Moon over Idaten Kamidan,

photopgraph by Ven. Shikai Zuiko osho

 

eMirror Vol. 11, No. 49

Friday, December 7th, 2007

Edited by Ven. Jinmyo Renge osho

 


 

Quotes from teisho are run sequentially in the eMirror

 

The whole world arises as a whole. Although it is a whole world, it is not a solid mass. It is measurelessly diverse and varied. Some things are long and some are short. Some are round and some are pointed. But all are the shape of space, are space-like in their natures, and each and every thing within this whole world points out the ten directions.

            Whether we say "ten directions" or speak of the "360 degrees' of a circle, space is endlessly extending, boundlessly vast. The ten directions of the universe begin and end from every point of space. There is space extending 360 degrees around your hand, but there are measureless planes of extension all of the way around the thumb, each finger, the folds and lines of the palm, the curves of the knuckles, the veins and hairs on the back of the hand. And then there is the wrist, the forearm, the shoulder, the chin, behind the middle of the back, the toes, the belly, the swirling forms of the ears. Whatever arises in space arises with an array of directions and degrees of space extending everywhere around it.

In order to appreciate and experience the rich dimensionality of space, whether of physical space or experiential space, we need to release where we are experiencing experiences from. In order to play with the ten directions we need to release the directionality of conditioned attention.

            Self-image localizes and limits attention, compresses and congeals how we perceive and live our lives through locating a sense of a knower and then measuring whatever is known from that point. For usual mind, this sense of locatedness is too subtle be to noticed. Instead, whatever is noticed is noticed through the structures of locatedness, a basic frame of orientation, a directionality of attention, and only then some content of focus. If there is a sense of threat or an extreme event then self-image convulses and a crude localization around the chest and head occurs and sometimes the person might notice this. However for Zen practitioners, noticing where they are habitually trying to be mindful of the hand from, where they are trying to feel the breath from, noticing how attention might swing towards this or leap from that, eventually makes the sense of locatedness more and more obvious. In noticing this and feeling around it and releasing it, the bodymind as a whole becomes more and more alive and it becomes capable of actually living in this whole world of ten directions in which it arises.

            When the whole bodymind is seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, smelling, and thinking as whole and all together then the richness of space becomes more and more available and obvious.

 

  • Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, beginning teisho 4: "A Whole World" in the the teisho series "Five Fingers, Ten Directions: Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's text 'Jippo'", presented Monday, May 14, 2001.

 

 

Upcoming Events

 

Fusatsu and the Vow of Samantabhadra

Chanting of the Precepts will take place on December 12th and 26th. The Vow of Samantabhadra will be chanted on December 19th.  

 

Rohatsu O-sesshin

Rohatsu O-sesshin began at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 1st and will end at at 8:00 a.m., December 8th, following the ceremony of Jodo-e which commemorates the Buddha's Awakening.

              On Saturday December 8th the 6:00 a.m. formal sitting and the 9:30 general sitting are cancelled.

 

 

Shukke-Tokudo

At 7:00 p.m., Saturday, December 8th, Chunen ino will be acknowledged as a taiko or monastic senior. Ven. Chunen Rampal ino has been a student of the Roshi since 1996. He received postulant vows for monastic ordination following the May 1999 Sogaku-ki O-sesshin, and received Transmission as a practice advisor during the Joya (New Year's celebration) of 1999/2000. He began training in the monastic post of Chiden on May 22nd, 2003. He received ordination as a full monastic on May 24th, 2002. On July 18, 2004 he began training in the monastic training post of Tando. On February 17th, 2006, he was appointed to the training post of Ino by the Roshi. He has now completed five years of training as a full monastic. Chunen ino will reaffirm the precepts and then will present a Senior's Dharma Talk.

              Seating is limited so please register early by sending an email to schedule at wwzc dot com or by leaving a message on the Zen Centre office answering machine at 613-562-1568.

        

Dainen-ki

December 12th is the anniversary of the day on which the Roshi’s Teacher, Ven. Yasuda Joshu Dainen roshi died.

 

Hermitage

The Roshi will begin a period of hermitage on Wednesday, December 12th, which will end at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 16th, when he leads monastics in Acalanatha Sadhana.

 

Oryoki for General Students

On Saturday, December 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.

 

Joya (New Year's Celebration)

On Monday, December 31st at 10 p.m. until Tuesday, January 1st at 12:00 a.m. we will celebrate Joya or New Year's. Join Zen Master Anzan Hoshin, Ven. Shikai osho and Ven. Jinmyo osho and the monastics of the Northern Mountain Order in ringing in the New Year with 108 recitations of the Mahaprajnaparamita Hridaya sutra mantra. Following the sitting there will be an array of shojin-ryori (Zen vegetarian cuisine) dishes for an informal feast. There is no better way to begin the year. Dana is $25. Please register by sending an email to or telephone the Zen Centre office (613) 562-1568.

              The Tuesday 6:00 a.m. formal sitting is cancelled.

 

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

Sunday, December 9th formal sitting – SAkN: Questioning the Enigma: "Questioning the Enigma" (teisho 3 of 4).

Monday, December 10th general sitting - Bright Right Through: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Dogen zenji's "Muchu Setsumu": "The Final Truth" (teisho 3 of 11).

Tuesday, December 11th formal sitting - Mikkyo-zo: Monastic Jishu: "Jnanasattva" (class 12 of 15).

Saturday, December 15th general sitting - Turning the Wheel of the Way: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's "Gyoji: Continuous Practice": "The Work of the Way" (teisho 9 of 44).


Retreats

Andrew Campbell sat a half-day retreat on Sunday in his home in Brantford, 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 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.

 

 

                                                        

 

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 during the week of O-sesshin:

 

Sunday Breakfast: Shanghai noodles tossed with sauteed red and yellow bell peppers, strips of onion, ginger, shoyu, and roasted chili oil; scrambled eggs.

Sunday Lunch: Gohan; miso shiru with shitake mushrooms, baby Shanghai bokchoy and silken tofu; takuan and gari.

Sunday Supper: Roasted Yukon gold potatoes; mushroom soup (eryengi mushrooms, chanterelles, porcini mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and cremini mushrooms); roasted plum tomatoes dusted with dried basil, pepper and salt.

 

Monday Breakfast: Mushroom congee with tofu.

Monday Lunch: Cubes of noodle frittata mixed with seared red and cubenelle peppers tossed in chili sauce; wakame seaweed soup with silken tofu; baechu kimchi.

Monday Supper: Lundberg Farm short-grain brown rice with baby peas and butter; butternut squash soup with chickpeas; fruilano cheese, pickled onions and black olives seasoned with Thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper.

 

Tuesday Breakfast: Scallion congee with tofu.

Tuesday Lunch: Gohan with gomasio; miso shiru with silken tofu and baby bokchoy; takuan and gari.

Tuesday Supper: Blanched dai gai choy, scallions and Napa cabbage mixed with roasted sliced eryenge mushooms and seared yellow and cubanelle peppers, seasoned with lime juice and sesame oil; wide saho noodles in a shoyu broth; braised deep-fried tofu.

 

Wednesday Breakfast: Chirashe sushi.

Wednesday Lunch: Chinese long-grain white rice garnished with furikake; wakame seaweed soup with silken tofu; kimchi.

Wednesday Supper: Ziti with mushroom sauce (cremini and porcini); sauteed red, yellow and cubanelle peppers, onions and Napa cabbage with red kidney beans, seasoned with red balsamic vinegar; plum tomato spears with artichoke hearts.

 

Thursday Breakfast: Fried ziti and peppers; scrambled eggs.

Thursday Lunch: Gohan garnished with furikake; miso shiru with Shanghai bokchoy and silken tofu; takuan and gari.

Thursday Supper: Roasted Yukon gold potatoes, turnips, carrots, and celeriac; strips of yellow bell pepper, strips of dai gai choy, sugar snap peas, baby green peas, deep fried tofu, in an onion/tomato/chipotle sauce; cubes of fruilano cheese with green olives, olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon zest.

 

Friday Breakfast: Fried rice with tofu and peanuts.

 

Refreshments Served During O-sesshin

Sunday-sour cream scones with plum preserves

Monday-Swedish oatcakes and assorted cheeses

Tuesday-mini ginger and lemon muffins with labney, quark, and cream cheese

Wednesday-baked apple pudding with raisins, walnuts, dried fruit topped with sour

cream and freshly whipped cream

Thursday-mini banguettes with sweet butter and brie

Friday-feta biscuits and assorted olives

 

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 the Roshi for finishing some of the dishes served during the O-sesshin, and for the teisho he presented, despite having a heavy cold and cough.

From Gillian Higenbottam: A belated thank you to the Roshi and Jinmyo osho for the work that went into outstanding meals during the recent samu weekend; even a week later, the spicy braised fennel, roasted tomatoes, two-kinds of mushroom curry, and 15-grain, well, grains are memorable; to Shikai osho for the smell of baking that drifted upstairs on Sunday afternoon followed by delicious cookies; to Saigyo chiden for planning and organizing the weekend's work as if it is no effort at all to keep track of dozens of people coming and going with paintbrushes and power drills.

 


 

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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