Dogen's Chinese Poems (81)
Buddha nature beyond conditions
Commentary by Shohaku Okumura

439. Dharma Hall Discourse

All tathāgatas are without Buddha nature,
but at the same time, previously they have fully accomplished true awakening.
Bodhisattvas studying the way should know
how Buddha nature produces the conditions for Buddha nature.

​The concept of Buddha-nature (tathāgatagarbha) came about during the period when the Middle Mahāyāna Sutras were created. The Mahāyāna Sutras created before Nāgarjuna (from the middle of the 2nd to the middle of the 3rd century C.E.) and which are quoted by him are called Early Mahāyāna sutras. These include sutras such as the Prajñā-pāramitā Sutras, the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, the Pure-land sutras, and so on. Mahāyāna Sutras created after Nāgarjuna and before Vasubandhu (4th to 5th century C.E.) are called Middle Mahāyāna Sutras. I suppose this concept came about because of the Mahāyāna teaching which says that all living beings who have aroused bodhi-mind, and who have taken the bodhisattva precepts and the four general vows, have the possibility to become buddhas whether they are home leavers or lay practitioners. READ MORE

I Vow With All Beings: 
Festive occasions
Commentary by Hoko Karnegis

On festive occasions,
I vow with all beings
to wish that we enjoy ourselves with truth
and realize amusement's not real.

​Most of us love a celebration, whether a quiet, intimate event or a real blow-out. It means there’s something good going on, something so positive and important that we take the time to create special conditions to recognize it. Sometimes it’s an annual observance, like a birthday or New Year, and sometimes it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, like a graduation, ordination, or wedding. In any case, we put aside the everyday obligations and worries, gather some folks together, and have a joyful time. In the temple, festivals were traditionally held to mark seasonal changes, and activities included viewing cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums, or the moon, accompanied by special dishes and prayers for well-being. Dōgen seems to have held such festivals with his monks, and on some occasions asked them to compose poems about their aspirations. READ MORE

Sangha meeting recording available: Sanshin’s Board of Directors presented ‘Building our Future Together: Sanshin’s Long Range Plan,’  as part of our annual board retreat in early August. The presentation was followed by a public Q & A with the sangha. See here for a recording of the full conversation. ​

​The Long Range Plan includes 5 primary goals:
​

• Realize and implement the mission and vision of Sanshin Zen Community 
• Create and maintain sustainable practices and plans for the continued mission of Sanshin Zen Community
• Support Shohaku Okumura as outlined in his employment contract and other planning documents
• Update and add physical facilities as needed for the practice and administration of Sanshin Zen Community
• Hire staff and update the current staffing model to meet the current and growing needs of Sanshin Zen Community

If you have questions about the Long Range Plan, please reach out to Laura Miller, our board vice-chair.

To offer financial support toward all five goals of the Plan, see our Giving to Sanshin page. 

Recent Sunday talks on Youtube:​

• Doju on Mara
• Okumura Roshi on Opening the Hand of Thought (253)
• Hoko on community, morality, and Gate 107: Beyond regressing & straying

​Work practice: On September 1st, we emerged from our simplified Quiet August practice schedule into a full sangha work day. Inside the temple, Hosshin continued crafting the wood valance above the Manjushri altar. Out on the grounds, practitioners focused primarily on continuing to construct the "dead hedge" brush pile fence on our northern boundary.

​Looking towards the fall throughout the month in our sesshin vegetable garden, practitioners gathered once a week or so to plant and care for fall crops like sweet potatoes, Napa cabbages, daikon radishes, and arugula.

Six Points discussion #4: 
Dharma study as a support for zazen (Thursday, Sep 26) 

• ​6:30 - 7 pm (EDT): Zazen
• 7 - 8 pm: Discussion

​
We'll investigate how our engagement with dharma study supports our intensive focus on sitting.  It's not that we sit in order to understand the teachings of Dogen or the Buddha, it's the other way around.  What's the relationship between sitting on the cushion and studying a text?

Virtual and in-person participation is welcome. Learn more on our lineage & legacy webpage.

Sangha Stewardship workshop with Hoko:
​Introduction to the role of director
Oct 4 & 5, 2024

Join us for a Sangha Stewardship workshop exploring the theme of dharma center board service as a bodhisattva practice. We hope that this workshop can be a part of fostering dialogue and support between dharma practice communities in our region. Whether you are a director yourself or just wish to learn more about and contribute to the harmonious governance and functioning of your practice community, you are welcome to join us this October. 
​LEARN MORE AND REGISTER

Twenty-five years of practice: The sangha at Centro Zen Anshin, founded by Okumura Roshi's dharma heirs Gyoetsu Epifania and Doryu Capelli in Rome, gathered earlier this month to celebrate twenty five years since Gyoetsu's and Doryu's ordinations.

Green bamboo and peach blossoms are a painting.
Bottle gourd vines are entwined with gourds.
The barbarian’s beard is red, and there is also a red-bearded barbarian.
Having eaten breakfast, wash your bowls.

This is a short Dharma hall discourse. At the beginning of his speech, Dōgen Zenji introduces the kōan:

"I can remember, a monk asked Zhaozhou, 'This student has just entered the monastery. Please, master, give me some instruction.'
Zhaozhou asked, 'Have you eaten breakfast?'
The monk said, 'I have eaten.'
Zhaozhou said, 'Wash your bowls.'"

Then Dōgen continued, “The ancient Buddha Zhaozhou has spoken like this. Now I, Eihei, have a mountain verse.” After a pause, he recites this poem. This kōan about Zhaozhou’s (趙州從諗, Jōshu Jūshin, 778–897 CE) instruction to a newcomer is one of the popular stories in kōa collections. For all novice monks who haven’t already had the experience of monastic practice, one of the first things they need to learn is how to use ōryōki bowls and recite the meal chants from memory. Dōgen Zenji describes the whole process of formal ōryōki meals in The Dharma for Taking Food (赴粥飯法, Fushukuhanpō), the third section of Eihei Shingi​. Until we master the ritual of the ōryōki meal, it is not possible to enjoy the foods and the rest of monastic life.
READ MORE

I Vow With All Beings: 
Attaining my desires
Commentary by Hoko Karnegis

WHEN ATTAINING MY DESIRES,
I VOW WITH ALL BEINGS
TO WISH THAT ALL BEINGS PULL OUT THE ARROWS OF LUST
AND REALIZE ULTIMATE PEACE.

​How interesting that this gāthā does not shame us for having and achieving our desires, when we often hear that chasing after things and running away from things is at the root of our suffering. The Buddha’s four noble truths point out that ​our lives as karmic human beings are characterized by suffering because we have things we don’t want, we don’t have things we do want, or we’re worried that a currently acceptable situation will change. The cause of our suffering is desire; we want things to be other than they are, or, as Sawaki Rōshi said, “You suffer because you don’t want to accept what has to be accepted.” There is a way to release ourselves from this suffering: practice the eightfold path.
​
Yet this gāthā sort of celebrates with us as we achieve what we want. I’ve gotten the life partner, the dream job, the new car, or the haircut I always wanted! What could be better? Now my life is really complete and I’m finally happy! There’s nothing more to do.

​Hmmm. Really? This gāthā reminds us that while we can certainly enjoy our success in this moment, we’ll soon be on the hunt for the next source of gratification. READ MORE

Sanshin's directors focus on board functioning at annual retreat  
​
At its weekend retreat -- the first held in person since before the pandemic -- Sanshin's board of directors explored its own structures, culture, and effectiveness in serving the sangha and implementing its Long Range Plan (see below).  The August session included three days of meetings that included discussions with practice leaders and the larger sangha.

Functioning as a community: Board members discussed topics ranging from strategies for strengthening internal and external board communications to structures for maintaining and managing institutional knowledge such as regular policy reviews, and potential adjustments to the format and frequency of board meetings themselves to enhance effectiveness and workflow. They also formally approved the return of a development committee to engage in focused efforts at meeting Sanshin's fundraising goals. 

Sesshin garden upkeep in July: Many thanks to Bloomington practitioners Esho, Owen, Rachel, Eunyoung, Chris, and Andrew for taking care of watering, weeding, trellising, and mulching needs in the sangha's sesshin garden while the project's main steward, Sawyer, was away traveling for three weeks in July. The sangha is enjoying tomatoes now, and we're on track for Swiss chard, Napa cabbage, and hopefully sweet potatoes and golden beets in time for September sesshin.

Mud and Lotus Collective recovery dharma group: Hosshin Shoaf, a practice leader at Sanshin and a dharma heir of Okumura Roshi, facilitates an in-person group that explores the intersection between Buddhist teachings and practice and addiction recovery.  Following 20 to 30 minutes of guided meditation, participants read and discuss books or other materials related to recovery and the dharma.  At the moment, the group is reading The Zen Way of Recovery; bring your own copy or just listen and follow along.  If you are interested in participating, simply attend as your life permits. There is no registration or fee; donations are welcome. The group meets on Thursdays from 6:30 - 8 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 2120 N Fee Lane in Bloomington; enter at the north portico entrance.

September 5 - 8 sesshin:  ​Sesshin at Sanshin is an opportunity to practice zazen without distraction.  It's one of the core activities for us in this dharma family, and we pay a lot of attention to it.  We set aside the usual activities -- or entertainments -- of temple life, like work periods, meetings with teachers and dharma talks, and focus completely on zazen. We look forward to practicing together!

We're offering some new resources to help participants better understand our style of sesshin.  See those here, particularly this comprehensive page on the origin and intention of Sanshin style sesshin.  You may also register on this page.

Note that this workshop is aimed particularly at small sanghas in our region which may be ready to explore adding more structure to their communities or to move from being informal gatherings to legally recognized organizations.  Sanshin simply wants to contribute to the sustainability of smaller practice groups without resources in this area, helping them to get their feet under them, make good decisions, and continue to develop as healthy and viable sanghas.

​For more information and to register, visit our Sangha Stewardship webpage.

Save-the-date for virtual dharma study intensive (Nov 1 - 10) with Okumura Roshi: For this November's study intensive, Okumura Roshi will be offering ten online lectures on an updated translation of Eihei Dogen Zenji's Gakudo Yojinshu (Points to Watch in Practicing the Way). 

​Dogen wrote and compiled this text in 1234, the year after he founded his first temple, Koshoji. It is thus thought to have been Dogen's first writing for his students as a guide for practice at Koshoji. In this piece, Dogen picked out and discussed various points to be careful about in our practice, organized into ten short sections. Among these, Dogen put emphasis on seeing impermanence and arousing bodhi-mind as foundational to our practice.

Center "1000-Hände-Haus" opens in Vienna, Austria: Shinko Hagn, an ordained student of Sanshin's senior teacher Hoko Karnegis, reports that he and his sangha have established a new place of community practice in Vienna:
​
"After three years of searching and some very dramatic experiences, we, Shinko and Koryu, have finally found a place to realize our practice project. We call it "1000-Hände-Haus" ("1000 Hands House"), a place of retreat in the middle of the city of Vienna in Austria, with a Soto Zen temple included. It is a place where we practice, work, study, take care of others and drink tea. A place that contains and reflects the whole of life. A place that is a refuge for people in need, a place of contemplative care. A place where we also do business, live, love and do many other things. Monasteries have always been a place of refuge as well as a place of business, which is why we modeled our center on these structures that have been around for centuries.

New book: Densho Quintero has recently completed a new introductory book on Dogen in Spanish. Densho says, Introduction to Dogen's Zen is based on my study of Dogen's teachings with Okumura Roshi. It is a basic book, hoping to open gates and to produce interest to deepen in the study, through Okumura Roshi's books.

A Minnesota visit: Near the end of July, Bloomington practitioner Sawyer Hitchcock traveled to Minnesota to participate in an "Earth Apprentice Retreat" at Mountains and Waters Alliance, a practice community led and founded by Shodo Spring, a dharma heir of Okumura Roshi. In Shodo's words, the weekend retreat facilitated "learning to relate to the land with mutuality, interdependence, and communication." After the retreat, Sawyer stayed for a week to visit and practice with Shodo in the zendo and on the land, including significant progress towards converting an old shed in a pine grove on the property into an outdoor zendo. To learn more about Mountains and Waters Alliance and to see a schedule of upcoming events, visit the MWA website.

New issue of Midwest Zen now available: Midwest Zen is an online magazine with essays, poetry, calligraphy and photographs. It is published by Great Wind Zendo in Danville, Indiana, a lay practice community founded and led by former Sanshin board chair Mark Howell. Midwest Zen is available free of charge on Great Wind's website as both a downloadable pdf and a virtual flip-book. 

I Vow With All Beings: 
Being with my spouse and children
Commentary by Hoko Karnegis

Being with my spouse and children,
I vow with all beings
to be impartial to everyone
and forever give up attachment.

​There are few relationships that feel more important than those with our spouses and children. We want only the best for them, would do anything for them, and are happy to make them our priority. Attachment to our immediate families seems not only reasonable and understandable, but responsible and virtuous… and yet some of the most basic teachings of our tradition are about non-attachment as an antidote to suffering.

We are also affected in our understanding of family responsibilities by the influence of Confucianism on our practice. As we saw last month, parent and child is the first of the Five Constant Relationships, and filial piety is considered the root of virtue and humanity. Who would argue against partiality for those we love? Are we to turn our backs on them and walk away for the sake of practicing non-attachment? Fortunately, no – at least, not in the context of modern Sōtō Zen practice in North America. READ MORE

​Shuso ceremonies:  Esho Morimoto's term as shuso ended with the annual honsoku gyocha and hossenshiki at the end of June.  During the honsoku gyocha, participants heard Hoko's brief talk on the koan to be considered the next day, Baizhang's Wild Fox.  The hossenshiki itself was presided over by Okumura Roshi, Esho's teacher.  She took questions from the sangha about the koan and about practice in general.  The ceremonies are designed to allow the shuso to exhibit mastery of both dharma and deportment, and are a required milestone toward recognition by the denomination as qualified clergy. 

Sangha work morning:  With the ango and summer ceremonies now successfully completed, it's time to return to our usual Sunday monthly schedule.  Since last Sunday was the second Sunday of the month, the sangha gathered for a period of zazen and a morning of communal work practice.  Projects included driveway cleanup, moss garden weeding, removing wire cages around the more delicate trees and clearing weeds, putting another coat of varnish on the kitchen door, and continuing work on the valance over the main altar.

New York to Indiana:  Issan and members of his New York Community for Dogen Study were on hand for the honsoku gyocha and hossenshiki at Sanshin at the end of June.

"Buy Japanese green tea from Austrian Zen monks and nuns!"  Shinko and two Zen friends have launched their website offering items related to Japanese tea.  "Shinkoko​ is located in the "1000 Hands House," a center where we combine our passions for Zen, green tea and social commitment. Here we bring the fruits of our Zen practice closer to others and offer a space for communal experience."

I Vow With All Beings: 
Serving my parents
Commentary by Hoko Karnegis

Serving my parents,
I vow with all beings
to serve the Buddha,
protecting and nourishing everyone.

​Whether or not our parents are still here with us in the physical world, this verse gives us something to work with in our practice. Toward the end of the jukai or zaike tokudo ceremony, the preceptor declares, “Surely, you are a child of Buddha!” When we return to the temple each month to renew those vows during the ryaku fusatsu ceremony, we hear Dōgen Zenji’s Kyōjukaimon read aloud. Its explanation of the tenth precept, not ignorantly slandering the Three Treasures, says,

“[The Buddha] manifested his body and expounded the Dharma. [These Three Treasures] are the crossing point of the world. The virtues [of the Three Treasures] return to the ocean of all-knowing wisdom and are immeasurable. We should respectfully accept, attend, and serve the Three Treasures.”

Clearly, the Buddha is considered to be like a parent for us, and as dutiful children, we’re engaged in serving him. But what does that really mean? To understand, we’ll need to consider the nature of parents, Buddha and serving. READ MORE

Another way to share with Sanshin
Gene Kishin Elias, Treasurer

Taxes are a pain
But sometimes they can do good
With Sanshin I share

As we get older, the IRS wants us to pay taxes on those traditional IRA(s) [Individual Retirement Accounts] because we deferred the taxes when we created the IRA. When you get to be 73 years young, it is time to pay the piper, so you are required by law to take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). If you are a young whippersnapper (younger than 70 ½), you can stop here and read no further. But, if you are at least 70 ½ in 2024 – read on.

If you distribute funds directly from your IRA to a qualified non-profit – like Sanshin Zen Community – it counts toward your required minimum distribution. Note, and this is important, this rule only applies to traditional IRAs; defined contribution plans like a 401(k), SEPs and Roth IRAs don't get the same treatment. For 2024, you can distribute up to $105,000 from your IRA to charities. That's an individual cap, so a married couple could distribute up to $210,000.

Distributing funds to charity directly from an IRA has several big advantages for the giver. The distribution never impacts your gross income. This effectively takes what would be an itemized tax deduction – charitable contributions – and makes it an above-the-line deduction. And given the high standard deduction – in 2024 (at this writing) it is $29,200 for a couple filing jointly and for a single person $14,600 – you can do this without itemizing! That can result in lower taxes on Social Security income, lower Medicare premiums, and the option to take the standard deduction instead of itemizing, further lowering your tax bill.

You can start making qualified charitable distributions at age 70 ½, well before your RMDs start. They may still be a great tool for those charitably inclined retirees with big IRA balances. Even if you donate much less than the new $105,000 limit, it can be a great way to reduce your tax bill and help non-profits as well. So, before the end of the year, when you have to take an RMD, please think of Sanshin.

All information in this note is solely for informational purposes, so be sure to check with your tax advisor. Don’t just take my word on this. It is important, and you should seek professional tax advice. If you have questions about Sanshin's finances, please email me.  Thank you for your support, and may your life be filled with kindness, joy and magnanimity.

Sanshin practitioners at Zuiko's funeral: Several Sanshin representatives were present at the funeral of Zuiko Redding in Hiawatha, IA.  Zuiko, a former Sanshin board member and the founder and resident teacher of Cedar Rapids Zen Center, died April 5.  Her funeral was officiated by the head of Soto Zen in North America, Gengo Akiba.  Hoko served as ino, Shoryu Bradley was the fukudo, Myogen Ahlstrom (formerly of the Cedar Rapids sangha) took the role of the deshi, and Komyo Melfi, chair of Sanshin's board of directors, provided photography and technical assistance.  Nearly two dozen clergy came to pay their respects, as well as members of the sangha and the local community.

Komyo, Vice Chair Laura Miller, Treasurer Gene Elias, and Operations Manager Sawyer Hitchcock are also members of a support squad put together by Hoko to help the Cedar Rapids board and sangha make plans for the continuation of practice and the future of the temple.  Hoko was named interim coordinator shortly before Zuiko's death.

Six Points discussion evening #2: A group of practitioners gathered at Sanshinji and virtually from home on May 23rd to sit zazen and then discuss the second of the six points of practice fundamental to Sanshin's mission and practice vision: keeping forms simple.​ We explored how our dharma family has approached and continues to grapple with a fundamental question in our practice and tradition: How do we practice with ritual in a way that supports our practice without engaging the ego?

​A recording of Hoko's opening remarks for the evening is available at right and on our Youtube channel. We undertook this evening of study and practice as part of our yearlong exploration of lineage & legacy, and we'll take up each of the remaining four points on selected evenings this year (see our lineage & legacy​ page for the schedule and more).​ We'll discuss the third point on July 25th.

June sesshin: From June 4th - 9th, we carried out sesshin. Nine practitioners participated in person, and several more joined the practice from home online via Zoom. This was our first sesshin using a newly completed han, which was made by Sanshin board member Jeff Seikan Alberts and hung by Hosshin Shoaf, with lettering done by Hollis Austin, a lettering artist based in Bloomington. As part of our regular food practice, sesshin participants and local sangha practitioners took turns cooking meals suitable for practice and for using oryoki, with most of the fresh produce sourced from nearby farms, including lettuce, snap peas, and turnips from our own sesshin garden. We carry out our 5-day June sesshin each year in the middle of our annual three-month ango, or practice period. We'll hold our next sesshin in September.

​Work practice: On Sunday, June 16th, practitioners carried out a work afternoon following Esho's dharma talk and our monthly world peace ceremony. Given the 90+ degree temperatures, most of the work was concentrated inside the air-conditioned temple, with practitioners melting down beeswax trimmings to make new candles for the altars, moving the han to a new location at the bottom of the stairs, and adjusting wiring to allow for more precise control of zendo fan speed (and noise). A few practitioners spent some time out in the moss garden (the coolest area) weeding, cutting bamboo poles down to six foot lengths for use as garden stakes, and continuing work on the bamboo fence.

Beginning at the end of May, the sangha has also begun to carry out weekly Friday evening work periods, from 6 - 8 pm. Each Friday evening, a few practitioners at a time have come together to care for the temple grounds and the sesshin garden. 

Many thanks to Bloomington practitioner Owen Miller for taking the lead on watering the vegetable garden while others were in sesshin, and to Esho for her diligent lawn-mowing practice throughout the ango!

​Two more Friday evening work periods: ​For the remainder of the ango, we'll continue to carry out Friday evening work periods, from 6 - 8 pm on June 21st and 28th. All are welcome!

Shuso ceremonies (June 29 - 30): Sanshin will mark the ending of the ango and the end of Esho's term as shuso with the usual ceremonies. Everyone is welcome to participate, either in person or online.  Esho has chosen a case from the Shoyoroku, or Book of Serenity, for this ango, and Hoko will talk about it during the honsoku gyocha (formal tea) on June 29th at 7 pm.  Esho will answer formal questions about it from the sangha during the shuso hossen on June 30th at 10 am, which will be followed by a public potluck lunch.  Visit our ango page for the complete case and other information.

Residential practice reflection from Gyobutsuji: For a few years, Ryushin Bernal has been practicing with Gyobutsu Zen Community in Arkansas, founded and led by Okumura Roshi's dharma heir Shoryu Bradley. He traveled from Colombia to do extended residential practice at Gyobutsuji last year and this year. Ryushin offers a reflection on his practice and appreciation of the Sanshin network below:

Ryushin says: These words are, on the one hand, an expression of gratitude towards Densho Sensei and Shoryu Sensei, and, on the other hand, a brief reflection on the value that I consider the notion of the Sanshinji Network to have. I would like to share some details about my personal experience. For me it would not have been possible to appreciate and be grateful for the practice that Shoryu Bradley offers in the mountains of northwest Arkansas, without the support and effort of Densho Sensei and the entire Daishinji community in Colombia.

Jisho says: Supporting and recovering the Noto Peninsula is not a straightforward task. I visited the Wajima area on 8th April for Koshu-san's (Eifukuji's abbot) grandmother's funeral. So far, I have collected 300,000 yen and gave 150,000 yen each to Ryushoji and Eifukuji. About Ryusho-ji, some people in the community have some skills to repair buildings. The abbot's younger brother is a master temple carpenter. So he and the community residents are repairing the temple and everyone's houses. About Eifukuji: the abbot, Koshu-san is working at Daijo-ji in Kanazawa now, which is about two hours from Eifuku-ji by car. He often comes back there. He has no know-how about repairing temple buildings. He has contacted some carpentry companies, but their advice varied depending on the person. One person said, 'This building is dangerous and must be demolished and rebuilt,' while another person said, 'It can be repaired.' Still they have not decided what they want to do. Koshu-san's father, Gyokushu-san began takuhatsu for the reconstruction after the earthquake. He plans to relocate the temple's Kannon statue to a corner of the burned morning market in Wajima-city. He hopes that the Kannon statue will be a source of support for local people. So they still need support for repairing the temple and this Kannon project. I’d like to continue to support them. LEARN MORE AND DONATE

For a long time in the entire world the sky has been getting brighter.
Today in heaven and earth the radiance is clear and beautiful.
Walking around for seven steps [the baby Buddha] exhausted all his energy.
Observers of this scene cannot avoid laughing.

Buddha’s Birthday is one of the most important annual events in all Buddhist traditions. In the east Asian Buddhist countries, it is observed on April eighth. Dōgen Zenji celebrated Buddha’s Birthday each year at Kōshōji and Eiheiji. His nine dharma discourses on this occasion are contained in Eihei Kōroku (Dōgen’s Extensive Record). This is the third one given in 1243.

As far as I know, the oldest Buddhist scripture in which the Buddha’s birth is mentioned is the Nālaka Sutta in the Sutta Nipāta. This is a story of a monk Nālaka and his uncle Asita. Asita was a brahmana who was the chaplain to the Buddha’s grandfather and his father Suddhodana. One day, Asita met thirty gods who were happy and excited, singing, shouting, playing music, dancing around and clapping and waving. Asita asked the gods why they were so joyful and excited. READ MORE

New article series: I vow with all beings
​As of late April, the Dogen Institute has begun to host a new series of monthly articles by Hoko on gathas. In the training temple, there are four-line verses (Skt. gatha, Jp. ge) to be chanted for a variety of daily activities.  Everything from waking up in the morning to brushing the teeth to eating a meal is an opportunity to remember to practice what Buddha taught.  These gathas are based on teachings from Volume 14 (Purifying Practice) of the Avatamsaka Sutra.  Hoko takes a look at these sutra verses to investigate what they’re pointing to and how we can include them in our own daily practice. See the 'I vow with all beings' study page on the Dogen Institute website for more resources.

​When I'm at home
Commentary by Hoko Karnegis

When I’m at home,
I vow with all beings
to realize that “home” is empty
and escape its pressures.

​The first verse in the sutra starts where we all start—at home.  What could be more basic and foundational?  Chances are, you haven’t considered simply being at home as a practice in itself.  Yet, of course, there is home and “home”—the home made up of doors and dishes and dresses, and the “home” we inhabit when we settle into non-attachment.​When we receive lay precepts, the ceremony is sometimes called zaike tokudo 在家得度: staying home and acquiring (the practice).  That’s in contrast to ordination as a novice, which is called shukke tokudo 出家得度: leaving home and acquiring (the practice).  Traditionally, laypeople did their practice in the context of family and job responsibilities, while the clergy left those obligations behind and devoted the entirety of their time and attention to sitting and study.  Today in North America, few practitioners live in a temple full time; almost all of us are managing home lives for ourselves regardless of what kind of commitment we’ve made to the Three Treasures.  If we don’t do our own laundry, cook our own meals, go get the mail and cut the grass, those things aren’t going to happen.  The cat box isn’t going to clean itself.  READ MORE

This month's Sunday dharma talks on Youtube: ​New talks are posted on most Tuesdays. The following three talks came from Esho, our shuso for this year's ango.

• Way-seeking mind: On the first Noble Truth
• Why we suffer: On the second Noble Truth
• The end of suffering: On the third Noble Truth

We also released a talk from last year, by Ritoku Robinson:

• ​On the first three transmissions of Zen

A Haiku of Thanks
Gene Kishin Elias, Treasurer

in every year we
work hard to keep the stream wet
Thanks! for all of the water.
​
A stream filled with water running through the meadow causes the wild flowers and grasses to prosper, which in turn allows the bees, butterflies and other wild life to flourish. Your donations are like the water in the stream – the donations support our teaching and practice, research, the Dogen Institute, the Sawaki Nyoho-e Treasury, and many other elements that make our mission a reality. They also go a long way in helping us to pay our utility bills and keep the lights on!

Wright-Braverman-Hofmann conversation: As part of our yearlong exploration of Sanshin's lineage & legacy, we hosted an online discussion on April 25th with three North American practitioners who studied and practiced with Uchiyama Roshi and the Antaiji sangha in the late 1960s and early 70s, overlapping also with some of Okumura Roshi's time there. About 70 practitioners tuned in via Zoom along with our guests Daitsu Tom Wright, Arthur Braverman, and Michael Hofmann, and about a dozen gathered together in the zendo for the occasion. See a brief clip of some of Daitsu's practice memories of Uchiyama Roshi at right. The full conversation is available on our Youtube channel, here.

Work practice: On May 12th, practitioners stayed on campus following Esho's dharma talk for our monthly work day. In the zendo, Hosshin and Jeff focused their work together on the wood valance above the central Manjushri altar. Out on the grounds, teams worked on continuing to construct our "dead hedge" boundary fence and the bamboo fence around the moss garden, along with the age-old and endless practices of weeding the moss garden and mowing the lawn.

"Six Points" discussion evening:  On the evening of Thursday, May 23rd, we'll carry out the second of a series of informal discussions exploring Sanshin's six points of practice in relation to our ongoing focus this year on lineage & legacy. Following a period of zazen, we'll explore our second practice point, which comes to us primarily from Uchiyama Roshi's teaching and practice style: keeping forms simple. 

​We'll see what it means to keep forms and ceremonies simple in order to understand what we're doing and why, and to maintain their connection with zazen.  Rather than being merely performances, our forms arise from the practice needs of the sangha intersected with the deep traditions of Soto Zen.  How do we practice with ritual in a way that supports our practice without engaging the ego?

​June sesshin: A few spaces remain open for the 5-day June sesshin (June 4 - 9), which we'll carry out in the heart of our annual three-month practice period, or ango. Sesshin at Sanshin is an opportunity to practice without distraction.  We set aside the usual activities -- or entertainments -- of temple life, like work periods, meetings with teachers and dharma talks, and focus completely on zazen. This sesshin-without-toys style of practice was created by our founder's teacher, Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, and practiced at Antaiji in Kyoto, Japan.  We carry on and offer this tradition of our lineage here at Sanshin.  LEARN MORE AND REGISTER

by Shohaku Okumura

First quarter financial update shows lower expenses, but also lower income
Gene Elias, Treasurer

Our community did really well on limiting expenses. We were either at or below our spending targets in every category. That's great! On the other hand, our income was slightly below what we had hoped for. Programs (such as sesshin, workshops, and the upcoming virtual dharma study intensive) and Products (such as Dogen Institute books and downloads) did well, and even our tiny interest income did better than what we had expected. Our donations, though, fell short of expectations based on prior years -- but we have great hopes as we move through the coming quarters. Below is a graph indicating where we wanted to be and how we ended up for the quarter:

A reminder from the development team:
Support Sanshin when you shop for groceries

Did you know that you can support Sanshin while shopping for groceries at Kroger?
Designating Sanshin as the recipient of give-back programs like the one at Kroger is a painless way to provide funding support simply by making your usual purchases.  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.  Learn more and connect your Kroger account here.

108 Gates: Hoko's written commentaries on gate statements 12 - 16 of the 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination (Ippyakuhachi Homyomon) are now available, together with study/discussion questions for groups or individuals. New commentaries are posted to our 108 Gates page each Monday.

• Gate 12: Mindfulness of precepts
• Gate 13: Mindfulness of the heavens
• Gate 14: Benevolence
• Gate 15: Compassion
• ​Gate 16: Joy

This month's Sunday dharma talks on Youtube: ​New talks are posted on most Tuesdays.

• Hoko on Gate 105: "Endurance of obedient following"
• Doju: Contextualizing the Kalama Sutta
• Hoko on Gate 106: "Attainment of realization of the dharma of non-appearance"
• Okumura Roshi on Buddha's birthday 2024

Zuiko's passing and support for Cedar Rapids sangha: 

Former Sanshin board member Zuiko Redding passed away peacefully after a long-term progression of cancer on Friday, April 5th.  She was the founder and resident teacher at Cedar Rapids (IA) Zen Center (Jikyoji) since 1999.  Her hōji (49th day memorial service) will be held May 25 in Cedar Rapids and officiated by Gengo Akiba, Sokan of Soto Zen in North America.  Details are forthcoming and will be posted on Jikyoji's website.

Jikyoji's board of directors has appointed Hoko as interim coordinator while a strategic plan is being developed and the teacher search restarted.  She's put together a support team that includes members of Sanshin's own board and staff as well as teachers from around the region.

First "Six Points" discussion evening: A group of practitioners gathered at Sanshin and virtually from home on March 28th to sit zazen and then discuss the first of Sanshin's six points of practice: "Zazen in a Buddhist context." After some opening words from Hoko, practitioners discussed everything from the role of ritual forms as a meaningful and functional framework for zazen, to settling into Soto Zen as a formal religious practice and tradition, to the question of dharma teachings before the first Buddha was born. See a recording of Hoko's introductory remarks at left or on Youtube. We undertook this evening of study and practice as part of our yearlong exploration of lineage & legacy, and we'll take up each of the remaining five points on selected evenings this year (see our lineage & legacy​ page for the schedule and more).​

Sangha garden plot:​ This year, Bloomington practitioner and Sanshin operations manager Sawyer Jisho Hitchcock is leading and coordinating an effort to grow food for sesshin and retreats at Sanshin. In late March, Sawyer and local sangha practitioners Jeff, Owen, and Doju worked together to transport a pickup truckload of Doju's abundant homemade compost to our 200 square foot garden plot rented through the city of Bloomington's community gardening program.

Since then, we've seeded our ground with several early season leafy greens and root vegetables, aiming for June sesshin and the July precepts retreat -- and the first radish, pea, carrot, and potato sprouts have appeared! For a practice perspective on sourcing food from the local community and environment, see the "Practicing with local sesshin food" dropdown link on our sesshin web page.

As it happens, our gardening space is a ten-minute walk up the road from Sanshin itself (which, for all of the lovely trees, is a bit too shady for most healthy vegetable production). If you are in the area and wish to get involved in this dharma plot, email Sawyer here or talk with him at Sanshin. 

First Sangha Stewardship workshop: On April 5th & 6th, six practitioners joined Hoko in the zendo (and a few more online from home) to explore the traditional roles of the tenzo (head cook) and ino (zendo manager and service leader) and how the functions and teachings around these roles can be incorporated skillfully according to the circumstances and available resources of contemporary sanghas. Activity included lecture and discussion about bodhisattva leadership in and out of the zendo alongside traditional doctrines and teachings surrounding these roles and their practice functions, as well as participatory demonstrations, including a run-through of liturgy with several folks trying out service positions for the first time. Resources and recordings from the event will likely be made available in the coming weeks.

​Later this year, on October 4th & 5th, we'll explore the role of director, specifically in a sangha board of directors context. See our Sangha Stewardship page for more information.

April workday: ​On Sunday, April 14th, practitioners gathered at Sanshin for our monthly work day in a warm and sunny early spring Bloomington to undertake various sangha projects together.

​Inside the temple, Hosshin and Clark focused their work around our kitchen space, in which a new overhead light was installed (majorly improving the space's lighting situation) as well as a sliding barn door to more fully separate the kitchen (and its sounds and smells) from the zendo.

Out in the yard, practitioners continued to construct a "dead hedge" fence barrier on the temple's north boundary using materials from our 20-year-old brush pile, gave the lawn its first mow of the year with our newly reconstituted electric mower, weeded the moss garden, and mulched the entry walkway flower garden. At the end of the day, Sawyer and Esho walked up the road to our sangha vegetable garden to sow seeds of golden beets, Swiss chard, lettuce, and kale -- all of which (fingers crossed!) could be ready for harvest by June sesshin.

Virtual discussion in honor of Uchiyama Roshi:
​On Thursday, April 25th, from 6:30 - 8 pm EDT, join us for zazen and a virtual discussion with Daitsū Tom Wright, Arthur Braverman, and Michael Hofmann, all of whom spent significant time practicing with Uchiyama Roshi and the Antaiji sangha in Kyoto in the late 1960's and 70's.

As part of our yearlong exploration of lineage & legacy, we'll focus the evening's discussion around the insights and memories of these North American practitioners who travelled to Japan and experienced Uchiyama Roshi's teaching and practice directly.

Practitioners in the area are welcome to gather in-person at Sanshin for the occasion, though our guests will be joining us via Zoom. Virtual participation from wherever you are is also welcome (simply use the green button on our virtual practice page). Bring your questions for a rare opportunity to hear from these longtime practitioners together in one conversation space. 

See our lineage & legacy webpage for more information on the event, including bios of our guests. There's no registration - just drop in!

Jikei says: At first, I was just curious. I wanted to see if a half-baked zen practitioner from America can survive in a training monastery (sōdō) in Japan.
​
I was the first female practitioner in the last 40 years (out of its 400 years history) to be accepted to train at this temple.

Okumura Roshi, who usually doesn’t give much advice, told me before I joined the monastery:

“Make sure other female practitioners will be welcomed there in the future.”
And, “Go make friends who you can practice with for the rest of your life.”

Throughout the whole time I was there, I was the slowest, weakest, most useless, clueless, rebellious practitioner there. Still, the other practitioners took me in and trained with me very patiently. Even when I was being the lousiest monk ever, my life was supported by everybody and everything in this world just to be here. To truly realize this was humbling, and made me want to live my life to the fullest.

My time at the monastery clearly wasn’t enough to learn everything about being a monk. But at least I know that much, and that I need to come back for more.
​
Needless to say that I had a blast.

180 Days on Planet Kotaiji
by Gyoriki Herskamp

On September 1st, at the age of 58, I stood in front of the Hatto of the international Senmon Sodo Kotai-ji in old traditional monk's outfit in the blazing Japanese summer sun, the sweat is pouring down everywhere, I can hardly breathe, the air is so heavy and waited for an hour or so to be allowed in and wondered, what I would do so often in the next few months: “Why am I doing this to myself!?

“Why you want come in here, why you don’t go home?” Reiho Roshi asks me.
​
“I want testing the roots of Japanese Soto-Zen!” I shout.

But the truth was, I didn’t knew not exactly. You have to do it, if you want to be a fully authorized Soto Zen teacher, but I wasn't really sure if I wanted to do that. The only thing that was clear was, that I wasn't getting any younger and every year I waited, would make it more difficult. 

​We're grateful for the financial support of our many friends and community members worldwide.  Your generous support will be used to make sure Sanshin-style teaching and practice remains available.  Thank you!

Dogen's Chinese Poems (75)
In Stagnant Water a Dragon Hides
Dharma Hall Discourse on the Fifteenth day of the Second Month (Parinirvana Day, 1246)

On various people’s faces hang Gautama’s eyes,
but still they beat their breasts with fists in empty grieving.
I cannot bear the heavenly demon, or the demon of life and death,
who roll around on the floor with laughter seven or eight times at seeing Buddha [dying].

This Dharma hall discourse was given in 1246 on Parinirvāṇa Day, the 15th day of the second month. Dōgen’s six Dharma hall discourses on Parinirvāṇa Day are included in Dōgen’s Extensive Record. This is the second one. In the 7th month of 1243, Dōgen and his sangha moved from Kyoto to Echizen. They stayed at Yoshimine-dera and Yamashibu until their new temple Daibutsuji was constructed in 1244. They moved to the new temple in the fall of the year. In 1245, they held the first three-month summer practice period in Echizen. This discourse was given in the second month of 1246. During this year, Dōgen wrote only one fascicle of Shōbōgenzō, Leaving Home (出家, Shukke) but gave seventy-four Dharma hall discourses. On 15th day of the 6th month of this year, Dōgen publicized Chiji Shingi (知事清規) and on the same day, he changed his temple’s name from Daibutsuji to Eiheiji. It seems he had completed the preparation for establishing a monastic system and that practice in accordance with the traditional monastic regulations (清規) was ready to begin.

Verse 47 of Kuchūgen, which I introduced in December 2021, was the final dharma discourse on Nirvāṇa Day, given in 1252, a year before Dōgen’s death. In that discourse, Dōgen said nirvāṇa is neither departing nor entering the world, neither birth nor extinction, neither coming nor going. The buddha entered nirvāṇa but he always abides on Vulture Peak. In other words, nirvāṇa is the intersection of the impermanence of his rūpa-body and the eternity of his dharma-body.
READ MORE

​Earthquake relief funds for Japanese temples: On New Year's Day, the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture was hit by a catastrophic earthquake, resulting in many casualties.  The results of this natural disaster are still being felt as people begin working on recovery and restoration.  We have two opportunities to help Soto Zen temples that sustained heavy damage as a result of the earthquake: a fundraiser organized by the North American office of Sotoshu, for Sojiji-Soin, and another organized by Sanshin network member Jisho Takahashi, for two temples with connections to Sanshin. 
LEARN MORE AND MAKE YOUR GIFT

When all candels be out, all cats be grey.

A Western ancestor said, "When all candles are out, all cats are grey."  We should understand that candles are both wisdom and delusion, and grey is both wisdom and delusion.  This does not mean that candles and grey are the same thing.  It does not mean they are not the same thing.  We must see clearly the nature of candles and grey in order to go beyond candles and grey.

When the candle of desire is extinguished, nirvana is there.  When the candle of wisdom is extinguished, delusion and discrimination are there.  Which grey cat comes in when all candles are out?  How can we know that this is so?  Do not discriminate between the grey cat that comes in when the candle is out and another cat.  Grey is the wisdom of emptiness.  The burning candle hinders this grey cat.

However, the true grey cat throws no shadow.  This is because the Buddha eye of wisdom is unhindered.  We should investigate grey cats so that we encounter them intimately rather than simply seeing their shadows.  Like the Tathagatha himself, the grey cat is beyond all in and out, coming and going.  In the great empty darkness, the grey cat is all cats of all colors.

Candles illuminate the myriad forms and hundred grasses, and candles hide grey cats.  Candles illuminate grey cats, and do not hide the myriad forms and hundred grasses.  We should investigate this deeply.
    --Hoko

​Parinirvana Day 2024: In the heart of our "quiet February" practice schedule, during which most Sundays simply consisted of two periods of zazen with no dharma talk, we recognized Shakyamuni Buddha's death and parinirvana on Sunday, Feb 18th with a talk from Hoko ("Everyday Parinirvana"), a chanting service including the Heart Sutra and the Verse of Homage to Buddha's Relics, incense offerings from the sangha, and a potluck lunch. 

"Six Points" discussion series: On the evening of Thursday, March 28th, we'll carry out the first of a series of informal discussions related to our focus this year on lineage & legacy. Following a period of zazen at 6:30 pm EDT, we'll consider the first of Sanshin's six points of practice, which we inherit from our immediate dharma ancestors: zazen in the context of Buddha's teachings. How can we practice with the common thread that runs from the teachings of Shakyamuni through the Mahayana tradition, the teachings of Dogen Zenji, Sawaki and Uchiyama Roshis, down to Okumura Roshi and the practice of shikantaza at Sanshin and around the world today? 

​Virtual and in-person participation is welcome; no registration required. For a complete schedule of the year's discussion evenings and more, visit our lineage & legacy webpage.

​Ango with Esho begins in April: Our annual ango, or practice period, begins April 1st and runs through July 7th. This 3-month period each year offers an opportunity for the sangha to focus a bit more intensively on our practice. We invite you to consider how you might deepen your practice during this time. During ango we have the additional leadership of a shuso, or head novice, who takes on various responsibilities in the sangha as an opportunity to develop clergy skills.  Our shuso for this ango is Esho Morimoto.  Her theme for the ango is "Studying the self/Self."  She will be supporting our practice, and we will be supporting her growth as a leader. For a full schedule of ango activities and to learn more, see our ango webpage.

Muso's passing: On Sunday, February 18, 2024, at approximately 5:30 p.m. PST, Muso Jim Biggs passed away. He was a very good friend to many of us, a strong practitioner and supporter of our practice and practice centers.

Remembrance from Okumura Roshi: "In 1998, on March 13, Uchiyama Roshi passed away. In April, I had a memorial sesshin for my teacher. Muso Jim Biggs was among the several people who joined the sesshin. That was the first time I met him. The following year, he invited me to stay at his apartment in Santa Monica for one year. We sat together each morning, except when I traveled to teach, and we had a monthly sesshin. When Sanshinji was established, he moved here and became my disciple. He was a dedicated zazen practitioner and a good friend of mine.​"

Remembrance from Norma Horin Fogelberg: "Jim was an intrepid adventurer. For several years, he regularly swam across the San Francisco Bay to Alcatraz and back. He walked a good portion of the length of Italy and hiked the Camino de Santiago across France, Spain, and Portugal several times. He traveled spiritually as well. When he became a Buddhist priest, he lived and studied at the training temple Bukkokuji in Japan. He learned to craft and play beautiful violins and violas, sang in many choirs, and, in the last two years, took up sketching and painting the hills and valleys of Sonoma, CA. Whatever Jim pursued, he did it wholeheartedly. Jim was a true Renaissance man, and a wonderful friend to many."

​Continuing Adding Beauty to Brocade talk series: Teijo Munnich of Great Tree Zen Women's Temple has invited several contributors to the Sanshin Network book Adding Beauty to Brocade to give dharma talks expanding on the essays they wrote for that book. Recordings of several of these talks can be found on Great Tree's Youtube channel, including the latest from Eido Reinhart (who also serves as one of Sanshin's board members) on "takuhatsu in everday life."

Successful 2023 annual fund campaign: We offer our deepest gratitude to everyone for helping Sanshin Zen Community end the year on a stronger financial footing. We have been working very hard to make up ground for revenues lost due to the pandemic. For the first time, Sanshin formed an annual campaign committee, with a goal of raising $25,000 by the end of last year to support our practice.  Because of your generosity, we surpassed our goal!

Thank you to everyone who supported our efforts and especially to members of the campaign committee: Norma Fogelberg, Mark Fraley, Tonen O’Connor, Komyo Melfi,
Laura Miller, Karla Passalacqua, Henry Coffey, Neil Chase, Gene Elias, and Jeff Alberts.

Our dharma community’s generosity supports the everyday life of Sanshin as we work together to take care of our facilities, make practice resources available, and simply
gather for zazen, work and study.  Read on in this newsletter and watch our website for a variety of exciting new practice opportunities in 2024.  We’ll be focusing on our lineage & legacy, offering Sangha Stewardship workshops for practice leaders and board members around the region, and continuing development of our newest division, the Sawaki Nyoho-e Treasury. We look forward to your participation in these activities as well as our regular weekly practice, either virtually or in person.  It’s your involvement that makes these things possible.

Hoko Karnegis, Senior Dharma Teacher
Komyo Melfi, Board President
Mark Fraley, Annual Campaign Chair

Introducing Zenki: Zenki Kathleen Batson has been appointed to fill the out-of-lineage clergy seat on Sanshin's board of directors.  Zenki is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki and is Vice-Abbess of the Chapel Hill Zen Center in North Carolina. She grew up in metro Detroit and first tried meditating in sixth grade after reading Shunryu Suzuki’s book, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. She began developing a consistent meditation practice in her early 20s and was introduced to Dogen’s writings in a college course on Taoism and Zen Buddhism taught by Tom Kasulis at Northland College. She first received the Precepts in 1995 at a retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh and first heard Okumura Roshi speak at MZMC in the 1990’s. She began practicing with her teacher Josho Pat Phelan in 2000. She received zaike tokudo in 2002, shukke tokudo in 2015, was shuso in 2019, and received Dharma transmission from her teacher on January 1, 2023. Zenki deeply appreciates Okumura Roshi’s work and has attended several of his genzo-e retreats over the last two decades. In her free time, she enjoys making music and art and spending time camping and kayaking calm waters. She lives in Durham, NC with her husband, son, and a cat. 

Two new chapters available: New translations of Chapters Two and Three of A Study of the Kesa by Echu Kyuma are now linked from our Sawaki Nyoho-e Treasury site.  Chapter Two covers the names of the okesa, while Chapter Three deals with appropriate materials.  The book is being translated by Koun Franz and Yuko Okumura, and new chapters are posted as translations are completed.  The Sawaki Nyoho-e Treasury is a division of Sanshin that works to accurately preserve, embody and transmit Kodo Sawaki’s nyoho-e teachings about sewing, wearing and encountering Buddha’s robe.

New resource for discussion groups: 

​





​Hoko's comments and discussion questions about the Ippyakuhachi Homyomon, or 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination, are now being posted to Sanshin's website on a weekly basis for use by dharma discussion groups or individual practitioners.  "I hope it's helpful particularly for small regional sanghas that may not have teachers or may be looking for new things to talk about," she says.  "The 108 Gates cover such a broad territory, and there's a lot here for folks to dig into that relates directly to our daily practice life.  Groups can take up a new gate each week, read the commentary together or before their meetings, and use the discussion questions as a springboard for a conversation about what it means for them."

The text appears as the 11th fascicle of the 12 fascicle version of Dogen Zenji’s Shobogenzo.  He didn't compile the list himself; it's mostly a long quote from another text called the Sutra of Collected Past Deeds of the Buddha.  Dogen wrote a final paragraph recommending that we investigate these gates thoroughly.  

Hoko has been talking about the gates one by one since 2016.  New gate commentaries, along with discussion questions and suggestions for further reading, go up on Mondays.

 ​"Six points of practice" discussion series begins next month: Sanshin's six points of practice are direct legacies of the last three holders of our lineage: Okumura, Uchiyama and Sawaki Roshis.  Throughout this year of our focus on lineage and legacy, join us for a series of informal discussions aimed at exploring how each of these points works in our everyday practice lives. On March 28th, following a period of zazen, we'll consider the first point: zazen in the context of Buddha's teachings. Virtual and in-person participation is welcome; no registration required. For a complete schedule of the year's discussion evenings and more, please visit our lineage & legacy webpage.

​Sangha Stewardship workshop (Apr 4 & 5): As part of our work practice in 2024, Sanshin will be offering two short workshops on bodhisattva leadership as experienced through the positions of sangha stewards, both practice leaders and administrative leaders.  On April 5th and 6th, Hoko will lead a workshop exploring the roles of the tenzo ​(head cook) and ino (practice manager). The workshop will include both higher-level doctrinal context and practical applications.  This session is also particularly aimed at small sanghas in our region which may be ready to add more structure to their communities or to take on more traditional practices in the context of their own contemporary circumstances and available resources. To learn more about this year's new offerings and to register for the upcoming workshop, please visit our Sangha Stewardship webpage.

Sanshin network and hossenshiki at Kotaiji: Eisho Amaya, a student of Densho Quintero in Colombia, completed his hossenshiki ceremony at Kotaiji in Nagasaki, Japan, in mid-January. Also present in the ceremony were two ordained students of Okumura Roshi, Gyoriki Herskamp and Jikei Kido, who have been participating in practice periods at Kotaiji. 

Belgian book study: Practitioners at the Centre Shikantaza in Mons, Belgium, founded and led by Mokusho Depreay, have been studying Okumura Roshi's e-book "The Structure of the Self in Mahayana Buddhism."

Lineage & legacy in 2024: Last year in March, we marked Uchiyama Roshi's 25th memorial. Next year in December, we'll mark Sawaki Roshi's 60th memorial. Here in between in 2024, we're taking the opportunity to focus throughout the year on lineage & legacy​, in support of our continuing discernment about who we are as a dharma family, what we bring to the national and international Soto Zen conversation, and how our immediate ancestors have laid the groundwork for the practice we carry on today. Sanshin's six points of practice are direct legacies of the last three holders of our lineage, Okumura, Uchiyama and Sawaki Roshis.  Throughout this year, join us in-person or virtually for a series of informal discussions aimed at exploring how each of these points works in our everyday practice lives.  We'll see how they came to be centralized in our practice, how they relate to other teachings, and what it means to actually take them on for ourselves. For full information on the year's discussion schedule and more, please refer to our lineage & legacy webpage.

 One of the donors, Elaine, grew up in the home that now serves as headquarters for the Sycamore Land Trust, a conservation organization in Bloomington, where the bell previously resided. The bell came into her family's hands through the work and travel of her father, who ran the Southeast Asian studies program at Indiana University. 

Sanshin practitioner Doju Layton currently works as a land steward for the Sycamore Land Trust, and served as the doshi for the ceremony due to this connection. In his own remarks after the ceremony, Doju said, "The sort of fundamental theme of our practice here is that we work on behalf of all beings, and of course at Sycamore Land Trust, we are trying to do the same thing, in a slightly different way." 

Shohaku Okumura

Okumura Roshi’s virtual talk: In mid-November Sanshin held a joint Sunday practice with the Minnesota Zen Center, since Okumura Roshi had been asked to give a talk in honor of that center’s 50-year anniversary. He served as head teacher there in the mid 1990s, and for this talk he provided a commentary on founder Dainin Katagiri’s death poem.

Rohatsu sesshin: Five participants (three regional and two local) sat the entire seven-day sesshin, with another six regular sangha members joining us for one or more partial days.  As usual, on the final night we sat until midnight and closed with a brief chanting service, which we repeated following full sangha practice on the next Sunsday.

We inaugurated three new tables, built by Hosshin Shoaf and Jeff Seikan Alberts, for our oryoki meals, as well as two drop-down hallway shelves built by Komyo Melfi for meal staging.  We continue to refine our oryoki practice, which was reinstated with the September sesshin after many years of buffet meals at the rental unit next door.  Practitioners have picked it up quickly and are taking increasing responsibility for setup, cooking and forms.  In this way we can continue to welcome newer practitioners and fold them into a stable existing practice structure.

Holiday closures: Sanshin will be closed, with no practice activities or administrative work going on.

• December 24 - 26 for Christmas
• January 1 - 3 for New Year

In this issue:​

• Okumura Roshi: In accord
• Just for fun:  Ye cannot see the wood for trees
• ​Practice recap: Okumura Roshi's virtual talk; Rohatsu sesshin
• Coming up: Holiday closures; Sawaki Roshi memorial; ryaku fusatsu; Intro to Zen
• American religious landscape:  Americans value hobbies, community, money and work over religion
• Sanshin Network: News from Italy and Minnesota

Ye can not see the wood for trees.

A Western ancestor warned, "Ye can not see the wood for trees."  Indeed, to be blind in this way is truly pitiable!  It is certainly possible not to see the wood, but to see only the trees is to ignore the life of the forest.  Ordinary beings see only leaves and branches and don't even dream of the existence of the wood.  If the eye of Buddha was open, we would see that the forest is nothing other than the trees and the trees are nothing other than the forest.  We should understand that the forest and the trees are two sides of one reality that arise together.  To see only the trees and not the wood is to be caught in the delusion of separation.  

There is no wood before trees.  However, do not think that trees are not distinct from the wood.  You cannot see the wood without trees; you can only see the wood with trees.  The wood is for trees and the trees are for wood.  The life of the wood is nothing other than the life of trees; wood and trees do not hinder each other.  Do not close one eye to see the wood and fail to see the trees.  Open both eyes to observe the life of trees in the wood and the life of the wood in trees.

And yet, in the moment of tree, there is nothing but tree and in the moment of wood, there is nothing but wood.  Each is completely itself.  Four trees or forty trees are one forest, and four trees or forty trees are four or forty trees.  Who would deny this?  Whether we would or would not, the wood knots itself into a network of trees and the trees cannot not knot themselves into a network of forest.  Where is the tree?  Where is the wood?  When they become one piece, if you call their names you may only hear the reply of the wind.

In the East, the sangha* is a forest of many individual trees functioning completely to carry out the virtue of peace and harmony.  There, an ancient buddha said that when more than four monks gather together, they form a sangha, which is a priceless treasure of the country.  Four monks or forty monks are one sangha, and four monks or forty monks are four or forty monks.  If I call your name, how do you reply?  Do you obscure the forest?  Are you obscured by the forest?  Consider this carefully.
  -- Hoko

* Sorin 叢林 (sangha), lit. thicket or grove of trees.

Americans value hobbies, community, money and work over religion: Recent research on trends in Americans' personal values continues to show the decline in the perceived importance of religion over the past few decades.  According to a new Gallup report, "Out of eight life aspects updated, Americans rated seven as having equal or more importance in their lives now than 20 years ago -- community activities, hobbies or recreational activities, your money, your work, your friends, your health, and your family.  The only aspect of life tested showing a significant decline in importance was 'your religion.'”  While Americans appear to have moved away from certain social norms and have become less religious, they have become more attached to other aspects of their daily lives -- including hobbies, community activities, money and work.  READ MORE
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Representatives of the US Embassy of the Holy See joined a meeting of Encounters: Pathways to Interfaith Dialogue at Centro Zen Anshin, where high school students learned about the importance of places of worship as not only religious spaces but also as social reference points. There was also a brainstorming with students, and a Q&A session led by Doryu Cappelli and Gyoetsu Epifanìa. They gave their personal testimony about Buddhism and the importance of the small temple.