{"id":898,"date":"2015-08-06T13:17:19","date_gmt":"2015-08-06T13:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zenwest.ca\/site\/?p=898"},"modified":"2016-06-13T20:54:38","modified_gmt":"2016-06-13T20:54:38","slug":"zenwest-newsletter-august-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zenwest.ca\/site\/zenwest-newsletter-august-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Zenwest Newsletter – August 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Original Email Version)<\/a><\/p>\n

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Newsletter for August 2015<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Last month saw two big events: The 2015 Jukai Ceremony (Committment Ceremony), and the Summer Sesshin (7 day intensive). Scroll down for more news about the Jukai and Sesshin.<\/p>\n

Also be sure to scroll down for our new \u00a0interview\u00a0<\/span>feature: Meet A Member<\/em>. <\/strong>The first Zenwest member interviewed is Reverend D\u014dshu<\/strong>. (Editorial comment from Ky\u014dk\u016b, your resident noisy enthusiast: I’ve known this cat for some years now, and he is truly an excellent, interesting, and groovy cat. Scroll down and read!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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August Sits<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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August Special Events<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Aug 15: Zenwest Workday (Kokizan-ji 9:00am\u201412:00pm)
\nAug 1\u201416 Member survey response requested by Aug 16
\nAbbot’s holiday until Aug 13<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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\u6388\u6212<\/span><\/p>\n

Jukai<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

With the practice of self-realization, we learn that words come nowhere near the depth that zazen offers. On Sunday, July 12, 2015, five members gathered to dive deeper by committing as initiates and postulants. Before they became Egen, Seizan, Kanshin, and Hakuun, they affirmed loudly to the first five Sila (vows or virtues). Each name was carefully considered and came with personal meaning relating to character, qualities, or suggestions for practice opportunities.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

First Sila: Affirm life; do not kill.
\nSecond Sila: Be giving; do not steal.
\nThird Sila: Honour the body; do not misuse sexuality.
\nFourth Sila: Manifest truth; do not lie.
\nFifth Sila: Proceed clearly; do not cloud the mind.<\/p>\n

Further, postulants Hoy\u016b Tommi Boulter and Kid\u014d Geoff deRosenroll accepted five more Sila to become elders of Zenwest.<\/p>\n

Sixth Sila: See the perfection; do not speak of others\u2019 errors and faults.
\nSeventh Sila: Realize self and other as one; do not elevate the self and belittle others.
\nEighth Sila: Give freely; do not be withholding.
\nNinth Sila: Manifest non-duality; do not be angry.
\nTenth Sila: Experience the intimacy of things; do not defile the Three Treasures.<\/p>\n

Buddha \u2022 Dharma \u2022 Sangha<\/p>\n

The Commitment Ceremony was followed by a tasty potluck spread offered by the freshly committed members. As in all things Zen, you had to have been there. Perhaps next year you will be!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Fun! Fun! Fun!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHave fun on your retreat!\u201d they say.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I say, \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0not exactly<\/em>\u00a0fun.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I try to explain. Words tumble out. I splutter. I stumble.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I give up. Shrug shoulders. Regain balance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

“Thanks.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014 Elder H\u014dy\u016b<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Summer Sesshin ~ Sitting With Sun and Thunderstorm<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Zenwest annually offers a summer seven-day (sesshin) retreat.\u00a0 This year\u2019s began July 19th with Sangha Sunday, through Sesshin and ended on the following Sunday with a one-day (Zazenkai).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a Zazenkai from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. multiply it more then sevenfold and you may (or not) come close to describing the super powers of Sesshin. As Aristotle wrote, \u201cthe whole is greater then the sum of its parts.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rising at 4:30am, zazen begins at 5:00am, followed by chanting, kinhin (walking meditation), formal meal service (three), chores, personal practice periods, interview (two), dharma talk, yoga or hiking until at 9:30pm we either fall into bed with a relief or lay down in wonder or grief. The next day we do it all over again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Everything comes and goes in sesshin practice. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sesshin provides an opportunity to do all the important work, that sometimes eludes us in our work-a-day worries and self absorbed concerns. Here now, each moment is \u201cdevoted to the fundamental activity of self\u201d. Here now, with each precious breath, we can begin to understand and actualize \u201cthis dharma, incomparably profound and minutely subtle\u201d. Here now, we begin to catch a glimpse that \u201cnirvana is openly shown to our eyes.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The schedule of Sesshin does the \u201cthinking\u201d of what, where and when to do. Our opportunity is to sit be, as one, both offering and accepting support, both acting and refraining from action.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And as in the \u201cFinal Instruction of Daito Kokushi\u201d, we are encouraged to \u201cWork hard. Work hard!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Community\u00a0 <\/strong>
\n(For S)<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n


\nS and I sought stillness in a forest sigh.
\nUp, up, up, we climbed. Scrambling up supported by ropes,
\nThoughtfully secured for travellers reaching for the stars.
\nSpent a little time on the mountain gazing out to the sea.<\/span><\/p>\n

A turning word, then we followed the way down, down, down.
\nBreaking silence to help with noble speech.
\nSliding on loose rocks, a slippery slope, a helping rope,
\nStepping under branches, over roots, logs, the forest floor soft, yielding.<\/p>\n

Now under a canopy of green, looking up, craning eyes to the blue.
\nWe \u201csaw\u201d trees dancing in a circle, waltzing to a forest concert.
\nNo eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body and no mind.
\nBowing to each other, reaching out a limb, one broken at the trunk leaning on another.
\nSwaying, together. Alone, rock-a-bye baby.<\/p>\n

Us, empty, speechless. Prajnaparamita.<\/p>\n

\u201cA sangha of trees,\u201d whispered the breeze.<\/p>\n

Explain to me how we are more important than a mountain, a species, a forest.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Elder Hoyu Boulter<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Meet a Member<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n

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Rev. Doshu Rogers<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n

When did you start on the path? And where?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I became interested in meditation in the early 1970s when I was an undergraduate at the University of Toronto. At the time, the practice of Transcendental Meditation was popular and readily available, so I signed up, was initiated, received a mantra, and began practising regularly on my own. A few years later, when I had moved to Victoria, I happened upon Roshi Kapleau\u2019s book The Three Pillars of Zen<\/em>, and was \u2018set on fire\u2019 with zen practice.\u00a0 It seemed that there was nothing more worthwhile for me to do than to sit! I abandoned the mantra-based TM, took up zazen, and joined an informal sitting group which later (in 1980) formalized itself into the Victoria Zen Centre.<\/p>\n

What, in terms of life challenges, brought you to the practice of meditation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I grew up in a stable middle-class family in a Toronto suburb. My parents were teachers; they were active members of a local Unitarian congregation, politically very left-wing, had traditional values of hard work and thrift, and scorned the use of alcohol and tobacco. I thrived in an environment of intellectual stimulation and rational pursuit of my interests, which were mostly in the areas of mathematics and \u2018hard\u2019 sciences.<\/p>\n

When I moved downtown to attend university, I realized that my experience and horizons were very narrow, and I eagerly embraced the new possibilities that were all around me, including (but not limited to) \u2018sex, drugs, and rock & roll\u2019. Psychoactive drugs were everywhere (late 1960s), and were pivotal in my opening up to a broader world view. I saw many folks around me suffering from profligate drug use, but for me the experiences pointed to rich expansive possibilities and kindled my interest in meditation as a natural way to explore my inner workings.<\/p>\n

Why do you continue?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here I am at age sixty-four, having had zazen practice as a thread throughout my life for the last forty years or so. I continue with it because it is the single most powerful formalism that I have encountered for opening to a broader, natural fulfillment of life.<\/p>\n

What do you find, at this time, is your greatest challenge in walking the way?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A major challenge for me is in getting out of my own way. I am an inveterate \u2018doer\u2019, and finding a balance between doing and being is an ongoing challenge.<\/p>\n

If you could share one bit of practical advice about sitting zazen, what would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just sit every day, whether you want to or not (particularly if you don\u2019t want to!). Say YES to life and to practice.<\/p>\n

Finally, in three words can you express what Buddha, Dharma, Sangha means for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Original deep fulfillment.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Copyright \u00a9 2015 Zenwest Buddhist Society, All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Zenwest Newsletter mailing address is:<\/strong>
\nnews@zenwest.ca<\/a><\/p>\n

For other inquiries and Zenwest business:<\/strong>
\noffice@zenwest.ca<\/a><\/p>\n

To see the full schedule in all its glory, click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

unsubscribe from this list<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 update subscription preferences<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u6388\u6212 – Jukai
\nFun! Fun! Fun! – by Elder Hoyu Boulter
\nSummer Sesshin ~ Sitting With Sun and Thunderstorm
\nCommunity\u00a0(For S) – by Elder Hoyu Boulter
\nMeet a Member – Rev. Doshu Rogers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newsletter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zenwest.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zenwest.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zenwest.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenwest.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenwest.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=898"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/zenwest.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":962,"href":"https:\/\/zenwest.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898\/revisions\/962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zenwest.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenwest.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zenwest.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}