Master Bird’s Nest Daolin, by Ding Yingping, Ming dynasty

 

eMirror Vol. 11, No. 7

Friday, February 16th, 2007

Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho

 

 


Quotes from teisho are run sequentially in the eMirror

 

Although Knowing in itself is our own nature, when we are first born there is little that we know how to do. We cannot sit, walk, or stand but only lay where we are put or as we are held and perhaps jerk convulsively until we learn to squirm. We cannot speak. We do not know the sound of a dog barking. Perhaps we do not even know the difference between a dog barking and our own yowling. But we do know how to yowl. And how to breathe, although even that usually has to be given a start through a painful smack so that we open our mouths and gasp and cry in shock. We know how to suck, though we don’t know how we know that or even know that we know it; we just do it. We know how to excrete. We know how to oxygenate the blood. We know how to pump the heart. We know how to shed and grow skin and hair and nails. The infitesmal atoms that constellate as our tiny bodyminds flash in and out of existence but know how to arrange themselves with each other consistently enough to be molecules, which arrange themselves as chemicals, and the chemicals as cells. There is much activity going on as that body and mind and in various ways it can all be understood as systems of knowings nesting together and opening out as more and more complex systems of knowing.

          But there is not much that the bodymind knows how to do as a bodymind within a world of many possibilities. When as an infant we are given a block of wood we suck on it. At some point we will have learned to grasp our fingers and press them together against the palm and so we can grasp the block of wood. Excited at this experience we jerk our arms up and down and arch our backs… and smack the block of wood against our forehead. Oh well. We will learn.

         “Natural wisdom” does not mean that there is nothing more for us to learn. It is what we learn with. That which recognizes the Truth that is taught is the wisdom that has no Teacher.

 

-Zen Master Anzan Hoshin, continuing teisho 1: “Meeting Natural Wisdom” presented Friday, December 3, 2004, in the series “Essentially Real, commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji’s Hossho: Dharmata”

 

Upcoming Events

 

Fusatsu and the Vow of Samantabhadra

Chanting of the Precepts will take place on February 28th and March 21st. The Vow of Samantabhadra will be chanted on February 21st, March 7th, March 14th and March 28th.

 

Oryoki for General Students

On Saturday, February 17th, general students who attend the 6:00 a.m. formal sitting may participate in oryoki practice led by Jinmyo osho. Associate or visiting public students who are in retreat at the monastery on that day may also participate in oryoki. Dana is $10.00. You do not need previous experience of oryoki to attend. For more information or to register please send an email to schedule@wwzc.org.

 

Samu Weekend

The first samu weekend of 2007 is scheduled to take place on the 24th and 25th of February. Work over these two days will include the continuation of the project to improve the insulation in the west side of the attic and also insulating the ceiling of the workshop. We shall also work to find other areas of the building which can use extra insulation, expandable foam sealer, caulking or draft stop in an effort to minimize heat loss and thus help reduce our extremely high heating costs. Please keep this weekend clear in your calendar so that you will be able to attend some or all of the two days of work practice. Students may register by sending an email to schedule@wwzc.org or by telephoning the Zen Centre office at 613-562-1568.

 

Hermitage

The Roshi will begin a period of hermitage on Wednesday, February 28th which will end on Sunday, March 4th at 10:00 a.m., when he leads monastics in Acalanatha Sadhana.

 

Introduction to Zen Workshop

Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho will present the next Introduction to Zen Workshop at Dainen-ji on Saturday, March 3rd. For more information please see:

http://www.wwzc.org/programs/Introduction_To_Zen_Workshop_Ottawa.htm.

            For information concerning our Long-distance Training Program, please visit this Web Page:

http://www.wwzc.org/programs/longDistance.htm.

 

Introduction to Zen Workshop in Harrow, England

On Sunday, March 3rd at 2:00 p.m., Ven. Saigyo chiden will be presenting an Introduction to Zen workshop at the Harrow Zazenkai. The Zazenkai is located at Flat 3, 4 Stuart Avenue, South Harrow, Middlesex, England HA2 9BB. For more information about the workshop or to register, please telephone Frank Tettsu Woods at 0208-422-9757 or send an email to info@wwzc.org. There is a suggested contribution of 10 pounds to register for the workshop.

 

 

Oryoki for General Students

On Saturday, March 10th, general students who attend the 6:00 a.m. formal sitting may participate in oryoki practice led by Jinmyo osho. Associate or visiting public students who are in retreat at the monastery on that day may also participate in oryoki. Dana is $10.00. You do not need previous experience of oryoki to attend. For more information or to register please send an email to schedule@wwzc.org.

 

March Two-day Sesshin

The March two-day sesshin will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, March 16th and will end at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 18th.

On Saturday, March 17th, associate and general students may attend a sitting held in the Zendo, which will begin at 9:30 a.m. (please arrive by 9:15 in time for first Bell) and will end at 11:30 a.m.

 

Recorded Teisho Schedule

Saturday, February 17th general sitting – Sitting Up Straight: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin’s commentaries on Keizan Jokin zenji’s ‘Zazen Yojinki’: “A Single Bright Point” (teisho 13 of 17).

Sunday, February 18th formal sitting - SAkN: Root Cycle Three: “The Body of Knowing” (teisho 3 of 8).

Monday, February 19th general sitting – Without Difficulty: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin’s commentaries on “Xinxin Ming: Words on Trusting Awareness” by Jianzhi Sengcan: “Vast Intimacy Is All That Is” (teisho 8 of 25).

Tuesday, February 20th formal sitting – Mikkyo-zo: Monastic Jishu: “Hakusan” (Class 2 of 15).

Thursday, February 22nd associate sitting – This World of Ten Directions: “Turning and Rolling” (teisho 8 of 10).

 

Teisho Presented During the Nehan O-sesshin

 

Continuing the Teisho Series , “Doing Not-Doing: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Eihei Dogen Zenji's ‘Shoaku Makusa’ and the Three Pure Precepts”:

 

Teisho 7: Good (February 10, 2007)

Teisho 8: The Goods (February 11, 2007)

Teisho 9: Wha? (February 12, 2007)

Teisho 10: This Is Good (February 13, 2007)

Teisho 11: Not-Doing is the Sincere Practice of Natural Clarity (February 14, 2007)

Teisho 12: Master Bird’s Nest (February 15, 2007)

 

 

Website Updates

Shikai Zuiko osho’s Shuso-hossen Dharma Talk from 1991 has been posted on the White Wind Zen Community Website. The direct link is:

http://www.wwzc.org/dharmaTalks/Its_Too_Easy_000.htm.

 

 

Retreats

Deshi Vicki Robichaud sat partial retreats on Wednesday and Thursday in her home on Gabriola Island. Marina MacLean sat a half-day retreat in her home in Peterborough.

 

To Schedule a Retreat

Please email schedules@wwzc.org to schedule a retreat, even if you have made verbal arrangements with a practice advisor or a Dharma Teacher. Emails sent to that address are routed to all members of the Practice Council who will need this information for the purposes of meal planning, preparing tapes for your retreat and planning samu assignments. Retreats are defined in the following way:

 

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) 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 Jinmyo@trytel.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 $40 a day, which covers the basic cost of food and other materials. Donations above this figure are very welcome and all donations are tax deductible. There is also a retreat schedule for public students posted on our Website at:

http://www.wwzc.org/Resources/Public.student.retreat.schedule.htm

Public Students’ Retreats

For retreats to be mentioned in the eMirror, public students are asked to send an email to schedule@wwzc.org mentioning the date of their retreat and whether it is a partial, half-day or full retreat.  

 

Address Updates for Charitable Tax Receipts

Charitable tax receipts for all dana contributions made during 2006 will be ready before the end of the month. If you have moved in the past year, or are not sure that we have your current address on file, please email your updated address to Mishin tando at Mishin@trytel.com so that your tax receipt can be correctly addressed. Thank you to all monastics and lay students for generosity in your dana offerings.

- Gassho, Mishin tando, treasurer.  

 

Office of the Tenzo

Dogen zenji taught that the work of preparing and serving meals was "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. The following is a list of meals prepared by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho during this week’s O-sesshin:

 

Saturday

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs; spicy noodles tossed with mushroom and finely sliced sautéed poblano, cubanelle, red bell peppers, onion and ginger

Lunch: Gohan (Japanese short-grain white rice); miso shiru with fresh shitake mushrooms, baby bokchoy and silken tofu; takuan (pickled daikon) and gari (pickled ginger)

Supper: Lundberg short-grain brown rice with baby green peas; celeriac soup garnished with diced red bell pepper and celery leaves; braised deep-fried tofu with snap peas

Sunday

Breakfast: Fried rice with tofu

Lunch: Chinese white rice; wakame seaweed soup with silken tofu; daikon kimchi

Supper: Seasoned Thai rice (coconut milk and yellow Thai curry paste) with chopped coriander and roasted almonds; red lentil dhal with chopped apple; thinly sliced, roasted eryenge (king) mushrooms with toasted brown mustard and cumin seeds, tossed with blackened red bell pepper spears, salt and pepper

Monday

Breakfast: Mushroom rice with scrambled eggs

Lunch: Gohan (Japanese short-grain white rice); miso shiru with fresh shitake mushrooms, baby bokchoy and silken tofu; takuan (pickled daikon) and gari (pickled ginger)

Supper: Ziti with a raw vegetable sauce (garlic, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper; diced green and red plum tomatoes, diced red bell pepper, baby peas and fresh basil); Sautéed Napa cabbage, radicchio, sugar snap peas and onion; artichoke hearts and baby gherkins

Tuesday

Breakfast: Scallion congee topped with cubed tofu braised in a mixture of shoyu, mirin and wasabi

Lunch: Chinese white rice; wakame seaweed soup with silken tofu; daikon kimchi

Supper:

Supper: Mixed grain with chopped parsley; mushroom soup; "egg noodes" - very long, thin omelette strips made with finely diced onion and poblano peppers, tossed with slightly blackened yellow bell pepper strips, S&P and chili flakes.

Wednesday

Breakfast: Fried pasta with tofu

Lunch: Gohan (Japanese short-grain white rice); miso shiru with fresh shitake mushrooms, baby bokchoy and silken tofu; takuan (pickled daikon) and gari (pickled ginger) topped with fresh slivered ginger.

Supper: Mixed grain with walnuts; Sautéed dai gai choy, cubanelle and red bell peppers, onion, and bean sprouts; braised tofu with toasted cumin seeds

Thursday:

Breakfast: Fried rice with scrambled eggs

Lunch: Chinese white rice with furikake; wakame seaweed soup with silken tofu; Napa cabbage kimchi

Supper: Roasted Yukon gold potatoes, turnips, carrots and celeriac; pillow tofu, Shanghai bokchoy and snap peas braised in a curried onion/tomato sauce; roasted tomatoes with Szechuan peppercorns

Friday

Breakfast: Fried rice with peanuts

 

Monastery Breadbasket

6 dozen oatcakes, 6 dozen ginger muffins, 4 dozen feta biscuits, 8 olive foccacia; 2 dozen date, tamarind, walnut, coconut bars, 2 pain de Pepin, 1 olive oil cake.

 

Students attending sittings on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings may make arrangements to join residents for meals prepared by the Office of the Tenzo. Please email schedule@wwzc.org at least one day in advance; Contribution is $10.

 

 

Thank You

If you would like to thank someone for a contribution they have made, please feel free to send an email to Jinmyo osho at jinmyo@trytel.com. (Owing to the volume of mail I receive, please note that an email sent to me containing a thank you intended for the eMirror should specify that it is to be included. Otherwise I will likely assume that you are just sending me an email, will think, "Thank you very much," and that will be the end of it).

 

From Jinmyo osho, “Thank you to the Roshi for the O-sesshin; for the many hours he spends in dokusan with students each day prior to presenting teisho each evening and for richly nuanced teisho that respond to life-long questions. Thank you also to the Roshi for making time to go to the kitchen to bring a fresh perspective to dishes in process. Thank you to Shikai osho for designing a shelving unit for the kitchen; to Saigyo chiden for having gathered together emergency supplies for power blackouts (one occurred briefly on Wednesday which provided an opportunity to test our readiness).

From Mishin tando, “Thank you to the Roshi for the teisho presented during O-sesshin, “Doing Not-Doing: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Eihei Dogen Zenji's ‘Shoaku Makusa’ and the Three Pure Precepts”, for Teaching the practice of not-doing, and for the memorial chants that we chant on Nehan and other occasions to commemorate the work of our Lineage Ancestors to set forth the Way; to the Roshi and Jinmyo osho for numerous beautifully presented and delicious meals designed and prepared for practitioners during the seven days of O-sesshin; to Shikai osho for afternoon refreshments, served on the elegant small black glass plates that she designed and donated; to Chunen ino, Saigyo chiden, and Senbo shramon for CD mastering, auditing, and copying; to Mudo anagarika for creating samples of printings on fabric portrait scrolls of Bodhidharma, Dogen zenji, and Joshu Dainen zenji.”

From Saigyo chiden, “Thank you to the Roshi for a wonderful Nehan O-sesshin and for six further teisho in the “Doing Not-Doing” series. Thank you to the Roshi and Jinmyo osho for designing and preparing the superb meals for the participants of the O-sesshin and to Shikai osho for the daily refreshments.”

 

 


 

Ongoing

 

Samu

Request for Assistance, Office of the Treasurer

As part of clarifying and streamlining the financial processes of White Wind Zen Community, we would like to have pairs of students rotate to help process dana contributions on a weekly basis. To date, most of this work has been done by Mishin tando with the assistance of one or two other students, but it is time to restructure the system so that the work of the Office of the Treasurer becomes more manageable and more students are helping with this responsibility. If you would be available on Saturdays prior to the General Sitting for about a hour (from 8:15-9:15 a.m.), your help will be appreciated. Please email mishin@trytel.com. Training will be provided. No special financial skills are needed other than an eye for detail and accuracy.

 

Archiving Samu

Since 2002 the teisho presented by the Roshi and the Dharma Talks given by the Dharma Teachers have been recorded directly onto CD and copies made available to students. Prior to this time all of the recordings were made on cassette tape. Over the last years the monastics, with the help of several students, have worked to transfer the taped material onto CD, not only because cassette tape technology is fast becoming outdated but because the early tape recordings are deteriorating quickly and may soon become unplayable. To lose these teaching would be disastrous. We are presently making direct CD copies of all of the early tapes so that there is a back-up copy available should anything happen to the master tape which makes it unplayable but there is much work to be done. There are still over 100 tapes from the 1980’s and 1990’s that need to be re-mastered, relabeled and copied and this constitutes many hundreds of hours of work. If you are able to commit to a regular weekly schedule of two or three hours samu to continue this vital work, please let us know by writing to tapes@wwzc.org. Full training will be given.

 

Daily Samu

Samu each day to prepare the monastery for the arrival of the students is a very important practice for the monastics. Any help to assist the monks with brightening and clarifying the practice environment is very much appreciated. If you are able to come early before a sitting to do samu, please consult the samu notice board situated between the side entrance doors to find a task which has not been done recently. If you have any questions about the task please ask any monastic.

 

Improvements to the Second Floor Washroom

A project that has been on the high priory list for a number of years is the renovation of the second floor washroom. Even though this is the most frequently used washroom in the building it has never had any substantial improvements apart from being painted last year. Work on this washroom, which was scheduled to be taking place late this year or early next year, will again need to be delayed due to the necessity of a urgent roof repair to the west side of the roof. This repair will cost in the region of $13,000 and as this is considerably higher than our available budget we have had to cut back on other important work. Because of this, we have decided to fundraise in order to gather sufficient money to make the improvements to the washroom. The work to be done will include a new sink and cabinet and a new ceiling light, fan and exhaust. This will cost in the region of $1000 to complete. Students are encouraged to donate towards this project so that it can be scheduled some time in the winter and the improved facilities will be available by 2007. Improvements to this room will benefit every student that comes to the monastery for sittings.

 

CDs Available to the Public

A selection of CDs of teisho and Dharma Talks is available on our web-site. The page is found at http://wwzc.org/CDWebSales/CDWebSales.htm or follow the link for Dharma Texts and CDs on the home page. Over time more teisho and Dharma Talks from the over 2500 presentations made by the Roshi, Shikai osho and Jinmyo osho will be made available for purchase.

 

Ongoing Project: “All is Change”

Dainen-ji, being a 135-year-old building, is continuously in need of maintenance and the costs associated with this can be astronomical when such things as roof repairs or painting are needed. This is something that we cannot afford to do, yet must do and so the “All is Change” project has been created. The “All is Change” project is very simple. Most of us have a bowl or a jar or some other kind of container that we keep somewhere at home and fill up with loose change because it's too heavy to carry around. Several hundred dollars has been collected so far both in loose change and Canadian tire money which has been put towards the building maintenance fund. Most of the collected money was spent on materials for the new front path and we have also been able to purchase several new tools which will help greatly with ongoing renovations. If anyone would like to contribute to this fund, each penny will be appreciated.

 

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