By Shoan Osho
Our only prayer is to be firm in our determination to give ourselves completely to the Buddha’s Way, so that no doubts arise however long the road seems to be. —Dahui Zonggao’s “Vow for Awakening”
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We recently chanted these lines from “Vow for Awakening” as part of morning service here at the Monastery. Hearing the sangha give voice to this bright intention lifted me up and I was reminded, once again, of the medicine-power of vow. Perhaps you could use a reminder, too? In that spirit, I bring you some bits and pieces of how vow has been manifesting recently in our Sangha jewel.
First: mark your calendars for October 11th, when we’ll celebrate the Monastery’s 45th anniversary. Plans for the occasion are still taking shape and more info should come your way soon. We can say for sure that there will be some daytime activites and an evening event, and that we’re so pleased to have Jan Chozen Bays Roshi as our special guest of honor. We hope you’ll join as we joyfully express our gratitude for all that has made these last 45 years possible and envision the decades to come.
On February 28th, those of us here at the Monastery quietly observed the one year memorial of our beloved Yukon’s passing. After chanting the Sho Sai Myo Dharani, we offered the following dedication:
In offering flowers, candlelight and incense,
we especially dedicate these merits to Choke Yukon,
on this, the one year memorial of his passing.
Oh, Yukon, we are grateful for your life of service,
and the love and joy you brought into the sangha still bless our lives every day.
May your vows continue to burn brightly,
and may you find true peace in the realm of Nirvana.
We miss him so much. If you’d like to revisit the slideshow made for Yukon’s memorial, you can find it here.
On Friday mornings at the Monastery, we’ve been exploring different chants from the supplemental liturgy in the liturgy books. Once a week, including during sesshin, we set aside the Heart Sutra to bring in dharma words from important Zen ancestors. It’s been energizing to chant Hakuin Zenji’s Song of Zazen, Master Hongzhi’s Guidepost for the Hall of Pure Bliss, Torei Zenji’s Bodhisattva Vow, and even the Maka Hannya Haramita Shingyo—the Heart Sutra in Japanese. A more varied chant selection has long been part of traditional Soto Zen practice, and after 45 years, it was time to give it a try. If you’re here for Friday of sesshin, you’ll join us for whatever the liturgist serves up that morning. You can find a pdf of all these chants here.
Over time, we continue to learn more and more from each other about how to truly take care of our community. As mentioned in August, the MRO is revising its grievance process and ethical guidelines, and developing a new Right Relationship/Sexual Harassment policy. To move this forward, the Board has approved a committee to draft these updates in compliance with New York State law.
Revisions will clarify unacceptable behavior—particularly regarding sexual misconduct—and improve the grievance procedure to ensure a safer, more supportive space for reporting ethical breaches or discrimination.
The working committee includes representatives from the Peer Support group (an independent group of current and former sangha members affected by sexual misconduct), along with Board and Ethics Committee members. The team recently met with the Teacher’s Council to review early drafts and set a timeline.
The Policy Revision Committee is committed to involving the broader sangha, so stay tuned for updates. Questions or comments? Email policy_revision@dharma.net.
Green Tara Rising Women’s Affinity Group
Because practicing as a woman within a centuries-old patriarchal tradition like Zen can bring challenges, AND because gathering with other women of the Way can bring healing and delight, some dharma sisters have started Green Tara Rising, a new peer-led affinity group named for the bodhisattva who vowed to always take birth as a woman and attain enlightenment in female form. Yes!
The group has grown from a core of founding members who have been meeting for some time and are now eager to expand the circle. Discussions center around chosen topics and evolve naturally based on the group’s needs. There are ground rules and guidelines to help ensure a confidential, non-judgmental, and supportive space where everyone has a voice. If interest is high, multiple small groups may form to accommodate participants.
The next meeting is Monday April 28 at 6:30 pm ET. Register here for Zoom link.
Disability Affinity Group
This newly forming group emerged through SHAC’s efforts to listen to sangha needs and their subsequent collaboration with Diamond Net—very grassroots! The intention of this peer-led group is to create a space for those who identify as disabled to explore how people practice and engage the dharma across diverse embodiments. The group embraces a social model of disability, viewing it as shaped by societal structures rather than solely a medical issue. If you’re unsure whether you identify as disabled, this article is a great starting point: “The Social Model of Disability Explained.”
The first meeting is on Tuesday, April 30, at 7:00 PM ET. Come be a part of the conversation! Register here.
Green Dragon Earth Initiative
If you’re looking for a way to bring goodness into the world, consider joining the Green Dragons at their monthly Zoom gathering. The group meets the first Monday of the month, coming together to explore the climate and ecological crisis in a personal way. They discuss climate anxiety, resilience, hope, and action through conversation and practice. They tap the wisdom of wise leaders like Joanna Macy, Dr. Larry Ward, and Britt Wray, sharing video clips or other teachings–a recent sharing of Joanna Macy’s comments on the Climate Crisis as Spiritual Path was especially inspiring. The gatherings offer mutual support and a reminder that even in difficult times, to be in community is joyous. All are welcome in this ever-evolving group.
Next meeting witll be Monday, May 5th, at 7:00 pm ET. Register here.
If you’ve visited the Monastery library recently, you’ve likely noticed a major upgrade: our Buddhist collection is now searchable online, and books are arranged by Library of Congress call numbers.
The new online catalog makes finding books much easier, and allows students to borrow titles, receive reminders, and helps us track our collection. Previously, books were sorted by author—often the translator—leading to books by a single author (Dogen, for example) being scattered throughout the shelves. The old system of sections such as China, Zen, and Tibet posed many cataloging conundrums. Now, related books are grouped together, making it easier to browse by theme.
Shout out to Yosha Scott-Childress and Fuyu Spicher, both professional librarians who led this overhaul, along with Seibu Meunier and many others who worked tirelessly on the reorganization and digitization. The next phase will catalog other subjects like art, poetry, and body practice.
Explore the collection here: https://www.librarycat.org/lib/ZMMLib. We’re continuing to expand the collection, especially translations of early Zen teachers. If you have a book suggestion, email library@dharma.net.
And for serious Dharma bibliophiles: check out Buddhism: A Guide to Research, created by MRO student Mike Kicey in connection with the University of Buffalo library. This resource offers access to an incredible range of Buddhist literature, searchable by themes, and with links to WorldCat. If you’re like me, then you’ll discover books you’ll want for your shelves. But now, you can just send a request to the MRO library so everyone can benefit!
During March sesshin, a caretaking crew planted some young trees around the grounds: sugar maples, hazelnuts, black walnuts and some hybrid chestnuts. (The hybrid chestnuts are 99% American chestnuts, but have enough DNA from other varieties to be resistant to the chestnut blight.) These trees came to us quite small, and spent the past year in the dye garden getting bigger and stronger. We already have a bunch of walnuts and chestnuts in the tree nursery that we’ll plant next year.
Another new friend is a Catalpa tree that we planted last fall near where the old ash tree in the meadow died. Catalpa trees are native to the region, and are known for their beautiful large leaves, summer blossoms, and long seed pods. They take 20-30 years to reach maturity–may the sangha flourish for years to come and enjoy its future shade.
ZMM residents & local sangha at the Kingston “Hands Off!” Rally on April 5th.
Teachings & Travels
In January Hojin Sensei traveled to New Zealand for a couple of weeks, where she offered teachings, engaged the sangha with art practice, and led sesshin. The Kiwi sangha is still going strong after all these years, and the twice annual visit from MRO teachers are a highlight of their training year. It was summer in New Zealand, and luckily Hojin Sensei’s very full schedule allowed some time to visit the beach.
On February 23rd, monastic Jisan Gokan received Denkai, or the transmission of the Precepts. The transmission ceremony itself is held in private at midnight—the culmination of a week of liturgy and one-on-one teachings—in accord with ancient tradition. The following morning Gokan Osho offered some words in the zendo for the sangha. Now a priest in the MRO, Gokan Osho can officiate ceremonies like weddings and funerals. He’ll officiate his first fusatsu on Friday, May 9th. Join us in person or on Livestream.
Tangaryo
Since December, several sangha members have crossed the zendo threshold as formal training students in the MRO: Ellen Foote, Evan Malater, Pamela Tensei Shad, Michael Kicey and Sophie Rondeau. Congratulations!
Birth
Sangha member Kate Ray and her husband Anthony had a special gift this holiday season: the birth of Kira Nadia Ray on December 24th at 9:15 am. Kira’s big brother, Miro, enjoys coming to Zen Kids–we hope that when she gets a little older, Kira will come along, too. Love and good wishes to the whole family.
NBPS
The National Buddhist Prison Sangha (NBPS) is reaching out on behalf of Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, NJ. They are seeking a Buddhist volunteer to come into the prison once a month or more often to meet with incarcerated women interested in Buddhist practice. This could take different forms, including just showing up to meditate with them. If you live in the region and this is something you are interested in, please reach out to nbps@dharma.net for details.
Comings & Goings
Zen Mountain Monastery:
January brought us several returning residents: BB Padungpattanodom (Williamsburg, VA); Kiho Horne (Johnson City, TN); Sydney Slavitt (Merion Station, PA); Chris Manz (Pelham, MA); George Milne (Rochester Hills, MI); Joan Gutierrez (Mexico City, Mexico) who stayed until end of February; and Madhav Mohandas (Naperville, IL), who returned for a 6-month commitment. We were also joined by Wyatt Smith (Brooklyn, NY); Will Logue (Phoenix, AZ); Shoshin Chester (Richmond, VA); Kai Ammari (New York, NY) and Esho des Etoiles (Burlington, VT), a long-time monastic ordained by Genpo Roshi. We said farewell to Hoodie Crescent (Poughkeepsie, NY) who departed after 6 months of residency.
February residents included a number of people returning after some time away, too:Sabine Russ (currently a nomad traveling through Europe); Robyn Love (Newfoundland, Canada) who was with us through the first week of April; Lao Moreno Morales (Mexico City, Mexico), and Gianni Rotunno (Yorktown Heights, NY). Ash Anatolia (Winhall, VT) also began a period of residency and is discerning a longer commitment.
March residents included Fuyu Spicher (Hanover, PA), who is here until the end of April; Andrew Meissen (New York, NY); Zachary Bartell (Parish, NY); Kendall Blaine (Chelmsford, United Kingdom); Jake Kramer (Black Mountain, NC); Caroline Shea (Brooklyn, NY) joined us for a couple of weeks. Taisho Sands (Gilbertsville, NY) returned to residence through the ango; Kai Ammari (New York, NY) came for another month-long residency; and Esho des Etoiles returned to explore a longer-term stay.
So far in April we’ve been joined by Mike Alicea (Sound Beach, NY); SJ Lester (Apison, TN); Daishin Bystricky (Santa Barbara, CA); Sonny Strand (Sarpsborg, Norway); and Karena Albers (Greenport, NY). In addition, Felix Mebius (New Haven, CT) returned for a period of three months, and Juliana Roding (Seminole, FL) will be here until early August. We also welcomed Yudai Nagai, a monk from Shofuku-ji Temple in Tottori Prefecture, Japan, for a week.
Fire Lotus Temple:
The Temple sangha gave a warm reception to Joan Gutierrez, who arrived there in March. Joan, a student of Hojin Sensei’s and a former resident (and cook!) at the Monastery, has stepped into the role of Temple Office Manager. Much gratitude to out-going Office Manager Blessing Dolenz for their service this past year.
Temple Sangha at the NYC Hands Off! Protest.
The sky covering is clear, and moisture covers the earth. So it is said, Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges dance to exalted music, and throughout the entire world the blossoms on the branches facing south immediately open.
I am delighted that the Spring Deity has unlocked the time. . .
—Dogen Zenji, Eihei Koroku
There’s so much in the news these days that can seize our minds and send us tumbling down. Let’s not lose sight of all else that matters too. The Spring Deity has indeed unlocked time: a miracle unfolding before our eyes, a vivid display of goodness, and a genuine delight. May you meet it intimately, moment after moment.
Love,
Shoan
