eMirror Vol 27, No. 7 (2023-02-17)



Sunflowers, photograph by Ven. Mishin Roelofs
Photograph by Ven. Mishin Roelofs


eMirror Vol 27, No. 7

Friday, February 17th, 2023
Edited by the Practice Council

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



Here we are, sitting in a Zen monastery, our bums on the zafu facing the wall, our lower limbs folded up like the roots of a flower, our spines moving up from that like graceful stems. And we sit, little flowers facing the wall. It’s so amazing. Why is that amazing? Well, because usually we don’t relate with the earth, water, fire, air, and space of body at all. We don’t see it as it is.

Instead of sitting up straight and clear as we do in zazen, what we might often do is hunch our shoulders, hang our heads, extend our arms in front of us, saying, “Please, give it to me. Give me something to make me happy. Please mommy, please daddy.” Or, we might fold our arms in front of our chest and perhaps hang our head down a little further and say, “I don’t want it anyway. I don’t want it anyway because I know you are just going to take it back. Or you will give to me and it will be broken. I don’t want it anyway. Don’t touch me.”

But instead of doing all of that, here we are, sitting upright, dignified, and generally being very tidy. Very tidy in how we sit and how we walk. Taking care of our little black bowls in oryoki, instead of just slamming together some kind of sandwich and throwing it down the old tube. [laughter]

Instead, we are learning how to treat the tube with some kind of dignity, this 25 foot intestinal tube, this 25 foot earth-worm, that has teeth at the top and is all wrinkled at the bottom. The tube grew some eyes so it could see things growing or scurrying around here and there that it might be able to throw down itself. A little nose so it could sniff them out, ears so it could hear them. The worm grew a bony carriage that it could carry itself in so that the worm would not get little pieces of gravel stuck in it as it slithered around on the ground. In some cases it grew four legs. In others it stands on only two legs because the other legs became arms with little graspers on the ends to get hold of things that it can then drop down its upper end, the end where the teeth are.

So, now we have these little worms, all tucked inside their little bony carriages. And it rears upright, and faces the wall, (laughter) Now when it does that, it doesn’t really look that much like a worm, it looks more like a kind of a flower.    
                       
-Ven Anzan Hoshin roshi, continuing Teisho Three: "The Worm" in the series "Flowers and Worms", Hanamatsuri sesshin, April 11th to 14th, 1991, Zazen-ji.
 


Upcoming Events



Fusatsu:  February 22nd, March 8th and 22nd.

Introduction to Zen Workshop Ottawa
The next Introduction to Zen Workshop will take place on Saturday, March 4th, at 1:45 p.m. To register: https://IntroductionToZenWorkshop.eventbrite.ca; for more information please see https://wwzc.org/introduction-zen-workshop-ottawa

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

Keizan-ki
March 21st is the memorial for Keizan Jokin zenji.

Hermitage:
The Roshi is continuing an extended period of "self-isolation" 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
 


White Wind Zen Community Website Update



“River of Memory”: transcript of teisho presented by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Zazen-ji, on March 21st, 1991: 
https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/river-memory
 


Retreats



Deshi Isshin sat a week-long retreat in alignment with the O-sesshin, in her home in Saint John, N.B.

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, February 18th to Saturday, February 25th

Saturday, February 18th: "The Landscape of Reality" by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: "Through the Edge" (10 of 12, 35 minutes)
Sunday, February 19th: SAkN: "Presencing the Open Body" by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: "The Fundamental Process of Self-image" (teisho 4 of 5) 
Monday, February 20th: "The Touchstone" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei: "The Touchstone 15, Ceaseless Activity" (teisho 15 of 22, 15 minutes)
Thursday, February 23rd: "The Touchstone" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei: "The Touchstone 15, Ceaseless Activity" (teisho 15 of 22, 15 minutes)
Saturday, February 25th: "The Landscape of Reality" by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi: "Knowing Not-Knowing" (11 of 12, 35 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

Dongshan Liangjie 洞山良价 (Tung-shan Liang-chieh; Tozan Ryokai), 807-869. Dharma-heir of Yunyan Tansheng. Wuben (Wu-pen, Gohon) is a posthumous title. Gave Transmission to Yunju Daoying. Appears in Blue Cliff Records Case 43, Records of Serenity 22, 49, 56, 89, 94, 98. See Denkoroku Chapter 39. See Dogen’s Gyoji. See also the teisho series by Anzan Hoshin roshi Rhythm and Song: Commentaries on the Hokyo Zanmai and Medicine Mountain: The Recorded Sayings and Doings of Zen Master Yaoshan Weiyan.

Posted February 10th, 2023. New entries are posted every two weeks.

 

Calligraphy by Sengai
By Sengai


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 During the Week of O-sesshin

Saturday
Breakfast
: Choice of calrose or Lundberg Farms short-grain brown rice with fried eggs.
Lunch:  white and brown calrose rice with furikake; miso shiru (kombu, reconstituted shitake mushrooms, slivered ginger, shoyu, mushroom seasoning, shiro miso, cubes of silken tofu and chopped Shanghai bok choy; takuan and gari. 
Supper: White and brown basmati rice; Makhani dal (beluga lentils, red kidney beans, cayenne, cumin seeds, green chilis, minced ginger, minced garlic, finely chopped Spanish onions, asafoetida, turmeric, chopped tomatoes, garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves); side dish of plain Greek yogurt for the dal; chopped fresh pineapple. 

Sunday 
Breakfast: Buttercup Chinese congee ( roasted buttercup squash, avocado oil, minced garlic, jasmine rice, roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds seeds, baby peas, served with black vinegar and chili oil). 
Lunch: Fried rice (leftover white and brown basmati rice, white calrose and brown Lundberg short-grain brown rice, small diced carrots, chopped onion, chopped scallions, minced garlic, low sodium Chinese soy sauce, dark soy sauce, white pepper, Shaoxing cooking wine, garnished with roasted peanuts; wakame soup (strained miso shiru with added shoyu, ginger, mushroom seasoning, chili oil and sesame oil, cubed silken tofu); baechu kimchi.
Supper: Cavatappi pasta with a sauce made from caramelised onion and cabbage, with red kidney beans, seasoned with thyme, oregano, basil, chopped fresh parsley, served with vegan ‘parmesan’ cheese; salad of romaine, leaf lettuce, radicchio, thinly sliced red onion, celery, and chopped tomatoes served with a dressing made from equal parts apple cider vinegar, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, with a small amount of honey and lots of black pepper; black olives mixed with cubed friulano cheese and lemon zest.

Monday
Breakfast: Wheat noodles with slivered scallions and carrots with garlic sauce (low sodium shoyu, sambal oelek, minced garlic, minced ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, oyster sauce); scrambled eggs.
Lunch: White and brown calrose rice; a soup made from leftover wakame soup with added mushroom stock, cubed silken tofu and chopped gai lan; baechu kimchi.
Supper: White Thai Jasmine rice; Thai curry (Aroy-D coconut milk reduced until quite thick, Thai red curry paste, lime juice, chopped yellow onion, chopped poblano and red bell peppers, bamboo shoots, chopped coriander stems, deep-fried tofu, served with fresh coriander; Napa cabbage salad (thinly sliced Napa cabbage, julienned carrots and white onion) with a Thai peanut dressing (peanut butter, unseasoned rice vinegar, lime juice, shoyu, honey, garlic, ginger, salt, Korean pepper flakes and chopped coriander stems).

Tuesday
Breakfast
: Fried leftover pasta ( Cavatappi pasta with a sauce made from caramelised onion and cabbage, with red kidney beans, seasoned with thyme, oregano, basil, chopped fresh parsley, served with vegan ‘parmesan’ cheese); scrambled eggs.
Lunch:  white and brown calrose rice with furikake; miso shiru (kombu, reconstituted shitake mushrooms, slivered ginger, shoyu, mushroom seasoning, shiro miso, cubes of silken tofu and chopped Shanghai bok choy; cucumber pickle.
Supper: Roasted Yukon gold potatoes; medium-firm tofu baked in a sauce of chipotle adobo with hickory smoked barbeque sauce, with minced garlic, onion powder, thyme and black pepper, served on sauteed dai gai choy and bok choy; tomato soup (blended cooked carrots, celery, onion, minced garlic, San Marzano tomatoes, thyme, basil, black pepper, mushroom stock, a dash of cumin); salad of torn lettuce, shredded Napa cabbage, slivered carrots and onions, served with a mayonnaise dressing.

Wednesday
Breakfast: Egg fried rice (Thai white Jasmine rice, steamed, mixed with sauteed small diced carrots, chopped onions, peas, corn, minced garlic, scallions, and osmanthus egg made from leftover scrambled eggs, Chinese low sodium soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing cooking wine).
Lunch: white and brown Thai jasmine rice; wakame soup (vegetable stock, mushroom stock, Shaoxing cooking wine, slivered ginger, sesame oil, chili oil, cubed silken tofu); baechu kimchi.
Supper: Lundberg Farms short-grain brown rice with butter and baby peas; miso-carrot soup (blended, cooked carrots, leeks, apple, tomato, shiro miso, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, coconut cream); gherkins and cubed Friulano cheese.

Thursday
Breakfast: Egg white noodles with seared strips of poblano and red bell pepper with sauce of dark shoyu, regular shoyu, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper; scrambled eggs.
Lunch: Mixed grain (Lundberg Farms short-grain rice, pearled barley, arborio rice, calrose white and brown rice, mixed with a little rice vinegar and crumbled nori, garnished with chopped scallions; a Napa cabbage soup (chopped white onion, chopped Napa cabbage, vegetable stock, mushroom stock, minced garlic, shiro miso, gojuchang, shoyu); baechu kimchi.
Supper: Crusty rolls with butter; root vegetable soup with white beans (chopped rutabaga, parsnips, carrots, potato, with celery, onion, minced garlic, chopped poblano and minced jalapeno, vegetable stock, mushroom powder, thyme, cayenne, basil, chopped parsley, lots of black pepper and a drop of apple cider vinegar; salad ( romaine and leaf lettuce, radicchio, thinly sliced red onion, celery, chopped tomatoes, sliced cucumbers) with a dressing of mayonnaise, dijon, apple cider vinegar,  honey, black pepper).

Friday
Breakfast: Buttermilk pancakes with fried eggs.

 

Gassho sign (hands in gassho in in a circle)


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 David Gallant:
Thank you to Jinmyo sensei for leading the Nehan O-sesshin, for meeting with me multiple times in dokusan in the past 7 days, and for preparing the lunches and dinners for each day of O-sesshin. Thank you to Mishin godo for preparing the breakfasts for each day of O-sesshin. Thank you to Mishin godo and Saigyo ino for leading kata during the O-sesshin.

From Rowan Russell:
Thank you sincerely to the Roshi for accepting me as a general student. I am deeply grateful. Thank you to Mishin godo and Saigyo ino for your guidance, encouragement, and for all the work you do. And thank you to the Sangha members who I have been able to sit with thus far. I’ve enjoyed practising alongside you.

Printer Friendly, PDF & Email