By Shoan Osho
At night, deep in the mountains
I sit in meditation.
The affairs of the world never reach here:
Everything is quiet and empty,
All the incense has been swallowed up by the endless night.
My robe has become a garment of dew.
Unable to sleep, I walk into the woods—
Suddenly, above the highest peak, the full moon appears.—Ryokan
(trans. John Stevens)As we approach the winter solstice, these words from the wandering Zen monk and poet Ryokan seemed to speak specifically to this mountain realm. Soon enough we’ll be in the midst of Rohatsu sesshin, where the hush of the winter mountain and the stillness of the zendo merge during the long, dark nights. With the close of ango and the approach of the New Year, I wanted to reach out and share a few updates with you.
A wholehearted shuso hossen ceremony brought our Fall 2024 Ango to an uplifting close. In the Gyoji Kihan, a record of Soto Zen ceremonies that dates back hundreds of years, one can read about the ceremony—not much different from how we bring it alive here. To my delight, it mentions the “great pounding of drum” that is to accompany the abbot leaving their quarters and entering the main hall, and that when the abbot bows at the front of the hall, “ring hand bell once, strike wooden clappers once, beat drum once, and cease ‘great pounding.'” Sound familiar? From there, one can easily recognize the rest of the ceremony in all its complexity. I admit—I am tempted to copy and paste this section of the Gyoji Kihan here in its entirety, so that you might marvel along with me. Taisho Sands took the “head seat” with apparent ease, offering a rich talk and responding sensitively and wholeheartedly during dharma encounter. Well done, shuso, well done!
Above: Taikyo, the shoki (or, as translated in the Gyoji Kihan, “secretary”) asks the final question. Interestingly, nowadays in Japan, the entire dharma encounter is scripted. I’m glad we have maintained it as a fresh, live exchange!
For the past couple of weeks, afternoons in the Monastery kitchen have included making several trays of vegetarian lasagna, as residents prepare for our annual holiday community dinner—which, once again, is happening by delivery. Before COVID, the Monastery would deck the dining hall in red and green and welcome over 300 people from the community for food, music, and good cheer. Earlier this fall we reached out to a few social service agencies, soup kitchens, and other Zen centers, trying to assess whether an in-person gathering of this sort would feel safe to attendees and volunteers. Based on these conversations, as well as the new variant that had recently emerged, we decided to play it safe again this year.
On Saturday, December 21st, sangha volunteers will deliver delicious meals and gifts to seventeen different locations, serving about 300 individuals in our community. Hopefully next December will bring us all together in person again. Thanks to the local businesses who donated food and gifts: Meredith’s Bread, Phoenicia Diner, Bread Alone Bakery, Hannaford, and Kenco Outfitters. And a shout out to Kokuro Schultz and Cindy Loe, who collaborated together with Daiō to make the magic happen.
If you haven’t already, take a few minutes to check out Zen Center of New York City’s new website. As the Temple continues to flourish under Hojin Sensei’s guidance, it seemed time for a standalone website–previously the Temple website was embedded in the Monastery’s site. The new site is more comprehensive, features fresh photos of the Temple sangha, and highlights Hojin Sensei’s emphasis on art practice in the training. Check out the gallery of student work for some inspiration during these winter months.
Monastic LifeWe wanted to let you know that monastic Hokyu Aronson will be stepping out of monastic life, leaving a few days before Rohatsu sesshin. It’s always hard to say goodbye to a longtime resident, and in this case the timing is especially tender for all of us here, coming so closely on the heels of Jiryu’s departure. I imagine it may be tender for many of you, too.
Hokyu ordained in 2021, having practiced in full time residence at the Monastery since 2014. Over the past eleven years, he’s served the sangha with love, dedication, and good spirit, giving selflessly and enriching this community in so many ways. Hokyu has also made it plain over the years that a life partner would greatly aid his stability as a monastic in the context of ZMM. At this juncture, the teachers have urged Hokyu to step away from monasticism to see how this impulse might flourish in the world. With their consultation and much consideration over the past month or so, he recognizes that this is probably the right move.
While monastics may choose to live as a solitary practitioner or be in a committed relationship, the monastic life does not make it particularly easy for the latter to be realized once one is ordained. While we will miss his daily presence here, we wish Hokyu many blessings and look forward to his continued practice in the sangha as the discernment of his path continues. Hokyu will still be accessing his @dharma.net email address for the time being if you’d like to reach out and say hello. May the wind be at his back and the road rise up to meet him . . .
Above: Photo of the tea house in autumn by Hokyu.
In MemoriamWe’re sorry to share that sangha member Jack Kanro Hennessey died on December 8th, at the age of 73. Kanro (“Open Barrier”) had shifted away from formal training the past two years, concentrating on the Connecticut State Legislature, where he served nine terms. We send love and good wishes to his wife and family. May he be at peace.
BirthIf Daido Roshi were still alive, he would just have become a great grandfather—and founding sangha member Joan Yushin has just become a great grandmother. On December 3rd, Avery Mae Loori was born to parents Aaron Loori (Daido’s grandson) and Ashley Leonard. This makes Asian, Daido’s youngest son, a grandpa. Time does swiftly pass. Congratulations to the family, and welcome to the world, Avery Mae.
Travels & TeachingsIn early December, monastic Taikyo traveled to Great Vow Monastery in Clatskanie, OR to participate in their Rohatsu sesshin. She had a wonderful experience and was grateful for the chance to work with Jan Chozen Bays, Roshi, who studied at ZCLA alongside Daido Roshi back in the 1970’s. Ordained monastics have the opportunity to participate in dharma retreats at other centers every few years as part of their training.
On December 8th, Shoan Osho offered an online talk to the sangha at Jissoji, a small lay temple in Ann Arbor, MI as part of their celebration of Buddha’s Enlightenment.
TangaryoIn November, Aravind Parasurama and Jukyo Ballard completed Tangaryo and became formal training students in the Mountains and Rivers Order. Welcome!
Comings and GoingsIn November and December, Miro Malebranche, Andrew Blackburn, and Cindy Loe each began a year of residence. We appreciate their fresh energy, enthusiasm for practice, and commitment.
In December, month residents included Barclay Tabor (Kingston, NY), Isaac Breslow (Englewood, NJ), and Terumi Richardson (Fayetteville, AK). Robin Green (Seattle, WA) and Destiny Spruill (Brooklyn, NY) are with us for a week—both returning after having done a month of residence earlier this year; it’s been good to have them back.
The thief left it behind:
the moon
at my window.
—RyokanThe story of Ryokan returning to his empty hut and penning this poem is well-worn, and for good reason. Within this season of so much material giving, let us not forget our true wealth. Wishing you the sun, the moon, the mountains and the rivers—this whole magnificent earth—and a mind that can perceive it. Blessings for the New Year.
with love,
Shoan
December short term residents: (back) Destiny, Lynn, Isaac, Robin (front) Terumi and BarclayHooray!
Cindy, Miro and Andrew begin a year of residential training.Hoodie and Destiny trim the tree and deck the hall.Daiō, Ben and Lynn prep the gifts for Dana Dinner. Socks for everyone!Taikyo’s pic of a singing Jizo at Great Vow Monastery.Grandpa Asian and Avery Mae:
born ready with her lion’s roar.Ambitious Zen students. That would be a very big snow buddha indeed!Say 3x fast: Registrar Robert reviews Rohatsu’s roster.Sangha Notes: Polishing theJewel is a quarterly Mountain Record newsletter from the Training Office at Zen Mountain Monastery.