Sangha News for June

6/17/2024

Monthly commentaries from Sanshin teachers

Dogen's Chinese Poems (78)
Gathering Grasses
Commentary by Shohaku Okumura

44. Summer Gathering Dharma Hall Discourse [1241]

Now the hundreds of grasses are actually gathering for the summer.
Plucked from the entire earth, there [would be] ten million stalks.
One flower with five petals opens in the sky and the mud.
Without doubt it will naturally bear fruit.

This is the Dharma hall discourse given on the commencement of the three-month summer practice period at Kōshōji in 1241. The summer practice period is from the 15th day of the 4th month to the 15th day of the 7th month. In the colophon of Shōbōgenzō Makahannyaharamitsu (摩訶般若波羅蜜, Perfection of Great Wisdom), Dōgen wrote, “On a day of the summer practice period in the first year of Tenpuku (1233), expounded to the assembly at Kannon-dōri-in [Monastery].” This is the year Dōgen Zenji founded his first monastery and had the first three-month summer practice period. From that time on, Dōgen had this practice period each year except in 1244, when after moving to Echizen they did not yet have their new monastery. READ MORE

In April 2024, the Dogen Institute began hosting a monthly series of posts with Hoko's commentaries on gāthās, four-line verses to be chanted in the training temple for a variety of daily activities. For Hoko's introduction to the practice of working with gāthās, provided for contemporary practitioners, see here. For this month's commentary, read on below.

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

From our directors

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.

In this issue:

Commentaries: Gathering grasses; Serving my parents
From the treasurer: Another way to share with Sanshin
New on the web: 108 Gates; Sunday dharma talks
Practice perspective: Haiku offerings
Other news: Sanshin practitioners at Zuiko's funeral; Soto Zen North America gets underway; New at the Sawaki Nyoho-e Treasury
Practice recap: "Six Points" discussion; June sesshin; Sangha work practice
Coming up: Ryaku fusatsu; Shuso ceremonies; Precepts retreat; Myogen's ordination
American religious landscape: Most religious groups show attendance declines in last two decades
Sanshin Network: News from Arkansas and Japan

New on the web this month

108 Gates: Hoko's written commentaries on gate statements 21 - 24 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 21: Reflection on stillness
Gate 22: Repentance
Gate 23: Humility
Gate 24: Veracity

Sunday dharma talks on Youtube:

Practice perspective

Haiku offerings from Myogen Ahlstrom:

Back to my cushion
Back to the life that I live
In reality

Making a mistake
Takes away life as it is
Stuck in my karma

Constant city hum
Settles this very moment
The world as it is

Coffee fills my soul
As I watch the traffic pass
Letting go of thought

The clouds slowly fade
Sitting, drinking my coffee
Emptiness abides

In just this second
We hold all of existence
Present, past, future

Other news

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.

Soto Zen North America gets underway: Hoko has been asked to serve on the board of directors for the newly-forming Soto Zen North America, an organization of Sotoshu-recognized clergy that will very gradually take over some of the functions of the existing denomination on this continent. As Soto Zen N. A.'s communications officer, she's put together a website, and an initial newsletter went out this month. There is still much to organize and build and many structures to put in place, but the actual beginning of operations is the fruition of many years of work and planning.

New translations: Chapters Six and Seven of Great Robe of Liberation: A Study of the Kesa (Kesa no Kenkyu) by Echu Kyuma have now been translated and are available online. Chapter Six covers classification of different categories of kesa, and Chapter Seven discusses teachings on the virtue or merits of practicing with the kesa. 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

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.

From here on, the han will be used to communicate timing to the sangha in a simplified form of its traditional use in a temple: 2 strikes ten minutes before the first period of zazen in a given set, and 1 strike five minutes before.

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!

Over the last month, a few eggplants, zucchini, and kabocha squash, along with a row of sweet potatoes, have been planted into the sesshin garden. Kale and carrots continue to (slowly) mature, and may be ready for harvest before the precepts retreat.

Coming up

Ryaku fusatsu: Our monthly ryaku fusatsu ceremony will be carried out tonight, Monday, June 17th, at 7 pm EDT, and Hosshin Shoaf will officiate as a recently transmitted teacher. 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.

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.

Precepts retreat with Hoko (July 2 - 7): Registration is now open for practitioners who wish to participate in this year's precepts retreat without formally receiving precepts. This retreat focuses on the study of the sixteen bodhisattva precepts that Buddhists receive as guidelines for living a life of practice. The daily schedule includes zazen, group discussions on the precepts led by Hoko, work practice and silent meals. A public precepts ceremony (jukai-e) is held on the last day of the retreat, during which those receiving the precepts will make their vows and receive a dharma name and a rakusu, or small robe, which they have sewn beforehand. Registration for in-person participation will remain open through Tuesday, June 25th; virtual participation without registration is also welcome. Learn more and register here.

Myogen Ahlstrom ordination (July 7, 2 pm): Following the jukai-e potluck lunch, the sangha will return to the zendo to lend its support as Mark Myogen Ahlstrom takes ordination as a novice. He was a leader of the Bloomington-Normal (IL) Zen Group and a student of Zuiko Redding of the Cedar Rapids (IA) Zen Center for many years before moving to Indiana and establishing his practice at Sanshin. Virtual as well as in-person attendance is welcome.

American religious landscape

Most religious groups show declines in attendance over the past two decades: According to a new Gallup study, majorities of Jewish, Orthodox, Buddhist and Hindu Americans say they seldom or never attend religious services.

Twenty-six percent of Orthodox adults, 22% of Jewish adults, 14% of Buddhist adults and 13% of Hindu adults attend services regularly. Although Buddhist and Hindu adults have similar levels of regular attendance, Buddhist adults are much more likely to say they seldom or never attend (75%) than Hindu adults (51%). The largest segment of Hindu Americans, 36%, say they attend about once a month. READ MORE

Sanshin Network

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.

In general, I think it is difficult to appreciate the value of a way of life whose heart is the intensive practice of zazen. During the week we sit for five periods of zazen a day, and monthly, with the exception of February and August, the intensive sesshin of fourteen periods each day is held for five days. Furthermore, as it is a practice that is carried out in the mountains, daily activities are carried out in solitude, silence, without any type of toys, distractions or promises. This creates the conditions so that the individual cannot escape from himself, and is forced to accept and let go of the flow of thoughts and emotions. It is a practice that, in my limited experience, is quite confronting, and, at the same time, illuminating and peaceful.

When I began my practice approximately 9 years ago in Bogotá, Colombia, under the guidance of Densho Sensei, I remember that sitting through a forty-minute session was a great achievement that I celebrated for the simple fact of not having moved despite the anxiety and physical pain. Likewise, I keep in mind that the first day in my first sesshin, which was not so intensive, I wanted to run away. My whole body hurt, the silence at meals tormented me. I can't imagine how physically I could have endured just one day of 14 50-minute sittings. As a student of Densho Sensei, I not only worked on my physical posture, but I had the valuable opportunity to study fundamental texts, such as the Bendowa and GenjoKoan, which helped me in my quest to understand the type of attitude to have during practice. For this reason, from my experience, the possibility of appreciating and being grateful for the type of practice that Shoryu Sensei offers, depends on having had previous experience in the lineage of Okumura Roshi under the guidance of Densho Sensei, to whom I am extremely grateful.

This short memory exercise on the history of my practice has made me consider the value of having a family called the Sanshinji network. A project that I still do not fully understand, but I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that it is essential to preserve and share the teachings and practice of Okumura Roshi. There need to be temples in the city as well as in remote areas, free from the hustle and bustle of society, for the movement of the wheel of dharma to remain alive. I believe that, among the many factors that allow the expression of personal vow, community is one of the most important. As final words, I also appreciate Hoko's practice and efforts to nurture this family, and I hope that these words and my daily practice can collaborate to strengthen the ties of the Sanshinji Network.

Updates: Support for Soto Zen temples affected by the Noto earthquake in January

For several months, Jisho Takahashi, a dharma heir of Okumura Roshi, has been leading an effort to collect donations for two temples in the Noto area of Japan which were damaged by an earthquake in January, and which have connections to Sanshin: Ryushoji and Eifukuji. Visit Jisho's fundraising page for more background on Sanshin's connections and to donate. Below, Jisho offers a few updates on the situation, as well as photos of the rebuilding process:

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

The North American Office of Sotoshu has also been collecting donations for the repair and rebuilding process of Soji-ji Soin, one of the denomination's two head temples, which was also significantly damaged during the Noto earthquake. They are requesting that contributions be made by June 30th. Support funds can be offered via PayPal to [email protected] or mailed (cash or check payable to ASZB) to Association of Soto Zen Buddhists, 123 South Hewitt St, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

Sangha rebuilding at Ryushoji

Rev. Gyokushu doing takuhatsu for Eifukuji

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