Sangha News for January 2023

1/15/2023

Eyes wide open

Shohaku Okumura

Dōgen’s Chinese Poems (61)
Eyes wide open
Dharma Hall Discourse in Appreciation of the New and Former Tenzo and Director

[The directors and tenzos] buy yellow rice throughout the province for us,
and [arrange] for firewood to be carried up to this nook in the mountains.
With wind and clouds in cooperation, the dragons gain the water.
With this merit completed, their eyes are wide open.

According to the Pure Standard for the Zen Monastery (禅苑清規, Ch. Chanyuan Qinggui, Jp. Zen’nen Shingi) which appeared in 1103 during the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1126), in a Zen monastery there were four temple administrators: director (監院, kan’nin), supervisor of monks (維那, ino), chief cook (典座, tenzo), and work leader (直歳, shissui).

Later, in Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279), when Dōgen visited, because Zen monasteries had become larger and administrative work had gotten more complicated, the position of director was divided into three positions: general director (都寺, tūsu ), assistant director (監寺, kansu), and treasurer (副寺, fūsu). Therefore, in the very beginning of Instructions for the Tenzo (典座教訓, Tenzokyōkun), Dōgen wrote, “From the beginning in Buddha’s family there have been six temple administrators. They are all Buddha’s children and together they carry out Buddha’s work.” READ MORE

In This Issue:

Okumura Roshi: Eyes wide open
News: Tekifu Honda Roshi passes away
Practice recap: January sesshin
Coming up: February abbreviated schedule, Uchiyama Roshi memorial sesshin
Sanshin Network: News from Minnesota and Indiana

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News

Tekifu Honda Roshi, one of the last remaining teachers who practiced with Kodo Sawaki, passed away on January 11. Okumura Roshi explained, "He practiced with Sawaki Roshi at Daijoji in Kanazawa, when Sawaki Roshi was shike (main teacher) of the Shuritsu Sodo (the monastery sponsored by Sotoshu). When that Shuritsu Sodo was closed, Tekifu-san and a few other monks moved to Antaiji and practiced with Uchiyama Roshi." Issan Koyama is now practicing at Myokoji, where Honda Roshi had been teaching and spending time, although in his final days he moved back to Zuisekiji, the temple he inherited from his father. Issan has been in residence at Myokoji on and off for the last three years, and reports that " we are going through a rather chaotic time here."

Practice recap

January sesshin: Seven practitioners persevered amidst myriad challenges to complete the 5-day sesshin. No residents were on campus and several practitioners originally registered had to cancel their participation due to illness or other reasons. Those remaining faced a reallocation of work tasks and leadership roles that gave everyone several jobs a day in the kitchen and zendo just to carry on basic functioning,

Just a few hours before sesshin was to begin, a water leak from the zendo ceiling inundated floorboards, under-floor heating, tatami and cushions. Mops, buckets and fans were the order of the day as the great drying-out began. Clearly practice in the zendo would not be possible for awhile.

Hoko hastily constructed a makeshift zendo in the common room which just fit the size of the group and practice was held there for the first day and a half. Kinhin was held outside, and practitioners had the opportunity to practice with the distraction of the bright moon, singing birds, winter breezes and uneven paving stones.

With the zendo and its contents relatively dry, the group moved back but soon discovered that one of the two toilets near the zendo was leaking, rendering it off limits for the duration. It meant a quick dash next door to the residential facility during kinhin for some when the sole remaining restroom was in use.

Nonetheless, the sesshin wrapped up successfully with the usual Sunday practice with the rest of the sangha and a talk by Okumura Roshi.

Coming up

February abbreviated schedule: As usual in February, Sanshin will lighten its practice schedule for the month. There will be no chanting services or Zuimonki reading following weekday morning zazen, and no weekday evening zazen. The Wednesday evening discussion group has chosen to continue to meet during this time. See the complete schedule here.

Five-day sesshin in honor of Uchiyama Roshi (March 7 - 12): Sesshin will be held as usual but will end with a memorial service for Uchiyama Roshi, who died on March 13, 1998. Uchiyama Roshi is one of the most important influences on Sanshin's practice today. For links to works by and about him, go to this page.

Sanshin Network

Shodo Spring will give an online talk for Hokyoji in southern Minnesota on January 21. Zazen periods begin at 8:30 and 9:00 am Central Time and the talk begins at 9:30. More information is here.

Great Wind Zendo in Danville, IN, founded by former Sanshin board members Mark Howell and Sabine Karner, creates and distributes a biannual dharma magazine available free online. See the latest issue of Midwest Zen here and send an email to sign up for notices of future issues.

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