank you to Senbo for sending the eMirror to our subscription list each week and for ongoing work to prepare the Roshi’s book, “The Straight Path: Zen Teachings on the Foundations of Mindfulness” for printing and for making an ePub version of it. Thank you to Chantal Maheu and Elizabeth Eve for proofreading “The Straight Path”. Thank you to Julian Jefferson for making a sewing pattern for gong cushions.
From Mishin godo:
Thank you to Shigemi Ichino for garden fresh sugar snap peas and snow peas for the monastery kitchen. Thank you to Julien Jefferson, Ian Richard, Rowan Russell, and Challian Christ for offering samu over the past week.
From Fushin shuso:
Thank you to Jinmyo sensei for instruction on how to take care of a deceased bird. Thank you to Mishin godo for seamlessly picking up extra duties and for leading the chants at the early morning sittings this week. Thank you to David Gallant for configuring the archiving storage and backup.
From David Gallant:
Thank you to Saigyo ino for his extensive efforts in crafting the new Shuryo space on the ground floor of the monastery, an excellent location for dokusan and daisan.
From Julien Jefferson:
Thank you to the Roshi for his teisho "The Rabbit-Killing Tree" and "The Arising of Spring", which I listened to recently during associate sittings. Thank you to Jinmyo sensei and Mishin godo for instruction about food and eating, and for preparing varied and flavourful meals with which to practise this. Thank you to Saigyo ino for memorable instruction in how to move in a kunsu and for directions on where to put things away. Thank you to Fushin shuso and David for answering day-to-day questions.
From the Office of the Treasurer:
Thank you to Sam MacFarlane for a donation to the Roof Repair Fund.
