Dharma Rain Character

Still Point

Newsletter of Dharma Rain Zen Center

Portland, Oregon

Volume XXVIII Number 4

July-August 2003

 


 


By Bukkai Washburn

This is a portion of a Dharma talk given by Bukkai in May. She gave all those present a copy of the Hsin hsin ming (Verses on the Faith Mind), a famous Zen poem. Link to complete poem.

The translation is by Richard B. Clarke and begins like this:

The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent
everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Make the smallest distinction, however
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.
If you wish to see the truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.

I want to give you a poem this morning, a poem said to be written by the Third Zen Ancestor, Chien-Chih Seng-ts'an. In our ancestral line he is called Kanchi Sosan. It was given to me in a very similar way and has meant a lot to me and has supported my practice.

The poem was given to me about a dozen years ago - I can't remember a class or a series that went along with it but there must have been. I can't remember anyone explaining it or talking about it - which means that if you happen to forget all about my talk this morning, you may still have the small verse as your own.

Anyhow, it was given to me very early on, before I could sort out much of the language of Buddhism. I was eager to engage the "something" - and I was pretty sure there was "something" out there - as I sought to gain some confidence that I was missing in here. This poem spoke directly to this koan. Whatever it is - it is not me. I could see "it" everywhere but in human beings, because I couldn't forgive their suffering-causing behavior.

My question was this: then how can I connect with it? These verses helped me.

I have a memory of those days and my general attitude to practice a dozen years ago. Do you remember as a child turning your face to the rain? It was sort of like that. Figuring out how to connect with the Buddha in this lineage turns out to mean deeply investigating delusions and habit energy. Things have sometimes seemed to get more complicated as time went on.

But anyway, this poem was given to me at that stage very early on, when I only knew to turn my face to the sky. There were not as many words or the necessity to try and express or explain it, and the poem was a good fit. But the "how to's" were fuzzy for a long time. It would have been hard for me to explain, yet I carried these words around and found instruction. Today I am giving it to you and am trying to use language myself.

At the time of this poem, Zen was being born in China. Part of its development was that the minds of all beings, animate and inanimate, possess the buddha-nature in the form of of cause and the form of result or effect. Both creator and created, phenomena and events are an intersection of the absolute and relative.

Our later ancestor Dogen's Zen comes to the completeness of the experience in the teaching that all things are buddha-nature. Whatever the truth is, whatever true reality is, it is and is creating what is right here before our eyes. In this way, things of the phenomenal world are said to be essentially identical and freely interpenetrating at all times.

The "is creating" wakes me up. Oh yes, there is something needed. Something to be done. "You have to say something," Katagiri reminds us. The Hsin hsin ming says we are able to see it if we can cease making discriminations.

These verses are about the activities of mind. Language helps us to organize and define the objects of our senses, including our thoughts. We learn as we grow. The words and concepts we use are normally valid for purposes of accomplishing some business, but they are totally invalid from the standpoint of the highest truth. There it can be seen that there are no permanently fixed entities corresponding to all of our labels. There discriminating mind is not useful and can be a barrier.

Defining by opposites, putting things in opposition, is primarily a means of linguistic convention, but it comes to have a strong emotional and habitual tone. It feeds into judgmental mind - one way of organizing reality by preference and according to comfort.

In our particular, present time, it is a persistent mental habit that is expressed by individuals and cultures and by the media, which encourages opposition and an emotional tone to go along with it on a large scale. On a smaller scale we deal with a new category of mental illnesses called oppositional defiant disorder. In the Chinese teachings it is called "the three categories and the thirty-six confrontations of activity." Opposites originate each from the other.

Now, although I might have fooled you by now, my purpose this morning is not to spark an academic discussion but to give you a poem, because an intellectual grasp of the teachings is not enough, according to all the old Buddhist teachers. They did not intend for their writings to be filed away. They are meant to be picked up and carried around, to tantalize and unexpectedly lure the practitioner to realization. Even more, Dogen says that language and words are not a means to communicate but are ultimately a direct expression of reality itself, by whispering the reality.

So the whole reality of China, of the early years of Zen, of the isolation of a realized meditator and the difficulties of his practice, of his teacher and of their disciples and the words of this poem are really all mixed together. Now we're in it, too. If Dogen is right, this poem is not an individual position, it is the Dharma expressing the Dharma itself. We have to find out.

In the cycle of practice, we can first freely appreciate someone else's words. At times each of us is full of recollections and favorite quotes. The words have an immediacy as if they were our own thoughts.

As practice instruction, the Hsin hsin ming has implications both for thought and activity. These verses were truly born at the right time. They contain the original face of zen. How do I know this? It is because I have been carrying them around for years since they were given to me. I have come to know them without a doubt as a strong and evocative map of my own interior and of the universe itself.

You don't have to remember anything I am saying. You can pick up this small booklet and read it again and again. It may stay with you because you may see your judgmental nature has found a new and very personal friend, an antidote to the fossilized partial view. It is something to bring out in difficult times when only the breath can be depended upon, or something to celebrate with when everything is just wonderful. So much for the opposites.

Our own lives should be expressed like this poem. We are not various subjects moving and interacting with various objects. There is no such separation. We should try and see the reality that this poem is showing us.


by Shintai

Following is a summary of two email messages from Shintai. The first came just days after her arrival in Amberg, Germany, where she will live and work for the next two years, while the latter came over a month later. Currently, the Center is receiving postcards from all corners of Germany and the Czech Republic, with updates on adventures and self-discoveries. Thank you, Shintai, for sharing your experience and insights with us!

April 8, 2003

It has been an incredibly full few days since my arrival here in Germany less than a week ago. There are so many things that I am finding out about my practice, and it is a little difficult to sort out my thoughts. I am still very much in process with it all, but one of the main things is how grateful I am for the habits of practice cultivated over time. It has been overwhelming adjusting to being on a military base, being in Germany, being in a fairly remote rural area and so very far away from Portland. The first two hours were especially challenging as I experienced waves of panic at the full realization of how far away from home I am, and at the thought of being here two years.

I also found myself with very little control over where I could go when I initially arrived. Without proper identification, it was not possible to enter any of the key buildings, and certainly not possible to leave or enter the base itself. Breathing deeply into my hara and trying as much as possible to simply be present and experience the panic as physical sensation, without getting too involved with the mental dialogue, helped a lot - that and a few phone calls home got me through the first night. All of this has certainly given me a clear look at how my mind can create my suffering. In the midst of all this, I found myself thinking that if I was simply here on vacation, my mind state would be completely different.

Things have evened out since that first day. I have managed to get off the base to see the beautiful medieval town of Amberg, where I will be living, and the beautiful rolling hills surrounding the town. I am finding that the habits of practice are literally carrying me right now - the habit of regular zazen, saying the meal verse and just remembering my breath during the day (especially when being told yet again that I don't have the proper form/signature/documents to accomplish something). I also have had the good fortune of encountering many helpful people, such as the mailroom clerk who helped me unlock my jammed mailbox (an almost daily occurrence so far) and a wonderful coworker who has shown me around the area and included me in a dinner with her German neighbors. Discovering a fabulous chocolate store has also done wonders for my disposition! It has all been pretty challenging at times, like the sound of explosives and machine gun fire which keep me awake at night. However, my circumstances and my practice are helping me to occasionally drop through to that place of very deep trust in which I know I have everything I need and that I am in a very real way supported. I forget that place and feel separate for a while when I get confused and anxious, and then I remember and come back to that place again and again. I am very grateful to the sangha for the warm send-off I was given just before leaving and for your kind thoughts as I begin this new adventure.

May 21, 2003

So, I found a little sitting group!! I am so happy to have some people to sit with. I teared up when I first saw the little zendo and one of the women donning a kesa. It means so much to be able to sit with others. It seems hugely luxurious and now, more than ever, I realize what a touchstone the forms are for me. They are both a metaphor and the actual experience of Big Mind---deep harmony for me. And it is such a delight to find that we can share the forms together, while cutting across language and cultural barriers.

We sit two periods and then chant in Japanese the Heart Sutra and something I do not recognize. The two women with whom I sit (there are only three of us) are both sewing new kesas and so, after service, we drink a little tea as they sew. Not surprisingly, the practice of sewing a kesa or a robe seems to have the same lessons for students here as elsewhere, bringing out the drive for perfection, the koan of non-perfection, competitiveness, and, eventually, acceptance. They both asked me about my plain rhaksu. One of them is familiar with Roshi Kennett and a few of her translations. Anyway, it is a sheer delight to lay down my mat and bow with others. It feels very much like a safety net and I found that after sitting with them the first time, a layer of fear about getting too derailed in my practice fell away. Since then, I've relaxed considerably. I am hoping to visit the only residential monastery I've found out about so far; it is near Strasbourg [on the border between France and Germany].

I thought about you all at Denkoe. I was writing to Gyokuko yesterday, telling her that one of the things I miss the most is meeting in the space of sanzen, the place where I am recognized and in turn recognize, a place where the self-consciousness arises and dissolves, and things are just as they are. What a rare and wonderful thing to have shared that space with a teacher! I miss it and realize that that recognition helps me to stay in touch with and remain confident in my own Buddha nature. Now I have sanzen of sorts by imagining sanzen with the Buddha or with my teacher or whatever bodhisattva seems appropriate for what I'm currently going through. I am coming to appreciate that formulating what I would say in sanzen is a lot of the work and process of sanzen. But there is no substitute for looking into the eyes of a teacher.

by Sokyo Swallow

I can remember when summer seemed like being abandoned, without the reassurance of the schedule of opportunities at the center, but finally, it begins to make perfect sense.

Going to a lighter schedule provides each of us with the opportunity to observe how strong or integrated or seamless our practice has or hasn't become. As our habitual patterns and responses become more familiar, and we begin to make changes to stop the mind chatter, the opinions, and the judgments about ever so many things, we find that the daily encounters and challenges can decrease their demanding quality. We can lighten up and become calmer, more focused, and present. What better marker than to have a summer to let us observe any new habits that replace the flavor of delusion we may have.

Summer allows us to take on a new perception of our practice. It can likewise provide the motivation to tighten-up, suspend, or gain insight in observation of our practice, and sustain what we have established as practice, without the structure we find during the rest of the year.

Most of all, it gives us a chance to watch ourselves - perhaps how much we beat ourselves up about living up to the standards we have created for ourselves and what a good practice should look like. These are valuable reactions to ponder on and to face honestly. This is useful work, to depend on our own volition - Œour own wills and vigilance to cut our fetters away.' Lightheartedness and partaking in relaxing social events are not in opposition to strict scheduled practice.

One other advantage I have noticed is that the discussions following Sunday service, which are facilitated by senior members, can be beneficial. New members or drop-ins are often reticent to participate, but they begin to feel more confident and willing to speak up, and learn to express what their practice is at that moment. It is also a benefit to hear what other members of the sangha are working on, and it is reassuring to hear that they may share some of the same obstacles to practice that you do.

Summer is a time to practice - day by day, breath by breath.

 

 

Dharma Rain Zen Center Board Meeting

April 2003

Present: Gyokuko Carlson, Kyogen Carlson, Jeanette Ryan, Gary Oshiro, Dosho VanSant, Kisei Martin, Kei'un Clardy, Sylvan Rainwater, Erin Luthy, Joe Niski. The meeting began shortly after 7 pm.

1) Approval of Minutes from 3/6/03
The revised minutes were approved. The process of reviewing them on-line after the meeting seems to work well for all.

2) Member concerns
Enji Hoogstra asked if we would consider doing something to examine diversity in the Sangha. Other faith communities are addressing this issue, such as the Unitarians and the Portland Insight Meditation Community. Kyogen noted that the AZTA has put some effort into examining the issue and offered contacts for Enji to pursue. Of course, pursuing this requires time and effort, and it's not clear who would lead this effort. The Board supports placing the idea before the community via the newsletter, email list, and upcoming Sangha forum. The Board doesn't feel a need to have a say in who's involved in this effort, but we would need to approve any activities done in the Sangha's name. Thanks to Enji for being the first member to utilize this time slot.

3) Treasurer's report
We were $7,592 in the red as of the end of March, compared to roughly $5,000 in the red at the same time last year. We're down in both membership ($1,740) and donation revenue. Pledges were up last year, after changing pledge categories, but this was offset by a decline in year-end donations. We ended up with almost exactly the same total revenue as the year before. Health insurance expense has gone up. Bookshop revenue is down and expenses up. Our cash position is strong, with roughly $70,000 in the bank, due to cash from the mortgage refinancing that hasn't yet been spent on required improvements to the Dharma house. Paint-the-Eye pledges are still coming in. Roughly $9,000 of the cash is restricted to the building fund. This led to a brief discussion of what can legitimately be charged to the building fund. Gyokuko estimates about $8,000 will be needed to meet the conditions of the occupancy permit for the Dharma house. The property tax appeal is officially withdrawn.

4) Operations:
The focus is currently on meeting the change-of-occupancy requirements. A donor has come forward to purchase the windows. Meeting building code on head-room on the basement stairs will be a real challenge. Jerome Madden is volunteering as engineer. Bids have been received for fire dampers on the furnace vents; the cost will be around $4,000. Bids have also been received for fire extinguishers. Estimated completion date is October. The residents have proposed painting the Sangha House this summer. Whether this is practical remains to be seen. The woodwork needs a lot of prep. The front yard of the Dharma House looks beautiful. A new toilet was recently installed in the upstairs bathroom at the Dharma House; hopefully this will put an end to the back-up problems. Unfortunately, a number of new sedum plants were stolen from outside the Zendo recently.

5) Calendar Committee Report
The committee will schedule two open meetings to get community input on the calendar.

6) Report on Review Committee Progress
No report as yet from the committee, though Chozen recently said it should wrap up "soon."

7) Planning for Board Retreat
Set for June 21st at Kisei's house. Tentative agenda includes: a review of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaw; review of membership; DRZC-only retreats-Sangha capacity for supporting postulants/priests; review of the Statement of Ethics; Priests' salary review; Review of strategic plan

8) Schedule for Sangha Forum
The calendar for the rest of the term is full and published, so we're looking to the fall. Term Opening is September 28th, and seems like a good time

Next Meeting:
Retreat on Saturday June 21st.The meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Joe Niski, Secretary
.

 

Submit!

The newsletter is put together in the first week of every other month. Submissions are very welcome: short or long articles, which can be on any point of practice, including travel, research or personal experience; descriptions of events we've had; the occasional poem or drawing.

Send your items to: newsletter@dharma-rain.org, or by regular mail, or drop it off in the newsletter slot in the Center house office.

 

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STILL POINT archive edit of 30 December 2003
Dharma Rain Zen Center Newsletter
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Volume XXVIII Number 4 July-August 2003
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