WATERFALL
2004/5 winter newsletter
Short verses Eshin
Coming and going
Expansion, contraction
Plus / minus
Roshi chants.
No coming, no going
Beyond expansion and contraction
Plus / minus transcended
Who says this?
A day of troubles at work.
The glowing evening sky –
Dissolving all in blue, gray, white.
I stand head bowed.
Standing in light rain,
Gradually seeped in wetness.
Slowly becoming the wetness
That is the wetness of rain.
Shade upon shade of grey –
Clouds, sky, sea, off-shore islands,
Illuminated by the morning sun.
Unending swoosh-swoosh of ripples landing.
This is my world.
Snow flakes
Appear in the street-light’s glow
And fall dissolving
In the dark winter night.
Zazen; sound of rain outside.
The rain inside, cleanses.
Black-robed monk in the pale winter sun
The taste of frosted cranberries.
Mistake after mistake
Blunders pile up.
Yet where there’s no right and wrong
Mistakes are not in error –
The bittersweet of human life.
No one’s ever alone Gareth
In my home your home is my home;
every speck of dust, light and dark
my own. No one is ever alone.
In my home the rich frolic in emerald pools;
the starving children’s bloated stomachs
are never full. No one is ever alone.
In my home your pains gnaw at my heart;
your touch envelops my soul. From your joys
I’m never apart. No one is ever alone.
In your home all the places of your things
I know; your family’s deepest secrets
are my own. No one is ever alone.
In my home your home is my home,
every speck of dust, light and dark
my own. No one is ever alone.
The Silence of Trees Jon Contorines
I walk in the delicate time
After the falling of leaves
And before the first white coat of snow,
And there you stand
Naked
Unadorned
Bereft of leaves
And the nests of birds
Your branches rooted to the sky
Your trunk to the earth.
A shepherd of starlight and wind,
Your bare branches are the arms of Titans
Gathering all these forces together
Your roots, splayed fingers,
Seek the secret, moist places beneath
Unadorned, your form has the grace
and simplicity of a haiku poem
You are naked,
But in your nakedness
Not Vulnerable,
You shine with the awesome power of silence
Sesshin just as it is Eshin
The breakfast cereal dry-roasting in the skillet.
Sunlight catches the stirring –
Deep shadows and light.
A girl, putting down her cup, also notices.
Monstrous Eye Gareth
I’ve been sitting with an aching heart and
spine my father nearly shook to death
and with all the shit mixed up with that.
But he also gave me stars shining
on the ceiling of my family home.
How I long to see them again
with a child’s monstrous eye and
to love you now, direct in every breath.
Some items from the old newsletters -
Master Rinzai said that a true follower of the way has nothing further to seek, but that most people are like sheep, eating whatever their noses bump into. One night before sesshin I nearly went hungry because I couldn’t decide what to eat.
Can I come in?
Can a cat meow?
Can a boy play?
There is no gate that keeps me out.
Terry asked his brother, Kelly, how zazen was some time after bringing him to the Zen Centre for the first time. ‘Nothing much happened’ replied Kelly ‘except I heard the rain falling for the first time’.
Robert Aiken Roshi mentioned at the end of one of his books that he sometimes regrets what he had written earlier. ‘Yes’ responded a Zen student ‘that’s the same for me – the writing stayed while I had moved on’.
Evening zazen,
old students, new students.
I feel no urge to talk of Zen
but how will the new
know they are dreaming?
When I told him
that I had ruined my life,
he just shrugged his shoulders
and said
you should start a new one.
No pity
in my Roshi.
A drop of water
Running down a mirror.
Neither one nor two.
Centre News
On Saturday January 1 st at 1pm we’ll have a ceremony to start the New Year. This will be followed by a potluck lunch. Please come, partners and children are most welcome. No morning zazen on Saturday January 1. Next one day sit is Sunday January 2.
There is a change of date for the February sesshin on Galiano Island . This was caused by BC Ferries closing the dock for repairs from February 18 th. The new February dates are the 10 th to the 17 th. That is, we go over on the 9 th and return on the morning of the 17 th.
The other dates for the 2005 sesshins are May 7 th – 14 th, August 13 th – 20 th, and November 19 th – 26 th.
Noah provided some legal advice so we can now make most of the payments for sesshin and one day sits tax deductible. You’ll see this in your charitable receipts.
The Zen Centre’s annual administration meeting will be at 5pm on Thursday January 27 th. Practise, financial and Zen Centre reports will be given. The directors for 2005 are decided upon. It is open to all current members.
The Zen Centre had introduced some changes to the weekly schedule in November.
Samu practise is now weekly after the Sunday morning sit. It lasts an hour with refreshments following. It’s turning into a lively time for working together and then socializing together.
The new sitting time on Thursday from noon to 1:30pm started with a quick take up. For Mike this was a day off work, and others that do shift work are appreciating the option of more flexible sitting times. If the demand continues this may be introduced on other days.
People are asked to come for the full length of zazen meetings. An exception is being made for the Tuesday through Friday early morning sits. This is because some people have work or other fixed commitments that make the early morning full period unworkable. From now on, one can come later or leave earlier than the scheduled 6am – 7:30am times. Please time it for the walking kinhins at 6:30am and 7am .
As usual, it is best to check the web site, or phone or email, at least the day before about coming for some sits. Sometimes Eshin is away at sesshin or visiting another Zen group. The early morning zazen and Thursday mid-day are cancelled on these days. Core members look after the Tuesday and Thursday evening, and Saturday and Sunday morning, sits when Eshin is away.
The Zen Centre has two types of incense available. Eiju is available for $15. Eiju is an excellent strong, pure sandalwood incense for home use. Morning Star Aloeswood for $7 is also available. Aloeswood has a strong ‘temple’ smell and can be very expensive when pure. This is a blended version which still gives an Aloeswood feel.
Sangha News
In November Fred had a heart attack but is now in stable condition with a good prognosis. He's very lucky to have survived. It occurred at work, close to St Paul ’s Hospital, where he was able to be treated quickly and has minimal damage.
John and Michelle have cleared land for their new, larger Bowen Island Zendo. They have heard of a potential source for some free lumber. Let’s hope the chance for building will occur this winter.
Sesshin with Roshi – Chris Reuten, John Dumbrille and Eshin in December.
John, Michelle and the girls are home after travelling to Bodhi for two sesshins and then to Mt Baldy for the rohatsu sesshin. Welcome back!
Contributions
The Centre asks for a contribution from its friends. This is a way to support the Zen Centre itself and to repay benefits from the Centre’s practise. A contribution of $20 per month is expected and many contribute $35 or $50 per month as appreciation of the practise and centre grows.
A big thank you to members for responding to the mortgage retirement fund appeal. We have been able to pay down the mortgage $6,000 at the end of this year. We still have a long way to go so everyone please reflect on what the Zen Centre means to you and consider helping out so the Zen Centre can provide more.
A great thank you for all the membership and general donations since the last newsletter.
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