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Sangha News for August, 2021

8/15/2021

 

The crown of a thousand sages

Shohaku Okumura
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Dōgen’s Chinese Poems (44)

[Dōgen’s] Verses of Praise on Portraits of Himself
自賛 Jisan 8


Expressing the way, this body appears as the crown of a thousand sages.
The total function meeting my face is fresh in the ten thousand times.
Some other time, if you want to understand this mountain elder,
Entrusting the bones and entrusting the marrow are equally intimate.


“Expressing the way” is a translation of dōtoku (道得). In this case, dō (道) means “to speak,” “to say,” or “to express.” Toku (得) means “to be able to,” “to attain.” As a compound, dōtoku (道得) literally means “ability to speak.” Dōtoku is an important word in Dōgen’s teaching. He wrote a fascicle of Shōbōgenzo entitled “Dōtoku.” In that fascicle, Dōgen uses this word to include both verbal and wordless expressions. In the first sentence of this fascicle, he wrote that “All the Buddhas and ancestors are dōtoku.” Expression is itself the self of buddhas and ancestors. For us, Dōgen is what he wrote, said, or did as the expression of himself based on his lifelong practice and study of the Dharma.  READ MORE

In This Issue:
  • Okumura Roshi:  The crown of a thousand sages
  • Practice recap: Sanshin reopens for local practice
  • Coming up:  September at-home retreat
  • Other news: Board's annual retreat builds plans and relationships; financial position remains strong for now
  • Sanshin Network: Doju completes hossenshiki; Okumura Roshi's talks for Italy and New York; Mokusho teaches in France; Densho's new book
  • Author answers our questions on Squabbling Squashes
  • Resources from Sanshin
  • Giving to Sanshin

​Are we reaching you?

Do we have the best and most current contact information for you?  If you've changed your e-mail address or moved to a new place of residence, or if we've never had complete information about how to reach you, it's time to update your record.  Please take a moment to go here to send us the contact information you'd like us to use.  We'll check it against your current record and update as needed.  Don't miss any of the upcoming communications from Sanshin -- update your info today!
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Practice recap

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Sanshin is open for regular local practice.  Folks who live in town and have been fully vaccinated are welcome to attend morning zazen and service and Sunday zazen and dharma talk.  Masks are required in accordance with Monroe County public health policy; if you don't have a mask we can provide one for you.  Evening zazen and the Wednesday evening book group will remain virtual for now.

Those planning to attend Sunday practice in person are asked to register each week using the form on our homepage so we can monitor the number of people expected in the zendo.  If it seems we are reaching the limit of the number of people we can safely accommodate, we may close registration or create an overflow space somewhere on our campus.  The county's mask mandate is expected to last through the end of September, and after that time registration and capacity considerations may not be necessary.

We will not be offering guest practice for some time yet.  That includes sesshin, retreats, weekend workshops, etc. as well as individual practice visits.  Accommodations next door to Sanshin at 1708 are not available.  There are logistics unrelated to COVID that need to be worked out, and as of now we can't house you, feed you or provide you personal guidance and direction.  If you're outside of the Bloomington area, please continue to join us virtually.

Virtual practice continues.  Everything Sanshin offered virtually during the shutdown will continue to be available, though you may notice changes in these events as the focus returns to in-person practice.

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Coming up:

At-home retreat, September 2 - 5:  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 stay for that talk if you choose.  READ MORE
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Other news

Board 's annual retreat builds plans and relationships:  President Mark Fraley reports that "Sanshin’s board of directors sat down for a full weekend of productive discussions on Sanshin’s future during the days of August 6th though August 8th.  We met with our strategic consultants on finalizing a plan to establish a residential program as well as a regional dharma center.  Additionally, we established a new working relationship with Sanshin’s practice leaders so we can best work together to address the concerns of sangha members.   We were thrilled to welcome our newest board member Karla (Jigen) Passalacqua, whose skills and experience will add great value to our dharma community."  Read more about Karla on our About Sanshin page.

The weekend of the meeting coincided with Sanshin’s reopening to local sangha members.  Mark notes, "While we were delighted to sit together and enjoy each other’s company at our zendo, we remain vigilant about the current situation and are looking after the well-being of our practitioners. If you have any thoughts or ideas to convey to Sanshin’s board, don’t hesitate to reach out to me."    


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Board secretary Karla Passalacqua

Financial position remains strong for now:  Treasurer Gene Elias provides these key points about Sanshin's financial resources.

•  In both 2019 and 2020, Sanshin generated positive cash flows, in 2019 more than $5,000 and in 2020 slightly less than $5,000. As a result of these surpluses, the board directed that $7,000 in 2019 and $10,000 in 2020 be invested in the Non-qualified Deferred Compensation Plan established for Okumura Roshi. This fund is basically a trust for his use when he leaves the employment of Sanshin. This is not a bank account, per se, but a restricted liability on our balance sheet; it currently stands at $41,000.

•  Year end cash positions for Sanshin between 2018 and the end of the 2nd Quarter of 2021 are as follows:
2018: $163,895
2019: $257,450
2020: $224,680
2021Q2:  $210,277

•  During the first two quarters of 2021, we have been running an operational deficit of about $14,000. This is mostly due to the loss of programs like sesshin, retreats and various other events due to the pandemic. This does not take into account our mid-year fund raising campaign or the proposed genzo-e in November.

•  Lodging revenue was nil in 2021 and for a good portion of 2020. Even without programming, the board elected to keep the lease at 1708 due to its proximity to the zendo. Historically, the “dorm” has operated at a loss, but with no revenues the loss was greater than normal. In 2021 through Q2 this loss was slightly more than $7,200.

•  Our balance sheet is healthy, but we don’t have the resources to support strategic plans and programs currently being contemplated.

Over the last three years, gifts have accounted for an average of 67% of Sanshin’s total revenue.  Donors now have the option to make one-time gifts, to become monthly autopay donors, to contribute to Okumura Roshi’s retirement fund mentioned above, and to contribute to Hojo-san directly (funds do not go through Sanshin).  Information and donation links are on our Giving page.
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Sanshin Network

PictureBack row: Shoryu, dad Daniel Layton, mom Priscilla Layton, Alisyn and Shodo. Front row: Mark Myogen, Doju, Ryumonji abbot Shoken Winecoff, Hoko.
Doju Layton completed his hossenshiki as part of an official ango spent at Ryumonji in Dorchester, IA during which he served as shuso.  The hossenshiki is a demonstration of the shuso's ability to lead the sangha and teach the dharma, and is a milestone in the training of novices as they progress toward being fully authorized clergy.  Several members of the Sanshin family participated in the events, including Hoko, Shodo Spring, Shoryu Bradley,  Mark Myogen Ahlstrom, Allisyn Gillet and Doju's parents.  


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Okumura Roshi gave a virtual talk from Sanshin's zendo as part of a three-day retreat organized in part by Doryu Cappelli and Gyoetsu Epifania with the Dharma Academy in Italy.  The retreat focused on zazen and included work, study and fellowship.

He also gave a series of five virtual talks for a retreat at Zen Mountain Monastery in New York as well as a Sunday public talk that introduced themes from the recent children's book Squabbling Squashes (see more below).  The recording of that talk is available here.


Mokusho DePreay of the Centre Shikantaza in Mons, Belgium, was invited to give some talks about the Heart Sutra during a retreat at Demeure sans Limites in France.
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A new book by Densho Quintero of Soto Zen Columbia is now available: Dudar de la propia conprension: Indagaciones es el camino del zen  (Doubting Your Understanding: Inquiries on the Path of Zen).  “Certainty can be more of an obstacle than a help. When we are sure that we have understood, we stop investigating or we can fall into the arrogance of wanting to impose our points of view on others, thinking that if they do not think like us, they are wrong."  It's available here.
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Author answers our questions about new children's book

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Squabbling Squashes is a story for children of all ages about interconnection and learning to live with both harmony amid differences.  It's based on a parable from Kosho Uchiyama’s Opening the Hand of Thought and was written by sangha member Carol Lingman, with illustrations by Minette Mangahas.  Carol agreed to answer some questions about the book for this issue of our newsletter.

How is this book like and unlike other children’s books? What gap might it fill in the children’s literature now available?

The story of the Squabbling Squashes is a Zen teaching story that has been told by Zen masters since the Tokugawa era in Japan. It describes a key Buddhist idea of interconnectedness of all beings but does so in the simplest possible way—by showing how squashes in a garden discover that they are all connected by a vine.

It is part of a genre of children’s books that presents a serious message in a simple but meaningful way. As with most picture books for young children, the colorful and relatable illustrations embody the message in a way that supports the simple narrative and makes it possible for children to then repeat the story to themselves as if reading it. By repeating the simple story, the child begins “owning” the message and even telling the story in his or her own words.

What were the most important considerations in telling and showing this story?

Squabbling Squashes is kind of a unique story in that it has a message that is clearly conveyed to a young audience through the squash imagery, but the story also points to an important Buddhist idea that can be further explored by adults.

As Okumura Roshi said, ”We think we are independent and we compete with others and we argue. So there are many squabbling squashes in this world.”

The idea of squashes growing together in a garden offers many possibilities for presenting familiar and relatable images for young children to follow.  We tried to literally “put them in the picture” through our words and illustrations—for example when the squashes say that “the monks (or parents) like me better than you.”

What conversations could this story open up between children and their grownups?

There are three messages in the story that can be the basis for conversations between children and adults: (1) living together peacefully on the planet; (2) being interconnected with all beings; (3) learning a way to become quiet and calm in ordinary life.

As Okumura Roshi said, “We have so many squabbling squashes in this world today, so this teaching of finding something strange that connects ourselves with others, of finding that we are living together with all beings, is really a meaningful teaching.”

Grownups can use this story to discuss the idea of how we are all connected and living together. They can also talk about finding a way to calm down by sitting quietly. This is not an unfamiliar strategy for parents and children who often find the need for a “time out” for restoring calm. But this book is particularly useful as it offers specific steps (with pictures) that both adults and children can follow.

What responses to the illustrations and text have you received from children and adults?

There has been an immediate positive response to the colorful illustrations from both children and adults---before they even know what the story is about. Children are particularly attracted to the illustrations of the squashes in the garden

Adults who have children or grandchildren or who work with children know about the importance of finding a way for kids to be calm in a stressful situation, and they appreciate the descriptions and illustrations for learning how to sit quietly. One adult said she immediately sat with her granddaughter in this way, following the illustrations in the book. Others said it was helpful to have validation for their own messages about the importance of finding calm.

Parents and grandparents are also pleased to have a story with a message about being connected and living peacefully with others, particularly in this time of divisiveness. I heard, “It’s a good story for right now” many times.

The book has been very well-received by grandparents who really appreciate a story with a message that they can relate to and talk about with their grandchildren—about a healthy way to live peacefully in the world.

The garden setting and imagery seem to be something that audiences across generations can relate to.

How might this book be of interest to adults as well as to kids?

Squabbling Squashes presents a big idea at a basic level. The idea of interconnectedness can be studied in deeper ways and in many contexts, such social or environmental. Okumura Roshi described the book as “a kind of Zen version of Indra’s net.”

Squabbling Squashes is now available for purchase online.

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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.
​
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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Sangha News for July, 2021

7/15/2021

0 Comments

 

Dōgen, on Dōgen

Shohaku Okumura
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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.
READ  MORE

​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

Are we reaching you?

Do we have the best and most current contact information for you?  If you've changed your e-mail address or moved to a new place of residence, or if we've never had complete information about how to reach you, it's time to update your record.  Please take a moment to go here to send us the contact information you'd like us to use.  We'll check it against your current record and update as needed.  Don't miss any of the upcoming communications from Sanshin -- update your info today!
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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​. 
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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.

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:  
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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."

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.
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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."
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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.
​

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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0 Comments

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

Are we reaching you?

Do we have the best and most current contact information for you?  If you've changed your e-mail address or moved to a new place of residence, or if we've never had complete information about how to reach you, it's time to update your record.  Please take a moment to go here to send us the contact information you'd like us to use.  We'll check it against your current record and update as needed.  Don't miss any of the upcoming communications from Sanshin -- update your info today!
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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. ​

Sangha News for May 2021

5/15/2021

 

Coming down from the mountains

Shohaku Okumura
Dōgen’s Chinese Poems (41)
Depiction of Shakyamuni Coming Down from the Mountains


A sack of flowing wind tied around his waist,
He stole the wind in the pines to insert or bring forth.
Then twirling a branch of winter plum blossoms to sell,
He came and went under the heavens, planning to find a buyer.
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Commonly, “Shakyamuni Coming Down from the Mountains (出山の釈迦)” refers to paintings of Shakyamuni Buddha when he came down from the mountain after six years of very strict ascetic practice. This is one of the popular motifs of Zen paintings. After he came down from the mountain, he bathed and washed his body in the river, received food from a village girl named Sujata, and then sat under the bodhi tree where he attained unsurpassable awakening. Since the time of the Song Dynasty in China, and also in Japan, there have been many portraits of a skinny Shakyamuni walking using a staff. This theme emphasizes the strictness of Buddha’s six years of ascetic practice, and that his teaching was the Middle Way between the two extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification.  READ MORE

In This Issue:
  • Okumura Roshi:  Coming down from the mountains
  • Practice recap: Work day
  • Sanshin Network:​ Recorded presentations from Shodo Spring and Densho Quintero; first sesshin in Vienna
  • Resources from Sanshin
  • Giving to Sanshin
Are we reaching you?

Do we have the best and most current contact information for you?  If you've changed your e-mail address or moved to a new place of residence, or if we've never had complete information about how to reach you, it's time to update your record.  Please take a moment to go here to send us the contact information you'd like us to use.  We'll check it against your current record and update as needed.  Don't miss any of the upcoming communications from Sanshin -- update your info today!
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Practice recap

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Work day:  Following a period of outdoor zazen, practitioners worked on weeding and mowing, yard cleanup, tree trimming, and cleaning and airing cushions from the zendo.  
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Coming Up

At-home retreat, June 10 - 13:  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.  Learn more here.
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Sanshin Network

Shodo Spring of Mountains and Waters Alliance was one of the presenters in a two-part panel discussion for Community Resilience Live Talks.  The topic was dismantling conquest and recordings of her discussions are here and here.

Densho Quintero of the Soto Zen Community of Colombia offered an online lecture in cooperation with the Soto Zen South American mission.  His talk on the importance of expressing our understanding of Zen practice in our relationships with other beings, with nature, and with the everyday things we encounter is available here (in Spanish).  He's also serving as moderator for this year's Latin American Zen Encounter, with the theme of Opening Windows to a New Consciousness in Times of Pandemic.

Daijihi Soto Zen Sangha in Vienna held its first sesshin, with five practitioners attending.  Daijihi was founded by Shinko Hagn, who received novice ordination from Hoko in 2019.
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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. 

Sangha News for April 2021

4/15/2021

 

The three teachings

Shohaku Okumura
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Dōgen’s Chinese Poems (40)

Following the Rhyme of Examination Graduate Wenben

The three teachings’ idle names were originally unspoken.
With one word slightly mistaken all aspects are contrary.
Clearly know both people and objects are without self.
Traversing the mysterious barrier arrive at your own home.


During the Song dynasty, influenced by Daoism and Buddhism, Confucians established so-called Neo-Confucianism using metaphysical ideas. These three teachings were considered together as the three legs of a tripod kettle. Government officials were basically Confucianists, but they supported and controlled Daoist and Buddhist institutions to support the system of government centered on the emperor. To become the abbot of a prestigious monastery, Buddhist monks needed to get support from high-ranking government officials. However, there must have been various blends of these ideas. Some officials supported Daoism more than Buddhism, and others liked Buddhism more than Daoism.
READ MORE

In This Issue:
  • Okumura Roshi:  The three teachings
  • Practice Recap: Update on May genzo-e; April At-Home retreat; Okumura Roshi guest talk
  • Sanshin Network:​ New sangha in Ohio; French-speaking dharma teacher needed in Belgium
  • Resources from Sanshin
  • Giving to Sanshin
​Are we reaching you?

Do we have the best and most current contact information for you?  If you've changed your e-mail address or moved to a new place of residence, or if we've never had complete information about how to reach you, it's time to update your record.  Please take a moment to go here to send us the contact information you'd like us to use.  We'll check it against your current record and update as needed.  Don't miss any of the upcoming communications from Sanshin -- update your info today!​
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Practice Recap

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Update on May genzo-e: Due to a shortage of key personnel, the usual May genzo-e will not be held this year.  Because of the pandemic, during May 2019 and November 2020 Sanshin's in-person genzo-e was recast as an online event and we expected to be able to hold the May 2020 genzo-e online as well, but it's just not possible at the moment.  As an alternative, we hope to make recordings of the intended lectures available online later in the summer or fall.  It's not yet clear how and where that will happen, but as soon as we know something we'll post those details.
 
As a part of its commitment to study, Sanshin Zen Community generally offers two genzo-e per year.  These gatherings are led by Okumura Roshi and are opportunities for participants to practice zazen and focus on the study of the Shobogenzo (True Dharma Eye Treasury), the major work of the founder of Soto Zen, Dogen Zenji.  The genzo-e retreat is a rare opportunity for in-depth study of Dogen with a teacher who has studied the Shobogenzo extensively and practiced with its insights for many years. ​
​April At-Home Retreat: Hoko was in the zendo for the three days of the retreat, with about twenty other practitioners participating from home over the course of the event.  Hosshin joined her onsite for regular Sunday practice, serving as doan and facilitator while she gave the dharma talk.  The next at-home retreat is set for June.

​.Okumura Roshi guest talk: Okumura Roshi gave a virtual dharma talk for Sonoma Mountain Zen Center in California.  The event served as a COVID fundraiser.
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Other news

Board focusing on strategic planning and considerations for reopening: Sanshin Zen Community’s board of directors remains deeply engaged in the process of tending to the long-term health of our sangha.  Several board members and practice leaders are in communication with TDC, a non-profit consulting group, with the goal of developing a regional dharma center and establishing a residential program.  Meanwhile, we are paying close attention to the evolving situation locally with an eye toward re-opening the zendo when it is safe and wise to do so.  Please look for updates on this front over the next couple of months.  Sanshin’s board members are always eager to hear from people in our dharma community.   If you have any concerns or questions you would like to relay to the board, please don’t hesitate to reach out to President Mark Fraley here.
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Sanshin Network

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New sangha in Ohio:  Grove City Zen is now actively offering introduction sessions, zazen and book discussion.  All activities are virtual for now; learn more at the sangha's website and Facebook page.  Grove City Zen was founded by Michael Komyo Melfi, who took lay precepts with Hoko in 2019.

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French-speaking dharma teacher needed in Belgium:  Mokusho DePreay of the Centre Shinaktaza in Mons sends the following request:

I am a Belgian disciple of Shohaku Okumura Roshi (Sanshinji, Bloomington, IN). I would normally have received dharma  transmission in the fall of 2020, but the coronavirus crisis decided otherwise. If the health situation allows, I hope to travel to the United States next fall.

In September 2018, Okumura Roshi came to Belgium to inaugurate the temple I had built in Mons (50 km from Brussels, 250 km from Paris, 275 km from Amsterdam and 360 km from London). The Mons sangha has existed for 25 years. I myself am 70 years old and my wish is that the practice of Soto Zen and the teaching of Okumura Roshi can continue after my death.

After my demise, the temple will be bequeathed to the association. That is the plan. No one in our group seems to be able to take on such a responsibility. For this project to be realized, we would need a competent, experienced person who speaks a minimum of French and is willing to improve his or her skills. I have the necessary skills to give intensive French courses.

The person who would take over the management of Daishinji Temple for at least a few years should be a practitioner in the lineage of Okumura Roshi, Uchiyama Roshi or Sawaki Roshi.  If anyone is interested in this project, I suggest that we have a Skype conversation. If you are interested in this project, you can first contact me at this email address or this one.

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Coming up

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April 18 work day:  While some practitioners will gather at Sanshin itself on Sunday for the work day, there will also be a virtual option.  Zazen will happen as usual at 9:10 am both in person outside on the lawn and virtually before work on the grounds gets underway.  Outdoor lunch will be served and work will resume for the afternoon.  Virtual workers will join the initial zazen period and then work on their own at home until lunch, when they'll be bringing their food to their computers and chatting together.  Following lunch they'll work again on their own.  The in-person work day has no organized ending or checkout, but virtual participants can decide at lunchtime whether they'd like to come together one more time to end the day.  No registration is required for in-person participation; if you've not participated in virtual practice before at Sanshin, please email here to receive link information.

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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. 

Sangha News for March, 2021

3/16/2021

0 Comments

 

The Great Way

Shohaku Okumura
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Dogen's Chinese Poems 39

Following the Rhyme of the Official Wenben
The great way has continuously pervaded.
How can Peng and Ying be found outside?
Strolling along with a staff, chanting in loud voice,
This lump of red flesh arouses the ancient wind.


“The great way” is a translation of dadao (大道, daido). In Chinese Buddhism, dao (道) is used as a translation of several Sanskrit words, such as bodhi (awakening),  marga (usually translated into English as path), and gati (destination).  From a Buddhist perspective, the great way might refer to the Buddha’s unsurpassed awakening.

However, before Buddhism was introduced to China, Dao (道) was already one of the most important words for both Confucianism and Daoism. In Confucianism, just as the celestial bodies such as the sun, the moon, and the stars move around the same orbital way, and also just as the four seasons repeat in a certain order each year, people thought that each and every thing in this universe has its own way. They thought there must be a certain way we human beings should walk, following a certain order as a member of society.
READ MORE

In This Issue:
  • Okumura Roshi:  The Great Way
  • Practice Recap: Year of Beneficial Action; March At-Home retreat; When will Sanshin reopen?
  • Sanshin Network:​ Dharma transmission in Colombia; Spring work practice in Minnesota; Sesshin at Great Wind
  • Coming Up: April At-Home retreat

​Are we reaching you?

Do we have the best and most current contact information for you?  If you've changed your e-mail address or moved to a new place of residence, or if we've never had complete information about how to reach you, it's time to update your record.  Please take a moment to go here to send us the contact information you'd like us to use.  We'll check it against your current record and update as needed.  Don't miss any of the upcoming communications from Sanshin -- update your info today!
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Practice Recap

Year of Beneficial Action: The second monthly workshop for this local/regional group continued the discussion of beneficial action as an offering.  The program is using the Bodaisatta Shishobo as a roadmap for its exploration of community engagement as a practice and how we can respond skillfully as bodhisattvas to the issues we see in the world.  Participants also have the opportunity to post reflections on a discussion board and to share the issues and resources with which they're practicing; see one of Mark Hotoku Howell's posts at right.

​March At-Home Retreat: Hosshin and Hoko were in the zendo for the three days of the retreat, with about two dozen other practitioners participating from home over the course of the event.
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When will Sanshin reopen?

We don't know that yet, but a committee of board members and practice leaders is now meeting to determine what's necessary to make that happen and which activities will restart in person first.  As soon as there's a plan, we'll let you know by email, newsletter, Facebook and on the website.
From our beneficial action discussion board:

Our zendo is presently reading What the Buddha Taught [1]. The author discusses “doubt” early in the book. I am full of doubts. In the context of beneficial action, I have many doubts about knowing what actions are truly beneficial and what actions seem right in a moment but have harmful results over the long term. My hope is the author’s comments on doubt will add positively to the discussion on deciding when and how. He says,

“According to the Buddha’s teachings, doubt (vicikiccha) is one of the five hinderances (nivarana) to the clear understanding of Truth and to spiritual progress (or for that matter to any progress). Doubt, however, is not a ‘sin’, because there are no articles of faith in Buddhism. In fact there is no ‘sin’ in Buddhism, as sin is understood in some religions. The root of all evil is ignorance (avijja) and false views (miccha ditthi). It is an undeniable fact that as long as there is doubt, perplexity, wavering, no progress is possible. It is also equally undeniable that there must be doubt as long as one does not understand or see clearly. But in order to progress further it is absolutely necessary to get rid of doubt. To get rid of doubt one has to see clearly.

“There is no point in saying that one should not doubt or one should believe. Just to say ‘I believe’ does not mean that you understand and see. When a student works on a mathematical problem, he comes to a stage beyond which he does not know how to proceed, and where he is in doubt and perplexity. As long as he has this doubt, he cannot proceed. If he wants to proceed, he must resolve this doubt. And there are ways of resolving that doubt. Just to say ‘I believe’, or “I do not doubt’ will certainly not solve the problem. To force oneself to believe and to accept a thing without understanding is political, and not spiritual or intellectual.”

For me, I have great difficulty in seeing clearly into many of the topics of the day. It’s not that I think the problems being raised are not problems. It’s that the problems are enormously complex and are not likely to be easily solved.
-- Mark Hotoku Howell

[1] W. Rahula, What the Buddha taught, Rev. ed., 1. paperback ed., vol. EN132. London: Gordon Fraser, 1978.
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Sanshin Network

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Densho Quintero​ of the Soto Zen Community of Colombia reports that he's given dharma transmission to Dairen Jácome, who has been practicing with him for 18 years.  Dairen was also one of the Sanshin Network members who served as a zazen facilitator during November's virtual genzo-e.  "I am happy for being able to materialize my vow to continue the teachings and lineage of our dear Honshi," Densho remarked.


Shodo Spring of the Mountains and Waters Alliance in Minnesota notes that she's offering a spring work practice period that will include garden work, care of the wild land, construction projects and cooking.  Members of Sanshin's practice community from around the region have participated in work practice events there over the last two years.  Information on June and September sesshin is now available as well.
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Hoko led the second sesshin held at Great Wind Zendo, a lay Zen sangha in Danville, IN.  Mark Hotoku Howell, who received the precepts from Okumura Roshi, and Michael Komyo Melfi, who received them from Hoko, sat the entire three-day sesshin and were joined by members of the sangha as their lives permitted.  The sesshin ended with a memorial service in honor of the 23rd anniversary of the passing of Kosho Uchiyama, Okumura Roshi's teacher.
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Coming Up

April At-Home Retreat
April 1 - 4
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. 
READ MORE AND REGISTER

​​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.
Picture
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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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