News from Still Mind Zendo

StillFebruary 2008 Vol. 5 No. 1

.We got on the bus. We got offthe bus. We could neitherread nor speak the language.We didn’t always know whatit was we were eating. Wewere 6,800 miles from home.We were in China: Zen stu-dents eager to experience theroots of our practice and toencounter our early masters.Starting and ending in Beijing,for 11 days we would visitcelebrated sites, some onlyrecently rediscovered, on atour that our guide AndyFerguson dubbed the “sesshin-on-wheels.” Without languagewe listened attentively tofaces, gestures and deeds. Wecame to observe and foundourselves observed. We tookphotos of strangers and foundourselves being photographedas strangers. Amazing China,where past, present and futurecan be seen at once, woventogether like strands of asilken braid; where 1.3 billionpeople, in 56 different nation-alities, live. Cypress Grove Monastery inBailin, seat of Zen MasterZhaozhou (Japanese:Joshu):Here, 1700 years ago,Nanquan (Jpn:Nansen) asked,“Why did Bodhidharma comefrom the West?” and his stu-dent Zhaozhou replied, “The

cypress tree in the courtyard.”We stood gazing at a descen-dent of that tree, in that court-yard, and did not forget thequestion. For three mornings we rose todarkness at 4:30. The clearvoice of a monk, from high inthe drum tower, chanted asutra. We silently walked thestone road as monks of oldwalked, to reach the immenseBuddha Hall, which glowedorange from within against thefaint blue light of dawn. For90 minutes we chanted andbowed in a traditionalBuddhist service, with 120monks, nuns and Chinese layvisitors. We were the onlyWesterners. We ate breakfastin silence at long tables withthe women on one side of thehall facing the men on theother. At Cypress Grove stands adoorway leading to the monks’private quarters. The calligra-phy overhead reads inChinese: “The Gateless Gate.”In this compound MasterWumen (Jpn: Mumon) assem-bled 36 koans with commen-tary. We photographed eachother, secretly hoping forimmediate transmission and toreturn to SMZ as koan geniuses!

In the presence of Ming Hai,the 39-year-old abbot ofCypress Grove, who wel-comed us warmly in English,we strongly sensed a trans-parency of space and time.We were the monks of old sit-ting as sangha before the mas-ter being encouraged to payattention to each moment ofour life; to see Zhaozhou’sheart, and have tea; and tolook at the cypress in thecourtyard. For Ming Hai, an“open mind and self-faith” arethe core of Chan (Zen). Inthose moments it seemed soclear that the essence ofChinese and Japanese Zenpractices is the same. Atbreakfast Ming Hai admon-ished us to eat every grain ofrice because farmers hadworked so hard to bring usthis rice. Daily from the win-dows of our tour bus we sawpeople, wearing woven conehats for shade, working thefields by hand. We took MingHai’s words into our hearts.We were grateful and ateevery grain of rice. Second Ancestor’s Village:From Bailin in the north we

headed south to the village ofMaster Huike, Bodhidharma’sonly student and China’sSecond Patriarch. Nowherewere we more enthusiasticallywelcomed. The villagers linedthe pathways, old men sittingin doorways, young menstanding with bicycles, adoles-cent girls grouped togetherwith their arms around eachother, women and men hold-ing babies while curious chil-dren peeked from behind theirlegs, and the resident monkgave us a formal welcome.Out of the abundance of theirpoverty they served us water-melon, peaches from theirtrees, and tea. Flanked in aspontaneous procession weclimbed a dirt path to stand inreverence before three epic-sized statues of the Buddha –Amathaba, Shakyamuni, andMedicine Buddha. We weretreated as lost brothers andsisters who had come backhome. Instant replay of ourdigital photos was never soenjoyed as when the childrenpeered into the tiny screensand recognized themselves.

(Continues on Pg.3)

A descendent of “the cypress tree in the courtyard” taken at CCyypprreessss GGrroovvee MMoonnaasstteerryy in Bailin by Julia McEvoy.

WHY DID THEY COME?Two Pilgrims in China By Julia McEvoy & Peggy Grote

Mayumi Ishino traveled in southeastAsia from February to May. Shehiked into rural mountain villages inLaos and Burma, then traveled toIndonesia for an international per-formance art festival (Java) and togive a workshop to young artists(Bali). See photos from her trip athttp://tinyurl.com/3y7zrt.

Alain Mentha and Jennifer Strongwere married on July 14 in a ceremo-ny officiated by Sensei Gregory. Theprecepts were incorporated into theirwedding vows. In addition, Alain ranthe New York City marathon in 4hours and 5 minutes on November 4.He had trained for 4 months, running25-45 miles a week, and plans to runthe Cincinnati marathon next.

Geoff Brewer andhis wife, Regan, hadtheir first child,Henry Alexander,on August 13. Henryis happy, healthy, cooing and smiling.

Tom Carney qualified for the “88Club” at the Yonkers Swim Club.This means he has swum a mile aday, 6 days a week, for a year. Tomsays it’s “really a big deal for me,considering that my 71st birthdaywas in September!”

On October 12, at Gracie Mansion,Sensei Janet attended a breakfastgathering of Buddhist leaders fromthe greater New York City area.Mayor Michael Bloomberg organizedthe breakfast, a first for the city,based on an idea from a young policeofficer at the NYPD’s Office ofCommunity Relations who is aBuddhist. The Dalai Lama, in townfor the weekend, was a surpriseguest.

In September, Christian Toth earnedhis second degree in kung-fu fromAlan Lee’s Chinese Kung-Fu Wu-SuAssociation. The test to obtain thisdegree takes 7 hours to complete,consisting of a 3-hour written examand a 4-hour physical exam.

compiled by SMZ member Carrie Abels

On this warm July morning I hear no sound but my own activity and birdsong. It is StillMind’s week-long sesshin at Seven Meadows Farm. My job is to sweep the zendo thor-oughly each morning during our formal samu period, and as needed over the course ofthe day.

The barn where we sit commands respect; it has stood forwell over a century. The zabutons lie in rows along thesides of the room. Along the front of the mats are blackburlap runners, perhaps 16 inches wide, to protect our feetfrom splinters. The floorboards look original –coarse anduneven, gray with age. Each push of the broom raisesanother cloud of ancient dust, making the dustmask a neces-sity. One might as well try to sweep clean the surface of themoon: let go the quest for perfection. I collect little piles ofdirt, dust and sometimes bat droppings, brush them into aplastic dustpan. Walk outside into the sunlight, empty thedustpan in the grass nearby.

Having covered the bare surface and left it cleaner than before, I pick up the corn broom.The broomstick’s light blue paint is worn and peeled. Its sound is sweeter, more sibilantthan the heavy scraping of the pushbroom. I go from mat to mat, sweeping each clean oflint. I sweep the burlap, holding it in place with my feet because it is not fastened down.When I sweep before dawn it’s too dark to see what I am doing, but it doesn’t matter.

At first, paying attention to the task is fairly easy. As the routine grows familiar, thisbecomes more challenging. Mindful or no, I am fortunate to have been assigned this job.There can be no greater honor than to sweep these mats.

David Mintz is a member of SMZ.

SWEEPING THE ZENDOBy David Mintz

MEMBER NEWS

In September, Peggy Grote and Ronde Bradley enrolled in the Buddhist ChaplaincyTraining Program at the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. The year-longprogram offers an introduction to spiritual care skills from a Buddhist perspective.Graduates go on to become chaplains in hospitals, hospices or jails, or spiritual coun-selors for the sick and dying in other settings. “Finding chaplains in hospitals is a lot more difficult than the average person may real-ize,” Peggy says. “So when this came to my attention I was delighted to respond.”Ronde enrolled in the program “because I believed it would give me a better groundingin palliative care for my hospice volunteering and give me another way of practicingZen.”There are 34 students in this year’s class. The core faculty includes Roshi Pat EnkyoO’Hara, abbot of Village Zendo in Manhattan. Instruction takes place on one Saturdayper month, as well as through guest lectures and field trips. “On the field day in November, I rode with the police in Chelsea, sat in on arraignmentcourt, and attended a lecture by a New York Police Department chaplain,” Ronderecalls. She is doing her “internship” at Beacon Hospice in Boston, while Peggy isinterning at Beth Israel Hospital as a volunteer chaplain.“Both Ronde and I have gained so much insight into our Zen practice and the precepts,which are intertwined into all teachings of compassion,” Peggy says.

-- Carrie Abels

Z E N C H A P L A I N S

Pho

to b

y M

ark

Rub

in

We returned the villagers’smiles until our cheeks hurt. Farther south and west, ourroad led to Bodhidharma’sburial site, Empty FormTemple. Bodhidharma diedin 535. All 39 of us on touroffered incense. As a groupwe circumnambulated thepagoda chanting the HeartSutra. This was a profoundmoment. We were the firstgroup of Americans to visitthis spot since it was redis-covered by Andy Fergusonand Red Pine less than tenyears ago. Bodhidharma’s cave, ShaoLin: Our hearts were pound-ing not just from shortness ofbreath as we climbed thegreen mountain, anticipatingwhat lay ahead. Water bottlesin hand, we talked aboutwalking the path of no path.The climb, set in wild flow-ers, seemed endless, and thequestion, “Do we ever

arrive?” took on a fuller mean-ing. The cave itself was a quietexperience: a Buddha altar, thetraditional 4 guardians. Ayoung boy, student of the resi-dent monk, squatted inside,keeping his part of the 24-hourvigil of the Buddha altar.Water dripped constantly; thedamp penetrated even our hot,sweaty skin. Bodhidharma issaid to have sat here nine years,with lidless eyes. On thedescent, a wide vista presentedthe town of Shao Lin, nestledin a valley – dulled by smog, areminder of time that passes.We practiced keeping our owneyes open each step down. We got off the bus, we got onthe bus. Everywhere we wentwas encouragement to see ourpractice as life itself. Theinconveniences of poor sanita-tion, doubts about the safety ofwater, and the poor quality ofair pushed us to let go of pref-erences and be freshly withwhat was all around us. Wewere immersed in the ten thou-

sand things. Why did Bodhidharma comefrom the West? Or, for that mat-ter, why did Julia and Peg cometo China from the West?Definitely, we echo, “It is thecypress tree in the courtyard.”

Julia McEvoy is jitsu of SMZ,and Peggy Grote is a longtimemember. They were in Chinafrom June 21 to July 3, 2007.The tour’s principal teacher,Andrew Ferguson, is author ofZen’s Chinese Heritage: TheMasters and their Teachings(Wisdom).

Still.News from Still Mind Zendo

February 2008 Vol. 5 No.1

EditorCynthia Brown

Art DirectorMark Rubin

Poetry EditorsJean Gallagher

Gregory Hosho Abels

Enso (sumi circle)artwork by

Mayumi Ishino

Still Mind Zendo is a nonsectar-ian Zen community in theSoto/Rinzai lineage of the WhitePlum Asangha. Founded in1994, it has two resident teach-ers, Sensei Janet Jiryu Abels andSensei Gregory Hosho Abels.Still Mind Zendo is incorporatedas a not-for-profit organizationin the State of New York and runby a Council (the Board ofDirectors) made up of SMZmembers.

CouncilPresident: Tom Carney

Vice President: Gregory Hosho Abels

Secretary: Julia McEvoyTreasurer: Tom Carney

Cynthia Brown Marisa CespedesJean Gallagher

Mark RubinBen Shelton

Spiritual Director:Janet Jiryu Abels

Submissions for articles and poetry for Still. should be

sent to:info@stillmindzendo.org

Still Mind Zendo37 W. 17th Street

New York, N.Y. 10011Phone 212-414-3128

info@stillmindzendo.orgwww.stillmindzendo.org

My striking the bell to signal the start and endof zazen happens slightly differently each time.There’s a hardly noticeable randomness inher-ent in the process. The movement of the arm.The finger’s hold on the striker. The speed ofstriking. The distance of the striker from thebell. The strike point on the bell. So manyrandom variables. So little control. Like life.

Randomness has its own rhythm. Not mine.Just stay in the process and let go of the result.Just let the striking process express itselfthrough me. Hah! Easier said than done. Justbe present at the striking. Hah! again. Easiersaid than done.

However the strike may occur, when it happensit is the two arrows meeting in mid-air that wechant about in the Sandokai at our zendo eachSunday. Striking the bell seems to mirror life’srandomness and how present I am in thatmoment.

Hank Walshak is a member of SMZ affiliate Plum Blossom Zendo.

ON STRIKING THE BELLBy Hank Walshak

A P R A N K , A T E A C H I N GWhile sitting zazen in the meditation hallof Cypress Grove Monastery, we learned astory of Nanquan and Zhaozhou that wehad not known, a sample of playfulnessand directness in Chan teaching. AtNanquan’s direction, we were told,Zhaozhou locked himself inside themonks’ hall and then shouted “Fire!” Theyoung monks heard and desperately triedto help him, could not unlock the door,pleaded with Nanquan for help. Nanquanthrew his key – which would only workfrom the outside – into the hall through ahigh window. Seeing the useless key as itflew in, Zhaozhou roared with laughter,recognizing the action’s meaning. Noteacher can remove the barriers a studenthas constructed – a teacher’s words areuseless unless the student lets them in.

-- told to Julia McEvoy by Tonen Sara O’Connor

(Continued from Pg.1)

Photo by Bruce Kennedy

FFoorr FFiirrsstt--TTiimmee VViissiittoorrss ttoo SSttiillll MMiinndd ZZeennddoo Whether you are new to sittingor have a long-held practice,please call Still Mind Zendo at (212) 414-3128 prior to visit-ing the zendo for the first time.For first-time Zen practition-ers, we ask that you attend ourIntroduction to Zen workshop(see below).

**IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn ttoo ZZeennOn the 1st and 3rd Tuesday ofeach month the zendo offersnewcomers an Introduction toZen workshop. Please visitour website for details or callus for a brochure.

AAbboouutt BBeeccoommiinngg aa MMeemmbbeerr Membership is an option forthose who have decided tomake a longer-term commit-ment to their Zen practice withSMZ. Further informationmembership can be found onthe Membership RegistrationForm available at the zendo oron our website.

MMoonntthhllyy CCaalleennddeerr::For a detailed monthly calender/schedule please seeour website. Go to: www.still-mindzendo.org and click onthe link “Monthly Calender”

EExxtteennddeedd SSiittttiinnggssWeekend Sesshin: February 9 - 11, 2008October 31-November 2, 2008–Garrison Institute

ZZaazzeennkkaaii (all day sitting):January 12, 2008March 8, 2008May 10, 2008

SSeesssshhiinn iinn tthhee CCiittyy::April 11 - 13, 2008–at Still Mind Zendo, NYC

WWeeeekk SSeesssshhiinn,, 22000088June 8 – June 14July 13 – July 19

RReeggiissttrraatt iioonn ffoorr aallll EEvveennttssPlease contact the zendo orvisit the website for eventinformation and registration.

ZZeennddoo LLooccaattiioonn && CCoonnttaacctt IInnffooStill Mind Zendo37 W. 17th Street, 6th floorNew York, N.Y. 10011Between 5th & 6th Avenues

Telephone: (212) 414-3128. info@stillmindzendo.org www.stillmindzendo.org

Still Mind Zendo ScheduleMondayMorning Sitting

Arrive 7:20 A.M.Sitting 7:30-8:30

TuesdayMorning Sitting

Arrive 7:20 A.M.Sitting 7:30-8:30

Evening SittingArrive 6:40 P.M.Sitting 7:00-9:00

WednesdayMorning Sitting

Arrive 7:20 A.M.Sitting 7:30-8:30

ThursdayMorning Sitting

Arrive 7:20 A.M.Sitting 7:30-8:30

Evening SittingArrive 6:40 P.M.Sitting 7:00-9:00

FridayMorning Sitting

Arrive 7:20 A.M.Sitting 7:30-8:30

SaturdayMorning Sitting

Arrive 8:45 A.M.Sitting 9:00-11:00Tea (optional)

37 W17th StreetNew York, N.Y. 10011

Still Mind Zendo