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eMirror Vol. 11, No. 42 Friday, October 19th 2007 Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho
Quotes from teisho are run sequentially in the eMirror
Hold up a fist and you hold up luminosity. Release the fist into an open palm and five fingers and you release luminosity into further luminosity. Although Awareness in itself is never anything other than what it and gains and loses nothing through birth and death, coming and going, delusion and enlightenment, by whether you wake up to and as it or not, in each moment luminosity unfolds and unfurls. When we use a fist to show the ten directions and open space around it, Knowing is lit up for us. When we use contraction to point to the open space in which it arises then not only can contraction be released but also open space becomes more and more obvious as the forms that move within it. To the north, south, east, west, to the northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest, and above and below, each form of space, each apparent thing, contains within it space after space. Open a fist, hold up your head, release the shoulders, bring the fingers and palms together and come to gassho and bow. -Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, concluding 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 October 24th, November 7th and November 21st. The Vow of Samantabhadra will be chanted on October 31st, November 14th and November 28th.
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. Osho will present comments on Eihei Dogen zenji's "Fukanzazengi" as translated by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi and Ven. Joshu Dainen zenji. 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.
November Two-day Sesshin The November sesshin will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, November 9th and will end at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 11th. On Saturday, November 10th, associate and general students may attend a sitting held in the Zendo. Arrival time is 9:15 a.m. (in time for First Bell). The sitting ends at 11:30 a.m. Students attending are reminded to remain on the first floor.
Oryoki for General Students On Saturday, November 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 at wwzc dot org.
Samu Weekend The next Samu Weekend is scheduled to take place on November 24th and 25th. Details of samu tasks will follow. To register, please send an email to saigyo at telecomottawa dot net or telephone the Zen Centre office to leave a message at 613-562-1568.
Zen Classes at Brookfield High School Chunen ino will be visiting Brookfield High School on Wednesday October 24th, for the first of two Zen classes. These classes are by invitation from the Continuing Education Department of the Ottawa Carleton District School Board. During the first class students will be provided with basic information on Zen Practice. During the second class they will be given a tour of Dainen-ji.
Recorded Teisho Schedule Saturday, October 20th general sitting - Turning the Wheel of the Way: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's "Gyoji: Continuous Practice": "Not Someone Else" (teisho 7 of 44).
Sunday, October 21st formal sitting - SAkN: Anatomy of Awakening: "Strategies of Transcendence" (teisho 8 of 9).
Monday, October 22nd general sitting - Wild Time: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's Uji: Being Time: "There's No Mistaking It" (teisho 9 of 11).
Tuesday, October 23rd formal sitting - Mikkyo-zo: Monastic Jishu: "Releasing Poverty, Accepting Richness" (class 10 of 15).
White Wind Zen Community Media Site The media site will be offline for several days this week as the web server hard drive is undergoing repair.
Retreats Subsequent to the 7-day Daruma-ki O-sesshin, Isshin and David began a retreat on Friday evening. Issin concluded on Tuesday at noon. David will be concluding at noon today (Friday). Nathan Comeau began a ten-day retreat on Saturday, October 13th. Alexis Fisset sat a one-day retreat on Sunday. Gillian Higgenbottam began a retreat on Thursday morning which will end at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. John McCaffrey began a retreat on Thursday morning which will end following oryoki practice on Saturday.
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. The following meals were prepared on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, prior to sittings:
Monday Yakuseki Cantonese flat egg noodles and mung bean sprouts tossed with dan dan, shoyu, sesame oil, and slivered ginger; dai gai choy and celery with yuba (soy milk skin) knots in a sweet and sour tamarind and mirin broth; roasted large white mushrooms with chile barbecue sauce; roasted large cremini mushrooms with sesame oil and shoyu; salad of kimchi garlic stems and plum tomato and Lebanese cucumber spears.
Tuesday Yakuseki Roasted butternut squash cubes and parsnips with a Dijon and lime glaze; chili: red and white kidney beans, black beans, San Marzano tomatoes, Spanish onions, toasted cumin and nigella seeds, poblano and cubanelle peppers, red bell peppers, banana chiles, Thai bird chiles, hot cherry peppers, chipotle and adobo, chopped basil, oregano, ground beef, chopped plum tomatoes, Scotch; tiny corn bread muffins; sauteed eryingi and oyster mushrooms; Lundberg Farm short grain brown rice and gohan; salad of Lebanese cucumbers, Oka cheese, and chorizo sausage.
Thursday Yakuseki Curry of large sliced Spanish onions and chick peas, butternut squash base seasoned with turmeric, hing, popped white mustard and cumin seeds, lime juice, curry powder, cayenne, much black pepper and topped with blackened roasted cauliflower; daal of red lentils, San Marzano tomatoes, onion, chipotle and adobo, chopped coriander stems, popped white mustard and cumin seeds; stir-fried slices of colossal shitake and oyster mushrooms with toasted fenugreek and black mustard and cumin seeds, methi (dried fenugreek leaves), and buttermilk; mixed grain: basmati and gohan with red and white quinoa; salad of blanched sugar snap peas and finely chopped raw red onion dressed with yogurt and hot lime pickle.
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 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 Jinmyo osho, Thank you to David Clawson for classes on Assembly Language he presented to several monastics this week; to Saigyo chiden for installing/uninstalling/carrying air conditioners, fans, and heaters used throughout the monastery with each change of season." From Chunen ino, "Thank you to the Roshi for the series of classes "Playing With Space: Commentaries On Dogen Zenji's Koku"; to Shikai osho for loan of her video camera and portable DVD player; to Jinmyo osho for planning the scheduling at Dainen-ji and for several administrative tasks while Mishin tando is away; to Saigyo chiden for overseeing samu of many students at several times through the day each week. From Saigyo chiden: Thank you to Shikai osho for organizing improved storage and accessibility for the rocks, vases and other items which the Roshi uses to create ikebana for the practice halls. Thank you Jinmyo osho for taking care of some administrative tasks whilst the Tando is away on a work-related trip; to Jennifer Comeau for many hours of samu this week on a variety of projects. Thank you to Neil Porter for work to improve the third floor fish pond and to Michael Landay for samu in the grounds. Thank you to Charles Enman and Graham Mayeda for regular samu. From Senbo shuso: Thank you to the Roshi for an in-depth exploration of the Precepts in the current series of teisho "Doing Not-Doing part 2"; to the Roshi and Jinmyo osho for the exceptionally amazing food enjoyed during the Daruma-ki o-sesshin; to Shikai osho for a reading and translation, along with the Roshi, of "Jo-gyo-bon: the Practice if Purity"; to Chunen ino, Mishin tando, and Saigyo chiden for being such good examples of dedication; to David Clawson for always being ready to learn and help with various tasks." From Isshin: Thank you to The Roshi for O-sesshin and for the teisho series "Doing Not-Doing"; to Shikai osho for leading the Vow of Samantabhadra during O-sesshin, for creative, tasty refreshments and for introducing me to the little cats and fish beings that you care for so well; to The Roshi and Jinmyo osho for wonderful and always interesting meals; to Jinmyo osho for jukai, for the Dharma name and sho, Isshin, and for the numberless hours you have spent teaching me the Vastness of the Way; to Chunen ino for a portfolio, which was exactly what I needed to safely carry my Dharma name sho in; to the monastics for your tireless committment and for the example you set so that students may learn. Comings and Goings Mishin tando will be in Kenya co-leading a work-related project from Saturday, October 13th until Sunday, October 28th.
Ongoing
Training Sessions and Short Residential Training Periods for Associate and General Students There are a number of options available to associate and general students who wish to practice more intensively, such as sitting a full or partial retreat for one or several days, or extending their practice at home to include two or three rounds. In addition, associate or general students may register for a "training session". This requires making a commitment to a one-week, month-long, or three month period during which they would attend all of the formal sittings at the monastery, morning and evening with the exception of Tuesday evening and Sunday morning (which are reserved for formal students and monastics) while continuing to live at home. The training sessions are intended to allow students to experience what it is like to participate in the monastery’s full schedule. Formal sittings are led by Roshi and include chanting practice and more extensive use of the forms. Students engaging in a training session would also have more opportunities to meet with Dharma Teachers or practice advisors to discuss their practice. At the end of a training session, students would return to their normal schedule. There would be no extra dana involved in practising a training session. With the Undo serving as a dormitory space students can register for periods of residential training at Dainen-ji for anywhere from overnight to several weeks. This involves attending the practice schedule, evening meals, participation in regular soji (cleaning the practice halls) and samu (care-taking). During the days one would go to one’s job or could do extra sitting and study outside of a retreat schedule. The dana for this is $40 a day; work scholarships can also be arranged. To register for a training session or residential training, please send an email to schedule at wwzc dot org or telephone the Zen Centre office at (613) 562-1568 and leave a message. When scheduling a training session, please remember not to include dates that fall within a sesshin or an O-sesshin.
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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