June 24

With respect,


Good Morning Everyone,



Up front: We have cancelled the Zen Discussion Group. Our on-going Educational Groups are Comparative Religion, Introduction to Zen, and Women in Zen. Each meeting at 7:00 PM on their respective weekday evenings.



As you know, we are moving our new residence tomorrow morning. We would love to have your assistance. Please consider joining us at 6:30 AM at 2190 Mars Avenue, Unit 6 to begin. My phone is 575-680-6680. I will take calls.



Throughout next week, we will be attempting to settle in there. We will continue to operate the Temple in the Alameda Zendo. I will office there and we will conduct all Temple functions there.



Moving is always a chore, it seems. More than a chore, it is a psychological and emotional deconstruction. Very, very Zen. We read in the Shobogenzo, that it is essential to "leave home." Yes, we must leave what we know and step into the light of the living moment. I have said once too often, "this is my last move!" Who am I kidding? We practice so that each breath is a move, each step, a step into the present, leaving no trace behind.



May we each "move" today.



Be well.

June 23, 2011

With palms together,

Good Morning Everyone,



This morning I woke feeling good. Our move to our Mesilla Zen House is on schedule, things seem to be coming together, and the Temple on Alameda is doing well. Moreover, we have a start date for the implementation of our J. Paul Taylor Correctional Facility Contemplative Practices Program and we are certainly looking forward to this experience.



Over the last few days I have been sitting Zazen at the Temple for many hours. I have been considering our Order and its future. Ever since I was a novice professional Social Worker, I have believed in the value of supervision. Even with a Ph.D. and an Independent License, I still maintained a supervisory consultant, a peer-to-peer sounding board, if you will. As many of you know, my teaching relationship with my root teacher, Hogaku, has come to a close. I have been exploring options toward establishing a peer teaching relationship with another Zen Teacher. I am still in that process and will keep you informed. But this has little actual bearing on the Order of Clear Mind Zen, except that I want each of you to be aware that I know it is important that the head of an organization seek council from time to time.



As I see it, our Order is seriously beginning to unfold itself. Our mission is to practice Engaged Zen. We have three main venues at this time: hospice, corrections, and bearing witness for peace. We have established a Membership Council, a new and very rigorous daily practice schedule, and have been hard at work tweaking our website. In addition, we have improved our advertising in the Bulletin and added a banner ad on SweepingZen.com Traffic to our website and blog is on the rise.



Perhaps as a result of these efforts, we are experiencing an increase in attendance, drop-in activity, and an increased interest on the part of the general public as to who we are and what we do. It may be time to seek volunteers to staff our Temple a few hours a day. If anyone would care to volunteer to staff the Temple an hour or two on any given weekday, please email me.



Lastly, many thanks to Student Tamra and friend Artie for securing a door to our office so that Dokusan will have a more private feel.



We will be moving Saturday morning. If you can help us, please contact Soku Shin.



Be well.

Our Work

With palms together,

Good Morning Everyone,



The days are being filled with new and exciting people. The first two days of this week, which included our new schedule, were very full. We had a number of drop ins, several new visitors at our Zazen periods, and an apparent excitement about our simply being there. At our six o’clock Zazen periods, we had eight practitioners, not including myself or Soku Shin, who was on her way to El Paso to practice with our Sangha there. Very nice.



Our weekday schedule includes Morning Services at 9:30 AM, Zazen at 3:00 PM, and Evening Services at 6:00 PM. People are welcome to join us for these practice periods. If new to the practice or the center, we ask that you arrive a half hour early in order to be given instruction.



Our Order is working hard toward defining itself as an Engaged practice organization. Several of our members are entering Hospice Training programs, entering Prison Work, and doing a variety of volunteers jobs to assist those in need in our communities.



We will be offering Staff Development and Training in Contemplative Practices at J. Paul Taylor Correctional Facility on the 28th and hope to begin our work there on the following week. We are now about to enter our third month of a “Year of Solace” the Hospice Training Program offered through Camille Adair at Ambercare, and we have sharpened and settled into our own educational and practice programs at the Temple.



I wish to announce that Student Tamra has accepted the position of Tenzo for our Order. She brings with her thirty years of practice in the Maezumi White Plum Asangha tradition and was a student of his in LA. I am also thankful that Student Steve has accepted the role of Jikido in our Temple. He will act as our Temple Attendant, correcting posture, ensuring our offerings of incense, light, and water are continuously refreshed.



Lastly, my own jisha, Soku Shin will enter the priesthood as a Novitiate in July. Her ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Sunday the 17th at Clear Mind Zen Temple.



As is always the case, we look forward to seeing you in person at our Temple. In lieu of that, we are always available through Skype. Consider arranging a Skype interview in you are interested in working with us. Simply email me at clearmindzen@yahoo.com.



Yours,

Schedules

With respect,




OK, we discussed the temple schedules during the discussion period after Zazen this morning and I took in a couple of replies from members at large upon returning. Below please find our tentative new schedule for both the Temple and the Priests. At this point there are two of us who will be practicing the Priest's schedule. You are welcome to do so at home if you wish or join us at the Temple. There are some important changes. Please let us know if you will attend any of our functions. Yours,





Clear Mind Zen Temple Schedules









Temple Schedule





New! Monday through Friday:





Morning Services 9:30 - 10:30





(NOTE Mesilla Sangha Meets Tuesday/Thursday Morning 9:30 – 11:00 AM)





Evening Zazen at 6:00 - 7:00 PM, Closing Services at 8:00 PM













Sangha Activies









Monday at 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Comparative Religions Group





Tuesday at 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Zen 101





Thursday Women in Zen 7:00 - 8:00 PM



Friday Zen Group --- Cancelled





Saturday: CLOSED.





Sunday: Formal Zen Service 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM













Priest's Weekday Schedule



New!



5:00 Wake (residence)



5:30 Zazen (residence)



6:30 Breakfast (residence)



7:30 Morning Business and Exercise (residence)



9:30 Morning Service (Temple)



Includes: Sanpai, Robe Verse, Atonement Verse, Refuges, Heart Sutra, Zazen/Kinhin/Zazen



10:30 Contemplative Practices (Samu, Engaged Zen, Dokusan)



12:00 Lunch (Oryoki)



1:00- 3:00 Comptemplative Practices (Samu, Engaged Zen, Dokusan)



3:00 -3:30 Zazen



3:30 - 5:00 Contemplative Practices (Samu, Engaged Zen, Dokusan)



5:00 Dinner (Oryoki)



6:30 Zazen (Temple)



7:00 Sangha Activity (Temple) (Educational/Discussion Groups)(Meetings)



8:00 Closing Service (Temple)



Includes: Shin Gyo, Four Great Vows, Incense Offering, Fueko



9:00 Retire (Residence)



__________

Daiho Hilbert-roshi, OCMZ

abbot

Sunday Questions

Good Morning Everyone,




Today I would like to ask you about our Sunday practice. It used to be that Sunday mornings were the times that the entire Sangha gathered together to sit. Out Temple has not coalesced in that way. Instead, we have people that come on Monday, some on Tuesday, others on Thursday, and a few on Friday. But a single day when all of us come together has not been happening. I am wondering why. Perhaps it is because we are meeting at 9:00 and 9:00 is too early? Perhaps if we moved the Sunday service to 10:00? Perhaps there are just too many things at the Temple and people need to select one or two? Maybe we should roll all of our educational groups into one Sunday morning curriculum and just have weekdays be for straight Zazen practice?



Just a thought. Let me know yours,



Daiho

Schedule and Sesshin

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



I would like to change the schedule to make it more consistent across the week. Please consider 6:30 – 7:00 PM Monday through Friday for Zazen. Our Monday and Tuesday Groups would then meet at 7:00 PM, while the Women’s Group meets at 5:30 PM on Thursdays. It appears there is waning interest in the Friday Group. I therefore suggest we cancel it.



So, our proposed schedule:

Monday through Friday Zazen at 6:30 PM

Comparative Religion Group Monday at 7:00 PM

Zen 101 Tuesday at 7:00

Women in Zen Thursday at 5:30.



Lastly, regarding the implementation of a morning schedule. I would like to consider Monday through Friday Zazen at 9:30 AM. The Mesilla Sangha meets on Tuesday and Thursday, in Old Mesilla, at this time for Zazen. I suggest we replicate this at our Zendo on weekdays.



Please offer some comments on this.



July 8, 9, and 10 will be our Summer Sesshin. It will be held in our Zendo on Alameda. Please email me your reservation. We are limited to ten registration. Sesshin will begin at 7:00 PM on the 8th. And close at 12:00 PM on the 10th.



Yours in the dharma,

Daiho

Notes

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



This week many things are happening: We have scheduled a meeting with the Superintendent of J. Paul Taylor Juvenile Corrections Facility for tomorrow morning to discuss implementing a Meditation program there. We are looking forward to establishing this program and hope that it will change the minds and enhance the lives of those youth incarcerated there. We will also meet this week with Claude Anshin Thomas and his jisha, Kenshin, via Skype to discuss a series of workshops to be offered here in November. Disciple Shoji, in California, is meeting this week with the gatekeeper of the prison chaplaincy program at Folsom prison. Lastly, our Ambercare Hospice training program, Solace, is in its second month. We are coming close to having a need for someone to offer their skills at Program Development on behalf of the Order. I would like to see someone volunteer to interview members in order to gather information about service and program needs or possibilities. From my point of view, these areas should include, but not be limited to, practice with vulnerable populations such as those dying, those ill, homeless, poor, and survivors of violence, including veterans. What is yours?



Our Comparative Religion Discussion Group was very well attended last night. We had two Muslim men and the daughter of one of them, attend as guest speakers. We also had three new guest participants. The discussion was far reaching and lively. It was wonderful to see members of such a rich faith tradition speak about their faith and its practices. We would like to seek out and invite members of each faith tradition we encounter along the way. If anyone knows a few Christians well versed in that tradition who might offer their understanding to us next Monday evening, please invite them and let us know if they accept.



Tonight is Zen 101 at 6:00 PM. Please consider joining us for our discussion of the fifth Ox-Herding picture!



Yours, Daiho