Misha @ Zen Heart Sangha: May 2020

Sunday, May 31, 2020

June 1, 2020

There is really nothing

you must be.

And there is nothing

you must do.

There is really nothing

you must have.

And there is nothing

you must know.

There is really nothing

you must become.

However, it helps to understand that fire burns,

and when it rains, the earth gets wet.

Japanese Zen scroll

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Our ZHS on-line schedule:

Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
For more information: www.zenheartsangha.org)

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Special bows for today:

Please offer bows for Dottie Kelly, Misha's family member, who died of lung disease on May 20th
Please offer bows for Annette Merrill, Misha's cousin, who died on May 13th from lung cancer
Please offer bows for Donald Kennedy, former president of Stanford University, who died from COVID-19
Please continue to offer bows for Nick Battaglia, Camille Spar's father, who died Aprill 13th
Please continue to offer bows for the family of Alison Templeton, a PS parent, who died on April 1st
Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:

Beverly Klemme whose beloved horse Saphire died May 26th
Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home undergoing chemotherapy

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Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Zen Heart Sangha website: resources about COVID-19: www.zenheartsangha.org
From our dharma sister, Sue: from the NYX: You may have come across a viral video of a white woman calling the police on a black man, Christian Cooper, who was bird watching in Central Park. The incident set off intense discussions about racism and quickly led to the woman being fired from her job. Sarah Maslin Nir, a Times reporter, joined Cooper for an early-morning bird-watching session
From our dharma sister, Kathleen: Daily haiku from Cornell https://haiku.mannlib.cornell.edu/
From our dharma sister, Camille: https://www.boredpanda.com/stupid-funny-newspaper-headlines/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
From Bill: Where the Buddha's lessons began from Lion's Roar Magazine: https://www.lionsroar.com/where-the-buddhas-lessons-began/
From our dharma sister, Camille: a modern fairy tale about the pandemic:
https://www.facebook.com/826415330774102/posts/2904759752939639/?vh=e&d=n
From our dharma sister, Lucille, for a little humor on 'What You Should and Should Not Do: https://youtu.be/wVs5AyjzwRM

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Many thanks to those of you who are sending me articles to share, links to helpful information, and for making comments…it is a gift beyond measure. Please know that you can either leave a comment on the blog itself, or send something directly to me and I will be happy to paste it in.

May 31, 2020

Picture window-

A hummingbird

stares at me

in my cage

- David LeCount

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Our ZHS on-line schedule:

Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
For more information: www.zenheartsangha.org)

___________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today:

Please offer bows for Dottie Kelly, Misha's family member, who died of lung disease on May 20th
Please offer bows for Annette Merrill, Misha's cousin, who died on May 13th from lung cancer
Please offer bows for Donald Kennedy, former president of Stanford University, who died from COVID-19
Please continue to offer bows for Nick Battaglia, Camille Spar's father, who died Aprill 13th
Please continue to offer bows for the family of Alison Templeton, a PS parent, who died on April 1st
Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:

Beverly Klemme whose beloved horse Saphire died May 26th
Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home undergoing chemotherapy

____________________________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Zen Heart Sangha website: resources about COVID-19: www.zenheartsangha.org
From our dharma sister, Kathleen: Daily haiku from Cornell https://haiku.mannlib.cornell.edu/
From Bill: Where the Buddha's lessons began from Lion's Roar Magazine: https://www.lionsroar.com/where-the-buddhas-lessons-began/
From our dharma sister, Camille: a modern fairy tale about the pandemic:
https://www.facebook.com/826415330774102/posts/2904759752939639/?vh=e&d=n
From our dharma sister, Lucille, for a little humor on 'What You Should and Should Not Do: https://youtu.be/wVs5AyjzwRM

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Friday, May 29, 2020

May 30, 2020

I discovered that it is necessary,

absolutely necessary,
to believe in nothing.

That is, we have to believe
in something which has
no form and no color--
something which exists
before all forms and
colors appear...

No matter what god or
doctrine you believe in,
if you become attached to it,
your belief will be based
more or less on a
self-centered idea.

― Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

__________________________________________________________________________

Our ZHS on-line schedule:

Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
For more information: www.zenheartsangha.org)

___________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today:

Please offer bows for Dottie Kelly, Misha's family member, who died of lung disease on May 20th
Please offer bows for Annette Merrill, Misha's cousin, who died on May 13th from lung cancer
Please offer bows for Donald Kennedy, former president of Stanford University, who died from COVID-19
Please continue to offer bows for Nick Battaglia, Camille Spar's father, who died Aprill 13th
Please continue to offer bows for the family of Alison Templeton, a PS parent, who died on April 1st
Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:

Beverly Klemme whose beloved horse Saphire died May 26th
Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home undergoing chemotherapy

____________________________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Zen Heart Sangha website: resources about COVID-19: www.zenheartsangha.org
From our dharma sister, Kathleen: Daily haiku from Cornell https://haiku.mannlib.cornell.edu/
From Bill: Where the Buddha's lessons began from Lion's Roar Magazine: https://www.lionsroar.com/where-the-buddhas-lessons-began/
From our dharma sister, Camille: a modern fairy tale about the pandemic:
https://www.facebook.com/826415330774102/posts/2904759752939639/?vh=e&d=n
From our dharma sister, Lucille, for a little humor on 'What You Should and Should Not Do: https://youtu.be/wVs5AyjzwRM

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Thursday, May 28, 2020

May 29, 2020

From the New York Times:

Velibor Božović, a survivor of the siege of Sarajevo

For the first months, he said,

he didn’t thrive and

he wasn’t resilient.

That came only once the part of him that

longed for normalcy,

that planned for the future,

that aspired to control his circumstanced

had been broken.

"It was the first winter when you realized this is going to last,” he said.

“And you realize that this is your life.”

“When I remember the siege now, I always remember the good moments,” he said.

“We had some fun. Because otherwise we would all go completely mad.

"I don’t remember being desperate,” he said. “I remember thinking, ‘This is life. OK. Let’s do something with this as much as we can.’”

__________________________________________________________________________

Our ZHS on-line schedule:

Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
For more information: www.zenheartsangha.org)

___________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today:

Please offer bows for Dottie Kelly, Misha's family member, who died of lung disease on May 20th
Please offer bows for Annette Merrill, Misha's cousin, who died on May 13th from lung cancer
Please offer bows for Donald Kennedy, former president of Stanford University, who died from COVID-19
Please continue to offer bows for Nick Battaglia, Camille Spar's father, who died Aprill 13th
Please continue to offer bows for the family of Alison Templeton, a PS parent, who died on April 1st
Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:

Beverly Klemme whose beloved horse Saphire died May 26th
Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home undergoing chemotherapy

____________________________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Zen Heart Sangha website: resources about COVID-19: www.zenheartsangha.org
From our dharma sister, Kathleen: Daily haiku from Cornell https://haiku.mannlib.cornell.edu/
From Bill: Where the Buddha's lessons began from Lion's Roar Magazine: https://www.lionsroar.com/where-the-buddhas-lessons-began/
From Misha's husband, Keith: genetic blood types and Covid-19 susceptibility: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-your-genes-predispose-you-to-covid-19/
From our dharma sister, Camille: a modern fairy tale about the pandemic:
https://www.facebook.com/826415330774102/posts/2904759752939639/?vh=e&d=n
From our dharma sister, Lucille, for a little humor on 'What You Should and Should Not Do: https://youtu.be/wVs5AyjzwRM

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Wednesday, May 27, 2020

May 28, 2020

Early Morning, My Birthday

The snails on the pink sleds of their bodies are moving
among the morning glories.
The spider is asleep among the red thumbs
of the raspberries.
What shall I do, what shall I do?

The rain is slow
The little birds are alive in it.
Even the beetles.
The green leaves lap it up.
What shall I do, what shall I do?

The wasp sits on the porch in her paper castle.
The blue heron floats out of the clouds.
The fish leaps, all rainbow and mouth, from the dark water.

This morning the water lilies are no less lovely, I think,
than the lilies of Monet.
And I do not want anymore to be useful, to be docile, to lead
children out of the fields into the text
of civility, to teach them that they are (they are not) better
than the grass.

– Mary Oliver

___________________________________________________________________________

Our ZHS on-line schedule:

Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
For more information: www.zenheartsangha.org)

___________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today:

Please offer bows for Dottie Kelly, Misha's family member, who died of lung disease on May 20th
Please offer bows for Annette Merrill, Misha's cousin, who died on May 13th from lung cancer
Please offer bows for Donald Kennedy, former president of Stanford University, who died from COVID-19
Please continue to offer bows for Nick Battaglia, Camille Spar's father, who died Aprill 13th
Please continue to offer bows for the family of Alison Templeton, a PS parent, who died on April 1st
Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:

Beverly Klemme whose beloved horse Saphire died May 26th
Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home undergoing chemotherapy

____________________________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Zen Heart Sangha website: resources about COVID-19: www.zenheartsangha.org
From Bill: Where the Buddha's lessons began from Lion's Roar Magazine: https://www.lionsroar.com/where-the-buddhas-lessons-began/
From Misha's husband, Keith: genetic blood types and Covid-19 susceptibility: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-your-genes-predispose-you-to-covid-19/
From our friend, Candace Pierce: Song of The Longest Time - Quarantine Edition
https://youtu.be/LpAKcQufacc
From our dharma sister, Camille: a modern fairy tale about the pandemic:
https://www.facebook.com/826415330774102/posts/2904759752939639/?vh=e&d=n
From our dharma sister, Lucille, for a little humor on 'What You Should and Should Not Do: https://youtu.be/wVs5AyjzwRM

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Tuesday, May 26, 2020

May 27, 2020

“Calmness of mind does not mean
you should stop your activity.
Real calmness should be found
in activity itself.

We say, "It is easy to have
calmness in inactivity,
it is hard to have
calmness in activity,
but calmness in activity
is true calmness.”

― Shunryu Suzuki, from Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

___________________________________________________________________________

Our ZHS on-line schedule:

Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
For more information: www.zenheartsangha.org)

___________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today:

Please offer bows for Dottie Kelly, Misha's family member, who died of lung disease on May 20th
Please offer bows for Annette Merrill, Misha's cousin, who died on May 13th from lung cancer
Please offer bows for Donald Kennedy, former president of Stanford University, who died from COVID-19
Please continue to offer bows for Nick Battaglia, Camille Spar's father, who died Aprill 13th
Please continue to offer bows for the family of Alison Templeton, a PS parent, who died on April 1st
Please offer bows of well-being for Beverly Klemme whose beloved horse Saphire died May 26th
Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:

Claudio Pannunzio, dharma friend of Twining Vines Zendo, who is undergoing chemotherapy
Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home undergoing chemotherapy

____________________________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Zen Heart Sangha website: resources about COVID-19: www.zenheartsangha.org
From Misha's husband, Keith: genetic blood types and Covid-19 susceptibility:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-your-genes-predispose-you-to-covid-19/
From our friend, Candace Pierce: Song of The Longest Time - Quarantine Edition
https://youtu.be/LpAKcQufacc
From our dharma sister, Camille: a modern fairy tale about the pandemic:
https://www.facebook.com/826415330774102/posts/2904759752939639/?vh=e&d=n
From our dharma sister, Lucille, for a little humor on 'What You Should and Should Not Do: https://youtu.be/wVs5AyjzwRM

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