Saturday, January 30, 2021

January 30, 2021

Remembering Roshi Sojun Mel Weitsman

From a student of Roshi's: Once in dokusan Mel made the comment to me: “The universe will take care of you.” I remember thinking at the time “That sounds really pretty silly.” Little did I know that those words and the sentiment behind them would comfort me countless times. As my practice deepened and matured over the decades, so too did my shared understanding of what Mel meant. Now I find myself saying the same thing to others on occasion -- a sort of "dharma transmission" from Mel.



_________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please offer bows for:
    • Misha's cousin, Kenny, who has been diagnosed with ALS
  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Ian Hass, Kathleen Dickey's cousin, who died on 12/28/20
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
    • Nora Hayes-Roth, a dear friend of Misha's, who died on 11/25/20
    • Dan Pomeroy, a friend of dharma brother, Dainuri Rott, who died on 11/20/20
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who has returned home and is slowly recovering
    • Misha's brother, Duane, who is almost done (!) receiving radiation for cancer 
    • Flip Dibner, dharma brother and friend, who is 1/2way through his chemotherapy treatments while at home 
    • David Shaw, who is continuing the process of PT after a stroke
__________________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

_____________________________________________________________________






Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

January 26, 2021

 

From Camille Spar

"Savoring the beauty


in the ordinary,
 


this year and always"


--uncredited







__________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Ian Hass, Kathleen Dickey's uncle, who died on 12/28/20
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
    • Nora Hayes-Roth, a dear friend of Misha's, who died on 11/25/20
    • Dan Pomeroy, a friend of dharma brother, Dainuri Rott, who died on 11/20/20
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering in hospital
    • Misha's brother, Duane, who is receiving radiation for cancer 
    • Flip Dibner, who is undergoing chemotherapy while at home 
    • David Shaw, who is continuing the process of PT after a stroke
__________________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, January 24, 2021

January 24, 2021

 Submitted by Diane Comey:


Kentucky poet, Wendell Berry, describes the sycamore not far from his house:




Fences have been tied to it, nails driven into it,
hacks and whittles cut in it, the lightning has burned it.
There is no year it has flourished in
that has not harmed it. . . .
It has risen to a strange perfection
in the warp and bending of its long growth.
It has gathered all accidents into its purpose.
It has become the intention and radiance of its dark fate.

____________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Ian Hass, Kathleen Dickey's uncle, who died on 12/28/20
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
    • Nora Hayes-Roth, a dear friend of Misha's, who died on 11/25/20
    • Dan Pomeroy, a friend of dharma brother, Dainuri Rott, who died on 11/20/20
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering in hospital
    • Misha's brother, Duane, who is receiving radiation for cancer 
    • Flip Dibner, who is undergoing chemotherapy while at home 
    • David Shaw, who suffered a stroke; he is home now with his wife, Nancy, and continuing the process of physical rehabilitation
______________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, January 23, 2021

January 22, 2021

 

As Zen Buddhist clergy, we condemn the attack on the United States congress on January 6th. We acknowledge the anguish and rage it has brought. At the center of our tradition is the understanding that violence leads to violence, compassion to compassion, ignorance to ignorance, and insight to insight. Although countless conditions led to the attack at the capitol, we see that the violence at the capitol was deeply tied to the white supremacy that has characterized this nation since its inception. 

White Supremacy was a founding principle of the United States, and remains one of the hierarchical conditions on which this nation operates. Until this country fully acknowledges and repairs the damage of the horrific violence and day to day inequities of its racist systems, we will continue to reap its fruit. We must recognize the poison of racism not as an evil committed by terrible people, but as a part of the fabric of our collective karma which we must unravel together if we want to be truly free.

We witnessed the confederate flags carried at the capitol attack. We witnessed, too, the Nazi imagery there. A host of other structural oppressions are deeply tied to this attack, including a rejection of truth itself. Part of this rejection of truth is denial of the racism that permeates this country. As we watched the attack on the capitol, we witnessed the stark differences in the way law enforcement treated these protestors and protestors at Black Lives Matter protests last summer. We recognize that future violence is a very real possibility.

Buddhism teaches us that there is always the possibility for healing and liberation. To be free of the violence of white supremacy and other modes of systemic oppression, we must acknowledge them fully, collectively, and individually as an ongoing practice, and from this acknowledgment, find the way to fundamentally transform our society. 

We, the undersigned, ask that as religious leaders, Zen clergy commit to justice, accountability and ethical action based in the teaching of Buddhism. We call on the clergy to address structural oppression within themselves, their sanghas and their nations. With compassion alive in our hearts, and the courage to face the truth, let us move into liberative action.

Signed,
Sosan Theresa Flynn, President, Soto Zen Buddhist Association

Marc Lesser, Vice-president, Soto Zen Buddhist Association

Inryu Bobbi Ponce-Barger, Secretary, Soto Zen Buddhist Association

Dokai Georgesen, Treasurer, Soto Zen Buddhist Association

Koshin Paley Ellison, New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care/Board Member, Soto Zen Buddhist Association 

Gyozon Royce Johnson, Soto Zen Buddhist Association 

Annalisa Rakugo Castaldo, chair, SZBA DEIA committee

Rev. Ben Connelly, Minnesota Zen Meditation Center

Hoka Chris Fortin, Everyday Zen, Dharma Heart Zen

Rev. Jisan Tova Green, San Francisco Zen Center

Charlie Korin Pokorny, Stone Creek Zen Center

Teresa Bouza, Kannon Do Zen Center

Rev. Genjō Sam Conway, Clouds in Water Zen Center 

          Rev. Misha Shungen Merrill, Zen Heart Sangha 

Please share this statement widely and consider the following action items:

  1. Sign our change.org petition and share it with your sangha members
  2. Sign the open Google Doc below (for SZBA full and associate members only). We will add an updated version of this letter with the additional signatures to our website in the next week.
  3. Share this letter and our change.org petition on social media.
Sign Our Change.org Petition 
Sign this letter for our website 

___________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please offer bows for:
    • President Joseph Biden, Vice-President Kamala Harris, and all our congressional representatives for safety, health, and well-being
  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Ian Hass, Kathleen Dickey's uncle, who died on 12/28/20
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
    • Nora Hayes-Roth, a dear friend of Misha's, who died on 11/25/20
    • Dan Pomeroy, a friend of dharma brother, Dainuri Rott, who died on 11/20/20
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering in hospital, but out of ICU!
    • Misha's brother, Duane, who is receiving radiation for cancer 
    • Flip Dibner, who is undergoing chemotherapy while at home 
    • David Shaw, who is continuing the process of PT after a stroke
__________________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:






Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

January 20, 2021

Inauguration Day:  January 20th, 2021  



Health, safety, and long life to President Joseph Biden


May the American people come together in our work for social justice and equality for all in every aspect of life as an expression of our understanding of the interconnectedness of all beings.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please offer bows for:
    • President-elect Joesph Biden and all Americans for a safe inauguration
  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Ian Hass, Kathleen Dickey's uncle, who died on 12/28/20
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
    • Nora Hayes-Roth, a dear friend of Misha's, who died on 11/25/20
    • Dan Pomeroy, a friend of dharma brother, Dainuri Rott, who died on 11/20/20
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering in hospital, but out of ICU!
    • Misha's brother, Duane, who is receiving radiation for cancer 
    • Flip Dibner, who is undergoing chemotherapy while at home 
    • David Shaw, who is continuing the process of PT after a stroke
__________________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:









Posted by at No comments:

Monday, January 18, 2021

January 18, 2021

 Happy Birthday, Martin!

Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.  We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.  We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.  Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force...

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. -  Martin Luther King, Jr.  



_________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please offer bows for:
    • President-elect Joesph Biden and all Americans for a safe inauguration
  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Ian Hass, Kathleen Dickey's uncle, who died on 12/28/20
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
    • Nora Hayes-Roth, a dear friend of Misha's, who died on 11/25/20
    • Dan Pomeroy, a friend of dharma brother, Dainuri Rott, who died on 11/20/20
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering in hospital, but out of ICU!
    • Misha's brother, Duane, who is receiving radiation for cancer 
    • Flip Dibner, who is undergoing chemotherapy while at home 
    • David Shaw, who is continuing the process of PT after a stroke
__________________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, January 16, 2021

January 16, 2020

 From Kathleen Dickey

This is a drawing by my friend and artist, Craig Schaffer.


It  is of the Shakyamuni Buddha's calling on the earth to witness his enlightenment  after being challenged and taunted by Mara and Mara's demons (symbolic of our own inner demons of self-doubt and delusion.)  


As he sat, Mara appeared and said, "Who witnesses your right to the seat of enlightenment?"  Buddha reached to the ground and said, "The Earth is my witness"..

____________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please offer bows for:

  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Ian Hass, Kathleen Dickey's uncle, who died on 12/28/20
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
    • Nora Hayes-Roth, a dear friend of Misha's, who died on 11/25/20
    • Dan Pomeroy, a friend of dharma brother, Dainuri Rott, who died on 11/20/20
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering in hospital, but out of ICU!
    • Misha's brother, Duane, who is receiving radiation for cancer 
    • Flip Dibner, who is undergoing chemotherapy while at home 
    • David Shaw, who suffered a stroke; he is home now with his wife, Nancy, and continuing the process of physical rehabilitation
______________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, January 14, 2021

January 14, 2021

 As I take my early morning seat 

the moon is here

Looking out my window there are many 

obstacles to seeing her

Buildings and trees

I position myself so that I have a direct view

We can see each other now

She will not arrive at the same time tomorrow 

Tomorrow as I take my seat she will be 

somewhere else

This morning

Now

I celebrate her light

Tomorrow 

It is someone else's turn

And I will celebrate the dark


-Aaron DeNardo

______________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please offer bows for:

  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Ian Hass, Kathleen Dickey's uncle, who died on 12/28/20
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
    • Nora Hayes-Roth, a dear friend of Misha's, who died on 11/25/20
    • Dan Pomeroy, a friend of dharma brother, Dainuri Rott, who died on 11/20/20
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering in hospital, but out of ICU!
    • Misha's brother, Duane, who is receiving radiation for cancer 
    • Flip Dibner, who is undergoing chemotherapy while at home 
    • David Shaw, who suffered a stroke; he is home now with his wife, Nancy, and continuing the process of physical rehabilitation
______________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

January 12, 2021

 

What to Be Thankful for in Your Bleakest Moments


As many of you know, my husband has been in the ICU for over a week now with COVID. I never thought this could happen to us, but it has even though we’ve been so careful. The virus started in his intestinal track, moved to his brain, then to his heart and now is into his lungs. So far he is holding on, but the trajectory seems to go up and down every day. It is so difficult not to be there with him and not to be able to talk to him to see how he is doing.

But, I wanted to focus on the things that have made this bearable and there have even been moments of peace intermixed with fear and anger. And this may sound very cliché, but truly, the support of the Sangha, my friends and my family have held me together. I physically feel that my feet are on solid ground and that I have a foundation under me that will enable me to weather whatever comes.

The future is not yet known, but I wanted to thank everyone of you that has had a kind thought, said a prayer, made a bow, sent an email, brought food, sent a card, sat with me. It means so much right now, and I am truly grateful!

Bows, Shannon Bergman

______________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please offer bows for:
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Ian Hass, Kathleen Dickey's uncle, who died on 12/28/20
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Nora Hayes-Roth, a dear friend of Misha's, who died on 11/25/20
    • Dan Pomeroy, a friend of dharma brother, Dainuri Rott, who died on 11/20/20
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering in hospital, but out of ICU!
    • Misha's brother, Duane, who is receiving radiation for cancer 
    • Flip Dibner, who is undergoing chemotherapy while at home 
    • David Shaw, who suffered a stroke; he is home now with his wife, Nancy, and continuing the process of physical rehabilitation
______________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, January 10, 2021

January 10, 2021

 108 Bows for Roshi Sojun Mel Weitsman (1929-2021)


With great sadness the sangha of Berkeley Zen Center announces that Hakuryu Sojun—White Dragon/Essence of Purity—Mel Weitsman peacefully passed from this world to the Pure Land of Buddhas and Ancestors at home on Thursday, January 7, 2021. He was 91 years old.

Sojun Roshi’s clear and steady leadership made BZC a beacon for Buddhist practitioners and other spiritual seekers in the East Bay and more widely in the U.S. With a strong circle of dedicated Zen students, as guiding teacher and abbot at BZC for fifty-three years, Sojun created a place where rigorous daily sitting practice was integral with people’s life of family, work, and service. He often spoke of BZC as a kind of “one room schoolhouse,” where each person could find the necessary teachings for their position in life. Anyone could knock on Sojun’s office door and he would readily invite them in.

Born in Los Angeles in 1929, Sojun Roshi’s broad life experience included a stint in the Marines, years of art study and abstract expressionist painting, augmented by work as a house and boat painter, cab driver, and teacher. When he met Suzuki Roshi his life work was transformed.  He embraced the practice of zazen and the task of sustaining the dharma of zen, given to him by his teacher Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.

At the instruction of Suzuki Roshi, Sojun founded Berkeley Zen Center in 1967. He was ordained a year later in the attic zendo he had established on Dwight Way in Berkeley. Suzuki Roshi died in 1971.  In 1984, Sojun received dharma transmission from Suzuki Roshi’s son, Hoitsu Suzuki Roshi, abbot of Rinso-In Temple in Japan, and he was installed as BZC’s first abbot in 1985. In declining health, he stepped down as abbot in October 2020, assuming the position of Founding Dharma Teacher.

Sojun Roshi is survived by his wife Liz Horowitz Weitsman, their son Daniel, and uncountable disciples and students across the United States and around the world. Cards and letters can be sent to Liz, Daniel, and the BZC sangha c/o Berkeley Zen Center, 1931 Russell Street, Berkeley, CA 94703. 

______________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please offer bows for:
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21

  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Nora Hayes-Roth, a dear friend of Misha's, who died on 11/25/20
    • Dan Pomeroy, a friend of dharma brother, Dainuri Rott, who died on 11/20/20
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering, but out of ICU
    • Misha's brother, Duane, who is receiving radiation for cancer 
    • Flip Dibner, who is undergoing chemotherapy while at home 
    • David Shaw, who suffered a stroke; he is home now with his wife, Nancy, and continuing the process of physical rehabilitation
______________________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, January 7, 2021

January 7, 2020

 Blackberries

By Margaret Atwood


In the early morning an old woman is picking blackberries in the shade.

It will be too hot later but right now there’s dew.

Some berries fall: those are for the squirrels.

Some are unripe, reserved for bears.

Some go into the metal bowl.

Those are for you, so you may taste them

Just for a moment.

That’s good times: one little sweetness after another, then quickly gone.

Once, this old woman I’m conjuring up for you

would have been my grandmother.

Today it’s me.

Years from now it might be you, if you’re quite lucky.

The hands reaching out among the leaves and spines

were once my mother’s.

I’ve passed them on.

Decades ahead, you’ll study your own temporary hands,

and you’ll remember.

Don’t cry, this is what happens.

Look! The steel bowl is almost full.

Enough for all of us.

The blackberries gleam like glass, like the glass ornaments

we hang on trees in December

to remind ourselves to be grateful for snow.

Some berries occur in sun, but they are smaller.

It’s as I always told you: the best ones grow in shadow.

(Submitted by Kathleen Dickey)

______________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please offer bows for:

  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Nora Hayes-Roth, a dear friend of Misha's, who died on 11/25/20
    • Dan Pomeroy, a friend of dharma brother, Dainuri Rott, who died on 11/20/20
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who has had a seizure and is in ICU
    • Misha's uncle, Jack Colegrove, who has contracted COVID
    • Misha's brother, Duane, who is receiving radiation for cancer 
    • Roshi Sojun (Mel) Weitsman) who entered hospice 12/14/20
    • Flip Dibner, who is undergoing chemotherapy while at home 
    • David Shaw, who suffered a stroke; he is home now with his wife, Nancy, and beginning the long slow process of rehabilitation
    • Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is in the final month of chemotherapy

______________________________________________________________

Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)