Sangha News for July, 2021

Dōgen, on Dōgen

Shohaku Okumura

Dōgen’s Chinese Poems (43)

[Dōgen’s] Verses of Praise on Portraits of Himself

Having eaten the old fist of Taibai,
Bulging eyes see both North Star and cowherd.
Myself is deceived by myself, with nowhere to search.
For your sake, the old woman still moved gently.

The oldest and most well-known portrait of Dōgen is stored at Hōkyōji, established by Hōkyō Jakuen (1207–1299), one of Dōgen’s disciples. According to some scholars, the painting stored there was made while Dōgen was alive, and the calligraphy of the praising verse was written by Dōgen himself on fifteenth day of the eighth month in 1249. The fifteenth day of the eighth month is the full moon day, when Dōgen and his sangha often had a party to see the beautiful full moon and compose poems. This painting is called “Dōgen’s portrait watching the moon.” That is why in the painting his eyesight is going upward. Other scholars think the painting was made after Dōgen’s death and the calligraphy was made by someone else.
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​In This Issue:

• Okumura Roshi:  Dōgen, on Dōgen
• Practice recap: July at-home retreat
• Other news: Local reopening to begin August 8; Zendo remodel nearly complete; New music from Ramón
• Sanshin Network:​ Belgium returns to in-person intensive practice; Great Wind builds a (tiny) library; Zen arts in Armenia; Shoryu returns to his roots; Video from Vienna; Sesshin in Sicily
• Resources from Sanshin
• Giving to Sanshin

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Practice recap

July at-home retreat: ​Hosshin and Hoko were in the zendo for the three days of the retreat, with a few 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​. 

Other news

 Local reopening to begin August 8:  Sanshin will reopen for local practice concurrent with the annual meeting that will be held the weekend of August 6 - 8.  The board of directors will be meeting all weekend, as it does annually, to review the status of Sanshin's operations, make longer-term plans, and choose new directors and officers for the subsequent year. 

Regular in-person Sunday practice will happen on the 8th and Okumura Roshi will be giving the dharma talk.  Following the talk the board will host lunch for local sangha members, give an update on its weekend of work and take questions from the sangha.  There will be plenty of time for socializing and getting reacquainted after the year-and-a-half shutdown. 

Some important things to know about this reopening:
- Sanshin will be holding local regular practice only for now.  Folks who live in town and have been fully vaccinated will be welcome to attend morning zazen and service, evening zazen and Sunday zazen and dharma talk.  The Wednesday evening book group will remain virtual for the moment, until we can determine the best way to make that a hybrid activity.

- We will not be offering guest practice for some time yet.  That includes sesshin, retreats, weekend workshops, etc.  There are logistics unrelated to COVID that need to be worked out, and as of now we can't provide meals, housing or guidance and direction.  If you're outside of the Bloomington area, please continue to join us virtually.

- Virtual practice will continue after the local reopening.  However, the priority is likely to be on restarting local in-person practice rather than on developing specifically virtual activities and events.

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Zendo remodel nearly complete:  Under Hosshin's direction (and largely due to his own pro bono work), the alcove altar has been completed, the walls painted and bamboo wainscoting installed.  At the foot of the zendo stairs, the walls have been patched and painted and the old wire coat rack replaced with a bespoke fixture for robes and clergy belongings.  While there are still some items left to complete, in general the lower level practice area has a fresh and updated look and is ready to welcome returning practitioners.

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New music from Ramón:  Former guest manager Ramón García-Tamaran has announced the release of a new CD of original piano music and poems dedicated to his late wife Rachael, who passed away in November, 2020.  "Music and Words for An Absence is a tribute to the memory of my loving wife.  It is my wish and hope that this project provides comfort and healing to those grieving the loss of a loved one and soothing peace and enjoyment to all."

Ramón is a native of Spain.  A member of the Bloomington Zen Group since its inception in the early 90s, he's been practicing Zen for more than 25 years and has studied with Rev. Myoyu Andersen and Rev. Teijo Munich.  In 1996 he became a student of Okumura Roshi and received the precepts from him in 2000, also serving as Sanshin's guest manager for nearly 15 years.

Ramón teaches Spanish language at a local high school and serves as the Bloomington area moderator for the international organization Contemplative Outreach  and facilitates weekly meetings of Christian contemplative practice (centering prayer and lectio divina).  He's an accomplished concert pianist, a composer, and an alumnus of IU's Bloomington School of Music. His previous piano CD, Reflections of Spain, echoes his Spanish classical music heritage, his personal spiritual journey and the years of zazen practice in a meditative, soothing, and introspective atmosphere.  ​

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New book available:  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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Sanshin Network

Belgium returns to in-person intensive practice:  
​Centre Shikantaza in Belgium reports that it's held its first weekend retreat in nearly two years.  "It took place in Dongelberg, a small village about 35 miles from Brussels. The retreat was organized by both Centre Shikantaza (Mons) and the Centre Bouddhiste Zen des Pagodes (Brussels).  Nineteen  practitioners from both centers joined in.  Centre Shikantaza's Mokusho Depreay gave the teachings (An Introduction to the Three Gates of Liberation), and Tenshin Crokaert of the Centre Bouddhiste Zen des Pagodes was the tenzo.  We had one meal using oryoki in the zendo."

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Great Wind builds a (tiny) library:  Great Wind Zendo in Danville, IN is the caretaker for a Little Free Library located outside the Hendricks County Historical Museum.  Mark Howell took it down for maintenance and found the wood was rotten, so there's a temporary box in its place while he and Sabine Karner work on the next generation of the library.  "It's being constructed as a representation of the building which used to be the Sheriff's residence and county jail (until the 1970s!) and is now the Hendricks County Historical Museum," Mark explains.  "The library is prominently in front of that building. This temporary library was quickly assembled from scrap plywood and deployed.  Sabine painted on the Celtic patterns on door and side."

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Zen arts in Armenia:  Armenia, South America, that is.  The Bodhidharma Cultural Zen Center is the headquarters of the Soto Zen Community of Colombia in Armenia, capital of the department of Quindío, one of the main cities of the Colombian coffee region.  Densho Quintero explains, "The term 'cultural' in the name of the Center is inscribed because through the artistic expressions associated with Zen, joy and openness towards life can be manifested in a natural way.  We are planning different workshops to introduce the practice of Arts related to Zen tradition.  Our practice is not a path of belief, but the liberation of everything that prevents us from expressing the best of ourselves and living life to the fullest.  Bodhidharma was the great ancestor who brought Zen from India to China in the sixth century C.E. and we wanted to pay tribute to this great ancestor while introducing the practice of Zen to this region of Colombia."  The Bodhidharma Cultural Center brings the authentic practice of a traditional Zen according to the Soto school of Japan, founded by Master Dogen in the thirteenth century and rooted in Densho's lineage and teachings.  His student, Joko Cortés, is the nun in charge of the practice at the Bodhidharma Center.

Coming soon: 
A page on Sanshin's website for our
​Spanish-speaking sangha across the world.  

It will join the pages for our French- and German-speaking sanghas.

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Shoryu returns to his roots:  Shoryu Bradley's recent talk for the Austin Zen Center, "Taking Refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha,"  is available here.  He discusses the meaning of taking refuge in our day to day, moment by moment practice, and how it relates to our zazen as the foundation of our lives.  Now leading practice at Gyobutsuji in Arkansas, he was originally ordained in 2002 by Seirin Barbara Kohn at the Austin Zen Center before coming to Sanshin and receiving transmission from Okumura Roshi.

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Video from Vienna: Daijihi has posted its first talk online here, given by founder Shinko Hagn.  Daijihi was started in late 2019 and has also undertaken several beneficial action initiatives as part of its 1000 Hands project.

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Sesshin in Sicily:  Centro Zen Anshin traveled south from its homebase in Rome to hold a sesshin in Corleone, Palermo.  Doryu Cappelli and Gyoetsu Epifania report, "It's a magical place: a huge golden valley surrounded by mountains of pink rock, crossed by a fresh wind that carries Dharma's breath. And then the harmony and enthusiasm of the Sangha, which nourishes our hearts."

Resources from Sanshin

Virtual morning and evening practice: Sanshin offers weekday morning zazen and liturgy via Zoom.  The complete schedule is here; please email us if you're interested in participating.
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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.