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Building a Temple is Building a Harmonious Sangha
Sanshin Zen Community purchased land in Bloomington, Indiana, where we would like
to establish a practice center to study and practice Dogen Zenji's teachings
through guidance provided by the late Uchiyama Roshi. Since Sanshin Zen Community
was formed in 1996, many people have helped to keep it alive while I have been
busy working for Soto Zen Education Center. I would like to express my deepest
gratitude to all the people who have been supporting Sanshin Zen Community in
some way.
We are now at a starting point to develop our practice center with ongoing and additional
help from many people. I am deeply grateful to all the people who have made contributions
in various ways and who will support Sanshin Zen Community in the future. I remind
myself that building a temple is not a goal itself. Building a temple is for the
sake of genuine study and practice of Dharma. It is my hope that the process of building
a temple will be the genuine and actual study and practice of the Dharma for each
one of us.
When the late Uchiyama Roshi retired from Antaiji in 1975, he gave a final lecture
to his students. He discussed the seven points he had kept in mind while he was the
abbot of Antaiji. He wished to transmit those points to his students. The final point
was, "Cooperate with one another and aim to create a place where sincere practitioners
can practice without trouble." He said, "It is important that every one
of us cooperates with each other, to protect and maintain an atmosphere conducive
to practicing together. There is no one who can claim to always embody bodhi-mind,
the mind that aspires to practice and attain enlightenment. Each of us gathers and
contributes his or her own little bodhi-mind to the general effort. Sawaki Roshi
often said that a monastery is like a charcoal fire in a hibachi. If you put in just
one little coal, it will go out right away. But if you gather many small coals, each
glowing just a little bit, then the fire will flare up. In the same way, every one
of us should contribute a little bodhi-mind and thus enable our sangha to thrive." (Opening
the Hand of Thought p.183)
I have been trying to heed and advance Uchiyama Roshi's teaching on this point. Building
a temple is building a harmonious sangha where each one of us offers something to
support each other and where each of us studies the reality that we can live in a
healthy way only within the network of interdependent origination. I have often thought
about what I might offer to American Zen Buddhism given my particular experience
and background. I was educated and trained in Japan and have been practicing zazen,
and studying and translating Dogen Zenji's and Uchiyama Roshi's teachings mainly
with American people both in Japan and in the U.S. Sanshin Zen Community offerings
may eventually include the following activities:
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A 5-day sesshin every month (or at least 10 times a year) following Uchiyama
Roshi's style, that is, just doing zazen without services, lectures, work
periods, or dokusan;
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Several weekend retreats each year with services, lectures, work periods, dokusan,
etc.;
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Ongoing study of the teachings of Dogen Zenji and his followers regarding Zazen
practice, includin Shobogenzo, Eihei-koroku, Eihei-shingi and other
Zen and Buddhist teachings that support Dogen study;
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Occasional workshops on Dogen Zen and related topics with invited American and
Japanese Zen teachers or scholars; and
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Translation of works by Dogen Zenji and others.
To do this, Sanshin Zen Community practice center is fortunate to have the support
of Zen Center of Bloomington (ZCB) locally. ZCB is a local sangha for people
in the Bloomington, Indiana, area that will share the facilities once they are
built. Sanshin Zen Community practice center will be the hub for Sanshin practitioners
who are spread among many places around the country. The practice center will
also be a center for people who want to practice and study Dogen Zen intensively
for a given period of time.
Gassho,
Shohaku Okumura
A Few Steps Closer: Practice Center Location Is Finalized
In early 2001, Sanshin Zen Community purchased property in Bloomington, Indiana,
for building a practice center. In mid-March, Bob Meadows, the architect and
a member of ZCB, presented a petition for conditional use permit to the City
Zoning Board for a variance from standard residential development. On April 20,
2001, the Bloomington Zoning Board of Appeals approved the application for a
Conditional Use Permit (as a Place of Worship) for the Sanshin Zen Community
by a vote of 5-0. The following statement was submitted along with architectural
drawings and models of the future practice center complex and Okumura residence.
PETITIONER'S STATEMENT FOR CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT
1726 South Olive Street, Bloomington, Indiana
March 15, 2001
Sanshin Zen Community has recently decided to settle in Bloomington and has purchased
a parcel of land, located at 1726 South Olive Street. The Sanshin Zen Community is
a small nation-wide, non-profit, and federally tax-exempt organization, which supports
the teaching and scholarly translation efforts of Rev. Shohaku Okumura. Sanshin has
no formal membership but is composed simply of individuals interested in sustaining
the opportunity to study and work with Rev. Okumura, a well known and highly respected
Zen Buddhist priest and translator of Buddhist texts. Rev. Okumura is presently Director
of the Soto Zen Educational Center in San Francisco, California and travels widely
throughout the United States teaching, consulting and practicing with Zen Meditation
groups. He was previously senior teacher for Minnesota Zen Meditation Center.
The organization intends to construct a modest practice center and residence on the
site for Rev. Okumura and his young family and for those who might wish to visit
for meditation practice and for translation workshops. Bloomington offers a gentle
beauty, diversity and friendliness as well as excellent schools for his children.
The Sanshin Zen Community aspires to a model of simplicity, harmony and tranquility.
The activities of meditation, work and study are conducted, for the most part, in
silence, in an environment of harmony with the beauty of nature. Meditation quietly
begins early each day. Silent residential meditation practice sessions may extend
from a few days to a week long. The Zen Center of Bloomington would relocate their
activities to the center and act as caretakers and assist Sanshin as liaison for
matters relating to the new Sanshin home in Bloomington. At available times it is
hoped that other Bloomington groups will be able to use the facility for yoga, meditation
practices and enjoy the quiet order of the space and gardens to be created.
The proposed development of the site would be a building constructed in two or three
phases. The completed complex would consist of a meditation hall, dormitory/dinning
hall and a residence, all surrounding a central courtyard/garden. The facility would
consist of one and two story elements and would be consistent with the scale of the
surrounding residential neighborhood. The exterior surfaces would be clad with wood
siding and metal roofs. Site lighting would be low wattage garden lights, serving
to light only the walks to and from parking and through the gardens. The complex
would be set back 135 feet from Olive Street and would comply with all residential
rear and side yard setback requirements of the residential zone in which it is located.
The lot, located between Hillside Drive and Miller Drive, is rectangular with 152
feet of street frontage and approximately 263 feet in depth. The relatively flat
parcel slopes four feet toward the southwest and has numerous large trees, including
beech, cherry, elm, locust, maple, pine and walnut. Sanshin will provide for its
own parking needs, will preserve the existing trees and add gardens so as to contribute
positively to the character of the neighborhood.
The building program is intended to begin in the spring of 2001 and will, most likely,
be limited to the gardens and the dormitory/dinning hall portion of the complex.
The first phase building will accommodate regular meditation practice by the Zen
Center of Bloomington, Rev. Okumura's visits and intermittent visitors. Construction
of the remaining portions of the complex are expected to commence within two years.
The first phase of construction is designed for a maximum occupancy at any one time
of 30 persons. The completed center would support 48 persons. Silent meditation is
throughout the day and would end no later than 9:30 PM. Estimated daily morning and
evening attendance of meditation settings would be from three to twelve persons.
Week long mediation practice sessions are generally conducted four times a year and
could have an attendance of twenty to twentyfour persons. Periodically the facility
would be used for special lectures. The only full time residents of the complex will
be Rev. Okumura and his family. A small discrete sign (less than six square feet)
would be erected at the driveway entrance to identify the center.
Sanshin is a community-oriented organization, respectful and concerned with the needs
of the neighborhood and responsive to cooperative efforts to create the most beautiful,
safe and harmonious place to live, without disturbing the existing traditions or
character of the neighborhood. The Sanshin Zen Community looks forward to becoming
a part of the greater Bloomington community.
Any additional questions relating to this application can be addressed to Robert
E. Meadows, Architect, 705 Meadowbrook Drive, Bloomington, IN 47401.
Design Considerations
When Bob Meadows asked Shohaku Okumura, “What do you want me to keep in mind
as I design the Sanshin Zen Community Practice Center,” Shohaku replied that
the buildings and grounds should meet the needs of an American practice and that
the designs should have associations with American traditions. With that said, Bob
found inspiration in the simplicity of Shaker designs, a great American Midwest form,
the barn, and our adaptations of Japanese gardens. It's these design elements that
lend a sense of familiarity to the artist renderings, plans and elevations of the
future Practice Center shown here. The land also provided some inspiration and design
opportunities.
Design Inspirations
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Depending on the amount of funds raised, the first phase of construction will include
the building that contains the kitchen, dinning room and resident's lodging (far
right on the plan drawings). Initially, not all the second-floor bedrooms will
be constructed in order to provide an additional open space for community needs.
The first floor of this building will house the zendo temporarily, just until
the formal zendo (center on the plan drawings) can be constructed. The last phase
of construction will likely be the Okumura residence, including Rev. Okumura's
office and library (far left on the plan drawings).
The site plan for the Practice Center includes three separate buildings connected
by a courtyard and walkways. The long axis of the property is oriented east west.
The site layout is reminiscent of Japanese temples and gardens. Trees and gardens
will be important. From left to right, the buildings are: The Okumura family residence
(including Rev. Okumura's office and library), the Mediation Hall and the kitchen/residence
hall. The kitchen/residence hall will be built dur ing the first phase of construction.
The elevations from north and south. At the center is the Meditation Hall, set at
the back of a courtyard. The courtyard gate is set in the center of the covered walkway
shown at the front of the south elevation.
The first floor plan. The three separate buildings, connected by walkways and gardens,
include the teacher's residence and library, the Meditation Hall and a kitchen/residence
hall. The first floor of the kitchen/residence hall will probably be used as a temporary
zendo until resources are available to complete the Meditation Hall.
The second floor plan of the building on the right includes residential lodging.
Dormitories are located in a spacious third floor “attic.” Some of the
individual rooms on the second floor will not be framed out until the Meditation
Hall is built. This will ensure adequate meeting and dinning space in the interim.
Zen Center of Bloomington
The cooperation of Zen Center of Bloomington (ZCB) has been an essential element
in the planning and decision-making that resulted in Sanshin Zen Community's
decision to build its practice center in Bloomington. ZCB has been an enthusiastic
and active partner in making the new location a reality. ZCB is willing to move
its practice to the new facility as caretaker while Shohaku is still in San Francisco.
ZCB practitioners continue to commit energy and effort to the future construction
and landscaping. Sanshin Zen Community looks forward to this continuing productive
cooperation and is grateful for ZCB's efforts.
Zen Center of Bloomington is home to a community of Soto Zen practitioners in south-central
Indiana. With a population of just over 60,000, Bloomington has a disproportionately
high number of Dharma practitioners. In addition to Zen Center, Bloomington hosts
a number of other Dharma groups, including the Dagom Geden Tensung Ling Buddhist
Monastery, the Dromtonpa Buddhist Center, Ganden Dheling Buddhist Temple, and the
Tibetan Cultural Center. Also practicing in Bloomington are Theravada, Ch'an, Shambhala,
and Soka Gakki sanghas.
ZCB began in 1991 as the Bloomington Zen Meditation Group in the library of the Unitarian
Universalist Church. Several other organizations such as St. Mark's United Methodist
Church and Friends Meeting House also donated space for ZCB to use over the years.
In May of 1998 the group of practitioners became Zen Center of Bloomington and opened
the doors of their new zendo on the town square.
In addition to a weekly practice schedule, ZCB offers a number of other activities,
including a discussion group, yoga, special lectures, workshops and a full schedule
of sesshins throughout the year. ZCB also offers its zendo to a Vipassana meditation
group. Among the teachers who have led sesshins for ZCB Sangha are Myoyu Andersen
Sensei, Rev. Shohaku Okumura, Rev. Teijo Munnich, and Rev. Taiken Yokoyama.
Zen Center of Bloomington plans to share space with Sanshin Zen Community at their
future center on Bloomington's south side and will act as caretakers for the facility
until Shohaku-san and his family arrive. Please visit Zen Center of Bloomington on
the Web at www.bloomingtonzen.org.
The Next Steps
Sanshin Zen Community's Practice Center is no longer just an idea. We can all set
our sites on upcoming milestones. A zendo raising is in the works and there is
groundwork to be laid for Rev. Okumura's move from San Francisco to Bloomington
in early 2003.
We can beam about the future and take stock in what's gotten us to this point. The
Sanshin Zen Community Board of Directors and ZCB members have worked with a realtor
to locate suitable property for the practice center and are continuing to seek temporary
housing for the Okumura family. These practitioners worked with the city zoning office,
made public presentations to the Bloomington community, and have played their networks
to find sources of affordable building fixtures. Bob Meadows has provided his architectural
services pro bono and is heading up a committee of experienced craftsmen, all Zen
practitioners and residents of the Bloomington area, who are willing to deal with
major construction decisions and oversee construction management and coordination.
Carol Shapiro, also from ZCB, will be working with others on the design and installation
of the courtyard garden and other landscaping.
Although the property purchase and developments around Practice Center construction
are exciting, the attention to ongoing study and zazen practice is abiding. Many
volunteers have helped organize Sanshin sesshins or sesshins at which Sanshin teachers
have been invited to teach. Practice involved in establishing and maintaining the
Sanshin mailing list, newsletter and the website help benefit the practice of others.
More information about the timeline, activities at the property and opportunities
to participate in or contribute to Practice Center development should be available
by late summer. The Fall newsletter and the Sanshin Zen Community web site (now under
construction) at www.sanshinzencommunity.org will include updates. If you are interested
in contributing, please return the cutout slip on the newsletter insert.
New Books
Nothing Is Hidden, a book of essays on Dogen Zenji's Tenzo
Kyokun, is the work of several translators and the editors, Jisho Warner, Shohaku
Okumura, John McRae and Taigen Dan Leighton. This collection was originally published
in 1978 by Eiheiji, Soto Zen's main temple in Japan. Contemporary Zen masters and
scholars, including Dainin Katagiri, Shundo Aoyama, and Kosho Uchiyama, present their
perspectives and Griffith Foulk provides a lively translation of Tenzo Kyokun.
This English translation is one of the commemorative activities planned for the 800th
anniversary of Dogen's birth and the 750th anniversary of his death sponsored by
the Soto Zen Education Center, an affiliate of the Japanese headquarters of Soto
Zen. (Weatherhill , New York, 2001)
Sitting Under the Bodhi Tree is a collection of
edited lectures inspired by Dogen's Bendowa. The teachers Blanche Hartman,
Shohaku Okumura, Eko Little, Sekijun Karen Sunna, Tenkei Coppens, Katherine Thanas,
and Gengo Akiba gave the lectures during a 1998 sesshin at Tassajara Monastery in
California. This is the first publication of Soto Zen Education Center, which was
formed in 1996 to foster relationships between American Zen Centers through a connection
with the Japanese Soto Zen headquarters. (Soto Zen Education Center, 1691 Laguna
St., San Francisco, CA 94155, (415) 567-7686).
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