Sangha news for July

7/15/2024

Monthly commentary

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

New translation: Chapter Nine of Great Robe of Liberation: A Study of the Kesa (Kesa no Kenkyu) by Echu Kyuma has now been translated and is available online. This chapter covers the standard measurements for the okesa, rakusu and zagu. The book has served as an indispensable resource for anyone wanting to study, sew, or wear robes in the Soto Zen Buddhist tradition. Kyuma Roshi, a longtime student of both Kodo Sawaki and Kosho Uchiyama, generously shares his research and personal experience, presenting a kind of technical manual with in-depth explanations of everything from the proper color, size, and materials of a robe, to the actual sewing, to how to wear it and care for it.

Practice recap

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.

Ceremony program:

hossenshiki_program_esho_2024.pdf
File Size:	249 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

In this issue:

Commentary: Being with my spouse and children
New on the web: 108 Gates; Sunday dharma talks
Other news: New translation from kesa book
Practice recap: Shuso ceremonies; Precepts retreat and jukai-e; Novice ordination; July work practice
Coming up: Ryaku fusatsu, Six Points discussion #3; Quiet August (simplified schedule); September sesshin
World religious landscape: Religion and spirituality in East Asian societies today
Sanshin Network: News from Bloomington, Colombia, New York, Austria

New on the web

108 Gates: Hoko's written commentaries on gate statements 25 - 28 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.

Sunday dharma talks on Youtube:

Precepts retreat and jukai-e: Four people received lay precepts at the end of the annual July 5-day precepts retreat, which included lectures and discussion, work periods, and meals taken using oryoki. Brad Keiku Uebinger, Alli Dokin Gillet, Owen Gentoku Miller and Abby Eiju Johnson received their rakusu, dharma names and lineage papers, and other sangha members joined some or all of the retreat.

Ceremony program:

jukai_program_2024.pdf
File Size:	208 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Novice ordination: On the afternoon following the morning jukai-e, Myogen Ahlstrom was ordained as a novice. He received his koromo, rakusu, zagu, okesa, dharma name paper and lineage paper, and will be officially registered with the denomination. Ordination as a novice is the first step to becoming fully authorized clergy. Myogen transferred to Hoko when his original teacher, Zuiko Redding of the Cedar Rapids (IA) Zen Center became terminally ill last year.

Ceremony program:

myogen_2024_program.pdf
File Size:	399 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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.

Coming up

Ryaku fusatsu: Our monthly ryaku fusatsu ceremony will be carried out tonight, Monday, July 15th, at 7 pm EDT, with Hoko officiating. Ryaku fusatsu is our monthly ceremony of renewing our aspiration to practice with the sixteen bodhisattva precepts. All are welcome, in-person and virtually, whether or not you've formally received precepts.

Great Tree guest talk: Esho will be giving a virtual dharma talk on Saturday at 10 am EST for Great Tree Zen Women's Temple in Asheville, NC. Her topic is "Uncertainty," and the talk will be preceded by half an hour of zazen. Join here, and go here for the complete schedule at Great Tree. Talks are generally recorded and posted to the Great Tree YouTube channel.

Six Points discussion #3:
Uchiyama Roshi's balancing peace and progress (Thursday, July 25)

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

We'll discuss the significance of zazen and study in modern daily life so that we can maintain a balance between progress and peace of mind. We live with a tension between chasing after or escaping from things and avoiding taking any action at all in order to remain calm. How does shikantaza teach us how to take the necessary wise and compassionate action without fanning the flames of our delusion? Those participating online can join using the green button on our virtual practice page. Learn more about lineage & legacy here.

Quiet August's simplified practice schedule: During February and August at Sanshin, the regular practice schedule becomes quieter, less busy, and more focused on zazen. We let go of chanting services and Shobogenzo Zuimonki readings on weekday mornings, most Sunday dharma talks (which are replaced by one more period of zazen), and all evening practice activities (except for our Getting Started in Zen Practice sessions, to keep open a meaningful access point during this quieter time for folks who are new to the practice or community). Read more about our quiet months on this page.

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 practice in complete silence following a 4 am to 9 pm daily schedule that consists simply of fourteen 50-minute periods of zazen with one-hour periods for oryoki 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 Antaiji in Kyoto, Japan. We carry on and offer this tradition of our lineage here at Sanshin.

We've added 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.

World religious landscape

New research from Pew offers insights into religion and spirituality in East Asian societies today

Most people in the region say they either have no religion or identify as Buddhist. Forty six percent of Japanese, 38% of Vietnamese and 28% of Taiwanese adults identify as Buddhist. In both South Korea and Hong Kong, 14% of adults are Buddhist.
Relatively few adults say religion is very important in their lives, but many hold spiritual beliefs. For instance, many people view nature as having invisible spirits. In Taiwan, Japan and Vietnam, about half of adults or more say they believe that mountains, rivers or trees have their own spirits.
Large shares participate in ancestor veneration rituals. Roughly half of adults or more in all places surveyed say they have offered food, water or drinks to honor or take care of their ancestors in the last year.
Praying or offering respects to religious figures or deities is fairly common in the region. In each place except Japan, most Buddhists say they pray or offer their respects to Guanyin – a folk deity associated with compassion – and to Buddha. Almost all Christians say they pray or offer respects to Jesus.
People across the region generally view religion as a positive force in society. Majorities in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam say that religion helps society by giving people guidance to do the right thing. In Japan, about half of adults take this position.
Religious identification in the region is changing dramatically. Many adults in East Asia and Vietnam have switched away from their religious upbringing to no religion or to some other religion. Most of this switching is disaffiliation. In some East Asian places, more than three-in-ten adults say they were raised in a religion but now identify with none. These rates of religious disaffiliation are among the highest in the world. The departures are mostly from Buddhism, Christianity and Daoism.

Sanshin Network

Esho's offerings: Having completed her term as shuso at Sanshin, Esho Morimoto is offering two kinds of teaching to practitioners and sanghas.

1) Rakusu and okesa sewing at any temple in need of a sewing teacher. Esho became a sewing teacher in 2018 and taught at the Brooklyn Zen Center and Ancestral Heart Zen Monastery in Millerton, NY. She moved to Bloomington, IN in the spring of 2022 to carry out an okesa sewing apprenticeship with Yuko Okumura and to practice with Sanshin. Completing the apprenticeship in the summer of 2023, she taught rakusu and okesa sewing at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Carmel Valley, CA during its fall 2023 and winter 2024 angos while she was practicing there as a part of her priest training. She now teaches robe sewing in the style of our dharma great-grandfather, Kodo Sawaki.

2) Basic conversational Japanese. Esho offers lessons or tutoring online or in person. If there is interest in forming small classes and studying with others, that may be possible. Note that this offering is not about translating Dogen texts, reading classical Japanese, or doing other high-level Buddhist study. However, some knowledge of basic Japanese can be very helpful for practitioners, especially those planning to practice in Japan itself.

If you are interested in either of these offerings, please contact Esho directly for more information or to make arrangements.

Three new ordinations in Colombia: Densho says, "I am sharing some pictures of the Tokudo ceremony we had on Saturday. I ordained three new monks, Chisho, Shojun and Sozan, from left to right in the picture wearing white kimono. We are grateful that our monks' sangha is growing so we can strengthen our vow to spread Todo-san's lineage and teachings."

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."

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