Sangha News for April 2022

4/15/2022

Spring crimson penetrating all minds

Shohaku Okumura

Dōgen’s Chinese Poems (52)
Spring Crimson Penetrating All Minds

In both arousing the mind and the ultimate stage,
how do we practice fully?
Engaging these two minds like this
is the style of buddha ancestors.
Forgetting self and freeing others
with the strength of merit and virtue,
My homeland’s spring color, peach blossom crimson.

It is difficult or almost impossible for us new and immature bodhisattvas to practice, if we think that we are the only bodhisattva and that all others are the beings we have to save. But if we think all others are also bodhisattvas, and others are also living in the same spirit, and I am one of the living beings for other bodhisattvas to help and support, then it is not such a difficult thing to live in such a spirit. This world becomes the world of helping and supporting each other. The basic teaching of Mahāyāna Buddhism is that we are living in the network of interconnectedness; we are all connected and supporting each other.
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In This Issue:

Okumura Roshi: Spring crimson penetrating all minds
Practice recap: Standard morning schedule reinstated; Okumura Roshi's talk for Italy; spring opens with work day
Other news: Pilot residential program underway; opportunity for board service; preparations for 100th anniversary
Coming up: Buddha's birthday; Hoko on Dogen's three aspects of sangha; virtual genzo-e, June sesshin with Shodo Spring, Shoji workshop with Issan Koyama
Sanshin Network: Ordination in Colombia; German language dharma discussion

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Practice recap

Standard morning schedule reinstated: With the start of the ango (practice period) on April 4 we returned to the pre-pandemic morning schedule, which begins at 5 am and includes two periods of zazen, liturgy, a reading from the Shobogenzo Zuimonki and soji (cleanup). We've also retired the Enmei Jukku Kannongyo and pandemic eko from the morning service.

Okumura Roshi's talk for Italy: His talk on Dogen's poetry as an expression of his insight into the dharma was given as part of a larger virtual conference on "Zen as an idea of life and art." A recording of the entire event is available here; Okumura Roshi's talk begins at 1:51:02. The conference closed a cycle of three international meetings promoted in the city of Florence and sponsored by Buddhist Union Italy to discuss Zen and topics related to doctrine, literature, poetry, and art.

Spring opens with work day: Following a few dharma words from Hosshin, practitioners went to work to cut bamboo, clean up the moss garden, thoroughly clean the zendo and kitchen and modify kitchen shelves.

Other news

Sawyer, Kikuko and Issan

Pilot residential program underway: Three residential practitioners are now in place and will engage in a full-day schedule for the duration of the ango. The rented building next to Sanshin, formerly used for short term guest accommodations, is now devoted to residential practice. Sawyer from Bloomington and Kikuko and Issan from New York have two areas of activity during this pilot; in addition to participating in all of the practice activities happening at Sanshin and undertaking their own projects, they're helping to create and develop the residential practice program by actually living that life on a trial basis, building systems and making suggestions for the future. Issan is serving as shuso for the ango, Kikuko is training with Yuko as a dharma sewing teacher, and Sawyer is coordinating the residential practice committee of Sanshin's board that's determining policy and procedures for the program. Sanshin is not yet taking applications for future residents and hasn't determined a timeline for establishing an intake process; that information will be posted as it becomes available.

Opportunity for board service: Board president Mark Fraley is interested in talking with those considering becoming directors for the upcoming three-year term. "Sanshin's board of directors continues to collaborate with clergy, staff, and practice leaders to make practice opportunities available to more and more people while doing our best to ensure the health and safety of our sangha. With residents on site and more activity in our zendo, we're making steady progress in meeting our key strategic priorities. However, we do need more people to be part of our efforts! This July, we will be holding our annual board retreat in Bloomington where we welcome new directors. If you have skills in outreach, communication, development, or management and want to offer your abilities in the service of the dharma, please email me."

Preparations for 100th anniversary: Hoko made a road trip to Gyobutsuji in Arkansas to work with Sanshin network member Shoryu Bradley on preparations for the 100th anniversary events for Soto Zen in North America, set for next November in Los Angeles. Okumura Roshi will be lecturing on the precepts, Hoko will serve as ino for the five days of ceremonies, and Shoryu will serve as fukuetsu (assistant ino). Shoryu will make a visit to Sanshin later this month for several more days of work with Hoko on the event, and both will be in Los Angeles in June for rehearsals with the rest of the leadership team.

Hoko, Gyobutsuji resident practitioner Matthew, and Shoryu

Coming up

Buddha's birthday April 17: We've pushed our observance of Buddha's birthday back one week from the usual calendar to allow for a work day on April 10. Following Issan's dharma talk, we'll hold a chanting service with a special eko followed by a potluck lunch.

Virtual genzo-e: Shobogenzo Bussho (part 1) with Shohaku Okumura (May 5 - 9): Deep study of Dogen Zenji’s teachings as a means of truly understanding the practice of regular intensive shikantaza is one of the three elements of Sanshin's mission. It's an antidote to the "Zen sickness" described in the "Zazenshin" fascicle of his Shobogenzo. That danger can come with doing a lot of sitting with gaining mind—searching for a peak experience or some personal benefit. Thus dharma study is not an end in itself but assists our sitting practice. As our ancestor Kodo Sawaki Roshi often said, "All Buddhist scriptures are only footnotes to zazen." Read more and register here.

June sesshin with Shodo Spring: 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. We practice in complete silence following a 4 am to 8 pm daily schedule that consists simply of thirteen 50-minute periods of zazen with one-hour periods for meals and a bit of personal time. This sesshin-without-toys style of practice was created by our founder's teacher, Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, and practiced at Antaji in Kyoto, Japan. We carry on and offer this tradition of our lineage here at Sanshin.

Shodo Spring is a dharma heir of Shohaku Okumura and is a member of Sanshin's board of directors. She sits monthly Antaiji-style sesshins in the tradition of her lineage, leads an informal study group, and occasionally gives talks and retreats at other temples. She founded Mountains and Waters Alliance in Minnesota, a part of the Sanshin Network, to work together with all beings for the welfare of the whole earth. She lives on a farm, apprenticing herself to the plants, waters, animals and earth, learning to be human, and she spends time with her children and grandchildren. Read more and register here.

Shoji (Life-Death) workshop with Issan Koyama (June 25): At this time of isolation, doubt, and grief, learning from Buddha’s and Dōgen’s teachings, we explore a way to connection, trust, and healing. In this one-day workshop, we alternate supportive Buddhist texts readings, including Shōbōgenzō Shōji – Life-Death, and exercises to share our experiences. Read more and register here.

Sanshin Network

Ordination in Colombia: Densho reports that he's ordained a new novice at Soto Zen Community of Colombia. "We had a short sesshin and tokudo for one of our sangha members. It is always a happy event to have a newborn monk."

German language dharma discussion group: Kyoku Lutz of the Frühlingsmond Zendo in Hannover, Germany, is starting a monthly discussion group via Zoom to anyone interested in practicing the use of the German language. "Whatever continent you live or practice on, please get in touch if you are interested in meeting other practitioners through the German language. No one needs to be able to speak perfect German: If nothing else works, we simply switch temporarily to English! We will introduce each other to our daily practice, get to know new books and much more. One idea is also to read together the freshly published translation of The Wholehearted Way by Uchiyama Roshi and translated by Shohaku Okumura (in German, Bendowa - Weg ohne Wahl) and published by Lotus-Press Verlag, 2022. Together we will find a fixed date and time that suits the needs of the participants!"

Deutschsprachiger Gesprächskreis rund um die Praxis unserer Tradition!
Rev. Kyoku B. Lutz vom Frühlingsmond Zendo Hannover, Deutschland, bietet allen
Interessierten, die sich im Gebrauch der deutschen Sprache üben wollen, einmal im Monat
eine Gesprächsrunde via Zoom an:
Auf welchem Kontinent ihr auch lebt/praktiziert: Bitte meldet euch, wenn ihr Interesse
daran habt, andere Praktizierende mittels der deutschen Sprache kennenzulernen! Niemand
muss perfekt Deutsch sprechen können: Wenn gar nichts mehr geht, wechseln wir einfach
vorübergehend ins Englische!
Wir werden uns gegenseitig unseren Praxisalltag vorstellen, neue Bücher kennenlernen und
vieles mehr.
Eine Idee ist es auch, gemeinsam die frisch erschienene Übersetzung von THE
WHOLEHEARTED WAY – A Translation of Eihei Dogen ́s Bendowa, With
Commentary by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi mit einer Einführung von Shohaku
Okumura Roshi zu lesen, die auf Deutsch Bendowa – Weg ohne Wahl heißt und im
Lotus-Press Verlag, 2022 erschienen ist.
Wir werden gemeinsam einen festen Termin und eine Uhrzeit finden, die den Bedürfnissen
der Teilnehmenden gerecht wird!
Kontakt

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