Sangha News for August

Commentaries

Dōgen’s Chinese Poems (91)
Returning From the Cage of Dharma
Commentary by Shōhaku Okumura

Holding up a flower and breaking into a smile, a fish plays in a net;
making three prostrations and transmitting the robe, a bird enters a cage.
Penetrating the causes and conditions of all phenomena,
return to make your livelihood within the black mountain.

In the Buddhist Cosmology according to Abhidharmakosabhasya (阿毘達磨倶舎論, Abidatsuma-kusharon), there are three groups of three black mountains south of the Himalaya. In Zen literature, it is said that in the black mountains there are caves in which demons are living.

The main theme of the poem quoted by Rujing [in a poem referenced by Dogen in his own poem, above] is the transformation within the summer practice period, a transformation in which the monks become liberated by emptying their minds even within discriminating thinking in the black mountain. Dōgen changes this theme in his own poem by making two different references, and adding parts of the poem Rujing quoted. READ MORE

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I Vow With All Beings: 
Seeking Initiation
Commentary by Hoko Karnegis

Seeking initiation,
I vow with all beings
to reach the non-regressing state,
​our minds without impediment.

In the world of Sōtō Zen, we are always hearing that practice and awakening are one, and that there are no real stages of attainment arranged in a linear system that we have to pass through before achieving or attaining something, as taught in other sects of Buddhism. Nonetheless, it’s useful to consider what it means to make a firm commitment to practice, and how that commitment intersects with our aspiration to liberate ourselves from the hindrances or obstacles that get in the way of our bodhisattva activity. READ MORE

In this issue:

• Commentaries: Returning from the cage of dharma; Seeking initiation
• From our directors: Ethics at Sanshin​
• Practice recap: Empty Roles series complete; Intro to Zen with Hoko wraps up; Practice carries on in Quiet August
• Coming up: September sesshin; Home Altar workshop and One-day sit with Hosshin
• Sanshin Network: Hoko steps up for Soto Zen NA; Practice opportunities in Atlanta; images of Doryu and Gyoetsu, Issan and Shinko.

New on the web

sanshin source

What's new at ​Sanshin Source?

• There's a new entry on Tonen's blog, Thinking About Dharma.
• We've added a link to an article by Shoryu about his experience training in Japan to our resources for novices.
• ​Note that Hoko's essays on the 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination now live on Source rather than our original website.​

dharma talks

July 14: Hoko on the practice of eating

108 gates

• [86] Development
• [87] The dāna pāramitā
• [88] The precepts pāramitā
• [89] The forbearance pāramitā.

Sanshin's monthly board meetings are open to the public. Those who wish are welcome to sit in on this month's meeting on Sunday, August 24th, from 7 - 8:30 pm ET, using the Zoom link on our virtual practice page.

From our directors

On Ethics at Sanshin
Gene Elias, EAR Committee Liaison

When we feel harmed
What is the process for us?
Ethics Policy

As a sangha, we are bound together by our practice and for some of us, our vow to keep the precepts.  However, a community is a group of humans – each of us is unique. We have natural likes and dislikes and to a certain extent, implicit bias. I like jazz and blues music. Others like classical music or maybe show tunes and opera. Still others enjoy more modern forms. We are all unique. Hypothetically, one afternoon as I sit enjoying a little Buddy Guy (blues) and another sound drifts into my enjoyment. Maybe it's rap or some other sound that is discordant to what I was enjoying. So what do I do? How do I restore harmony with whomever is playing the music that disrupts my afternoon musical enjoyment? And what has this to do with ethics?

In Buddhism, ethics and harmony are deeply intertwined concepts. Harmony is a dynamic state of balance and equilibrium, both with others and the natural world. Achieving this state often requires adherence to ethical principles and virtues. Hence, the Sanshin Ethics Policy, which provides a more concrete set of standards that sits alongside the precepts, and also provides a framework for
resolution processes and procedures via our Ethics and Restorative Justice Committee (EAR) when conflicts go beyond the trivial issue mentioned above.

The committee consists of three esteemed individuals, all outside of our immediate sangha: Sonia (Sunny) Leerkamp, a former prosecutor for Hamilton County and a former Special Counsel and a leading advocate for Restorative Justice; Shoryu Bradley, founder and teacher at Gyobutsuji in Arkansas, who received dharma transmission from Okumura Roshi; and Richard Nance a specialist in Tibetan Buddhist traditions and director of graduate religious studies at Indiana University. When an issue is brought to the committee, its role is to clearly understand the situation in question, establish facts and context and recommend a model of
Restorative Justice to help reestablish harmony within the sangha.

I encourage you to read our Ethics Policy, which is posted on this web site. It is the basis of our belief in what ethics means and indicates our intention to maintain and, if need be, restore harmony within our sangha.

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Practice recap

Empty Roles discussion series complete: Tonen O'Connor facilitated a virtual discussion series hosted by Sanshin to explore the theme of "the roles our 'self' assumes as it faces life's changing circumstances." Over the past three Wednesday and Thursday evenings, about thirty people gathered to discuss questions of the nature of self in Buddhist teachings and practice, the roles we play according to societal and personal expectations, and the meaning of shikantaza as zazen without roles.

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Intro to Zen with Hoko winds up:  Eight local folks have been participating in Hoko's 6-week introduction to Soto Zen, offered in our zendo through Ivy Tech Community College's Center for Lifelong Learning.  Attendees received zazen instruction and now sit together for half an hour each week before engaging in an hour of presentation and discussion of Buddhist basics.  The series, which Hoko first offered nine years ago, wraps up next week.  

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​Practice carries on in Quiet August: During February and August at Sanshin, the regular practice schedule becomes quieter, less busy, and more focused on zazen. This seasonal practice rhythm is related to Uchiyama Roshi's sesshin schedule at Antaiji, where a sesshin was held each month except for February and August, marked as the coldest and hottest months of the year. We can approach our activities in the zendo with a similarly quiet and focused attitude as maintained during sesshin, with a less intensive schedule -- and we can carry this attitude into our day to day activities and reflections outside of the zendo.

Coming up

3-day September sesshin -- register by Thurs, Aug 28th
Sep 4 - 7, 2025

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. LEARN MORE & REGISTER

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Home altar workshop with Hosshin
Sep 20th, 9 am - 5 pm

Hosshin Shoaf will lead a day devoted to establishing a home altar as a foundation of individual practice.  He'll provide the wooden pieces and necessary supplies and guide participants in the assembly of an altar that can sit on a surface or be hung on a wall.  This is the same altar we use in the common room at Sanshin.  Previous experience with wood, building or crafts is helpful but not necessary.  LEARN MORE AND REGISTER

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One-day sit with Hosshin
Oct 4th, 9 am - 5 pm

Join us for one day of practice led by Hosshin Shoaf in the style of our sesshin, a retreat devoted simply to sitting zazen.  The schedule will be that of a typical sesshin, but the day itself will be shorter than the usual 4 am - 9 pm.  Whether you're just establishing your practice and are looking for the opportunity to try some intensive sitting or you're an experienced practitioner with limited time, this one-day sit is a chance to set aside all other home and temple activities and just engage in zazen.  LEARN MORE AND REGISTER

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Other news

This soon-to-be-released book on Dōgen’s Genjōkōan by Shinshu Roberts includes Okumura Roshi's translation of Okikigakishō (“Notes of What Was Heard and Extracted”), a commentary on Genjōkōan by two of Dōgen’s disciples, Kyōgō and Senne.  This is likely the first English translation of this text.  The book also includes a preface by the late Zuiko Redding, who also edited Okumura Roshi’s translation from the medieval Japanese.  Zuiko was a former board member and longtime friend of Sanshin.  More information about the book is here.

Sanshin Network

Hoko steps up for Soto Zen NA:  Hoko has been appointed president of the board of directors of Soto Zen North America, a fairly new organization that aims to partner with Sotoshu, the existing denomination, in serving temples, clergy and sanghas.  She had been serving as vice president and communications officer until the previous president stepped aside to take on other Soto Zen NA responsibilities.  Her main focus now is working with the board and the denominational council to finalize a mission statement and strategic plan as well as to prepare for the annual Sotoshu conference in October in Los Angeles.

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Practice opportunities in Atlanta:  Three Mountains Zen, a lay Zen Buddhist community founded just last year, has established its practice schedule of in-person zazen periods and virtual practice with Sanshin, and held a one-day retreat this month.  The sangha is discussing Hoko's 108 Gates essays at its weekly gatherings as well as reviewing Buddhist Essentials.  Its next retreat is set for October 11.

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Doryu and Gyoetsu marked Obon at Anshinji in Rome.

Issan enjoyed a temple lunch during his latest trip to Japan.

Shinko talked about his work with homelessness on a recent podcast.

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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We're grateful for the financial support of our many friends and community members worldwide. Coming together as a sangha to take care of our temple and practice in this way is simply an instance of the universe carrying out its functioning. Thank you for your participation!
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