April 1/2 Day Zazenkai

Practioners gathered on Sunday, April 7th at Shao Shan Temple for a full morning of intensive practice. The Zazenkai program included opening and closing ceremonies, zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin (walking meditation), and dokusan(individual meetings) and a Dharma reading.  The Dharma reading was from Shunryu Suzkuki Roshi's Zen Mind Beginner's Mind. As the sun came out in later morning, the doors were wide open during walking meditation.

March Introduction to Shao Shan

 

Friday evening March 29th, was an in-person "Introduction to Shao Shan Temple" program.  Twelve new people braved the bumpy, rutted, muddy roads to participate.  This program offers an overview of the Temple, history, programs offered, an introduction to meditation, the opportunity to ask questions and a brief tour of the grounds.  Julie & Caleb joined as sangha (Temple community) representatives.

Spring Equinox Ceremony 2024

 

With the Temple doors flung open wide, vigorously blowing snow, and a blazing woodstove,  a hardy group of practitioners joined in commemorating the Spring Equinox.  Chanting together, we offered barely budding pussywillow branches, incense, candlelight and snow at an outward facing altar in the Temple.

May our practice in this new season 

flower into big, joyful and compassionate mind for all beings!

Winter Practice Period 2024

Shao Shan Temple's Winter Practice concluded on March 17th with the weekend sesshin.  This year, due to the muddy road conditions, online participation in the sesshin was also available.  

The second half of the Winter Practice period continued with additional guest speakers revealing the teachings of Dogen Zenji's Genjo Koan and the ongoing extended practice schedule.

With deep gratitude to all the visiting teachers and to all who participated in this year's Winter Practice Period - may it be of benefit.

Rev Shinshu Robert - online Dharma Talk 3/12/24

 

Rev. Gendo Field - in-person Dharma Talk 3/16/24

Rev. Kenzan - in-person Dharma Talks 3/9 & 3/17

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, the moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in dewdrops on the grass, or even in one drop of water.  Enlightenment does not divide you, just as the moon does not break the water. You cannot hinder enlightenment, just as a drop of water does not hinder the moon in the sky. The depth of the drop is the height of the moon. Each reflection, however long or short its duration, manifests the vastness of the dewdrop, and realizes the limitlessness of the moonlight in the sky.

- Genjo Koan: Dogen Zenji 

Moon reflecting in mud puddles on
Cranberry Meadow Road 

Getting stuck in mud and views - March Children's Program

 

For March's Family Program we gathered online, in part thanks to the theme of the month: MUD! We first shared our observations of the natural world, such as the warmer weather, muddy roads, returning robins and Canada geese, and ravens starting to make their nests. We checked out the onion and scallion seedlings sprouting under grow lights, soon to be planted in the Temple vegetable garden. 

We then acted out the story of Six Blind Men and an Elephant, an ancient Buddhist tale illustrating how we can get stuck thinking that our own perspectives are the only "right" perspective, similar to the blind men who think that an elephant is like a pillar, a fan, a rope, a tree branch, a spear or a wall, depending on which part of the elephant they are touching. 

We used several optical illusions to explore ways to help our minds not get "stuck in the mud" by seeing situations from various perspectives, and then meditated while watching mud settle in a jar. We closed with the ringing of the big bell and a group OM

Example of optical illusion, where our mind can get stuck seeing something only one way.
(turn 90degrees for the frog to turn into a horse)