BLOG 3-12-2023

Happy Birthday Molly Myoka. Wishing you a GREAT year!!!

I give to Molly Myoka, and the entire Sangha, Transmission 42, in The Record of Transmitting the Light, or in Living Buddha Zen, if you prefer. Kuan-Chih to Yuan-Kuan (Tongan Guanzhi to Liangshan Yuanguan). Please read it.

I have a Zoom meeting 2^nd and 4^th Sundays. With a few friends who practice with their dreams. It started out as a group of perhaps 50. Has dwindled to 4 or 5 regulars. This morning, someone was talking about a dream in which she was in a large pyramid-like building and she was being told to go to a room where something very important about “sound” would be investigated. Something also about “echoes.” Hearing “sound,” I remembered something that I had read by Chögyam Trungpa just a few days ago (what Chögyam Trungpa had said, transferred to me in written form, had really resonated with me). I realized that I was searching for something in what Trungpa had said to overlay onto this person’s story. Onto this person. Validating, by adding some kind of gloss, to what my mind wanted to make a boring, simple, mundane, story. This urge to validate – such violence. I pulled back from my memory search. My “echo” search. Returned to the immediacy of the moment. And was engulfed by, soaked in, sung by, deeper layers. Deeper sound. Deeper person. Deeper relationship. Deeper feeling. Feeling. New universe. 

Emptiness < —- > < —- > Potency.  This new universe rushing in upon us unfiltered and unopposed.

As a Sangha, we have recently been exploring our financial support of our very own Sangha. We have been acknowledging the years of support given by Scott and Michelle. Travis Ensei/Ensai and I (Zenho) spoke with Scott on this subject. And he offered to write something for the Blog. 

From Scott’s Big Heart:

March 5, 2023

Dear Sangha,

It has come to my attention that Sangha members want to make a donation in order to contribute to the monthly expenses for the use of the zendo space. I would like to give my perspective on this possibility.

Over 15 years ago, Jitsudo Roshi decided that he wanted to build a place where he could practice and teach Zen to his growing number of students. His vision was to build a small structure in the place of an existing storage room. Jitsudo Roshi then proceeded to build our small meditation room according to his inspiration. He physically built the structure by himself with little outside help. It was a labor of love for him. I consider it to be an ongoing gift from him to his students. Thankfully, some of his ashes reside in our meditation space and thus there is a sense that he is still with us in spirit.

Jitsudo Roshi never had much money…he would have been happy to have money, but during his life, he didn’t emphasize this aspect and thus, not much came his way and he was ok with that. His passion was teaching and that is what he did until the day he died. Thankfully, our sangha has this same spirit as there is little emphasis on things financial. The nominal monthly expenses for utilities and general upkeep are my way of keeping Jitsudo Roshi’s gift alive for our Sangha, thus there is no need for Sangha members to begin contributing for this purpose.

However, there are other expenses which are real and important. Our Sangha is fortunate to have two amazing teachers, Zenho Sensei and Issan Sensei. Zenho has donated his time since Jitsudo passed away as well as the several years prior to Jitsudo’s passing. Issan has been more and more involved since Jitsudo’s passing.

It is customary for a Sangha to provide support for its teachers. I propose that we have a serious discussion pertaining to how much compensation that we should provide, then as a Sangha decide how that compensation will be distributed (perhaps a monthly payment). My sense is that each member can afford different amounts so there should not be a set amount. Basically, pay what you can, but keep in mind that we are receiving much benefit from our teachers and that there should be a corresponding amount of compensation. I look forward to receiving your input and continuing this conversation.

Sincerely, Scott

////////////////////////////////////////

Suns immense fire.

Earths immense water.

Somewhere between

Earth 

and

Air

Clouds

Rain

Upon

Sandia

                        Zenho

SCHEDULE 2/26- 3/4

MONDAY, 6:30AM, ZAZEN AT TEA HOUSE, DAVID KEKANSAN OPENING

MONDAY, 7PM, DREAM KOAN AT THE TEA HOUSE OR ZOOM

Drag your body to the Zendo, or Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81182899201?pwd=UVU4MnJhMG1ZUGJaOHhaSndwQ2dYQT09

TUESDAY, 6:30AM, ZAZEN AT THE TEA HOUSE OR ZOOM, WITH ZENHO. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86265616603?pwd=WHZEQWNDQnZPS1VicDl6VVlEdmxFZz09

WEDNESDAY, 6:30AM: ZAZEN AT THE TEA HOUSE OR ZOOM WITH ZENHO 
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89605039197?pwd=VTVubW5pUnBCNFBqQjBieERvNDd5QT09

THURSDAY, 6:30AM: ZAZEN AT THE TEA HOUSE WITH ISSAN 
DOKUSAN WITH ISSAN SENSEI

FRIDAY, 6:30AM: ZAZEN & SERVICE WITH ZENHO AT THE TEAHOUSE  DOKUSAN WITH ZENHO SENSEI

8 DEEP BOWS

Zenho and Issan