Mushin (No, Without, or Release Mind)
sho by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, 2010
eMirror Vol 26, No. 18
Mushin (No, Without, or Release Mind)
sho by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi, 2010
eMirror Vol 26, No. 18
Friday, April 29th
Edited by the Practice Council
The White Wind Zen Community:
An international community practising and teaching Dogen’s Zen since 1985.
Each sensation is an aspect of the world and in its presencing the activity of that which is present as all sensations, all sounds, all colours and forms, all bodies and minds and world can be felt. A slight stirring of air and there is a fluttering sensation at the cheek and this is succeeded by a sensation of coolness. A drop of sweat emerges and rolls down the skin between the shoulder blades and the wetness is felt, the oils within the sweat and the differences between this and a drop of rain is felt and recognized.
The sense of I is the presence of an absence of Reality. In order to make itself feel present, the sense of self denies, obscures, distorts actual sensation. In order to confirm its sense of problem, painful sensations, which are too vivid to just ignore, are focussed upon and magnified out of context and distorted. Perhaps the left knee aches… but does the elbow? the palm of the hand? the lids of the eyes? behind the ears? the skin beneath the arms? If the sensation of pain in the knee is not also open to all of these other sensations then how it is felt is a lie. The sensation as it is being felt is not as it actually is. It is a construct to confirm self-image’s sense of problem and to provide justification for its gestures of recoil and avoidance. Struggling against, trying to push away, or trying to push through the painful sensation is merely an elaboration, icing on the cake or gravy on the mashed potatoes for self-image. And because it is greedy it will ask for a second helping and talk and moan curse to itself not only about the pain in the knee but of how the body is aging, how it is going to die, how it doesn’t want to die, how it wants to die to get it over with it. And on and on.
-Ven Anzan Hoshin roshi, continuing Class Three: "Touching the Sensation of the World" in the series "Zen Arts: The Flowering of the Senses", October 1999 Daruma-ki O-sesshin, Dainen-ji.
Fusatsu: May 18th, June 1st.
May Sogaku-ki O-sesshin:
The May Sogaku-ki O-sesshin begins on Friday, May 13th, and will end at noon on Friday, May 20th. Students attending are reminded to send their schedules as soon as possible.
Shukke-tokudo and Shuso-hossen for Ven. Fushin shramon:
On the evening of Friday, May 20th, in a ceremony in the presence of the Sangha assembled at the Sogaku-ki O-sesshin, Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei will Transmit the Precepts of full monastic ordination to Fushin Comeau shramon. Following this, Fushin shramon will begin the major training position as "shuso" or "chief seat" in the sense of someone to be looked to as an exemplar of practice and will be referred to as “Fushin shuso”.
Fushin shuso began practising as an associate student in November of 2005; became a general student in December of 2006; He was accepted as a probationary formal student by Shikai Zuiko sensei in April, of 2009 and as a formal student in May of 2011; He received the Three Jewels in August of 2011 and the Sixteen Bosatsu-kai and the Forty-eight Supporting Precepts in shukke-tokudo as a postulant for monastic training from the Roshi on May 22nd, 2015. On Friday, May 20th, 2016 Ven. Fushin anagarika received Novice Monk Vows from Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi. Following the death of his Teacher, Ven. Shikai Zuiko O-sensei in October of 2020, he was accepted as a student by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei in November of 2021.
Sogaku-ki:
May 18th is the memorial for the death of Sogaku Myoshin Hakukaze daiosho.
Hermitage:
The Roshi is currently in an extended period of "self-isolation" due to underlying health issues until the COVID-19 situation clarifies.
Beginning Instruction in Zen Practice:
For information concerning our Long-distance Training Program, please visit this Web Page: https://wwzc.org/long-distance-training-program
Rev. Chiso anagarika sat her weekly semi-retreat on Tuesday, April 26th at her home in the Berkshires. Aaron Ford sat a two-day retreat on Friday, April 22nd and Saturday, April 23rd at his home in Calgary, Alberta.
If you would like to sit a retreat at home please follow the schedule outlined in this page: https://wwzc.org/retreat-schedule-public-students. After your retreat, please send an email to schedule@wwzc.org to confirm that you sat a retreat and include the duration and location.
Work has continued on the coving for the bookcases as well as panelling on the adjoining walls. We hope to have it finished over the coming weekend.
Two chairs have been purchased for the bay window reading area and we will begin looking for suitable window blinds for the bay windows and the window in the guest room.
Panelling on the wall adjoining the bay window and unfinished trim along the top.
Photograph of the trim around the guest room door and panelling on either side.
We anticipate that over the next two weeks, a further $3,500 will be needed to complete the first part of the Shuryo project. Materials and labour for the construction done as of April 21st have already been paid for. The additional amount is for an electric heater, wood to complete the bookcase installation and enough plywood to lay floors for the adjoining guest room and public washroom (the floors in those two rooms had to be ripped up to remove asbestos tiles and are hazardous to walk on). There will also be the expense of window coverings for privacy in the Shuryo.
If you are able to help, any amount would be gratefully received.
Saturday, April 30th to Saturday, May 7th
Saturday, April 30th: Bodymind of the Way: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's "Shinjin Gakudo": "Studying Through the Mind" (3 of 17)
Monday, May 2nd: “Every Breath You Take” by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei: “Seeing Aristocrats" (Dharma Talk 87)
Thursday, May 5th: "Measureless" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei
Saturday, May 7th: Bodymind of the Way: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's Commentaries on Eihei Dogen zenji's "Shinjin Gakudo": "Understanding, Not Understanding, Misunderstanding" (4 of 17)
Associate and general students should continue to follow the recorded Teachings schedule for the sitting you were attending at the monastery, and listen to that during your home practice.
You can access the online Recorded Teachings Library at wwzc.org/recorded-teachings-schedule.
You can also use the streaming site at app.wwzc.org to live stream recordings from the online Library. If you have forgotten your password or need assistance with accessing the recorded Teachings, please email schedule@wwzc.org.
Please note that teisho should be listened to in the correct order and with none missed out as themes, metaphors, questions raised and answered evolve in spirals throughout the series.
While most of the online Recorded Teachings library is password-protected and only accessible to students of the Lineage of Zen Master Anzan Hoshin, a small selection of MP3 recordings of teisho are accessible to the public at wwzc.org/recorded-teachings Additional recordings will be uploaded periodically. MP3 recordings of four recorded teisho by Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi are currently available:
Dharma Position https://wwzc.org/dharma-position
Eyes See, Ears Hear https://wwzc.org/eyes-see-ears-hear
Embarrassment https://wwzc.org/embarrassment
Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi's reading of his translation of Eihei Dogen zenji's “Bendowa: A Talk on Exerting the Way”: https://wwzc.org/bendowa-talk-exerting-way
Photograph of Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi at Daijozan, mid-1980s,
by Ven. Shikai Zuiko sensei
Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi has recently completed translation work on some shorter texts by Eihei Dogen zenji from the Shobogenzo. The work on these particular texts is based upon the literal translations that he worked on with Joshu Dainen roshi at Hakukaze-ji around 1977-78 followed by many years of putting them down, picking them up, and polishing. Naturally, more essential texts such as Uji, Genjokoan, Shinjin Gakudo and some 40 others were completed first and have been given extensive commentaries by the Roshi. This batch of texts includes Baike: Plum Blossoms, Ryugin: Howling Dragon, and Udonge: The Udumbara Blossoming and many others are nearing completion. Annotation details and successfully conveying them across various document formats are the issue at this point.
Work on Bussho: Buddha Nature, a very long and nuanced text by Dogen zenji, is ongoing.
Roshi is also finishing an update to the Saijo Shingi: The Deportment of Radiance, our manual of monastic training standards which is a supplement to the ancient Eihei Shingi and Keizan Shingi.
Begun by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei
Finished by Rev. Fushin Comeau shramon following her death
Tan (J): A raised sitting platform in a Zendo.
Posted April 29th , 2022. New entries are posted every two weeks.
Dogen zenji taught in the Tenzo kyokun: Instructions for the Tenzo (https://wwzc.org/dharma-text/tenzo-kyokun-instructions-tenzo) that the work of preparing and serving meals is "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. Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei serves as tenzo and Mishin godo and Saigyo ino offer assistance as tenzo-anja. The following meals were prepared for residents on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
Monday Yakuseki:
Roasted root vegetables (Yukon gold potatoes, carrots, rutabaga); beyond burger vegetarian patties; steamed green cabbage seasoned with salt, butter and lots of black pepper; cheese sauce made from roux, milk, water, extra old cheddar, friulano cheese, sauteed diced white onion, mustard powder, salt, pinch of garlic powder.
Tuesday Yakuseki:
Mixed grain (Calrose rice, arborio rice, pearled barley, Korean short grain white rice); shitake mushroom stock soup (soaking broth from reconstituted shitake mushrooms, vegetable stock, shoyu, chilli paste made by Mishin godo, sesame oil, sake, chopped Napa cabbage and the reconstituted shitake cut into quarters thickened slightly with tapioca starch); baechu kimchi.
Vegetarian option: tofu in the soup.
For those who wished to supplement their diet with meat: lion’s head meatballs in the soup (chopped water chestnuts, chopped firm tofu, ground pork, finely sliced green onions, garlic, minced ginger, shao hsing rice wine, shoyu, cayenne, eggs, cornstarch).
Thursday Yakuseki:
Pasta shells with butter/garlic sauce; salad of Romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced red onion, chopped celery. Dressing made from mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, black pepper; cubed friulano cheese with gherkins.
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If you would like to thank someone for a contribution they have made, please feel free to send an email to Jinmyo sensei at rengezo@gmail dot com, but be sure to type "eMirror” in the subject line.
From Jinmyo sensei:
Thank you to the Roshi for the teisho series “Painting Reality”; to Chiso anagarika and Elizabeth Eve for proof reading “Before Thinking” and to Senbo for preparing the new edition for publication; to residents for helping me to move many boxes of sewing supplies to a different location; to Elizabeth Fleming for picking up two chairs for the Shuryo.
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