Sangha News for November, 2021

Monkey-mind horse-will

Shohaku Okumura

​Dōgen’s Chinese Poems (47)
Like a lotus in flames

The sitting cushions of the seven buddhas are now about to be worn through;
The sleeping stick of my former teacher [Tiantong Rujing] has been transmitted.
Eyes and nose should be upright and straight,
Headtop reaching up to the blue sky, and ears aligned above the shoulders.

At Dōgen’s monastery Eiheiji, monks devoted themselves to zazen practice so much that their cushions are almost worn through. He says that their cushions (zafu) have been transmitted from Vipaśyin Buddha, who is the first of the seven buddhas of the past (before Shakyamuni Buddha) as we count back through all of the buddha-ancestors. Of course, it is not the cushion but zazen that has been transmitted. The phrase about sitting cushions being worn through comes from the expression “habuton (破蒲團),” literally, “breaking a cushion.”  READ MORE

Practice recap

​In This Issue:

• Okumura Roshi:  Monkey-mind horse-will
• Practice recap: Virtual genzo-e, virtual talk on Ryokan
• Coming up:  Rohatsu sesshin
• Other news:  Squabbling Squashes reviewed in Lion's Roar, two new board members, hiring event coordinator
• Sanshin Network: Updates from Colombia, Germany and Switzerland, Italy, Austria

Holiday closures

Please note that Sanshin will be closed for the following holidays and regular practice will not be held.

• Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26
• Christmas: Friday, December 24 through Sunday, December 26
• New Year: Saturday, January 1 through Tuesday, January 4

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Virtual genzo-e:  More than fifty participants from around the world attended the virtual genzo-e held during the first week of this month.  Okumura Roshi gave nine lectures on Shobogenzo Baika over the course of five days.  The support team included David Thompson, Nate and Iris Cushman, Misaki Kido, Hoko Karnegis, Issan Koyama and Seigen Hartkemeyer.

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Virtual talk on Ryokan:  Okumura Roshi gave a Saturday morning virtual talk on his latest book, Ryokan Interpreted, for Great Tree Women's Temple in Asheville, NC.  The book remains available from Amazon.

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Coming up

Rohatsu sesshin, November 30 - December 8​

Rohatsu is one of the three important Buddha days in the annual calendar.  With this sesshin we honor Buddha's awakening under the bodhi tree.  Sesshin at Sanshin is an opportunity to practice without distraction.  We practice in complete silence following a 5 am to 8 pm daily schedule that consists simply of twelve 50-minute periods of zazen with one-hour breaks for meals.  This sesshin-without-toys style of practice was created by our dharma grandfather, Kosho Uchiyama Roshi and practiced at Antaji in Kyoto, Japan, and we carry on and offer this tradition of our lineage here at Sanshin.  Practitioners who live in Bloomington and have been fully vaccinated may register for full days with communal meals, or may drop in for one or more periods of zazen as they wish (no registration or fee).  A virtual look-in option is also available.  Complete information and registration is here. 

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Other news

Squabbling Squashes reviewed in Lion’s Roar:  A review of Squabbling Squashes, the new children’s book from Wisdom Publications based on a story included in Kosho Uchiyama's Opening the Hand of Thought,  is scheduled to appear in the January issue of Lion’s Roar.  “Indiana-based Zen teacher Shohaku Okumura and Zen practitioner and editor Carol Lingman offer a retelling of a traditional Zen story… A gorgeous, colorful picture book illustrated by calligraphist Minette Mangahas, this read is equally light and profound.”  The book remains available for purchase here.

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Charan Manektala

Two new board members:  Charan Manektala is now serving as Sanshin's treasurer, taking over from Gene Elias.  Charan is a financial planner and a technology instructor at the college level as well as a Sanshin practitioner.  Also joining the board is Michael Kirbie, a student at Indiana University and president of IU’s Buddhist Studies Association.  Read profiles of all of Sanshin's directors here.

There are still opportunities to join Sanshin's committees on fundraising, facilities, technology and residential practice.  Those interested are invited to email Mark Fraley.

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Hiring event coordinator:  The event coordinator organizes and supports practice events occurring in-person on campus and/or virtually through online technology (e.g., Zoom) as well as providing logistical support for two to three trips annually by practice leaders and tracking guest occupancy for the dorm.  See the complete posting here.  Deadline for applications is November 19.

Sanshin Network

Colombia:  Densho Quintero reports that he's just ordained five new novices at La Comunidad Soto Zen de Colombia in Bogota.  Sanshin welcomes the newest additions to the Network.

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Germany and Switzerland: Two new lay-led sanghas practicing in the Sanshin style have been established as affiliates of Frühlingsmond Zendo in Hannover, Germany.  Kudo Jakob and Kyoshin Nadine have organized a group in the south of Germany near Tettnang or Friedrichshafen; for more information, email them here.  In Zurich, Switzerland, rooftop zazen is organized in the center of the city by Myoko; for more information, email her here.

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Italy:  Gyoetsu and Doryu were part of an exhibition called "the Flower Room" during Rome Art Week.  They discussed the newly-released Italian translation of Aoyama Shundo's Hanoujo. The Flowers of Compassion.

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Austria:  Daijihi Soto Zen Sangha has launched a new website for its 1000 Hands residential project.  The campus will include a temple, community center, housing and cafe, offering residential practice for individuals and families as well as reintegration opportunities for those who need support, such as homeless people or people newly released from prison.

For complete information about Sanshin and our style of practice, visit our homepage.