New gate and fence at side entrance to Dainen-ji's grounds

 

eMirror Vol. 11, No. 19

Friday, May 11th, 2007

Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho

 


Quotes from teisho are run sequentially in the eMirror

 

There are people who wish to enter the samadhi of dharmata and even to go beyond that but although they encounter Buddhist masters and sutras they are deflected. This is because the masters they encounter themselves encountered masters that had received only the handing down of Buddhist versions of self-image’s strategies of recoil and avoidance and grasping and poverty rather than the Transmission of the Dharma. This is because the sutras that they study were written by small people who puffed up their own words by pretending they were heard and remembered by Ananda and spoken by the Buddha.

 

            “EVAM ME SRUTAM. Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha was dwelling at Rajagrha together with a great assembly of bodhisattvas and a great assembly of worthy ones. Numberless devas, gandharvas, and other celestial beings were also in attendance as were numberless human sons and daughters of noble family. At that time the Bhagavan, the Samyaksambuddha Sakyamuni arose from samadhi, stood, and stretched. Then lights of immeasurable hues sprang forth from the usnisa of the Bhagavat and spun in a circle illuminating worlds without measure. Then the Bhagavan, the Tathagata spoke, saying, “O sons and daughters of noble families, listen well.”

            “We are listening closely, O Bhagavan,” said the people.

            “Of infinite merit is the generosity of those sons and daughters of noble family who offer to the monastic Sangha a wee bit of chocolate. How much greater than would be the merit of those who give each monk a Mars bar. E-ve-ry day,” said the Bhagavan rubbing his golden hands together. “Ex-cell-ent.”

           

            And so on.

 

-Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, continuing 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, May 30th, June 13th and June 27th. The Vow of Samantabhadra will be chanted on May 23rd, June 6th and June 20th.

 

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 cancelled.

          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.

 

Shukke Tokudo and Shuso Hossen

On Friday, May 18th, at 7 p.m. Ven. Senbo shuso will receive full monastic ordination from Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi. Senbo shuso has been a student of the Roshi's since 1995. He received postulant vows for monastic ordination following the May 2004 Sogaku-ki O-sesshin, novice monk’s vows on May 20th, 2005 and received Transmission as a practice advisor in February, 2006.  He began training in the monastic post of shuso on March 21st, 2007.

            Following the ordination Senbo shuso will receive Roshi’s nyoi staff and present his first Dharma Talk. All students are welcome to attend. Seating will be limited so please register early. For further information or to register please send an email to schedule at wwzc dot org or telephone the Zen Centre office at 562-1568.

 

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. Please pencil these dates into your calendar 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.

 

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.

 

Introduction to Zen Workshop

Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho will present the next Introduction to Zen Workshop at Dainen-ji on Saturday, June 2nd. 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.

 

Dharma Assembly

On Saturday, June 9th, Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho will lead a Dharma Assembly which will begin at 9:30 a.m. (please arrive by 9:15, in time for first Bell) and will end at 9:10 p.m. Dana is $40.00, which includes two meals: lunch and supper. Participants are asked to bring clothing and shoes appropriate for samu practice. To register, please send an email to schedule@wwzc.org or leave a message on the office answering machine at 562-1568. Dharma Assemblies are open to all students.

          The general sitting that would ordinarily take place from 9:30 to 11:40 on Saturday morning will be cancelled due to the Dharma Assembly.

 

June Two-day Sesshin

The June two-day sesshin will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, June 15th, and will end on Sunday, June 17th, at 6:00 p.m. The Roshi will continue the teisho series “Doing Not-Doing: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's ‘Shoaku Makusa’ and the Three Pure Precepts”.

On Saturday, June 16th, 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.

 

Oryoki for General Students

On Saturday, June 23rd, 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.

 

Hermitage

The Roshi will begin a period of hermitage on Wednesday, June 27th, which will end on Sunday, July 1st at 10:00 a.m., when he leads monastics in Acalanatha Sadhana.

 

School Tour

Chunen ino and Mishin tando received a student from Brookfield High School on Wednesday, May 9, for the second of two Zen classes. He was given a tour of Dainen-ji, as well as the opportunity to practice zazen and kinhin. 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 received 18 students from the World Religions class at Redeemer Christian High School. They were given an introduction to Zen and had the opportunity to practice zazen.

 

Recorded Teisho Schedule

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

Saturday, May 19th general sitting – This World of Ten Directions: “This One Phrase” (teisho 2 of 10).

 


Retreats

Deshi Vicki Robichaud began an 8-day retreat on Friday, May 4th, prior to attending the 7-day May O-sesshin. Donna Clark sat a half-day retreat on May 4 at her home in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia. Denise Murphy sat a half-day retreat in her home in Toronto on May 5th.

 

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 after they sit a retreat mentioning the date of their retreat and whether it is a partial, half-day or full retreat. Please also include the name of the city in which you live.

 

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.

 


Zenga by Sengai

 

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:

Leeks with celery, Asian eggplant, and mung bean sprouts braised in coconut milk with roasted Thai yellow curry, coriander, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves; whole large white mushrooms and sliced eryingi mushrooms roasted with a "sweet" chile char siu sauce; maka aburage tofu squares with a sauce of pureed ginger, scallions, cucumber, and roasted tomato with lime juice, ngoc mam, mirin, and vegetable juices; mixed grain (Lundberg Farm short grain brown rice. Korean brown and white short grain sticky rice, barley, gohan); salad of blanched green beans and snow peas with assorted baby heritage tomatoes and Lebanese cucumber batonettes dressed with lime juice, an excellent extra virgin olive oil and brown mustard seeds.

 

Tuesday Yakuseki

Leeks with celery, Asian eggplant, and mung bean sprouts braised in coconut milk with roasted Thai yellow curry, coriander, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves; whole large white mushrooms and sliced eryingi mushrooms roasted with a "sweet" chile char siu sauce; maka aburage tofu squares with a sauce of pureed ginger, scallions, cucumber, and roasted tomato with lime juice, ngoc mam, mirin, and vegetable juices; mixed grain (Lundberg Farm short grain brown rice. Korean brown and white short grain sticky rice, barley, gohan); salad of blanched green beans and snow peas with assorted baby heritage tomatoes and Lebanese cucumber batonettes dressed with lime juice, an excellent extra virgin olive oil and brown mustard seeds.

 

Thursday Yakuseki

Salad of kishimen (flat wheat noodles) with black beans, Korean fermented black beans, blackened strips of red and orange bell peppers and cubanelle pepper,slivered ginger, slivered Napa cabbage dressed with Chinese pickled vegetables sauce and shoyu;  colossal shitake mushroom caps roasted with extra virgin olive oil; salad of blanched sugar snap pieces, sliced maka-atsuage tofu, and "strawberry "tomatoes dressed with ponzu and extra virgin olive oil and shichimi (Japanese "seven spices" powder); baby green daikons peeled and sliced into rounds marinated with dongchimi (Korean garlic and daikon pickle) and Meyer lemon juice.

 

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 the incredible array of spices and other ingredients from around the world that he discovers and artfully integrates into meals served to residents and retreatants; to Vicki and Norman Robichaud for Herbs de Provence brought from Marseilles.”

From Chunen ino, “Thank you to the Roshi for countless Teachings; to Shikai osho for quick and direct explanations and instructions; to Jinmyo osho for the wonderful Dharma Talk and Dharma Assembly; to Mishin tando for many hours of administrative work she does each week and to Saigyo chiden for overseeing samu at Dainen-ji.”

From Mishin tando, "Thank you to the Roshi and Jinmyo osho for designing, food shopping, and preparing the meals served to residents and retreatants; to Shikai osho for taking care of Big Ronald (the fish), who has now joined the first floor fish after a "spa break" in a saltwater hospital tank; to Tokushin for preparing the weekly recorded teisho poster; to Nathan Comeau for work to compile PST rebate applications."


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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