Blog Archives

Sangha News for December

12/15/2025

Commentaries

Dōgen’s Chinese Poems (95)
A Fragrant Period of Zazen
Commentary by Shōhaku Okumura
507. Dharma Hall Discourse Requested by Scribe Gijun as a Memorial for the Sake of Venerable [Kakuzen] Ekan

The old crane nests in the clouds, not yet awakened from sleep.
Frost piles up on snow in the icy cauldron.
For adorning his reward in the Buddha land, nothing is needed
Besides the slight fragrance of practice during one stick of incense.

To explain who Ekan was, I need to write about the early history of Japanese Zen. Zen was a new Buddhist movement introduced to Japan from Song China in the early Kamakura period (1192–1333). Before that, there were small numbers of people studying and practicing Zen but their influences were limited. Among them was Saichō (最澄, 766/767–822), the founder of the Japanese Tendai school. While he was young, he studied Northern School (北宗) Zen with his Japanese teacher Gyōhyō (行表, 722–797). Later, when he visited China to study and transmit Tendai teachings, he studied the Zen teaching of the Niutou School (牛頭宗, Gozushū, Oxhead School) and brought back some Zen texts. Later, some Tendai masters who visited China brought back quite a few Zen texts because that was the so-called golden age of Zen in Tang dynasty China. Zen was one of the four major elements Saichō wanted to integrate within his own school, together with Tendai teachings, Esoteric Buddhism, and the bodhisattva precepts. But the practice of Zen did not become popular. READ MORE

I Vow With All Beings:
Formally Leaving Home
Commentary and artwork by Hoko Karnegis

FORMALLY LEAVING HOME,
I VOW WITH ALL BEINGS
TO LEAVE HOME WITH THE BUDDHA
AND RESCUE ONE AND ALL.

When householders take the precepts, that ceremony is called zaike tokudo 在家得度, staying home and acquiring the Way. When novices undertake ordination, that ceremony is called shukke tokudo 出家得度, leaving home and acquiring the Way. Becoming a homeleaver harkens back to the story of Siddhartha Gautama coming to a decision as a result of his discernment and physically leaving his home and family in pursuit of spiritual liberation, eventually experiencing awakening under the bodhi tree. Thus, this gāthā deals with some of the oldest content of our tradition. READ MORE

In this issue:

Commentaries: A fragrant period of zazen; Formally leaving home
From our directors: Maintaining our place of practice
Practice recap: Rohatsu sesshin & Buddha's awakening ceremony
Coming up: Introduction to sesshin; Upcoming holiday closures
Sanshin Network: News from Arkansas

New resources on the web

Sanshin source

What's new at Sanshin Source?

Here's Hoko's essay on sheltering in sacred space, part of our look at nyoho shelter.
There's a new entry on Tonen's blog, Thinking About Dharma.
There are weekly essays on the 108 Gates page and monthly essays on the I Vow page.

dharma talks

Nov 16th: Myogen - "Pay attention to the details and let the big picture take care of itself"
Nov 23rd: Hoko - Sheltering in Sacred Space

108 gates

Okumura Roshi was recently interviewed on the Paths of Practice podcast about his entry into Buddhist practice, his life of teaching, and the way his practice manifests today.

Sanshin's monthly board meetings are open to the public.

If you are interested, you are welcome to listen in on this month's meeting on Sunday, December 28th, from 7 - 8:30 pm ET, using the regular Zoom link on our virtual practice page.

From our directors

Maintaining our place of practice: Approaching our end-of-year appeal goal!

Sanshin Zen Community commemorated the Buddha's awakening by holding Rohatsu sesshin earlier this month (see below), alongside Buddhist practice communities around the world.

At Sanshin, we practice a refined style of sesshin created by our dharma grandfather, Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, and originally practiced by the sangha at Antaiji in Kyoto, which included our founder, Shohaku Okumura. During these "sesshin without toys," we let go of activities like dharma talks, chanting services, work periods, and meetings with teachers to focus wholeheartedly on zazen as our truest teacher, in community.

Image by Jikei Kido, 2023.

This kind of practice requires little—just cushions, sustenance, silence, a roof, and a simple aspiration for practice and awakening together. But sustaining the space where such practice can unfold year after year requires your support.

We are currently raising funds to make crucial repairs to our temple. You can help ensure that our intensive style of sesshin remains a refuge of deep practice for future generations.

Fundraising Goal: $25,000
Raised so far: $23,299*
(*as of Dec 13th)

Even if you are not able to give at this time, we value your support through your continued practice.

With gratitude,
Mark Fraley, Norma Fogelberg, Tonen O'Connor, and Gene Elias
Sanshin Development Committee

Practice Recap

Rohatsu sesshin & Buddha's awakening ceremony: Seven practitioners participated in most of our recent Rohatsu sesshin, Dec 3 - 8, with drop-in zazen participation and meals contributed by several others. The sesshin ended as always with a chant of the Heart Sutra to break silence at midnight on Monday, Dec 8th. The sangha publicly marked Shakyamuni's awakening on the following Sunday, Dec 14th, with a dharma talk by Doju, a Heart Sutra service, and a warm potluck lunch on a very cold and snowy day.

Coming up

Introduction to sesshin -- Register by Jan 6th, 2026
Sat, January 10th, 2026 with Doju Layton

In the lineage of Antaiji and Sanshinji, sesshin is not a test of endurance but a quiet opportunity to “just sit”—shikantaza—together with all beings, deepening our understanding of the Buddha Way through wholehearted, simple practice. This introductory retreat will provide both instruction and direct experience in zazen (seated meditation), kinhin (walking meditation), and zendo etiquette and forms. Participants will also receive guidance in ōryōki (shared formal meals eaten using particular forms and utensils, maintaining the mind of zazen) and explore the meaning of sesshin as taught in this tradition. The schedule balances periods of silent practice, practical instruction, and opportunities for discussion. LEARN MORE & REGISTER BY JAN 6.

Upcoming holiday closures: In the midst of the busy winter holidays, Sanshin will be closed on December 24 - 26 (Wednesday - Friday) and January 1 - 3 (Thursday - Saturday). We encourage you to carry on your practice in ways appropriate for you during this time.

For full information on our regular practice schedule, visit our Schedules & Calendars page.

Sanshin Network

Sanshin practitioners visit Gyobutsuji: In mid-November, local Sanshin practitioners Esho and Sawyer traveled to Arkansas to visit Gyobutsuji, founded by Shoryu Bradley, a dharma heir of Okumura Roshi. The two of them folded into the daily practice schedule for three days, and Esho offered the community's Saturday dharma talk. They enjoyed experiencing a similar flavor of practice to that carried out at Sanshin, amidst the more remote quiet in the woods of the Ozark Highlands.

Shoryu, his wife Lacey, and their dog Monty took Sawyer and Esho on a hike along nearby Sweden Creek.

Precepts at Gyobutsuji: In mid-August, Lacey Bradley, Austin Brown, Robyn Groth and Jake Lowenstein underwent zaike tokudo, formally receiving the bodhisattva precepts from Shoryu as lay practitioners.

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