Grand Celebration at Tendo-ji newsletter Fall/Winter 2011/12 On November 1st Tenkei Roshi and Myoho Sensei, together with Hojo-san and Ingrid Shugetsu Appels participated in a grand ceremony in honor of the twelfth-century master Wanshi Shokaku (Honghzi Zhengjue) at Tendo-ji (Tiantong Temple) in China. Like three years ago, when they made a similar visit, it provided a wonderful opportunity to connect deeply with the Chinese roots of our Zen tradition. The appreciation seems to be mutual. As has been announced already, the current abbot of Tendo-ji, Master Cheng-xin, and several other Chinese monks are planning to come over to Zen River next spring for the official opening of the new zendo. Karma has its mysterious ways! The tentative date for this exciting event is Saturday May 5th. More details will follow soon. The day before the ceremony there was a seminar dedicated to Master Wanshi with various speakers from China and Japan. Tenkei Roshi, as the only Westerner, had received a special invitation to give a talk which was translated directly into Chinese. This talk was entitled Why did Master Wanshi come to the West? and is the main article of this newsletter. Zen River Kitchen Banana Cake Makes 1 large loaf Ingredients: 125ml sunflower oil 1/2 cup/125g white or brown sugar 2 small eggs 1.5 cups / 325 ml puréed very ripe spotty bananas (about 3) Vanilla aroma 1/8 tspn nutmeg 2 tspn cinnamon 25 g walnuts 2 cups flour /325g 1 tbspn of baking powder (16g) 1/2 tspn salt Pre-heat the oven 180C; Grease and flour a 30cm loaf tin. In a large mixing bowl combine the oil, sugar, eggs & aroma. Beat with an electric beater & whisk till smooth. In a separate jug, whizz the peeled bananas to a purée. Combine the bananas with the oil & sugar mixture; Stir in the walnuts & lemon zest. In another bowl combine & mix well the flour, baking powder & salt. Pour all the flour on top of the wet ingredients. Using a large shallow metal spoon, cut down through the mixture, move across the bottom of the bowl & come back up, folding the mixture from the bottom over the top. Turn the bowl after each fold so that the ingredients are evenly distributed. Work quickly & lightly. Don t stir more than needed or the cake will become heavy & dense when baked. Spread the mixture into the greased loaf tin, cut a rough line down the center (helps even baking). Place on a rack in the center of the oven & bake until a toothpick, when inserted in the middle, comes out clean. About 40-50 minutes. Remove from tin, cool on a wire rack. Wholewheat flour is also good, but allow more time to bake in the oven. Add seeds & raisins for variety. Lemon Cream Icing 1/2 tspn lemon zest (optional) 1.5 tbspn lemon juice (about half a squeezed lemon) 100g cream cheese 3 tbspn icing sugar 1 tspn vanilla aroma to taste Pinch nutmeg In a tall jug or bowl, whisk all the ingredients well till firm & fluffy, about 2-3 minutes, with an (electric) whisk. Decorate the cake when cold.
WHY DID MASTER WANSHI COME TO THE WEST? Master Wanshi, one of Tendo-ji s former abbots, is still highly relevant for us today, particularly because his writings had such a profound influence on the work of Dogen Zenji. Most of us know him as the composer of the famous koan collection of the Shoyoroku, but also from a small volume of translations by Taigen Daniel Leighton under the title Cultivating the Empty Field. At the request of Taigen Leighton, Tenkei Roshi brought a copy of this book as one of the presents for the abbot of Tendo-ji. So after coming to the West, Master Wanshi returned to the East again, full circle! Although I am from Holland, a small and faraway country in Western Europe, the teachings of Master Wanshi Shokaku (Honghzi) have had a profound effect on me. In particular, the koans he collected in his Shoyoroku (Ts ung-jung lu) speak to my heart very directly. They have helped me clarify my life and my life s true vocation. I have studied these koans and the beautiful verses that Master Wanshi added to each one of them for some twenty years now. And the characters involved have gradually become like family to me. One of my all-time favorites is Case 52, Sozan s (Coashan s) Dharmakaya. It starts with Master Sozan asking a question to Toku Joza (Elder De): Buddha s true dharmakaya is like the vast sky. Its conforming to things and manifesting shapes is like the moon in the water. How can this principle of conforming be expressed? Toku said, It s like the donkey seeing the well. Sozan remarked, Well said, but that s only eighty percent of it. Toku rejoined, How about you, Osho? Sozan replied, The well sees the donkey. Sozan s opening line seems to address exactly the situation I find myself in right now. Why am I standing here, and why did Master Wanshi come to the West? It is still a surprise to me how I managed to meet him. According to Sozan, Buddha s true dharmakaya is like the vast sky. Throughout space and time it knows no boundaries. It connects minds that are worlds apart. Dogen Zenji heard the voice of Master Wanshi and passed it on to thirteenthcentury Japan. There, it resonated strongly in the Soto lineages and has been a source of inspiration ever since. Some fifty years ago, modern masters such as Maezumi Roshi brought Master Wanshi s Shoyoroku from Japan to the US and later to Europe. With one of Maezumi Roshi s successors, Genpo Roshi, I had a chance to investigate the cases of the Shoyoroku meticulously, one by one, in dokusan. He ended up giving me dharma transmission in 1996, and now I work on these cases in the same way with my own students in our remote temple on the northern coast of Holland! If Master Wanshi only could have known how much he is appreciated so far away from home! I would like to thank Master Cheng Xin and all of you present for giving me the opportunity to express this appreciation here in the Tendo-ji (Tiantong) temple where he lived and taught for so long. Master Sozan says, Its conforming to things and manifesting shapes is like the moon in water. The moon never gets wet, but the reflections continuously change. Buddha s true dharmakaya is able to conform to things and manifest shapes in direct response to the needs of people. Somehow the teaching of Zen masters such as Wanshi was
exactly what I needed although it took me a long time to find that out. Brought up in an environment where Buddhist practice simply did not exist at the time, I had to travel far to find it. By then I was already in my late twenties. Looking for an authentic teacher I went to France and England for extended periods of time. Finally I left Holland altogether and ended up in the US, where I lived and practiced for over thirteen years. Later, Rev. Junyu Kuroda generously welcomed me and my wife Myoho in his temple in Tokyo and we developed close connections with the Japanese side of our dharma family. In a rather unexpected way, Buddha s true dharmakaya responded to a deep longing within me and strangely enough being here with you today feels like home. This feeling is all the more special because Buddhism is still so new and unfamiliar in my home country. When I started Zen practice, most of my family and friends did not understand why I took that direction. My father once even criticized me for being the first one in our family to change his religion. Over time, though, he sympathized more and more, particularly when my wife and I established our pioneering temple Zen River. Just before he passed away, he enthusiastically participated in the Shinsanshiki ceremony, the first such ceremony in Holland. We are still at the very beginning. Although Buddhism is 2,500 years old, with its roots in ancient India and its branches in so many diverse cultures, it has been transmitted to Europe only relatively recently and it will need time to mature. As always, in the process of conforming to the new situation, another shape will manifest the reflection of the moon will be different once more. Indian, Chinese, Japanese and other Asian cultures have manifested the dharma in a great variety of shapes and forms. So European Buddhism will also need to find its own style. In that sense, we live in an exciting time, and I m happy to be part of this process. Then Sozan asks, How can this principle of conforming be expressed? That is a very good question. How can we find a format of practice that really meets the needs of our time? What expression of the timeless principle would be most relevant for us today? In a way, it s easy: we only have to open our eyes. Buddha s dharmakaya manifests itself in each and every moment always fresh and original. And when we see the living truth in front of us, an appropriate response will come naturally. But, of course, it isn t that easy. In fact, it turns out to be very difficult for most to see the living truth in front of us. Our selfserving projections and conditioned patterns of thinking and feeling often block the view. Fortunately, we all have the potential to return to the source and see with the eyes of the Buddha. In the koan, Toku continues by saying, It s like a donkey seeing the well. His answer is so to the point! The donkey has to really see the well. This means that we need to take the enlightenment of the Buddha as our standard and share in at least some of his experience. I can easily identify with Master Toku s donkey and his seeing the well. Coming here to Tendo-ji, it feels like I am returning to the source, to the place where Master Wanshi and Tendo Nyojo (Rujing) taught, and where Dogen Zenji had his great realization, dropping off body and mind. The fact that these great masters climbed this very mountain, saw the trees, listened to the wind and sat zazen right here moves me deeply. This is a pilgrimage I was eager to make. Yet the destination of any real pilgrimage is, of course, not only a place but also the depth of one s very own heart. And that is the most interesting journey one can make. When we really turn our own light inward and illuminate the self, something startling happens. We may have to work through all kinds of obstacles, but when the donkey finally sees the well, there is no donkey and no well. Buddha s true dharmakaya is like the vast sky. Seeing the well opens our heart to the whole universe and reveals our life as the life of everyone and everything. Apparently this is not enough, though. According to Sozan, it s only eighty percent. How could that be? Toku does not understand, so Sozan says, The well sees the
donkey. A perfect match, a box and a lid, two arrows meeting in mid-air! Having opened Buddha s eyes what do we see? Suddenly there are thousands of donkeys. And they are all vividly alive! We never noticed before because we were too self-involved. These donkeys are people and things, situations, thoughts and feelings, whatever arises right in front of us; voices that were silent for a long time and that now have a chance to speak to us in a coherent way. Naturally, our responses will be more fitting and to the point. Understanding that our involvement and care are called for, we can learn how to live a life of love and compassion. We may have to start small but soon we begin to see things on a much grander scale. Coming from the perspective of the well, we see better how we can serve others and what our particular contribution to the world s peace and happiness might entail. In his long poem Guidepost of Silent Illumination, Master Wanshi addresses the very same principle using the words serenity and illumination as the two arrows meeting in mid-air, the well and the donkey seeing each other eyeball to eyeball. We really need both serenity and illumination and one cannot neglect the other. Master Wanshi says, If illumination neglects serenity then aggressiveness appears. Without the donkey s seeing the well, without having returned to the source and identifying with Buddha s true dharmakaya, our observation is clouded and our responses are unavoidably going to be insensitive. But he continues by saying, If serenity neglects illumination, murkiness leads to wasted dharma. Serenity can be addictive. We disengage from the self and return to neutral; everything comes to a halt: the engine of the car is running but we don t go anywhere. Suddenly the whole world shows itself as one bright pearl. And yet that s not enough, so we shouldn t get stuck there. The next step is to totally engage again with the people around us, and help out wherever we can. Serenity is like a fully charged battery that allows us to go wherever our karma is calling us even if that means that we get dirty in the process. Otherwise the dharma is useless and wasted, and sentient beings don t benefit. Perhaps the balance between Serenity and Illumination is always a little off. Or maybe we could say that it is an active balance that needs continual adjustment for our practice to have the desired beneficial effect. And I think that s exactly where we can learn from each other. We live in a global community and now more than ever it is necessary to listen to the needs of the various groups involved because although these needs may be similar, they can also be quite different. Looking at the current situation in the West, for example, the highest priority for ordained monks seems to lie in sharing with laypeople zazen as a transformative practice. It is a natural response to the confusion many people experience in this troubled world. In fact, the emergence of a strong practicing lay community is one of the most noteworthy features of Western Zen. No wonder that monks in their professional training very much focus on the essentials of meditation. But that has its own limitations. There is obviously also a strong need for expertise in the Buddhist scriptures, ritual observances, and for engagement in community services; not to mention the need for clearer norms for training and standards for the certification of teachers. Chinese Buddhism, with its long history and vast expertise, can of course help us all in our efforts to stay on course, and I hope to learn as much as possible during our visit here. In the meantime, I am very curious to see how Buddhism will develop in modern China, and what direction it will take as it serves the spiritual needs of the people of our time. Of course, it is a true blessing for this country to have, as shining examples, such great ancestors as Master Wanshi. So why did he come to the West? To paraphrase one master of old: if he had had a reason, he would not even have been able to save himself. It s just Joshu s (Zhaozhou s) oak tree in the garden. But from our perspective, there is a very clear reason: he came to the West because we need him just as much as you do! I truly wish that his life and work remain an inspiration for everyone in both the East and the West. Thank you very much.
November Fundraiser 2011 Finally a proper HONDO! The new zendo is almost finished. Peter Gakudo den Hollander is working hard on the last three tans (sitting platforms) so that we can start having Oryoki meals in the zendo during the upcoming Rohatsu sesshin. Of course we are still waiting for the Manjusri statue, that Hojo-san will donate to Zen River, and this statue will also require a new altar set-up. But the zendo is already in full use and the atmosphere is wonderful. This allows us to turn to the next project: the remodeling of the old zendo as a proper hondo ( main hall where the Buddha statue is located). Although this is a very modest project compared to the construction of the new zendo, it will have a strong impact on our practice. The lay-out and interior decoration of the hondo will be very different and will enhance the atmosphere necessary for daily ritual observances and special celebrations. There are two important jobs to be done: 1) An extension of the middle window into the garden to create a niche for the main Buddha altar; 2) Making a wide opening in the opposite wall as a direct entrance from the hallway. Contractor Klaas de Boer has already submitted a quote of the costs involved, based on the design of local architect s bureau JUK. Altogether these costs amount to Euro 16,650. There are still some extra expenses to be made on the construction of the main altar and on the tatami mats for the floor. As we have been planning all along, this is the third and last year that the November Fundraiser will be used to finance the new zendo and hondo, and we really hope to reach our goal before the official opening next May. All donations to the project are greatly appreciated. Thank you very much! Warm greetings and gassho, Hondo Account Name: Zen River // Account Number: 587056177 // IBAN: NL39 ABNA 0587056177 // BIC/SWIFT: ABNA NL2A Branch address: ABN AMRO Bank, Blink 2, 9981 AJ Uithuizen, Netherlands
2011/12 Calendar of Events November 17 -------------------- Teisho Den Haag Nov 26 Feb 25 ---------------------- Winter Ango Nov 26 Dec 3 ------------------------------- Rohatsu Dec 27 Jan 1, 12 ------------- New Year Sesshin January 27 29 ----------------- Weekend Sesshin February 4 --------------------------- Intro Zazenkai February 18 25 ----------- Ango Closing Sesshin Feb 26 March 5 ---------------------- Spring Break March 10 --------------------- Zazenkai Düsseldorf March 25 ------------------------- Zazenkai Madrid March 30 April 1 OR April 6 8 ------------- Buddha s Birthday Sesshin April 28 May 3 ------------ Sakura Jukai Sesshin May 25 Aug 25 -------------------- Summer Ango May 25 27 ---------------------- Weekend sesshin June 7 ----------------------------- Teisho Den Haag June 9 -------------------------------- Intro Zazenkai June 22 24 ---------------------- Weekend Sesshin July 14 19 ----------------------------- Family Week July 28 Aug 25 ------------- Month-long sesshin July 28 Aug 2 ----------------------------- Part one August 4 9 ---------------------------------- Part two August 11 16 ------------------------------ Part three August 18 25 ------------------------------- Part four August? ----------------- Outdoor Island Retreat September 15 ----------------------- Intro Zazenkai September 21 23 -------------- Weekend Sesshin October 3 ------------------- Zazenkai Düsseldorf October 19-27 ----------------- Fall Jukai Sesshin Regular Daily Schedule Saturday Wednesday: 4:55 Wake up; 5:30 Zazen; 7:30 Service 8:00 Breakfast; 9:00 Samu; 13:00 Lunch; 14:00 Rest 16:00 Study; 17:00 Exercise; 18:00 Supper 19:30 Zazen; 21:15 Four Vows; 22:00 Lights out Four Vows The famous fifth-century Chinese master Zhi-yi originated the format of the Four Bodhisattva Vows as we usually chant them. But Chinese Zen temples nowadays often alternate this format of the vows with the one that can be found in the Ming version of the Platform Sutra, with two extra kanji (Chinese characters) before each vow: 自心 (my mind) before the first two and 自性 (my nature) before the last two. These kanji are obviously later additions, but very interesting ones! As explained in the Platform Sutra, sentient beings of one s own mind are identified as various types of false minds which must be transformed; so too are our delusions. In contrast, the dharmas and the Buddha way are identified with one s original nature. At Zen River, as an experiment, we now follow this version when we chant the Four Vows the second time round. It definitely keeps us on the alert! 自心衆生無辺誓願度自心煩悩無尽誓願断自性法門無量誓願学自性無上仏道誓願成 Sentient beings of my own mind are numberless, I vow to save them. Desires of my own mind are inexhaustible, I vow to put an end to them. The Dharmas of my own nature are boundless, I vow to master them. The Buddha Way of my own nature is unsurpassable, I vow to attain it. Zen River Atelier Hand-Tailored Meditation Supplies www.zenriver.nl, follow Atelier CONTACT: Zen River, Oldörpsterweg 1, 9981 NL Uithuizen, Netherlands www.zenriver.nl zenriver@zenriver.nl Tel. +31 (0)595 435039 Sunday: 11:00 Zen Classics Study; 19:00 Public Service Monday: 19:30 River of Zen (Zen texts thru the Ages) Tuesday: 16:00 Right Speech Class; 19:30 Intro. Class Wednesday: 19:30 Zazen & Teisho