Ben Connelly - Online Visiting Teacher

We were honored to have Soto Zen teacher and author, Ben Connelly of Minnesota Zen Meditation Center join the Shao Shan sangha online. This week was the conclusion of our study group on his latest book: Inside the Flower Garland Sutra: Huayan Buddhism and the Modern World.  He spoke with us joyfully about the essense of Huayan Buddhism as Interdependence, Social Engagement and Abundance.  Thank you to Ben for bringing alive this topic and thank you to all who participated.

Mud and Snow! - March Family Program

 For March's Family Program we celebrated mud season and cognitive flexibility. We began by sharing our names and something we had noticed in the natural world, including the return of the geese, the muddy roads that then froze and got covered in snow, and the two beavers in Cranberry Meadow. We then read the book Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. The book is based on an optical illusion that can either look like a rabbit with two long sideways ears, or a duck with a long bill, depending on how you look at it. We then explored other optical illusions, including a picture that can look like two faces or a vase (or a big rock with water flowing over it, as one participant noticed) and another drawing that can look like a frog or a horse, depending on its orientation. We discussed how we can sometimes get "stuck" in fixed views, thinking that our way of seeing things is the only way, and how valuable it can be to practice seeing things from a variety of perspectives, even if it does not come easily at first. We also played several other games that continued to explore shifting our perspectives and our bodies. We then ate some delicious "mud" chocolate pudding, with accompanying "snow" (coconut), "rocks" (raisins), "dirt clumps" (dates), and some fresh maple sap. We ended with some time tracking and playing in the snow outside.

Winter Mini Practice Period 2026

Winter Practice Period Opening Ceremony

The Winter Mini Practice Period is designed to provide an opportunity for Temple participants to make a individual commitment to intensive practice during these several weeks of ongoing extended practice schedule.  We began a little earlier this year - starting on February 21st and concluded with a weekend Sesshin (Meditation Retreat) on March 7th & 8th.  This is our fifth annual Winter Practice Period. 

Sesshin altar

Sesshin Opening- Ryakufusatsu ceremony

Sesshin- walking meditation

The theme of this year's practice period was the "Self Receiving and Employing Samadhi" (an excerpt from Dogen Zenji's Bendowa). We chanted the text daily and had Dharma Talks on the topic - several of the talks were offered by visiting teachers.

Rev. Seiso Cooper - in-person Dharma Talk

Rev. Jisho Sieber - online Dharma Talk

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.

This year also included a MOVIE NIGHT- showing Zen: the life of Zen Master Dogen.

This is not only practice while sitting, it is like a hammer striking emptiness; before and after, its exquisite peal permeates everywhere.  How can it be limited to this moment?  Hundreds of things all manifest original practice from the original face; it is impossible to measure.  Know that even if all buddhas of the ten directions, as innumerable as the sands of the Ganges, exert their strength and with the Buddha’s wisdom try to measure the merit of one person’s zazen, they will not be able to fully comprehend it.  - Dogen Zenji Self Receiving & Employing Samadhi from Bendowa

Lovingkindness - February Family Program

For February's Family Program we explored the theme of lovingkindness as we celebrated Valentine's Day. We also experimented with our first hybrid Family Program, beginning the program with both online and in-person participants. We started by introducing ourselves and sharing something we had been noticing in nature, including the swirls of snow on the road, changing bird calls, snow curling as it slid off the roof, and no snow at all (from our friends in Iowa!). 

We then read the book All the Places We Love by Patricia MacLaughlin, with paintings by Mike Wimmer, in which a child is born and grows to learn to love and cherish all of the people and places around him, eventually passing on what he discovered to his new baby sister.

 Kenzan then led us in a lovingkindness meditation, as we shared love and appreciation for those we care about in our lives, and then expanded lovingkindness outward towards people we don't know, as well as the animals, plants and natural world of which we are a part. 

The in-person group then created Valentine's Day crafts, including pearler beads, origami, and tissue paper art. 

We snacked on delicious heart-shaped snacks and then made pine cone peanut butter bird feeders as a lovingkindness gift for the birds and squirrels.

Rev. Koun Franz, Guiding Kyoshi, Virtual Visit

 

Shao Shan Temple was honored by a virtual visit of Rev. Koun Franz on Tuesday evening, Feb. 10th.  Rev. Koun Franz is the abbot of Thousand Harbor Zen in Halifax, Nova Scotia and joined us in his capacity as Guiding Kyoshi of the newly forming denomination, Soto Zen North America.  In an engaging online talk, he wove together teachings and a vision of connection between Temples and sanghas.  With deep gratitude.