Norman Fischer on the topic of forgiveness

“A meditation practice has the effect of making us pretty humble and realistic about ourselves and about one another.  But also, I hope, at the same time, exactly because of this, it makes us a lot more forgiving of ourselves and of others, because human beings are human beings, and we will always be human beings, which means imperfect beings, who can imagine and long for perfection.

“As long as we are alive, we need to practice forgiveness.  We need to forgive ourselves, we need to forgive others, we need to forgive cause and effect, and we need to forgive the world for being what it is and not what we would like it to be.

“This is not so easy, forgiving ourselves.  I have thought about this a lot, and I have come to the conclusion that not only is it not easy to forgive ourselves, it’s actually impossible.  When it comes to ourselves, I think that we are all quite unforgiving.”

Zoketsu Norman Fischer is a poet, Zen teacher, former abott of San Francisco Zen Center, and currently spiritual director of the Everyday Zen Foundation. To read the full text of this and other talks, click here.

retreat at the monastery

Three Fernwood regulars are registered to participate in a week-long silent retreat (called a ‘sesshin’) from June 18 to 24 at Great Vow Zen Monastery in Oregon.

We’ll leave Monday morning aboard the M.S. Coho from Victoria’s inner harbour and drive down the I5 to the Washington-Oregon border, returning in late-afternoon on Sunday. There’s room for others to come along and share ferry and gas expenses. Please talk to Peter.

about Daitetsu (our guest teacher on May 14)

Further to yesterday’s post

Daitetsu Hull is a resident Zen priest at Great Vow Zen Monastery. He graduated from Lewis & Clark College with a BA in Psychology. He entered residential training with Chozen and Hogen Bays in 2000, was ordained in 2003, and became a Dharma Holder in 2008.

Besides the 11 sesshin a year at the monastery, Daitetsu sits with the Rinzai teacher Genjo Marinello in Seattle several times a year. In addition to his Zen practice, Daitetsu has a passion for tools that maintain psychological health and skillful communication.

Daitetsu is clearly the tallest in this picture, taken after an ordination ceremony.
photo © Great Vow Zen Monastery.

an evening with Daitetsu

Daitetsu Hull (“DT”) be with us on Monday May 14 to lead evening zazen. To benefit from his experience — 10 years of training and full ordination at Great Vow Zen Monastery — we’ll sit longer than usual.

The commencing bell will ring at 6:30 pm and the closing bell at 9:00 pm. We’ll do the usual 25-minute periods, with walking meditation and stretch in between. At 7:30 Daitetsu will give a 25-minute dharma talk.

The event is now fully booked. Please contact Rita (fernwoodzendo@gmail.com) to be the first on a waiting list.

Most Zen teachers don’t charge a fee, but must earn a living. A “dana” (practice of generosity) bowl will be set out for donations. DT’s travel expenses from/to Vancouver will be covered from past donations given at the zendo entrance. Thank you all!

quarterly report (jan – mar)

Dear friends,

a bow of gratitude to all who come to sit and thus support their own and each other’s practice. Several of you come every week, some do so regularly once a month, others manage from time to time without a pattern. And then there are those of you who used to come, or wish to come, but can’t fit it in among the demands of everyday living. May you all be happy.

Attendance. Between 5 and 10 people came to sit over 25 sittings, with average attendance of 6.4 per evening.

Cookies: Two people have brought home-baked goods and other have donated tea. I provide store-bought sweets to fill the gaps. Please consider baking small cookies or slices — what a lovely way to be of service to others.

Donations. Another bow to all of you who drop money in the bowl. On a recent trip to Vancouver I stocked up on IKEA candles to keep us en-lightened for a while. Because of your generosity we now have two folding chairs to accommodate people unable to sit on a mat; for sitting on a zafu with back support, we now have a BackJack. A goat/cow bell from Austria (to be rung as ‘han’ prior to sitting) has been donated, also a generous pack of incense sticks from Zen Mountain Monastery (NY).

Peter Daishin
(zendo host)

an evening with David Whyte, poet

David Whyte’s poetry brings to bear philosophic questions that compel us all as he looks at the larger, timeless relationship of human beings to their world, to their relationship with creation, with others or with death. David looks at the sufferings and joys that come with revelations and the necessities of belonging to specific families, peoples and places. His work also chronicles a close relationship to landscapes and histories, especially those of his native Yorkshire, Ireland, Wales and his more recent home in the Pacific Northwest.

In the last few years David’s work has begun to appear at literary gatherings such as the Oxford, Ledbury and Ojai poetry festivals and his poetry is beginning to be spoken of in the same breath as other major contemporary, Irish American and English poets.

Date: Fri, May 4, 2012, 7pm – 9pm, $30 plus taxes. Last year’s event sold out early. Details at Royal Road University.

Sometimes
if you move carefully
through the forest,breathing

like the ones
in the old stories,who could cross
a shimmering bed of leaves

without a sound,you come
to a place
whose only task

is to trouble you
with tiny
but frightening requests,

conceived out of nowhere
but in this place
beginning to lead everywhere.

- excerpted from “Sometimes” in Everything is Waiting for You (Many Rivers Press 2003)

zendo practice

Dear friends, we’ve been sitting together for almost three years. The time has come (for me) to share the weekly hosting duties with others. We’ll continue to sit at my home with me remaining integral to Fernwood Zendo. I’m suggesting a committment for one or more of these duties (called “training positions” at the monastery) for at least a month at a time — greeting newcomers, time-keeping, tea and cookie prep, and solo hosting during my occasional absence. This would be an opportunity to be of service to the sangha, deepen your practice of generosity, and take meditation to a new level.

Gassho,
Peter Daishin

American Cancer Society recommends meditation

Using careful language so as not to make false promises, the ACS has this to say on its website:

Meditation is a mind-body process that uses concentration or reflection to relax the body and calm the mind. It has been defined as the intentional self-regulation of attention, a mental focus on a particular aspect of one’s inner or outer experience.

Overview. Meditation is one of several relaxation methods evaluated and found to be of possible benefit by an independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health. The panel found that it might be a useful complementary therapy for treating chronic pain and sleeping problems such as insomnia. Some cancer treatment centers offer meditation or relaxation therapy with standard medical care. Available scientific evidence does not suggest that meditation is effective in treating cancer or any other disease; however, it may help to improve the quality of life for people with cancer.

How is it promoted for use? The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine reports that regular meditation can reduce chronic pain, anxiety, high blood pressure, cholesterol, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans, and blood cortisol levels that are increased by stress (sometimes called “stress hormones”), as well as reducing the use of health care services.

Practitioners also claim meditation improves mood, immune function, and fertility. Supporters further claim meditation increases mental efficiency and alertness and raises self-awareness, all of which contribute to relaxation.

Mayo Clinic recommends meditation

The Mayo Clinic’s website offers practical tips on topics related to stress reduction, living with illness, and …  meditation.

“Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years and has many benefits. During meditation, you increase your focus on the present — minimizing random thoughts of everything but the moment at hand. Meditation can help with concentration, relaxation, inner peace, stress reduction and fatigue. It may also help relieve anxiety, depression, pain and insomnia. When combined with conventional medicine, meditation may improve physical health, such as heart health, rheumatologic conditions and digestive problems.”

Visit http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070

Zen calligraphy workshop with Japanese master

Zen calligraphy workshop with Master Kazuaki Tanahashi
In Vancouver on Friday-Saturday, April 20-21, 2012
Sponsored by our friends at Mountain Rain Zendo

Space is very limited. Please register soon. For details and to locate a registration form, click here or contact Marlee Ross at 604-736-6853 cell, 604-329-9556 or marleehoshoross@gmail.com.

Kazuaki Tanahashi is a painter, calligrapher, writer, and peace worker, born and trained in Japan and active in the United States since 1977. He has had solo exhibitions of brushwork and painting performances worldwide. His calligraphy and art work are frequently seen in the Shambhala Sun and he has illustrated many Buddhist books. His own publications include, Brush Mind, Penetrating Laughter: Hakuin’s Zen and Art, Enlightenment Unfolds: The Essential Teachings of Zen Master Dogen, and Beyond Thinking: A Guide to Zen Meditation, and most recently, Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen’s Shobo Genzo. Click here for more on his work.

Peter has participated in Kazuaki’s workshops at Great Vow Zen Monastery and would be glad to respond to your questions.