Crossing the stream
Shohaku Okumura Dōgen’s Chinese Poems (33) Two Verses on Winter Solstice (2) 「冬至二首」（其之二） Everywhere you meet him, completing your face. Turn your body and head to pervade the heavens. In this transition, though borrowing the strength of the [teacher’s] fist, From the beginning, the effort of your nostrils has been to exhale. According to The Anthology of Ancestral Hall (祖堂集, Zutanji), when his master Yunyan Tansheng[3] was on his deathbed, Dongshan asked, “One hundred years after your passing away, if someone asks me, if I could have painted your portrait, what should I say to that person?” In Zen literature, it is said that a disciple received a portrait (真) of the teacher when they became a dharma heir of the teacher. This means that Dongshan is asking if he (Dongshan) truly saw and understood Yunyan’s true face. Yunyan answered, “Just tell him, [I am] just this person (只這个漢是).” In a later text, Yunyan’s saying is, “Just this is it (即這箇是 or 只這是).” Since Dongshan did not really understand and continued to think, Yunyan tried to explain the meaning; but Dongshan asked Yunyan not to give him an explanation. He wanted to continue to investigate what this meant by himself. After the three-year mourning period was over, Dongshan and his dharma brother Shenshan left Yunyan’s monastery and traveled together. While they were crossing a stream, Dongshan had a realization about Yunyan’s saying, “Just this person (just this is it.” READ MORE |
IN THIS ISSUE:
|
PRACTICE ROUNDUP
Practitioners join in another one-day virtual retreat
Hosshin and Seigen carried out a day of practice in the style of sesshin held at Sanshin before the shutdown, and 15 others participated virtually for some or all of the day. One practitioner said, "It's the first one of these I have attended and I feel it was very successful from my point of view. I also very much appreciated the minimalist approach. To me the strength of zazen was all the more powerful that way. Fewer distractions. I will certainly be doing it again."
Hosshin and Seigen carried out a day of practice in the style of sesshin held at Sanshin before the shutdown, and 15 others participated virtually for some or all of the day. One practitioner said, "It's the first one of these I have attended and I feel it was very successful from my point of view. I also very much appreciated the minimalist approach. To me the strength of zazen was all the more powerful that way. Fewer distractions. I will certainly be doing it again."
OTHER NEWS
Two zafu shells free to a good home
Yuko offers these two zafu shells, one of which is brown and regular size and the other one is smaller and light blue. Both have a machine-stitched leaf pattern around the top. "I made them years ago and was selling them through my business, but I closed my business website last year," she explained. The shells need to be stuffed with kapok in order to make them functional as zafus. If you're interested in them, please email our office.
New books of interest
|
Discovering the True Self (Arthur Braverman) is an anthology of Kodo Sawaki’s teachings and sayings gathered from throughout his lifetime. It's one of a few collections of Sawaki’s teachings published in English; his life and work bracket the most intriguing and influential period of modern Zen practice in Japan and America. Two of his students who became known in America as well as in Japan were Kosho Uchiyama, abbot of Antaiji and author of Opening The Hand of Thought, and Gudo Nishijima, Zen teacher and translator of Dogen’s Shobogenzo. Okumura Roshi contributed an endorsement for the book.
Clean Slate: Images from Dogen's Garden (Marcia Lieberman) combines Dogen's poetry with images of plants he might have seen during his lifetime while living in Japan. With the support of Kyoto University and the San Francisco Botanical Garden Library Marcia was able to complete research that led to a list of plants that are recorded to have existed in Japan during the 13th century. She made it her intention to find and photograph these specimens. The gathering of these images is not to make a scientific analysis, rather to consider and imagine what beauty provoked his writing. Okumura Roshi contributed a short piece to the book. |
coming up
Discussion: The Intersection of Dharma and Politics
Saturday, October 10, 2 - 4 pm EDT
with Mark Fraley and Dennis McCarty
Our current political environment poses profound challenges for those committed to the alleviation of suffering. The nation is confronting a dangerous pandemic, menacing forest fires, and intensifying street protests. All of this takes place amidst a contentious presidential election that further reveals that deep divisions that exist within our families and communities. Yet, our present situation also provides important opportunities to skillfully engage our Dharma practice and take beneficial action.
Join us for a civil conversation about our present state of affairs and how it relates to our role as bodhisattvas. The first part of the conversation will deal with our thoughts and feelings about current affairs in the context of the 2020 elections. The second part of the discussion will pertain to our role as practitioners as we aim to take skillful action during trying times.
Please note that this will not be a debate, but a discussion in which all participants, regardless of background or political persuasion, are invited to share their perspectives and engage differences with curiosity and compassion. To receive the Zoom link, please RSVP by sending an email to Mark Fraley at mark.fraley@sanshinji.org. There is no charge for this event, but donations will be gratefully accepted; see our Giving page.
Saturday, October 10, 2 - 4 pm EDT
with Mark Fraley and Dennis McCarty
Our current political environment poses profound challenges for those committed to the alleviation of suffering. The nation is confronting a dangerous pandemic, menacing forest fires, and intensifying street protests. All of this takes place amidst a contentious presidential election that further reveals that deep divisions that exist within our families and communities. Yet, our present situation also provides important opportunities to skillfully engage our Dharma practice and take beneficial action.
Join us for a civil conversation about our present state of affairs and how it relates to our role as bodhisattvas. The first part of the conversation will deal with our thoughts and feelings about current affairs in the context of the 2020 elections. The second part of the discussion will pertain to our role as practitioners as we aim to take skillful action during trying times.
Please note that this will not be a debate, but a discussion in which all participants, regardless of background or political persuasion, are invited to share their perspectives and engage differences with curiosity and compassion. To receive the Zoom link, please RSVP by sending an email to Mark Fraley at mark.fraley@sanshinji.org. There is no charge for this event, but donations will be gratefully accepted; see our Giving page.
Resources from Sanshin
Virtual morning and evening practice: Sanshin offers weekday morning zazen and liturgy via Zoom. The zazen period begins at 6:10 EST and lasts 50 minutes; liturgy follows directly afterward. In the evenings, zazen begins at 6:30 and lasts 30 minutes. Please email our office if you're interested in participating.
Sanshin Solo: Recognizing that more folks than ever are now practicing in Sanshin's style by themselves, we've added a Sanshin Solo page to our website offering tips and information about practicing on your own.
Dharma study: Study materials remain available from our Dogen Institute and video recordings of dharma talks on our YouTube channel.
Virtual morning and evening practice: Sanshin offers weekday morning zazen and liturgy via Zoom. The zazen period begins at 6:10 EST and lasts 50 minutes; liturgy follows directly afterward. In the evenings, zazen begins at 6:30 and lasts 30 minutes. Please email our office if you're interested in participating.
Sanshin Solo: Recognizing that more folks than ever are now practicing in Sanshin's style by themselves, we've added a Sanshin Solo page to our website offering tips and information about practicing on your own.
Dharma study: Study materials remain available from our Dogen Institute and video recordings of dharma talks on our YouTube channel.
Resources from around the Sanshin Network
Centers and groups from around our global network are offering virtual practice in multiple languages and are willing to include practitioners from outside their immediate sanghas. Please see this page of our website for a complete listing.
Centers and groups from around our global network are offering virtual practice in multiple languages and are willing to include practitioners from outside their immediate sanghas. Please see this page of our website for a complete listing.
SANSHIN STYLE AND SPIRIT |
SANSHIN NETWORK
In-person practice resumes in Belgium
Centre Shikantaza reopened on September 1 and resumed some in-person activities as well as continuing some offerings online. Mask and handwashing protocols remain in effect, and cushions are spaced for social distancing.
Centre Shikantaza reopened on September 1 and resumed some in-person activities as well as continuing some offerings online. Mask and handwashing protocols remain in effect, and cushions are spaced for social distancing.
|
Activities in Germany
Kyoku Lutz is working on a Buddha statue for the Frühlingsmond Zendo in Hannover in cooperation with the Werkstatt DKH in Nienburg under the direction of Reinhold Büdeker. "A wonderful small work community has been created!" On August 29, an intercultural and interreligious event was held on the topic of "Sustainable Development in Africa using the example of the Democratic Republic of Congo" under the direction of Prof. Dr. Blaise Feret Pokos, University of Hamm/Westfalen. The venue was a protestant community in Celle. Kyoku is a member of the organizing association "Pona Bolamu" ("Serving the Good“) and was invited to moderate the event. She gives these further updates on sangha activities:
|
|
|
Opening ceremony set for new zendo in Vienna
Shinko Hagn and the sangha at Daijihi in Vienna have completed work on their new zendo and will hold an opening ceremony on September 20. “We don't need a special place to practice," Shinko said. "We don't need a beautiful temple. We need a place where the dharma can come alive. To create this field, we built a zendo in our house. Sanshinji is the role model, I once thanked Okumura Roshi for his hospitality during my visit to Sanshin, and he replied, 'This is not my house. This is a house of the Buddha.'" Practitioners themselves completed the work. "Our sangha did everything by itself and only tried to work with things that were already there. Since we do not have a Buddha Hall or a second altar, we tried to make an 'all in one altar." Daijihi has also updated and posted its fall practice schedule. |
|
Hoko deploys for wildfire relief
Hoko, Sanshin's vice abbot, is in Portland, OR doing disaster relief related to the West Coast wildfires. She's on a two-week Red Cross deployment and at the moment is one of those overseeing the dormitory in the evacuation shelter at the Oregon Convention Center, with the Riverside fire raging less than 30 miles away. "We had about 60 souls when I arrived, and within a few days about a quarter of them were able to leave," she reports. "Some are able to go to family or friends, and some go back to their homes when the fire danger is no longer immediate. None of these evac areas is in the clear, but no one wants to be in a shelter if there's any chance of going home." Anxiety, fatigue and tedium can settle on evacuated residents and result in short tempers, discouragement and depression, so tending to their emotional as well as physical needs is important. "The Red Cross is always telling us to be unrelentingly kind," Hoko said," and these folks really do need kindness." She previously deployed to South Carolina during relief operations following Hurricane Florence in 2018.
Hoko, Sanshin's vice abbot, is in Portland, OR doing disaster relief related to the West Coast wildfires. She's on a two-week Red Cross deployment and at the moment is one of those overseeing the dormitory in the evacuation shelter at the Oregon Convention Center, with the Riverside fire raging less than 30 miles away. "We had about 60 souls when I arrived, and within a few days about a quarter of them were able to leave," she reports. "Some are able to go to family or friends, and some go back to their homes when the fire danger is no longer immediate. None of these evac areas is in the clear, but no one wants to be in a shelter if there's any chance of going home." Anxiety, fatigue and tedium can settle on evacuated residents and result in short tempers, discouragement and depression, so tending to their emotional as well as physical needs is important. "The Red Cross is always telling us to be unrelentingly kind," Hoko said," and these folks really do need kindness." She previously deployed to South Carolina during relief operations following Hurricane Florence in 2018.
Are we reaching you?
Do we have the best and most current contact information for you? If you've changed your e-mail address or moved to a new place of residence, or if we've never had complete information about how to reach you, it's time to update your record. Please take a moment to go here to send us the contact information you'd like us to use. We'll check it against your current record and update as needed. Don't miss any of the upcoming communications from Sanshin -- update your info today!
Do we have the best and most current contact information for you? If you've changed your e-mail address or moved to a new place of residence, or if we've never had complete information about how to reach you, it's time to update your record. Please take a moment to go here to send us the contact information you'd like us to use. We'll check it against your current record and update as needed. Don't miss any of the upcoming communications from Sanshin -- update your info today!
Gifts of financial support
Whether as a practitioner, a financial supporter, a listener/reader or simply as an interested friend, Sanshin welcomes you to our international sangha. Like all nonprofit organizations, Sanshin depends on the generous offerings of those whose lives are helped by the work it does. Visit this page to set up a monthly donation or make a one-time gift online, or download a form to use when giving by check.
Community give-back programs
Designating Sanshin Zen Community as the recipient of give-back programs is a painless way to provide funding support simply by making your usual purchases!
Amazon Smile: Instead of going to Amazon's regular homepage, go to Amazon Smile and sign into your Amazon account. Choose Sanshin Zen Community as your charity, and .05% of what you spend will come to us. Remember, only purchases at smile.amazon.com (not www.amazon.com or the mobile app) support Sanshin.
CharityCharge: If you're in the market for a new Mastercard, consider getting it here and joining the friends of Sanshin who have designated us as their nonprofit beneficiary. One percent of what you spend will come to us.
Kroger: If you shop at Kroger with a Plus card, your regular purchases of groceries and household goods can provide financial support for Sanshin. Create or sign in to your Kroger account, enroll in Kroger Community Rewards® with your card, and choose Sanshin as your organization. Every time you shop and swipe your card, a percentage of what you spend will come to us. Fifteen households are already participating on Sanshin's behalf.
Employer giving programs
Friends of Sanshin who work at companies like Google and Adobe are providing regular financial support through payroll deduction and employer gift-matching programs. Check with your employer's human resources or community relations department to see whether giving opportunities like these are available at your workplace.
Whether as a practitioner, a financial supporter, a listener/reader or simply as an interested friend, Sanshin welcomes you to our international sangha. Like all nonprofit organizations, Sanshin depends on the generous offerings of those whose lives are helped by the work it does. Visit this page to set up a monthly donation or make a one-time gift online, or download a form to use when giving by check.
Community give-back programs
Designating Sanshin Zen Community as the recipient of give-back programs is a painless way to provide funding support simply by making your usual purchases!
Amazon Smile: Instead of going to Amazon's regular homepage, go to Amazon Smile and sign into your Amazon account. Choose Sanshin Zen Community as your charity, and .05% of what you spend will come to us. Remember, only purchases at smile.amazon.com (not www.amazon.com or the mobile app) support Sanshin.
CharityCharge: If you're in the market for a new Mastercard, consider getting it here and joining the friends of Sanshin who have designated us as their nonprofit beneficiary. One percent of what you spend will come to us.
Kroger: If you shop at Kroger with a Plus card, your regular purchases of groceries and household goods can provide financial support for Sanshin. Create or sign in to your Kroger account, enroll in Kroger Community Rewards® with your card, and choose Sanshin as your organization. Every time you shop and swipe your card, a percentage of what you spend will come to us. Fifteen households are already participating on Sanshin's behalf.
Employer giving programs
Friends of Sanshin who work at companies like Google and Adobe are providing regular financial support through payroll deduction and employer gift-matching programs. Check with your employer's human resources or community relations department to see whether giving opportunities like these are available at your workplace.