April Introduction to Shao Shan

 

Saturday morning, April 30th, was an online "Introduction to Shao Shan Temple" program.  This program offers an overview of the Temple, history, programs offered, an introduction to meditation and the opportunity to ask questions.  Monica-KuKyoku joined as sangha (Temple community) representative and 7 new people participated.

The next Introduction to Shao Shan program is scheduled for Saturday, June 18th at 10am.

Garden Opening Ceremony & Work Day

 

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate the opening of the Temple garden on Sunday, April 24th.

 Kenzan led a "Garden Opening Ceremony" to begin the garden growing season.  The ceremony included thanking the elements that help the vegetables grow, walking in procession around the garden chanting the "Disaster Preventing Dharani", reading a Thich Nhat Hanh passage, planting seeds of intention, and chanting our new garden chant. We set up a beautiful garden altar with Taihaku's smiling face looking over us all.

 We then got to work. We were able to move and set up the pea fence and planted peas, spinach, arugula and mixed greens. We also cleaned up and prepped the other garden beds so that they're ready for more planting, reinforced the posts, cleaned the bird boxes, and brought over some rocks to hold down remay and landscape fabric.

The new Shao Shan Garden chant:

May we grow healthy, fresh food for our Temple, our families, and our communities. 

May we offer our wholehearted attention to the plants, the land, the tools and each other.

Like Taihaku, may we enter the garden gates with wonder, enthusiasm, and gratitude.

Like Taihaku, may we cultivate here a deep caring that extends to all of the miraculous creation.

April Zazenkai

 

This April Zazenkai (1/2 day Meditation Retreat) was on Sunday April 17th. Participants were delighted to be at Shao Shan Temple for this first in-person Zazenkai in several months due to either weather or muddy roads or covid.

The morning’s program included opening and closing ceremonies, zazen (sitting meditation), kinhin (walking meditation). Instead of a Dharma Talk there was a reading from Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.  We had a group walking meditation outside on this early spring day during one of the moments between sun, rain and snow. 

excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki Roshi's "Be Kind to Yourself"

Sewing Meditation Practice

Saturdays, April 16th and May 7th, were  Sewing Meditation Practice programs. 

Sewing together with mantra chanting - a kind of moving meditation - is practice that many have found to be valuable.  No previous sewing experience was required.  It was primarily about the practice of sewing, is also working towards the result of a bookbag that can be used for carrying Dharma book(s).  

NAMU KIE BUTSU

NAMU KIE HO

NAMU KIE SO

Springtime & Bears - children's program

For April's virtual Children's Program, we were inspired by a recent visitor near the Temple garden: a juvenile black bear! We explored how so many different creatures are waking up now, and shared some of our observations of nature, including warmer weather and (almost) no snow, longer days, the first flowers coming up, the return of many birds, wasps making nests, and of course, mud! Our more southern friends also have been seeing leaves sprouting on trees and even blueberries on their blueberry bush!

We then read and acted out the book Eat Like a Bear, written by April Pulley Sayre and illustrated by Steve Jenkins. In the story a bear wakes up hungry in April looking for food, and then progresses throughout the season finding various foods to eat, including horsetails, a bison hide, dandelions, ants, trout and berries, before snuggling back into its den for the winter once again.

After the story we practiced an eating meditation, using all of our senses to experience and appreciate a delicious snack. We then became bears snuggling in our dens before being woken up by the sound of the Temple bell. We ended with a group OM, sounding a little like the buzzing bees of spring.