Photograph by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi

eMirror Vol. 11, No. 18

Friday, May 4th, 2007

Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho


Quotes from teisho are run sequentially in the eMirror

            Great Master Ma says, “All sentient beings never leave the samadhi of dharmata.” But as the history of human civilizations and today’s news show us, very few choose to enter and receive the samadhi of dharmata and to realize and actualize it. And yet dharmata is always already open, always rolling out and rolling in as myriads of colours and forms and sounds and sensations and worlds and spaces and beings. When we look up and see the morning star as did Sakyamuni Buddha on that morning beneath the bodhi-tree we are actually looking at the planet Venus. When we look south and see a band of stars across the sky we are seeing a fraction of the stars that make up the spiral arm of the galaxy that Earth and our solar system arises within and there are streams and bands of galaxies rolling within vast space far beyond. Whatever we can see is not something else outside of us because it arises within experiencing. And we are not outside of it because we are standing here within it.

            All throughout the Dharmadhatu, the Total Field of All Possible Experiences, the samadhi of dharmata is at play. It is here as the tips of your fingers and the calluses on the heels of your feet. It is here as whatever is here and is here itself. And yet dharmata itself is never anything that becomes present. Whatever appears to be present is already rolling away and vanishing into the non-existence of the past. Whatever appears to be present is only the rolling edgeless edge of the non-existent future. Nothing is ever present but is only presencing. This presencing is itself dharmata. Dharmata is the essential reality, that which is most true of each and of all dharmas, of all knowns and of ways of knowing. But there is something vaster than even dharmata and that is the luminosity of Awareness in itself that is radiant as dharmata. And that vastness is also here as the tips of your fingers and the calluses on the heels of your feet.

-Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, beginning teisho 4: “This is Not the Samadhi of Dharmata,” Monday, December 6, 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 May 16th, and 30th. The Vow of Samantabhadra will be chanted on May 9th and May 23rd.

Hermitage

The Roshi will begin a period of hermitage on Wednesday, May 2nd, which will end at 10:00 a.m. On Sunday, May 6th 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, May 5th. 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.

Sogaku-ki O-sesshin

The May Sogaku-ki 7-day O-sesshin will begin on Friday, May 11th at 8:00 p.m. and will end on Friday, May 18th at noon. Roshi will continue the teisho series "Doing Not-Doing: Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's Shoaku Makusa. Those attending are asked to send their schedules to schedule at wwzc dot org or enter them into the shared calendar as soon as possible.

          During the O-sesshin, there will be two sittings held in the Zendo on Saturday, May 12th that associate and general students may attend: the morning sitting will begin at 9:30 a.m. (please arrive by 9:15 for first bell) and will end at 11:30 a.m.; the afternoon sitting will begin at 3:00 p.m. (please arrive by 2:45 for first bell) and will end at 5:30. Students are reminded to remain on the first floor. The 6:00 a.m. Saturday sitting is canceled.

          Apart from these two sittings held on Saturday, there will be no other sittings during the week of O-sesshin that associate or general students may attend.

A Note to Preliminary and Public Students Concerning O-sesshin

During an O-sesshin the schedule is such that there is no time to meet face to face with preliminary students or to reply to email correspondence sent by public students. Public students are asked to send their weekly or bi-weekly practice journals, as these will be reviewed. But unless there is something that needs an immediate reply, you will not receive an email reply until the week following the O-sesshin.

Oryoki for General Students

On Saturday, May 19th, 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 at wwzc dot org.

Samu Weekend

The next Samu Weekend is scheduled to take place on May 26th and 27th. Most of the work over the weekend will be taking place in the grounds. Amongst other projects, we shall be improving the border under the cedar hedge, finishing the new fence and gate and painting some areas of flaking paintwork. Please pencil these dates into your schedule so that you will be able to attend some or all these two days of caretaking practice, and help with the maintenance and improvement of Dainen-ji. To register, please send an email to saigyo at telecomottawa dot net.

Hermitage

The Roshi will begin a period of hermitage on Wednesday, May 30th, which will end at 10:00 a.m. On Sunday, June 3rd when he leads monastics in Acalanatha Sadhana.

Zen Classes and School Tours

Chunen ino and Mishin tando visited Brookfield High School on Wednesday, May 2nd, to present the first of two Zen classes. Eight students had registered. For the second class next week, they will come to Dainen-ji and will be given a tour of the monastery and will practice zazen and kinhin in the Zendo. These classes are by invitation from the Continuing Education Department of the Ottawa Carleton District School Board.

            On May 9th, Shikai osho and Chunen ino will recieve 18 students from the World Religions class at Redeemer Christian High School.

Recorded Teisho Schedule

Saturday, May 5th general sitting – This World of Ten Directions: “Depths and Heights” (teisho 1 of 10).

Sunday, May 6th formal sitting - SAkN: Root Cycle 4: Moving in Knowing: “Finite and infinite Motion” (Teisho 3 of 5).

Monday, May 7th general sitting – Without Difficulty: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin’s commentaries on “Xinxin Ming: Words on Trusting Awareness” by Jianzhi Sengcan: “The Importance of Earnestly Being” (teisho 19 of 25).

Tuesday, May 8th formal sitting – Mikkyo-zo: Monastic Jishu: “Jnanasattva Mantra” (Class 13 of 15).

Thursday, May 10th associate sitting – Four Dhyanas: “Practice Based on Reality” (teisho 3 of 4).

Saturday, May 12th associate sittings – Four Dhyanas: “The Practice of Reality” (teisho 4 of 4).

Website Update

A Dharma Talk presented by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho entitled “Choice” has been posted on the White Wind Zen Community Website. The direct link is:

http://www.wwzc.org/Jinmyo_osho/DharmaAssembly-Choice.htm.

Retreats

Cesar Aloe sat a one-day retreat on Sunday. Alexis Fisset sat a one-day retreat on Sunday. Andrew Campbell sat half-day retreats on April 28th and 29th in his home iSt. George, Ontario.

To Schedule a Retreat

Please email schedule at wwzc dot 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 at trytel 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 $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 at wwzc dot org mentioning the date of their retreat and whether it is a partial, half-day or full retreat.  

Spring Garden work

With the arrival of spring much work needs to be done in the grounds. If you are able to offer any time to assist with garden samu please contact Saigyo chiden at saigyo at telecomottawa dot net. Your help will be appreciated. Thank you.



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. Jinmyo Renge osho serves as tenzo and Mishin tando and Saigyo chiden offer assistance as tenzo-anja. The following is a list of meals served prior to the evening sittings on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday:

Monday yakuseki:

Lundberg Farm short grain brown rice with toasted almonds and edamame (green soy beans); Asian eggplants and plum tomatoes cut into half-moons on the bias and ground soy sauteed with hoisin and shoyu; Napa cabbage, dai gai choy, yu choy and mung bean sprouts braised in spiced broth garnished with chopped scallions; eryingi mushrooms cut into batonettes and halved cremini mushrooms with slivered ginger and chiu chow chile oil and roasted.

Tuesday Yakuseki

Two kinds of roasted chicken thighs: curry and bang bang with shoyu; roasted "Buffalo" style chicken wings; ginger and lime dipping sauce; roasted red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, cubanelle and poblano peppers, hot Hungarian cherry peppers; purple asparagus with sweet chile sauce; porcini, cremini, and shitake mushroom soup; gohan (Japanese white rice) with gomasio (toasted sesame salt) and chopped scallions.

Thursday Yakuseki

Thai jasmine rice; mattar "paneer" (rendered onion curry with baby peas, diced red pepper and cubes of Fruilano cheese); red lentil dahl with chopped poblano peppers and fresh coriander; cucumber raita seasoned with lime and toasted ground cumin; roasted tomato halves with popped mustard seeds and toasted cumin seeds; warm roti with hummus and onion.

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 at wwzc dot 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 at trytel dot 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 menu design for the recent Dharma Assembly and for preparing the tomato bisque that was served that day; to David Clawson for purchasing a Linux flash drive for the monastery.”

From Mishin tando, "Thank you to the Roshi for establishing Dainen-ji and White Wind Zen Community, and creating this rigourous, vivid, and fun practice environment in which I am greatly fortunate to practice and live; to Jinmyo osho for the April 28th Dharma Assembly and presenting the Dharma Talk "Choice" with a striking metaphor of the tendency to obstruct oneself; to Chunen ino for updating the web site donation page with the link to our profile on www.CanadaHelps.org; to Saigyo chiden for work on building the Mountain Gate and preparing the water garden for the fish to return to; to Samantha Drouin for archiving samu; to Nathan Comeau for administrative samu to assist with compiling our PST rebate application.”

From Saigyo chiden, “Thank you to Jido anagarika, Francois Fournier, John McCaffrey and Nathan Comeau for their assistance in building the new fence and gate at the side of the building. Thank you to Muryo for finding suitable hardware for the front gate.”

From Senbo shuso, "Thank you to Roshi for dokusan, and for overseeing the proof-reading of the upcoming new edition of Chanting Breath and Sound; to Shikai osho for the fish hospital tank and for taking Big Ronald (the fish) in for a successful treatment; to Jinmyo osho for a wonderful Dharma Assembly and especially for her Dharma Talk 'Choice', and for having proof-read Chanting Breath and Sound; to Chunen ino for ongoing work on maintaining and improving computers, the network, printers, websites, and so on; to Mishin tando for her work as administrator of the White Wind Zen Community; to Saigyo chiden for his work on the Mountain Gate as well as the monastery grounds; to Muryo for proof-reading Chanting Breath and Sound."

From Jennifer Comeau, “Thank you to the Roshi for making it possible for me to do Zen practice, for training the Dharma teachers and practice advisors, for preparing and overseeing such delicious, interesting, nutritious meals, and for beautiful ikebana. Thank you also to the Roshi for his compassion and understanding. Thank you to the Roshi and the Practice Council for making it possible for me to sit a retreat last week, for rearranging their schedules and especially for their patience. Thank you to Shikai osho for reminding me to practice and be who I really am, for scrumptious afternoon refreshments (largely sugar-free!), for breads, and for magazines. Thank you to Jinmyo osho for reminding me to practice, for the Dharma talk 'Choice', for hilarious daisan, and for preparing meals.
Thank you to Chunen ino for reminding me to practice, for being guest master during my retreat and for leading meals during the Dharma Assembly. Thank you to Mishin tando for reminding me to practice, for reminding me to pause when appropriate, and for preparing meals. Thank you to Saigyo chiden for reminding me to practice, for assigning and overseeing samu, and for all the work he does to maintain the functioning, beauty and clarity of the monastery and its grounds.

From Sean Moreland, “Thank you to Roshi and the monastics for tirelessly embodying the teachings. Thank you to the monastics and the students whose efforts contribute to the maintenance of Dainen-Ji, with its endless reminders to open attention.  Thank you to Jinmyo Osho for reading my emails, and for incisive replies.  Thank you to Chunen Ino and Shikai Osho for vivid, humorous and inspiring practice instructions.”


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 at trytel dot 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 at wwzc dot 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.

Thank you for your generosity to help with this project.

Gassho,

Saigyo chiden, shissui.

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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