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Sangha News for June, 2021

6/15/2021

 

Manifesting the true body

Shohaku Okumura
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Dōgen’s Chinese Poems (42)
Verses of Praise on Portraits

Shinsan 5

Master Butsuju [Myōzen]
His everyday practice of the way was thorough and intimate.
When he passed into nirvāṇa his face was fresh.
Tell me, what is his affair today?
Since the vajra flame, he manifests his true body.
Myōzen was one of Dōgen’s early teachers. He was sometimes called Butsuju-bō. Butsuju (仏樹, Buddha Tree) is Myōzen’s bōgō (房号), the name of a monk’s hermitage or cell. In Japan, Buddhist monks were known by the name of the place they lived, such as their temples (for example, Eihei Dōgen), or by the names of their hermitage or cell within a larger temple. Dōgen Zenji was also sometimes known by his bōgō, Buppō-bō (仏法房, Buddha Dharma) even though it is not certain if he lived in a hermitage by that name or if it was just a kind of a nickname. This custom came from China, where a person’s real name was not usually used outside one’s family. I suppose this poem was composed when Myōzen’s portrait was painted and Dōgen was asked to write a praising poem for the painting.  READ MORE
​In This Issue:
  • Okumura Roshi:  Manifesting the true body
  • Practice recap: June at-home retreat
  • Other news: New book available soon
  • Coming up: July at-home retreat
  • Sanshin Network:​ Belgian sangha offers meditation for adults with autism; Antaiji-style sesshin in Minnesota; Jukai in Colombia
  • Resources from Sanshin
  • Giving to Sanshin

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Practice recap

June at-home retreat: ​Hosshin and Hoko were in the zendo for the three days of the retreat, with about a dozen other practitioners participating from home over the course of the event.  Okumura Roshi gave the Sunday dharma talk at the end of the retreat; that recording is available here​.  The next at-home retreat is set for July.
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Other news

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New book available soon: Squabbling Squashes is a story for children of all ages about interconnection and learning to live in harmony amid differences, based on a parable from Kosho Uchiyama’s classic bestseller Opening the Hand of Thought.  Written by Carol Lingman and Okumura Roshi, it was illustrated by Minette Mangahas and published by Wisdom Publications.
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Coming up

July at-home retreat:  Join us virtually for three days of practice in the style of our sesshin, a retreat devoted simply to sitting zazen.  Sanshin leaders will be in the zendo maintaining the schedule and carrying out the activities of a standard sesshin day at Sanshin.  You are welcome to connect via Zoom and follow along at home for as much of the day as you like.  The sangha will arrive for the final zazen period and the retreat will officially end just prior to the regular Sunday dharma talk; you are welcome to attend that talk if you choose.  Visit this page for complete information and to register.
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Sanshin Network

Belgian sangha offers meditation for adults with autism:  Mokusho DePreay reports that Centre Shikantaza will offer twice-monthly online meditation sessions for autistic adults.  More information about the genesis of the project and the links between autism and meditation are on the sangha's website.

Antaiji-style sesshin in Minnesota:  Shodo Spring notes, "We'll be sitting in silence here beginning Thursday evening June 17 and ending Tuesday afternoon.  If there are people who would like to join us for partial sitting, we invite them to online orientation. The sesshin as a whole will not be online.  The plan is for a small group (up to 5). The zendo is cool and the sleeping rooms are cool. We'll ask people to be vaccinated or have a recent covid test; it's a conversation with each person individually."  For more information and to register, visit the Mountains and Waters Alliance website.  

Jukai in Colombia:  Remaining mindful of public health protocols, Densho Quintero gave the precepts to 11 recipients at the Soto Zen Community of Colombia.  A videorecording of the ceremony is available here.​
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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.  The complete schedule is here; please email us 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.
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Giving to Sanshin

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.

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. ​

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