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Photograph by Ven. Shikai Zuiko osho
eMirror Vol. 11, No. 37 Friday, September 14th, 2007 Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho
Quotes from teisho are run sequentially in the eMirror
Eihei Dogen zenji says, “One fist is the ten directions.” Each and every thing within the physical space of the universe is the shape of space. Space has an up and down, front and back, left and right and is in motion. And so a hand, a stone, a sprig of bracken, a trillium flower, a star, a raindrop, a piece of paper all have this dimensionality. Even what we refer to as two-dimensional forms such as a drawing on a piece of paper or even the images that appear on computer monitors and movie screens are not actually flat but have miniscule extensions of depth as fragments of pencil lead or as movements of energy. The space of your mind and the spaces of funnelled attention and folded focussing also have subtle dimensionality and point to and are intimate with the ten directions. The space of your mind and physical space are intimately mixed with each other. The firing of neurons, the movement of a breeze, a cool sensation are in that moment of experience aspects of each other. Moment after moment, the conditions of attention can rear and fall from hope to fear, from excitement to boredom, from clear to cloudy. But along with the ups and downs of our usual states there is always open space up and down and all around, from the clouds above the treetops to the spaces between the fronds of a fern, from the mountain heights to the ocean floor. Despite the folding in of attention upon itself so that only a narrow focus remains, this folding happens within a space larger than it, and so the folding can be noticed and, in noticing it, in attending to it from that space, that focus can be unfurled. When our attention is open enough, then we experience our lives more openly and completely. But more than that, we can then practice deep and radical questioning into what we are experiencing, what experiences are, and what the nature of Experiencing actually is, who we really are.
-Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, beginning teiso 2: “Naked Awareness” in the the teisho series “Five Fingers, Ten Directions: Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's text 'Jippo'”, presented Saturday, April 14, 2001.
Upcoming Events
Fusatsu and the Vow of Samantabhadra Chanting of the Precepts will take place on September 26th, October 10th and October 24th. The Vow of Samantabhadra will be chanted on September 19th, October 3rd, 17th, and 31st.
Oryoki for General Students On Saturday, September 15th , 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.
Senior's Dharma Talk Ven. Chunen Rampal ino will present his first Senior's Dharma Talk, on the subject of the Four Noble Truths, entitled “It's Worse Than You Realize But Better Than You Think” at the Thursday evening associate sitting on September 27th .
Hermitage The Roshi will begin a period of hermitage on Wednesday, September 26th , which will end on Sunday the 30th , at 10:00 a.m., when he leads monastics in Acalanatha Sadhana. (Please note that these dates were not included in the Practice Calendar).
Daruma-ki O-sesshin The 7-day Daruma-ki O-sesshin will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, October 5th and will end at noon on Friday, the 12th of October. Deshi and monastics are reminded to send in their schedules as soon as is possible. During the week of the O-sesshin there will be two sittings that associate and general students may attend: Saturday, October 6 th , beginning at 9:30 a.m. (please arrive by 9:15 for first bell), ending at 11:30. Saturday, October 6 th , beginning at 3:00 p.m. (please arrive by 2:45 for first bell), ending at 5:30. Students attending either of these sittings are reminded to remain on the first floor.
A Note to Preliminary and Public Students Concerning O-sesshin During a 7-day 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 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, October 20th, 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.
Dharma Assembly The next Dharma Assembly will be led by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho and will take place on October 27th . The Dharma Assembly 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 at wwzc dot org or leave a message on the office answering machine at 613-562-1568. 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.
Hermitage The Roshi will begin a period of hermitage on Wednesday, October 31st , which will end on Sunday, November 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, November 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.
Recorded Teisho Schedule Saturday, September 15th general sitting – Turning the Wheel of the Way: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's “Gyoji: Continuous Practice”: “Not ‘Now This, Now That'” (teisho 3 of 44). Sunday, September 16th formal sitting - SAkN: The Anatomy of Awakening: “Haring and Speaking” (teisho 4 of 7). Monday, September 17th general sitting – Wild Time: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's Uji: Being Time: “Drunk and Walled In” (teisho 6 of 10). Tuesday, September 18th formal sitting – Mikkyo-zo: Monastic Jishu: “Invocation of Jnanasattva” (Class 8 of 15). Thursday, September 20th associate sitting – Immo: Suchness: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's Immo: “The invisible Sky” (teisho 1 of 18). Saturday, September 22nd general sitting – Turning the Wheel of the Way: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's “Gyoji: Continuous Practice”: “Shakyamuni Buddhas” (teisho 4 of 44).
Current Teisho Series During the 2007 Sogaku-ki O-sesshin in May, Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi began a new series of teisho entitled “Doing Not-Doing part two: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's "Kyojukaimon” and "Fusatsu”. The following teisho have been presented so far:
Reading of “Kyojukaimon” and “Daruma Isshin-kai” (May 16th, 2007) Teisho 1: It's “Inconceivable Luminosity” (May 17th, 2007) Teisho 2: The Eyes of All Beings (June 16th, 2007) Teisho 3: Unbroken (August 11th, 2007) Teisho 4: The Brahmajala (September 8th, 2007)
Congratulations Congratulations and deep gassho to George Rigby on being accepted as an associate student by the Roshi. George is a resident of Ottawa.
Retreats Ceri Behar sat a partial retreat in his home in Istanbul, Turkey, on September 5th . Roger Clark sat a one-day retreat on Wednesday. Deshi Vicki Robichaud sat a one-day retreat on Thursday in her home on Gabriola Island.
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 rengezo at vianet dot ca, 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.
Autumn Garden Work As the summer turns to Autumn, help will be appreciated to keep the grounds of the monastery tidy. If you can offer some time for this please contact Saigyo chiden at saigyo at telecomottawa dot net or by leaving a message on the office answering machine at 613 562 1568
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.
Meals served on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, prior to the sitting:
Monday Yakuseki Sinigang (tamarind soup) with dai gai choy, mung bean sprouts, celery, and mixed grain; stir-fried baby eggplants, sliced white mushrooms, chopped red and green bell peppers with Thai red curry paste, mirin, and ngoc mam; kishimen frittata with onion and red bell pepper and dan dan sauce; salad of blanched sugar snap peas and sliced atsuage tofu with brown rice vinegar and roasted chile oil.
Tuesday Yakuseki Cuban rice and beans: chickpeas, red and white kidney beans with Spanish onions, roasted red pepper puree, toasted cumin seeds, ancho chile powder, oregano, bay leaves, chopped yellow and red bell peppers, cubanelle and poblano peppers mixed with long grain white rice; roasted chicken thighs and drumsticks with chipotle and adobo with a panko crust; brown rice vinegar with sliced jalapeno; roasted colossal white mushrooms with sage and extra virgin olive oil; green cabbage and grated carrot slaw with extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses.
Thursday Yakuseki Kishimen (flat wheat noodles) tossed with grated green and Savoy cabbages and black beans and dressed with shoyu, sesame oil and Dongshan Hot Sauce ("It is like a great ball of flame." Roshi's blended roasted chile and mirin sauce); eryingi mushrooms, leeks, and green daikon and dried tofu in a Thai red curry coconut milk sauce; roasted yellow zucchini half-logs in coconut milk with yellow mustard seeds and garlic; roasted butternut squash cubes and hot cherry peppers in coconut milk; stir-fried baby Shanghai bok choy with lime.
List of Meals Served During the September Two-day Sesshin (September 7th to 9th ):
Saturday Breakfast: Fuhatsu : Scrambled eggs Nihatsu: Spicy noodles tossed with sauteed onion and peppers
Saturday Lunch: Fuhatsu: Gohan (Japanese white rice) garnished with gomasio Nihatsu: Miso shiru with silken tofu and baby bokchoy Sanhatsu: Gari (pickled ginger) and takuan (pickled daikon)
Saturday Supper: Fuhatsu: Mixed grain (Lundberg Farms short-grain brown rice, red and white quinoa, yellow millet, barley, Indian brown millet, Korean white and brown sticky rice, Chinese rice and Japanese short-grain white rice), mixed with vegetarian sausage slices roasted in chili oil. Nihatsu: Cabbage salad: Chunks of blanched cabbage and onion, blanched red bell pepper, cubanelle pepper and green pepper squares, cooked cubes of butternut squash, slivered ginger and chick peas, seasoned with mustard seeds popped in olive oil (the oil is used in the dressing), toasted whole cumin seeds and chili flakes, salt, cracked pepper, and lots of lime juice. Sanhatsu: Plum tomato spears, chunks of fruilano cheese, and black olives seasoned with olive oil, salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Sunday Breakfast: Fuhatsu: Scallion congee with scrambled eggs.
Sunday Lunch: Fuhatsu: Chinese white rice garnished with furukake Nihatsu: Wakame seaweed soup with silken tofu (the wakame used was a certain type of Korean wakame which is only harvested once a year). Sanhatsu: Kkukdugi (daikon kimchi).
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.
Clear Explanations Concerning Ubuntu Linux Since the Dainen-ji LAN has been converted to Ubuntu Linux, many students have asked us about using it. There is now a very generous project underway by the Ubuntu community to present a series of daily screencasts to provide information to those who are still using Windows or Mac systems and are thinking about migrating to Linux and those who are new Ubuntu users. We include an article announcing the screencasts here for anyone who would like to watch them:
Month Of Screencasts 2007 Submitted by Alan Pope on Wed, 2007-08-29 17:54. gutsy | MoS2007 | ubuntu
Ubuntu Month of Screencasts is a mad plan concocted by the Screencast Team to produce one full length screencast per day for the whole of one month. That month is September 2007.
The goal is that each video will go into one subject in some depth, to help educate new users about Ubuntu. We will cover a wide range of topics which should answer some questions that new users to Ubuntu often ask. We aim to go into enough detail to be interesting, hopefully without being baffling or boring.
We can of course not go into infinite detail on every topic, there are limits to our time and resources. So don't expect these to teach kernel hacking or C programming, but there should be enough information to get a new user from "zero to hero" in one month. That's the goal anyway.
Each screencast will be made available through the Ubuntu Screencast site in three sizes and two formats (OGG and Flash). The screencasts are licensed under the permissive Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License, so you're free to modify, pass on, sell or otherwise distribute them so long as the attribution to us stays intact. Update: We now have feeds which work in popular podcasting clients. Use the links in the box on the top right "MoS2007 Podcast Feeds" with your favourite podcatcher. This has so far been tested with hpodder and democracyplayer.
http://screencasts.ubuntu.com/
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 rengezo at vianet dot ca. (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 Mishin tando , “Thank you to the Roshi for the practice of sesshin and for the teisho series 'Immo: Suchness'; to Shikai osho for making a treat for residents of excellent french fries." From Saigyo chiden , “Thank you to Shikai osho for a gift of a lovely water plant for the common room fish tank and for baking a wonderful selection of breads and pastries. Thank you to Jinmyo osho for finding excellent material for making monastic robes; Thank you to Guillaume Albert, Carl Anderson and Samantha Drouin for archiving samu; to Neil Porter for weekly samu on a variety of tasks. Thank you to Graham Mayeda and Charles Enman for staying after morning sittings to do samu.”
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.
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 tando at 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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