July 6

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



With the excellent care of Soku Shin I am feeling a tad better. Not that I am going to be all springy and everything, but better. Thanks to those who wished me well.



Our little temple seems to be thriving. We have had drop-in visitors, several new people who had scheduled appointments, our groups, and dokusans, all in addition to our regularly scheduled daily Zazen. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in such service. It is hard not to be there when I am not well. This suggests that perhaps some of you who are in Las Cruces might commit to opening the Temple at least in the evening on a certain day of the week. I would then not be as concerned if I knew we had coverage in the event I am otherwise occupied. It would be your opportunity to take ownership of your temple. Let me know if this is something you would be willing to partner with me about.



Dharma Teacher Zen Shin had a good idea about Sunday. I agree going to a restaurant is a not such a good option. Why not have a brunch at the Temple? I do think, however, this would need to be coordinated through our Tenzo, Tamra. We have a week or so to think about this as this weekend we will be in Sesshin.



Sesshin will begin at 7:00 PM on Friday evening and go through Sunday afternoon. We will be including members of the Zen Center of Las Cruces in this event. If you have not yet registered and wish to attend, please email or call me today. There are two open seats, I believe.



A few comments regarding Sesshin: Once you arrive for the day’s practice, please understand that if you should leave you cannot come back that day. In other words, no coming and going. Practice periods will start on time. Please be in your seat at the appropriate time. Those attending will have a copy of the practice schedule. If you plan to stay at the Temple, bring a sleeping roll, pillow, and overnight necessities. This is a unisex event, so be sure to bring PJs.



Lastly, due to the cost of our hotspot, I will have to limit dokusan via Skype to 30 minutes. Please understand this. Those who are doing dokusan, please consider this: dokusan is a part of your practice. I will likely ask you “what is your practice?” at the beginning. How you answer this determines the quality of the dokusan period. I make one assumption: we are adult learners. You are your own best teacher and how you present yourself is part of the teaching. Pay attention. Do not think that I will know what is on your mind or that I will know what questions you have. It is appropriate for you to come to dokusan with your questions, but do not expect answers. Again, you are your own best teacher, I will point the way, but you will have to walk along the path yourself.



Practice: it’s a Zen thing.



Be well,

CMZ Temple

With palms together,

Good Morning Everyone,



It is early in the morning. I woke at just before 4:00 AM. I enjoy the early morning hours very much as they are usually quite quiet and cool. The weather here in New Mexico has been exceedingly toasty with daily temps over a hundred degrees. The good news is that this should change as the rains come beginning in July. Mornings, as a result, are cooler and in the quiet provided, I am able to sit in reflection about the coming day.

About the Kitchen:

We have been hard at work in the Temple this past week. Tenzo Tamra has revamped the kitchen, did a deep cleaning, and is now ready to assume her duties for the coming Sesshin. Please honor her work and be respectful of the Temple by washing any cups, glasses or other dishware you may use while there. Also, if you make coffee or tea, prepare food, or something of the kind, please take care to clean up after yourself.

_______



A few words regarding our Order and the Zendo:



Please do not interrupt the officiating priest during his/her teisho. He/She may or may not ask for questions. Only ask one question and do not follow-up with another unless asked. Question and answer periods following teisho are not free-wheeling discussions.



Please wait until the officiating priest leaves the room to get up from your cushion. Please clean your zabuton and refresh your zafu before leaving. All zabutons should be in line with each other against the wall. Replace your sutra cards under the zabuton so that it is not showing. Please do not bring items into the Zendo. This includes bottled water. You will not dehydrate in the hour you are in seated Zen.



There will be times when we will sit for periods longer than our typical 25 minute practice periods. These will not be announced. Rest assured the time-keeper has not fallen asleep. Longer periods can assist us in our practice. Questions that arise during practice (such as “when is that bell going to ring?”) are best left let go: just sit.



Dokusan in our Order has been understood to be more an informal discussion period with the teacher. We will endeavor to make dokusan a bit more formal over the next several weeks. Please understand, interviews with your teacher are considered a part of your practice. If you are a student of a teacher, please make sure you have and maintain regular dokusan times. These are not for a specified amount of time nor are they discussion sessions, but are, rather, examinations by the teacher of your practice and understanding. Dokusan is opened with a bell and a bow and closed with a bell and bow. Silence may be a part of the dokusan time. Allow for this space. Use this space. Include in its use, a short period or a longer period. Everything that happens in relation to your time with your teacher (in and out of dokusan) should be considered part of both the teaching and your practice.

______



Today at Clear Mind Zen we will practice Zazen at 9:30 AM, again at 6:00 PM, and conclude the day with our Comparative Religions Discussion Group at 7:00 PM. The topic for the evening is the chapter in the text on Confucianism.



Lastly, if you have not already made your donation as Members or Friends of the Order, please do so. The Order relies on your monthly support.



Thank you and I hope to see you soon!



Gassho,

Daiho

Training Fund

With Respect to All,


Good Morning Everyone,



Since opening the topic training with the Silent Thunder Order's abbot, Taiun-sensei, several members and friends of the Order have asked how to help financially. At our Order's bank we have a savings account. I am considering this account a "Training Fund" which will go towards Taiun's travel to and from New Mexico, as well as my travel to Atlanta for training there. Taiun is expected to train with us here in New Mexico in late September. His partner is now obtaining flight information. Fortunately, I am "retired" from the US Army and can fly on military aircraft "hops." So, my travel expenses will not be great. However, I am expected to offer Ango fees and dana to Taiun-sensei. The Ango fees are (at present) $1500.00 for the three months.



I am considering beginning Ango (a three month training retreat) in the first part of 2012 with Taiun's permission. I am working on a budget for myself which will allow me to save money towards the Ango fes and dana. I would personally appreciate any and all assistance I can get from you.



If you wish to support this effort, please make your donation either by check to "The Order of Clear Mind Zen" with 'training' in the memo section, or through Paypal on our website. If you chose Paypal, kindly send me an email so that I know that your donation was intended for the Training Fund as opposed to the general fund which supports the Temple itself.



Since it is the end of one month and the beginning of another, please do consider offering support to our temple. Your donations are greatly appreciated.



May you each be happy and free from suffering.



Yours,

Daiho

June 29th

With palms together,

Good Afternoon Everyone,



The Dharma is incomparably profound and minutely subtle…so, says the chant for opening a sutra. In fact, the Dharma is as plain as the nose on our face. It is the nose on your face. My face. Every face. No face. Because it is everywhere, it is nowhere. As one of the Ten Ox-Herding pictures suggests, “no thing.”



If it is nothing and it is everything, what is it?



We cannot say, because as we speak, falsehood flows from our mouths. One and all, all and one, yet both and neither. Goodness…we can certainly get a headache with this sort of stuff.



What difference does this Zennish nonsense make? Not much. The Dharma for me is the feel of the pc keys under my fingertips, the heat of the southwestern sun, the sweat dripping from my forehead as I work, or the taste of cold water as I take a sip from my glass. Everything in every direction manifests the Dharma. The flowing stream, once entered, is ours knowing in fact, there is no stream and that “the stream” itself is just a construct we use to assist us in getting in the flow.



So? Just sip some water.



Be well.

June 26,2011

With palms together,

Good Morning Everyone,



This morning I want to address some rather serious business: our relationship with the greater Zen world. My mission is to bring the correct Dharma into the world. This was Master Dogen’s mission, and it is the mission of all the Buddhas and Ancestors throughout history. This mission has been my life since taking Jukai in 1998. Our Order is growing both in its membership and its public profile. In tandem with this growth is a growing movement in the greater Zen world to create bodies which help seekers determine the authenticity of Zen Teachers and their Centers. And while I personally abhor such bodies, I understand their importance as it is possible for anyone to order a Buddhist robe, print a certificate and call themselves Zen priests.



Our Dharma Grandfather, Matsuoka-roshi, did not register his priests at Soto headquarters in Japan, he streamlined and collapsed much of the ceremonials, rites, and rituals, and made Zen practice centers much more “American” in feel. While this was in keeping with many of the early Japanese Soto priests who came to the United States to teach, few did it as effectively. Moreover, after these early Masters died, second and third generation Zen teachers, not fully matured (in my opinion) relied on Japan for guidance and sanctioning of their lineages. Matsuoka’s line did not to this, but with one exception, Taiun Elliston-sensei, from the Atlanta Soto Zen Center. Taiun has completed formal Dharma Transmission from Okamura-roshi and is now recognized by Soto Shu as a fully transmitted Zen priest in the Soto lineage.



Recently, I have made application to the American Zen Teachers Association. I have had a number of chats with one of its Board Members, James Ford, and at his suggestion, made application. He then suggested I contact Michael Taiun Elliston-sensei from the Atlanta Soto Zen Center.



Taiun and I have had several Skype interviews. At this point, I am seriously considering stepping onto that transmission path with him. This effort would decidedly not be for me, but rather, it would to legitimize our Order (both its priests and lay members).



Such a path would mean some great degree of hardship and I would need the support of this Sangha, its priests, and my partner, Soku Shin to complete it. First, we would need to bring Taiun out here to meet and practice with us for a Sesshin. Second, I would need to go out there to practice a 90 day Ango (extended retreat) with his Center. There may be other requirements in terms of sewing, travel and hosting, but these would be the main elements.



Once I complete the practice requirements, and meet with the approval of Taiun, he would perform a Dharma Transmission Ceremony and I would be accepted by Soto Shu as a fully recognized transmitted priest. This would mean our Order would be among the recognized lineages of Soto Zen. We would then be considered part of the mainstream and no one would be able to question our legitimacy.





To explore this further, I will invite Taiun to join us here in Las Cruces in August for a five day Sesshin. The dates are not set, but I am writing to ask him this morning. With this visit, we will together explore the implications, requirements, and benefits of such a move. We will have to purchase a ticket for Taiun. We will host him at our home and have him visit both our Temple here in Las Cruces, and our Sangha in El Paso. I am asking for donations to support this initial visit. Please be as generous as you possibly can. Or if any of you have travel miles you would be willing to use to obtain a ticket, please let me know.





As to the American Zen Teachers Association application. I will have further discussion with board member James Ford in a few days and will keep you informed. Due to Matsuoka-roshi’s contentious relationship with Soto headquarters, his line is not held in high esteem by many of the “powers that be”. I am told I have less than a fifty-fifty chance at acceptance even with my background and our extensive practice, training, and experience.





I am willing to undergo this training process, but only if the Order and its members support it.





Please give me your feedback as soon as possible.







As to Moving!

We have moved into our new home. Well, we should say, we have put all of our stuff in the house. Moving in, actually moving in, will take some time. Still, the place is wonderful, large, spacious, and very uniquely Mexican. As we get things put away, we will take pictures and post them. We hope to have an Open House sometime soon. Thanks to all of those who made this possible.



A bow to all,

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.