Make
Your Caring Bigger: Stories and
Teachings of Taihaku Priest Roshi
It takes a sangha to write a book about Taihaku Roshi: to begin to portray her compassion, her vibrant energy, her delight in life, her many talents. The list of contributors is lengthy. It has been my privilege, through the long process of working on this book, to come to know and appreciate Taihaku Roshi more deeply.
Rev. Kenzan’s Introduction, reprinted below, gives an overview of Make Your Caring Bigger. Those of you who have not received a copy at the Three-year Memorial Service can pick up a copy at Shao Shan Temple, or may order a copy from Amazon.
--Glenda Bissex, Editor
Editor’s
note: A grateful sangha extends its
heartfelt appreciation to Glenda Bissex for her many hours of service over
several years editing the collection of teachings and stories of Taihaku
Roshi. Bows to Rev. Kenzan for writing
original material and scouring the Shao Shan Temple archives to find photos and
Dharma talks that Taihaku Roshi wrote or spoke. Thanks also to Alan Taplow for the many
hours he donated to creating the layout and formatting the book, to Julie
Hand for her help editing and proofreading, and to Anne Lynn for the final
proofreading of the entire book.
INTRODUCTION
Taihaku-Roshi
did not write any books. Or even any
magazine articles. She gave Dharma Talks
that were delightful and deep, yet words were not her primary way of teaching. Her primary way of teaching was simply by how
she was. How she was as she took care of
her plants in the vegetable garden, how she was as she polyurethaned Temple
window sills, how she was cooking for unexpected visitors, how she was as she
sat together with someone in tears.
Some of the few
writings she did do are included here.
There are a few Dharma Talks that Taihaku-Roshi had written for the Shao
Shan Temple newsletter. And there is a
single recorded Dharma Talk that she gave on short notice at an American Zen
Teacher’s Conference. It is transcribed
here.
Taihaku-Roshi
was invited several times a year to offer an opening Devotional for the Vermont
State Senate. She delighted in the
opportunity to be part of the State legislative in this small, but potentially
significant way. Her father had been a
state senator in Massachusetts and she would often comment on the connection
she felt with him as we’d head toward the gold-domed Capitol Building in
Montpelier. The Senate Devotional is
limited to 3 minutes and Taihaku would craft the wording with great care,
resulting in poem-like compositions. A
few of these are included in this book.
As part of the
painting of the picture of Taihaku-Roshi and her legacy, there are also
photographs and a few additional writings about and for her: a poem for the 49th
Day after her passing, her obituary, and her life story. There is also a map of the Shao Shan Temple
land and an associated “Legend.” Perhaps Shao Shan Temple land is now like her
body. She lives on not just in the
Temple, but also in the laughing trees, grasses and brooks. The Temple has
always extended beyond the building – out under the red pine trees, up the hill
into the cemetery, encompassing the mountain “power points,” the fragrant
beaver wetlands, the trees laden with apples and crabapples and the abundantly
prolific vegetable garden.
In the weeks
following Taihaku-Roshi’s sudden passing, the Shao Shan Temple sangha gathered
weekly to share stories of her teachings and the ways in which she had affected
each of us in life-changing ways. As
sangha members shared stories of how interactions with Taihaku-Roshi affected
them, we all learned new things. We
laughed and cried and Taihaku-Roshi continued to teach us. As she still does. And with this current sharing of stories and
teachings, may Taihaku-Roshi’s way of being also extend now to you, dear
reader, and make all of our caring bigger.
