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eMirror Vol. 11, No. 45 Friday, November 9th, 2007 Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho
Quotes from teisho are run sequentially in the eMirror
He [Dogen, in the text "Jippo"] then begins to speak of "Fields of Awake Awareness." In the development of Indian Buddhism there arose descriptions of innumerable Buddhas of the past, present, and future dwelling and Teaching in many different regions of space and in many different kinds of spaces. These were called Buddha-ksetra and are commonly translated into English as "Pure Lands". The original impetus behind this was probably the Indian fascination for speculative cosmology and the generally human propensity towards fantasy and hopes for religious salvation from their daily circumstances. However, sometimes these Buddha-ksetra were used as ways of trying to express the vast range and richness of experiences and of Experiencing. Consequently I usually translate the term as "Field of Awakening" in order to avoid the religious connotations of "Pure Land." For example, in the Vimalakirti sutra, Fields of Awakening are such qualities of a bodhisattva, one who is opening to Openness, as the six paramitas, the four boundless attitudes, dedicating one's attainments to the liberation of others, and so on. The Field of Awakening is the life of practice and is not separate from the practitioner and those she comes to share the Dharma with. Later in the text it speaks of:
This is an attempt to speak of modes of knowings and knowns and kinds of experiences difficult for us to comprehend with our usual ways of understanding but taking a sense, the sense of smell, as the basis for the analogy. As our practice becomes more and more open then we begin to understand.
And near the end of the text Vimalakirti picks up Abhirati or "Boundless Joy", the Field of Awakening of the Buddha Aksobhya, in the palm of his right hand and brings it into this universe, known as Saha, without distorting the physical integrity of either. This is a way of trying to speak of the relationships between higher and lower dimensionalities of space and of how a vast space, such as Abhirati, can be contained within a small space, the palm of Vimalakirti's hand.
- Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, continuing teisho 3: "Fields of Awakening" in the the teisho series "Five Fingers, Ten Directions: Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's text 'Jippo'", presented Sunday, May 13, 2001.
Upcoming Events
Fusatsu and the Vow of Samantabhadra Chanting of the Precepts will take place on November 21st. The Vow of Samantabhadra will be chanted on November 14th and November 28th.
November Two-day Sesshin The November sesshin will begin at 8:00 p.m. this evening, 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 final samu weekend of 2007 will be taking place on November 24th and 25th. There will be a variety of projects taking place over the weekend and although the schedule is not yet finalized the tasks are likely to include; winterizing the building, including installing plastic film on many windows and improving insulation in severals areas; completing the insulation of large portion of the attic floor; tidying the grounds; installing the new Shuryo shelving built during the last samu weekend. Please make every effort to attend some or all of this weekend. Your help in maintaining and improving the monastery benefits a great number of people in countless ways. 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.
Introduction to Zen Workshop Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho will present the next Introduction to Zen Workshop at Dainen-ji on Saturday, January 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.
Recorded Teisho Schedule Saturday, November 10th associate sitting - Immo: Suchness: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's Immo: "Falling Down" (teisho 4 of 18).
Monday, November 12th general sitting - Bright Right Through: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dogen zenji's "Muchu Setsumu": Reading of the text.
Tuesday, November 13th formal sitting - Mikkyo-zo: Monastic Jishu: "Jnanasattva" (class 12 of 15).
Saturday, November 17th general sitting - Turning the Wheel of the Way: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's "Gyoji: Continuous Practice": "Yaoshan's Chan" (teisho 9 of 44).
Current Dharma Talks In October 2007, Ven. Shikai Zuiko osho began presenting the series "Every Breath You Take: Comments on 'The Practice of Purity' at Thursday evening associate sittings. These are comments on Book Eleven of the Avatamsaka Sutra, translated by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi and Ven. Shikai osho. Reading of "The Practice of Purity" (October 18, 2007) Reading continued (October 25, 2007) Dharma Talk 1: At Home (November 1, 2007) Dharma Talk 2: Untitled as yet (November 8, 2007)
Retreats
Muryo sat a full day of retreat on Monday and a partial retreat on Tuesday. Graham Mayeda sat a two-day retreat on Monday and Tuesday. Michael Landay sat a three-day retreat on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Isshin sat a one-day retreat in her home on Gabriola Island on Thursday. Marcin Matuszkiewicz sat a partial retreat on October 27th in his home in Montreal.
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.
Samu Weekend The final samu weekend of 2007 will be taking place on November 24th and 25th. There will be a variety of projects taking place over the weekend and although the schedule is not yet finalized the tasks are likely to include; winterizing the building, including installing plastic film on many windows and improving insulation in severals areas; completing the insulation of large portion of the attic floor; tidying the grounds; installing the new Shuryo shelving built during the last samu weekend. Please make every effort to attend some or all of this weekend. Your help in maintaining and improving the monastery benefits a great number of people in countless ways.
Autumn Garden Work
Now that winter is approaching and the leaves are falling, extra work is needed over the next few weeks to keep the grounds 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 Thai jasmine rice with toasted (unsweetened) coconut flakes; large chunks of white onions and Korean cabbages braised in a Thai coconut milk curry with yellow curry paste, mirin, ponzu, ngoc mam, chunks of long green chiles, chopped coriander stems, diced red bell peppers, and a sachet of lime leaves and lemongrass; slaw of celery root and jicama (gao) with mayonnaise and lime.
Tuesday Yakuseki Slices of seared rare beef rib steaks and prime rib and large shitake caps with a Dijon mustard and green peppercorn white wine sauce; roasted sliced plum tomatoes and yellow bell pepper strips with sliced red jalapeno chiles and French chevre; leek and potato soup with Herbs de Provence; sauteed yu choy; fifteen mixed grains (Lundberg Farm short-grain brown rice, Korean short-grain white and brown sticky rices, barley, wild rice, toasted sorghum, toasted kasha, white quinoa, red quinoa, pearled wheat, arborio rice, millet, gohan, basmati brown rice and perilla seeds), mixed with green peas and butter.
Thursday Yakuseki Dai gai choy, Shanghai bok choy, scallions, eryingi and oyster mushrooms in a tamarind broth with mirin, ngoc mam, and shoyu; sauteed eggplants, red and yellow and green bell peppers and cubed atsuage tofu with shoyu and sesame oil; chopped fennel roasted in coconut milk; gohan.
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, but be sure to type "eMirror" in the subject line.
From Jinmyo osho, Thank you to Muryo for installing a new thermostat and timer in the second floor Osho-ryo. From Mishin tando, Thank you Jinmyo osho for editing the eMirror each week and for delicious Sunday brunches for residents after the Sunday morning sittings; to Nathan Krahn for donating a coffee machine to the monastery to replace one that leaks. From Saigyo chiden, Thank you to Samantha Drouin, Carys Carrington, Guillaume Albert, Carl Anderson, Sophia Stevenson and Charles Enman for regular samu to assist the monastics with archiving work. From Charles Enman, Thank you to Roshi for creating the marvelous practice environment which is Dainen-ji; a belated thank you to Jinmyo osho for leading the recent Dharma Assembly and for the wonderful meals she prepared; to Shikai osho for her perception and frankness in Daisan; to Saigyo chiden for recent advice in a practice interview that renewed my understanding of the importance of sitting absolutely still in zazen; to all the monastics for their dedication to the Dharma and to assisting the running of the monastery in all ways; to all students for their support of the unique learning opportunity that Dainen-ji provides.
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. Many hundreds of dollars has been collected so far both in loose change and Canadian tire money which has been put towards the building maintenance fund. If anyone would like to contribute to this fund, each penny will be appreciated.
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