Sunday, February 28, 2021

February 28, 2021

Congratulations to Sue Jensen on her Jukai Ordination! 

On Saturday, February 27, 2021, Jill Kaplan transmitted the precepts to Sue Jensen. The Jukai (lay) ordination ceremony was held in Jill Kaplan's and Rick Moss's front yard, the first ever ordination ceremony to be done in person during this COVID year in our sangha.  It was shared via Zoom with the rest of the sangha--a major achievement both in  planning the in-person event, as well as the technical requirements needed to share the event!

In the presence of her family, Sue received the precepts, her lineage papers, and her new dharma name from her teacher, Jill.  Her Peace Name (An Myo) is Kai Getsu Kan Shin (Ocean Moon, Generous Heart)  Alisa Tu acted as her assistant, Misha assisted Jill as Tanto, and  Rick was the videographer for the event.


This was not only a special day for Sue, but also for Jill as it was the first time that she transmitted the dharma to a student--an event significant not only for her, but for her teacher and for her sangha.  


Great congratulations to both Sue and Jill on this very special occasion!

108 bows, Misha





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Special bows for today: 

  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Hank Wesselman, brother of Chris Wesselman, who died on 2/15/21
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Misha's cousin, Kenny, who has been diagnosed with ALS
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering
    • Flip Dibner, dharma brother and friend, who is more than halfway through  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:
_____________________________________________________________________
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Friday, February 26, 2021

February 26, 2021

 A bad sit

What does it mean?

I don't think I've ever had one 

What would it look like?

Remaining still with mind racing?

Sounds like Discipline to me


Staying calm as demons come pouring into the room?

Seems like Courage

Quietly weeping on my cushion?

Isn't that what I'm supposed to be doing?

A Bad sit

I'll have to sit with that

I don't think I've ever had one


 - by Aaron DeNardo


__________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Hank Wesselman, brother of Chris Wesselman, who died on 2/15/21
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Misha's cousin, Kenny, who has been diagnosed with ALS
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering
    • Flip Dibner, dharma brother and friend, who is more than halfway through  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:
_____________________________________________________________________
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Wednesday, February 24, 2021

February 24, 2021

 Submitted by Dainuri Rott:

As a baptized member of the Catholic church (I have a wonderful Swiss Godmother, Tanti Heidi, who was present at the baptism, now 93!), I have contemplated the Lord's Prayer, especially that haunting line, "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."  Here is one rendition:


Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever.

 

Contemplating the differences between Christianity (as in the Catholic church, a Religion with a capital R), and Buddhism which I experience as a spiritual practice, I came up with a Buddhist version of this prayer/ not a prayer. (And this is version 7 or 8 and I am still working on it.)   It borrows heavily from our Zen liturgy:

 

Our buddha, whose path we follow, revered is the world honored one!
Immersing body and mind deeply in the way, we awaken true mind and thus heavenly nirvana is illuminated.
We vow to take its light to all sentient beings, bringing peace, harmony, and loving kindness to the world sangha.
Thus we enter the merciful ocean of Buddha’s Way.

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Special bows for today: 

  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Hank Wesselman, brother of Chris Wesselman, who died on 2/15/21
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Misha's cousin, Kenny, who has been diagnosed with ALS
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering
    • Flip Dibner, dharma brother and friend, who is more than halfway through  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:
_____________________________________________________________________
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Sunday, February 21, 2021

February 21, 2021

Instructions to the Cook 

- article by Kathleen Dickey

Over the winter break, Jill Kaplan gave me the book,  Instructions to the Cook by Bernie Glassman and Rick Fields, which uses cooking as a metaphor for studying Zen.  Bernie Glassman was known for his extensive community activism, including founding the Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, New York and the Zen Peacemakers.  In it, he says,

"The accomplished Zen cook is something of an alchemist. He or she can turn poisons into virtues. [They] don't do this by adding a secret ingredient but by leaving something out:  attachment to the self. For example, anger is considered a poison when it is self-motivated and self-centered. But take that attachment to the self out of anger, and that same emotion becomes the fierce energy of  determination, which is a very positive force."


In the chapter called "Basic Ingredients", Glassman says, "According to the way of the Zen cook, Beginner's Mind has three basic ingredients: doubt, faith and determination."  

What I love about these passages is their paradoxical nature, that challenges me to wonder: how can my negative emotions be transformed?  My personal demon I call "self-doubt" - so I am intrigued by the idea that doubt could be an essential ingredient.  Glassman addresses this: "Doubt is a state of openness and unknowing. It's a willingness to not be in charge, to not know what is going to happen next."   This is interesting - because if I examine my "self-doubt" it is totally connected to wanting to be in charge. What a concept: to let that go!                                Photo by Kathleen Dickey


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Special bows for today: 

  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Hank Wesselman, brother of Chris Wesselman, who died on 2/15/21
    • Roshi Mel Weitsman who died on 1/7/21
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Misha's cousin, Kenny, who has been diagnosed with ALS
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering
    • Flip Dibner, dharma brother and friend, who is more than halfway through  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:
_____________________________________________________________________

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Saturday, February 20, 2021

February 19, 2021

For Zen students, a weed,

which for most people is worthless,

is a treasure.

With this 

attitude, 

whatever you do, 

  life becomes 

an art."

- Shunryu Suzuki, 

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Photo by Sylvia Hawley

________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please continue to offer bows in honor of:
    • Hank Wesselman, brother of Chris Wesselman, who died on 2/15/21
    • 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
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Misha's cousin, Kenny, who has been diagnosed with ALS
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering
    • Flip Dibner, dharma brother and friend, who is more than halfway through  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:
_____________________________________________________________________
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Wednesday, February 17, 2021

February 17, 2021

To Be of Use 

The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

by Marge Piercy

________________________________________________________________________

Special bows for today: 

  • Please offer bows for:
    • Hank Wesselman who died on February 15th
  • 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
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Misha's cousin, Kenny, who has been diagnosed with ALS
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering
    • Flip Dibner, dharma brother and friend, who is more than halfway through  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:
_____________________________________________________________________

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Monday, February 15, 2021

February 15, 2021

In this world...

there are three things of value 

for one who gives.

What are these three things?


Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy.

While giving, 

the mind of the giver is made peaceful.

After having given, 

the mind of the giver is uplifted. 


- The Buddha's teachings (An 3.6.37)


____________________________________________________________________________

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 cousin, who died on 12/28/20
    • Tim Doherty, Chris Doherty's brother, who died on 1/8/21
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for: 
    • Misha's cousin, Kenny, who has been diagnosed with ALS
    • Shannon's husband, Gil, who is slowly recovering
    • Flip Dibner, dharma brother and friend, who is more than halfway through  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:
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