Condensed precepts?

Life, death, and being in community

On Sunday longtime friend and co-worker Catherine White-Holman died in a plane crash off Saturna Island. Five other people died in that crash, with two people surviving. So many lives changed in that moment.

Over the last 15 years, and in a rather concentrated way in the last 24 hours, I've had many moments of feeling grateful for having had the opportunity to know and learn from Catherine. She was brilliant in many ways including building and being part of community.

In the Zen Centre we talk a lot about the community of practice, the sangha. But as Catherine so beautifully demonstrated throughout her life there is a difference between talking about community as if it were something separate or outside of us, and being in community together, being community.

Last night I called Seishin as the co-coordinator of the peer support team within the VZC to ask for help. Seishin and I recently did a home visit together to sit with two members of the VZC who had a recent death in the family, and in the midst of the shock and grief all I wanted was to have people come and sit with me, to experience grief within the container and structure of zazen.

This morning three people from the VZC brought a mobile zendo to our home and sat in the middle of our living room, admist all the critters, complete with zabutons and bells and clappers. We set up a butsudan on our rolling coffee table, with a picture of Catherine and also of a friend Dean whose death anniversary it is today, with incense filling our house with that familiar smell from the zendo and flowers and ferns from Soshin's garden.

I was afraid to sleep last night, afraid of dreams of the plane sinking into the water and my beloved friend drowning, imagining the terror and panic of her last moments of life, imagining her long hair floating in the water trapped in that plane. Sitting this morning with three dharma friends across from and beside me I was so thankful for the solidity of their presence and the quality of their aliveness, breathing in and out, watching the tiny movements of Eshu's hands and the fabric of his robes move ever so slightly with each breath in, breath out. With each breath memories of Catherine, so many memories of her laughing (she was wicked and irreverent), and the quiet of our breaths in and out.

This is community -- sharing our lives together, the difficult parts as well as the joys; asking for and being there to help each other. Just breathing together, whether that breath is peaceful, struggling, calm, terrified, grief-stricken, with tears or without. Just being together, sharing our lives together.

Thank you everyone for your kindness and care, for demonstrating community, demonstrating sangha.

Gassho,

Joshua

Jew-Bus?! by Doshu

Joshua, you so expand my limited experience world view! At first I thought that 'Jew-Bus' must be an ethnic slur, or perhaps some sort of Talmudic transit option. Google to the rescue, and I find a Rabbi warning of the dangers of mixing Buddhism with Judaism - who knew? Thanks for sharing this part of your heritage with me. - Doshu

Hallmark cards for Jew-Bus

Yesterday a card arrived from my grandmother in Denver, Colorado:

You're close in thought at Chanukah as you are the whole year through. And all life's joys and blessings are always wished for you.

Since you are into Zen Buddhism, I am still sending you this. If you have holidays, let me know.

Hosen-Ji Zen Centre to VZC

During 2000-2003 I had the opportunity to visit and study in and around Kyoto, Japan on three occasions. Kyoto is a cultural jewel for Japan with 17 World Heritage sites, 1600 Buddhist temples and 100’s of majestic Japanese Gardens. In studying the history and culture of these Gardens I was able to view many from inside Temples. In passing through the hallways I could hear the chants, see monks, smell incense and from a distance see the seated meditation.

On my last visit I was curious about this meditation in the temples and asked to go to a Zen Centre for a few days. Somehow I found myself at the Hosen-Ji Zen Centre nestled in the mountains and countryside near Arashiyama, outside of Kyoto. Having no experience with meditation I thought I was going to a relaxing retreat or an onsen - maybe if I was lucky it might have a spa attached. In reality I was sitting for long periods of seated meditation, silent eating and monks walking behind me with sticks! I had no idea what was happening or what was coming next and no one could tell me in English. The most unexpected event occurred as we headed out for one our work periods. I was hoping it would be something simple such as working in the garden! But I was sent to the streets with the group asking for support for the Zen Center. I don’t think anyone could tell I was a foreigner with my loose fitting outfit, conical straw hat, bell, uncomfortable thong shoes and a pocket for money. We shuffled through the streets, ringing bells, chanting and the people of the community came out to give us food, money, encouragement and respect. I think my favorite moment was finally getting a chance to sit down and rest my feet, eating donated fresh fruit in an empty outdoor sumo wrestling venue (yes really)! I left the Hosen-Ji Zen Centre feeling a sense of wonder, freedom, curiosity and most of all just a little bit of contentment.

Back to reality in Victoria with no more trips scheduled to Japan, I was searching again. I was divorced with two children and confused. I started to build my life again and searched out the Victoria Zen Centre and Eshu. I had so many questions about what I experienced in Japan and how I could continue to learn. But I had interruptions and curiosities of other centers and techniques. My children continued to take up my time; I developed a business in Horticultural Therapy and I traveled to India on my own. I made many appearances at the Victoria Zen Centre (VZC) but was never able to commit to the practice and become a member. I took other detours with unsuccessful new relationships, physical fitness challenges and goals, an attempt at a new career completely unsuited to me and death. Finally, the realization that I had to get back to the Victoria Zen Centre - it was the only thing that made sense and there was always a sense of relief coming back and a wonderful acceptance.

I thank Ven. Eshu, Doshu and VZC members for their gentle encouragements along the way. It has been a long journey from my first initiation at Hosen-Ji Zen Center in Japan to finally becoming a member at the VZC. But really it is only the beginning. I leave you with this inscription from the Daisen-in Temple and Garden in Kyoto.

Each day in life is training
Training for myself
Though failure is possible
Living each moment
Equal to anything
Ready for anything
I am alive – I am this moment
My future is here and now
For if I cannot endure today
When and where will I
(words for each day) – Soen Ozeku
**the image above is of a phoenix at Byodoin Temple

This morning in the neighbourhood

One year post-car, 4 months since Doshu's ordination.

Walking to the grocery store, Doshu in monk's robes with his trundle buggy, being smiled at by little old ladies, accosted by a young man who wanted to know everything.
Are you a monk? What's zen all about? Do you get anything out of it? So it's mainly meditation? I'd like to learn to meditate, my mom does. But I really want a group to do it with...

Watching Venerable Doshu sweetly and patiently field questions, and support this young person in checking out Zen Buddhism for himself, I am filled with gratitude to be sharing this moment with him.

Soshin

VZC on Wikipedia!

The VZC now has two Wikipedia pages:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Zen_Centre


• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venerable_Eshu_Martin

Check them out!

Doshu on the Daily

For those that missed it this summer, here is the video of Doshu on Shaw Cable Victoria's Daily Show.

VIDEO

VICTORIA ZEN CENTRE CHANTING

Hello all,

The newest recorded version of the Victoria Zen Centre chanting together is available for download HERE and should be available on iTunes shortly.

Brad Warner, Dana and Dogen

Dogen: "Earning a living and doing productive work are originally nothing other than free giving."

Brad Warner on Dogen: "Working for a living is ... a means of giving freely of ourselves for the sake of others."

Sei-in on Brad on Dogen: "Receiving is a means of giving, while giving is a means of receiving."

I have to say that at the last Dana meeting, I was feeling kind of fed up. The VZC didn't actually need any more money right now and I felt it was unreasonable for Eshu to have a Dana meeting and ask for money when we didn't need any money to run the organization. To top it off, I was just getting back from a couple of days in Vancouver, which left me feeling cranky and tired.

So that was my state of mind when I arrived. We all met, shared dinner and the started the form of council. This is a form that I first experienced on the street retreats. I find it an extremely powerful way for a group to come together and collectively process their experience.

We went around the circle a couple of times. On my first turn to talk, I felt cranky (and I think my words were cranky). I was able to share my feelings without judgment and then listened to the others. As the evening progressed, I came back to a place that I have been before - a feeling that there is no giving and no receiving. If I investigate what is happening when I am giving, then I can see that I am also receiving. Similarly if I look into when I am receiving, I can see that I am giving as well.

In the end, Mitra and I were pleased to make another donation to the VZC. I left the evening in a very good mood (a big change from when I arrived).

As Dogen says, which Brad Warner comments on and then I interpret:
"Receiving is a means of giving, while giving is a means of receiving."