Statue of Eihei Dogen Kigen zenji
Statue of Eihei Dogen Kigen zenji
eMirror Vol 26, No. 33
Friday, August 12th
Edited by the Practice Council
The White Wind Zen Community:
An international community practising and teaching Dogen’s Zen since 1985.
With both eyes open, feel light as colours and forms. Hear the sea of sounds, feeling waves of movement. Feel the sensation of the world, feel fragrances and flavours. Each thought, each recognition, each memory can rise and fall open to these. Each thought can point to the open capacity of thinking and feeling just as each colour and form can point to the openness of seeing. Each mode of knowing can be a way of opening to Knowing in itself. As Dogen zenji says in Gabyo, “When your experience just occurs as it is, then you can use each thing as it appears to reveal what it actually is. This is how to ‘penetrate one thing’ and through this ‘penetrate all things.’”
-Ven Anzan Hoshin roshi, beginning Class Six: "The Mind Is Not 'The' Mind" in the series "Zen Arts: The Flowering of the Senses", October 1999 Daruma-ki O-sesshin, Dainen-ji.
Fusatsu: August 24th.
August Two-day Sesshin
The August two-day sesshin began on Friday, August 12th at 8:00 p.m. and will end on Sunday, August 14th at 6:00 p.m.
Dogen-ki (August 28th)
Dogen-ki August 28th is Dogen-ki, the memorial of Eihei Dogen zenji's death.
Samu Weekend
The next Samu Weekend will take place on August 27th and 28th. Each day begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 6:00 p.m. Please pencil these dates into your calendar so that you will be able to attend some or all of this weekend of samu practice. Saigyo ino will be writing soon to students with more details about the activities taking place over the weekend. To register please send an email to Saigyo ino at saigyo.cross@gmail.com.
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, August 2nd at her home in the Berkshires. Aaron Ford sat a two-day retreat on Saturday, August 6th and Sunday, August 7th at his home in Calgary, Alberta. Matthew Moher, visiting from is home in Victoria, British Columbia, sat a half-day retreat on Thursday, August 11th at Dainen-ji.
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.
Although the monastery is not open to associate and general students for scheduled sittings, if you would like to sit a retreat at Dainen-ji, that is now possible.
You would need to schedule your retreat a week in advance. You will also need to get a rapid antigen Covid test done the day before you arrive and email us to let us know that you are Covid negative.
You will need to wear an N-95 mask while in the monastery. This link will let you know where you can pick up a free rapid antigen test https://covid-19.ontario.ca/rapid-test-locator
During the retreat, where the timing occurs along with scheduled sittings, you would join monastics and formal students in the Hatto on the second floor and wear a mask as we all do. During the other periods, you would sit in the Zendo on the first floor and would not wear a mask unless there are other students present.
You can sit a partial retreat, half-day retreat or full retreat for one or more days (providing you stay in the monastery and do not leave). The duration of retreats is as follows:
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 a.m. 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-anja, mishin godo at mishin at gmail dot com, 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 $50 for a full day or $40 for a partial day, which covers the basic cost of food and other materials. Donations above this figure are very welcome and all donations are tax deductible.
If you would like to schedule a retreat, please send an email to schedule@wwzc.org.
Framing for the new room showing a nearby small kitchen area. A washroom is located to the far right and to the left is the entrance to the rooftop garden and seating area.
We are in the process of building a new room in the monastery which will be available for rent in the Autumn. If you would like to engage in a period of long-term training, please contact Mishin godo at mishin@gmail.com for further details.
It is recommended for students thinking of moving into the monastery to engage in a period of temporary residential training (a week, two weeks, a month or so) before making the decision to move in permanently. Students living in the monastery are required to attend all of the scheduled sittings, so you need to be practising as a general student to meet this requirement.
Saturday, August 13th to Saturday, August 20th
Saturday, August 13th: “Wild Time: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on “Uji: Being Time” by Eihei Dogen zenji: Reading of “Uji: Being Time” (1 of 13)
Monday, August 15th: “Every Breath You Take” by Ven. Shikai Zuiko o-sensei: “Entering a Village to Beg for Alms" (Dharma Talk 102)
Thursday, August 18th: "The Dragon in His Waters, the Tiger in Her Mountains, part 3" by Ven. Jinmyo Renge sensei (3 of 3)
Saturday, August 20th: “Wild Time: Zen Master Anzan Hoshin's commentaries on “Uji: Being Time” by Eihei Dogen zenji: “Now and Then” (2 of 13)
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
Ten directions; jippo (J) Everywhere: the four cardinal directions, four sub-directions, up, down.
Posted August 12th, 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 “. 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 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings for residents:
Monday Yakuseki:
Garlic noodles (spaghettini with lots of minced garlic, sambal oelek and vegetarian oyster sauce; deep-fried monastery tempeh (soybean tempeh cut, steamed, and then deep-fried in a spicy batter containing minced chilis, garlic, chopped scallions, all purpose flour and rice flour; dipping sauce of kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce), minced garlic and thinly sliced red chilies; miso shiru made with kombu, reconstituted shitake mushrooms, ginger, shoyu, mirin, miso, rice vinegar, sliced silken tofu and bok choy.
Tuesday Yakuseki:
Crusty rolls with butter.
Vegetarian option: white bean stew (cannellini beans, diced carrots and celery, minced garlic, diced potatoes, vegetable stock, thyme, parsley, oregano, cayenne, lots of black pepper, apple cider vinegar.
For those who wished to supplement their diet with meat: cooked chicken added to a separate pot of the stew described above.
Tomato, black olive and artichoke salad with fresh basil and red onion.
Thursday Yakuseki:
Fried rice (made with leftover calrose rice and brown rice, seasoned with the dipping sauce from Monday yakuseki - Indonesian sweet soy sauce), minced garlic and thinly sliced red chilies); deep fried tofu in chili sauce with garlic, ginger, and sliced red onion; strained broth from Monday yakuseki miso shiru; salad of Romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, celery.
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 Saigyo ino:
Thank you to Ceri Behar for a gift of fabric for monastic robes, sent from his home in Istanbul, Turkey.
From George Donovan:
I would like to thank Mishin godo and Saigyo ino and I am grateful for their efforts in making me feel welcome at the Monastery as I sat my partial retreat this past Wednesday.
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