Dear All,
Please join our SPECIAL MEMORIAL ZAZENKAI in honor of someone who was my friend and teacher of many years, Rev. Mitchell Doshin Cantor of the White Plum, who left our visible world this past week.
Our Zazenkai will gather for 90 minutes, from 10am Japan Saturday morning, NY 8pm, LA 5pm Friday night, London 1am and Paris 2am Saturday morning here:
Join live (with or without a camera & microphone) on Zoom at: TREELEAF Now OR at DIRECT ZOOM LINK, password (if needed): dogen
Doshin, a Dharma heir of Madeline Ko-i Bastis and student of Zen priest and author Peter Muryo Matthiessen in Maezumi Roshi's White Plum Lineage, was my adopted Zen father when I returned to America from time to time from Japan. I started to come back to America for three or four months at a time some years ago because my real mother was sick at the time, and found a home with Mitch's group. When I was ordained, Mitch taught me so much about bowing, incense lighting, chanting ... the basics that a priest has to know. Doshin was the inspiration behind the Treeleaf Zendo, because for several years I was able to watch the many ways he nurtured a Sangha and kept it going week by week, moment by moment, year by year. So much of what Mitch brought to the Southern Palm Zen Group in Florida which he founded, I sought to bring here ... from the atmosphere of open questioning to the way we do our Retreats and how we study for Jukai and conduct that ceremony next week. If not sure what to do, I usually ask myself, 'What would Doshin do?'
Doshin also founded The Prison Outreach Project which brought meditation practices into the Florida Prison System to help inmates find their inner freedom. He devoted his life to helping others. Mitchell had a passion for photography. You can view his exceptional work online at: www.ListeningWithTheEye.com
Doshin was a font of wisdom ... listening to one of his talks, as I link to here ...
... is like listening to a great Jazz musician. Unlike Zen teachers in Japan, Western teachers will often reach into a variety of sources and traditions, both 'Buddhist' and not. It is difficult to do while yet staying on course as a Zen Teacher, not becoming lost in an eclectic, New Agey mess. Mitch, a walking encyclopedia of Wisdom writings, showed how this can be done right. Never losing his diamond focus on our Zen tradition, he would pull into his talks Tibetans, Hindus, Jewish Mystics, Sufi Masters, Babe Ruth and Groucho Marx, ranging from home life to the farthest star. Doshin introduced me to something very much present in Western Buddhism but sorely lacking in Japan ... immersion in diverse ideas and an attitude of constant questioning (Students tend not to ask many questions of Teachers in Japan, and just to listen and observe. That is certainly --not-- the case in the West).
To mark Rev. Doshin's passing, we shall chant today the SHARIRAIMON (Verse of Homage to Buddha's Relics) (first in Japanese, then in English, then in Japanese again ... the words are below if you wish to follow along) ... following our recital of the Heart Sutra in English and according to the schedule below.
00:00 – 00:15 CEREMONY (HEART SUTRA in English), SHARIRAIMON, and Dedication
00:15 – 00:45 ZAZEN
00:45 – 00:55 KINHIN
00:55 – 01:25 ZAZEN
01:25 – 01:30 VERSE OF ATONEMENT & FOUR VOWS
01:30 - 01:45(?) Informal Tea Time (All Welcome)
Is-shin cho rai
man toku en man
◎ sha ka nyo rai
shin jin sha ri
hon ji hos-shin
hok-kai to ba
ga to rai kyo
i ga gen snin
nyu ga ga nyu
butsu ga ji ko
ga sho bo dai
i butsu jin riki
ri yaku shu jo
● hotsu bo dai shin
shu bo satsu gyo
do nyu en jaku
● byo do dai chi
kon jo cho rai
With/ whole/heart/ed/ gra/ti/tude/ we/ bow/
to/ the/ re/lics/ still/ pre/sent of/ the/ True/ Bo/dy/[*] of/ the/ Ta/tha/ga/ta/ Sha/kya/mu/ni,/
who/ is/ ful/ly/ en/dowed/ with/ my/ri/ad/ vir/tues;/
to/ the/ Dhar/ma/ Bo/dy/ which/ is/ Truth/ it/self;/
and/ to/ the/ whole/ u/ni/verse/ which/ is/ his/ Stu/pa./
With/ deep/ res/pect/ we/ ve/ner/ate/ the/ One/
who /lived/ his/ life/ for/ the/ sake/ of/ all/ be/ings./
Though/ the/ sus/ten/ance/ of/ Bud/dha,/ the/ Truth/
en/ters/ us/ and/ we/ en/ter/ Truth./
Let/ us/ strive/ to/ be/ne/fit/ all/ li/ving/ be/ings,/[*] a/rouse/ the/ thought/ of/ A/wa/ken/ing,/
cul/ti/vate/ Bod/hi/sat/tva/ Prac/tice,/
and/ to/ge/ther/ en/ter/ Per/fect/ Peace,/[*] the/ pen/e/tra/tion/ of/ the/ e/qua/li/ty/ of/ all/ things./
Now/ let/ us/ re/ver/ent/ly/ bow.
Nine Bows, Jundo
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Originally Posted by Sekishi
Sat Today
