First, some business:

MBZC will be hosting three dai-sesshin retreats this winter training season. Our first dai-sesshin, Rohatsu (Dec. 15-22), is full. If you live nearby, however, and would like to attend a public talk given by our teacher during Rohatsu or any of the other retreats this winter, please call or email us for details.

February 8-14: There is still room in this retreat; there is space in our March 4-10 retreat as well. Please RSVP via email if you are interested in attending. Attendance for retreats will be more limited than usual this winter, so don’t wait until the last minute to contact us about coming to a dai-sesshin!

* Note: if you are coming to Rohatsu or our February dai-sesshin, the day after each retreat ends there will be a ceremony in the morning. Book your return flights accordingly, i.e. late afternoon/early evening. (We cannot promise that we’ll be able to get you to the airport if your plane flies out on the morning of a ceremony.)

* Please book all arrival flights into Ontario no later than 7pm.

* Please arrive for every retreat at the latest in time for Banka/afternoon chanting (3:10pm) on the day of Hashun-kyuji.

* If we are picking you up from or taking you to the airport, there is a one way fee of $15.

* MBZC does not accept new students — i.e. students who have not previously done sanzen with Joshu Sasaki Roshi — for dai-sesshin retreats without a strong recommendation from an osho/priest affiliated with Sasaki Roshi.

As you may know, the MBZC yearly calendar is split into four seasons: in the winter and summer, when our teacher Joshu Sasaki Roshi is on camp, we practice formally. In the spring and fall Roshi hosts retreats elsewhere, while the fulltime MBZC residents stay here on camp and engage in “seikan” semi-formal training.

Roshi arrived on camp a few days ago, and today marks our second day of winter seichu formal training. The fulltime seichu participants this winter are: Dokan, Gento, Myoren, Kendo, Genkai, Bindu Dexter, Kazumi Tanaka, Patrick Mair, and Andrea Binder. (We also have a cat, Kara, on camp, though it pains me to even mention her. Her girth, which is substantial, is matched only by her uselessness. We’ve taken to setting mousetraps in the inji cabin, where she sleeps, as she seems to suffer from acute mousephobia and steers clear of all rodents.)

Winter and summer seichu training periods can be pretty intense — they are animated by a spirit of total commitment to the practice. There’s little to no personal time or space; the participants learn to function and live as a unit, or a “dharma family.” Working, sitting, and eating in silence together, we come to know each other quite intimately. The practice is difficult, but life-changing.

During seikan semi-formal training in the spring and fall, we get some time to process the work that we did during the formal training season. We have visitor’s days, where locals can come and check out the center, we work around camp, and we host workshops. One of the ways the center gets income in the off season is to provide support for various meditation groups who rent the facilities (we cook/clean for them etc.). There are a lot of people who consider MBZC to be their spiritual home, even if they only come here for one weekend a year to attend a workshop.

Marvin Treiger and his wife Cathy have been leading BodyMind meditation seminars for over fifteen years at MBZC. This past fall, MBZC’s fulltime residents — Dokan, Genkai, Bindu Dexter and I — cooked for and cleaned up after Marv, Cathy, and their retreatants as they engaged in meditation practice, dharma discussions, and silent meals for a weekend. Marv is a lively trickster of a teacher with a sharp intellect, a broad Cheshire grin and political convictions that don’t always jive with left-leaning Buddhist practitioners. If you’ve got a bonnet, chances are he’s trying to sneak a bee into it. We love him for this, as do his many devoted students.

We also hosted a yoga workshop given by Leeza Villagomez and the Yoga Den studio this fall. It’s been close to a decade since we’ve seen Leeza and crew, and we’re happy to have them back! (We expect to see them again: they were wowed by our homemade ‘Third Eye Chai’, which featured, amongst other secret and salubrious ingredients, freshly grated ginger and cardamom.)

The MBZC staff was also able to take family visits this past fall; and Dokan spent two weeks in New Mexico at the Bodhi Manda Zen Center, where he did some work on the hot water system there. Dokan, Genkai and Bindu also spent time in Northern California at Mount Cobb Saisho Zen-ji this fall, where Roshi was hosting an extended practice period. Meanwhile, on October 8th at Rinzai-ji, I underwent the Suiji Shiki ceremony and became a Zen osho or priest. It was a spirited, challenging, and wonderful ceremony thanks in large part to Roshi’s powerful energy and extemporaneous understanding of how a ceremony should be conducted.

Yes, it was a busy fall seikan semi-formal training period — and now it’s come to an end. We just finished formal morning chanting, and darkness is lifting on camp. There is a serious chill in the air, along with the plaintive wails of the new puppy just acquired by a cabin occupant across the way. (No, the mountain we live on is not 100% perfect and peaceful year-round: we’re plagued by useless cats and noisy dogs.)

We’re extremely fortunate to be here this winter doing our Buddhist practice with a 104-year-old Rinzai Zen Master, who somehow manages to continually be at the top of his game, year in, year out, even as his health weakens. For those of you who are practitioners, we hope to see you this winter, and for those of you who can’t make it out here, Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year.

PS – If you’re wondering what to get Roshi or MBZC for the new year, here is a link to gift ideas:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/gift-central/ref=cm_gift_button_gc_lp

Find wish list: Type office@mbzc.org

Gassho,

Gento, Shika

Thunder, lightening, gumball-sized hail pellets, and a heavy rain storm are, at the time of this writing, ushering in the close of Mount Baldy’s summer seichu in dramatic fashion. Fall is upon us, and is falling from the sky.

We wrapped up our final Dai-Sesshin retreat of the summer several days ago, with the following participants:

The officers and students at that retreat were:

DONAI:

Jikijitsu: Dokuro; Joko: Kendo; Tanto Jokei: Gido; Jiki Jokei: Soken; Shoji: Soiku; Shoshoji: Genkai;

JOJU:

Sokan: Jikan; Shika: Gento; Inji: Myoren; Dai-ten: Seido; Tenzo: Dokan; Shoten: Shinkai; Densu: Eko; Shoden: Sohan; Densu Helper:  Bindu Dexter; Translator: Kazumi Tanaka; Joju Helper: Myosen

MEMBERS:

Eng Chew Ang; Bill Baldyga; Charlie Billingsley; Andrea Binder; Adam Bright; Alice Chan; E’Cho; Bill Flynn; Genshin; Deva Graf; Lisa Hubler; Susan Hupfer-Nitz; Cheryl Keating; Tracy Keating; Jenny Liu; Patrick Mair; Tom McConkie; Oscar Moreno; Vicky Moyle; Shuko; Shuon

Dai Sesshin retreats are intense, rigorous and a great deal of work for everyone involved, from the newest of students to our 104-year-old teacher, Joshu Sasaki Roshi. And so, a deep bow of gratitude to everyone who participated in the four retreats of our summer training season.

Meanwhile, this seichu saw Paul Karsten return to the fold of the ordained again, after a thirty year intermission.  Here he is, newly re-minted as Soko, with his daughter Lauren at the ceremony:

Dan MacKinnon was ordained as Genkai (Gen=origin, kai=ocean) in late August this summer. Roshi presided over the ceremony as Doshi, with the help of Gido, Hosen, Eko and Koyo. Genkai’s parents, Don and Hyon-Chu, along with his sister Kathy and brother-in-law Jim attended the ceremony.

Here is Genkai, with his parents in the background, in another expert image compliments of Myosen:

Genkai is part of MBZC’s fulltime seikan staff, which includes Dokan, Bindu Dexter and me. Myoren is also a Mount Baldy staff member, though she travels with Roshi when he leaves MBZC.

Fall seikan semi-formal training is officially underway, but for those of you who are already missing seichu formal training, we have our winter schedule:

Mt. Baldy Zen Center  -  Winter Seichu 2011-2012

Dec 9:                             Winter Seichu Begins

Dec 14:                           Hashin kyuji Day

Dec 15 – 22:                  Rohatsu

Dec 22:                          Jodo-E Ceremony

Rinzai-ji Zen Center

(Part of Mt. Baldy Winter Seichu)

Jan 10:                          Rinzai-ki Ceremony

Jan 11:                           Hashin kyuji Day

Jan 12 – 18:                  Dai-Sesshin

Mt. Baldy Zen Center

Feb 7:                             Hashin kyuji Day

Feb 8 – 14:                     Dai-Sesshin

Feb 15:                           Nirvana Day Ceremony

March 3:                       Hashin kyuji Day

March 4 – 10:              Dai-Sesshin

March 15:                     Seichu Ends

Spaces are already filling up for these retreats, especially Rohatsu. So please get us a $200 non-refundable deposit if you would like to attend any of our Dai Sesshins this winter. Please be aware that priests, monks and nuns will be given priority for these retreats, so if you are not ordained and would like to reserve a spot — now’s the time, before the retreats fill up. Also, please remember that on ceremony days, the staff will be busy in the morning, and will not be able to drive you to the airport, so purchase your return tickets accordingly (early/late afternoon).

Well, as these things go, in the time it’s taken to compose this email, eat our final formal dinner of summer seichu, and then come back to send the email, the sky has turned bright blue, the sun is shining (though heading downward), and approximately one billion raindrops are glistening on every pine needle on the property.

But if the weather changes instantly and dramatically around here, one thing has not. For the past several decades, Nancy Brothers has served on MBZC’s board of directors. How many decades exactly? Nancy herself isn’t quite sure. She found MBZC in 1974, joined the board a few years later, and has been on it ever since. As secretary of the board, her first minutes date back to 1981. Now she is moving with her husband to upstate New York to be closer to her grandchildren, and is retiring from the board. Speaking with another board member today, we both acknowledged how we will miss Nancy, who has a calm, grounded presence, a sharp mind, a warm heart, and a great sense of humor.

Gassho,

Gento, Shika

Please Note:

This schedule is dependant on Roshi’s health.

Before booking airline tickets, contact the Shika of the Center you plan to attend.

Please arrive for Banka on Hashin kyuji day.

Rinzai-ji Zen Center

Sept. 27: Hashin kyuji Day

Sept. 28 – Oct 4: Dai-Sesshin

Oct 5: Daruma-ki Ceremony

Mt. Cobb Sai-Sho Zen-ji

Oct. 14 Hashin kyuji Day

Oct 15 – 16: Zazenkai

Oct 22: Hashin kyuji Day

Oct 23 – 29: Dai-Sesshin

Oct 30: Daruma-ki Ceremony

Bodhi Manda Zen Center

Oct 31: Kessei Begins

Nov 7: Hashin kyuji Day

Nov 8 – 12: 5-Day Dai-Sesshin

Nov 19: Hashin kyuji Day

Nov 20 – 27: Rohatsu

Nov 27: Jodo-E Ceremony

Haku-un-ji Zen Center

Dec 1: Hashin kyuji Day

Dec 2 – 4: Zazenkai

Mt. Baldy Zen Center – Winter Seichu 2011-2012

Dec 9: Winter Seichu Begins

Dec 14: Hashin kyuji Day

Dec 15 – 22: Rohatsu

Dec 22: Jodo-E Ceremony

Rinzai-ji Zen Center

(Part of Mt. Baldy Winter Seichu)

Jan 10: Rinzai-ki Ceremony

Jan 11: Hashin kyuji Day

Jan 12 – 18: Dai-Sesshin

Mt. Baldy Zen Center

Feb 7: Hashin kyuji Day

Feb 8 – 14: Dai-Sesshin

Feb 15: Nirvana Day Ceremony

March 3: Hashin kyuji Day

March 4 – 10: Dai-Sesshin

March 15: Seichu Ends

Gassho,

Gento, Shika

This missive comes straight from the heart of the Mount Baldy Zen Center’s summer seichu. We completed our first dai-sesshin retreat of the training season several weeks ago, with the following participants (including a few teisho guests):

Following that retreat, MBZC traveled down to Rinzai-ji, where we participated in a dai-sesshin retreat. After the retreat, we were fortunate enough to attend an exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which featured 17th century Zen master Hakuin Ekaku’s caligraphy and drawings. Roshi seemed particularly fond of a piece by one of Hakuin’s monks. It featured a Zen master pinching the nose of a student, and Roshi indicated that it was superior to any other in the collection.

We have returned to MBZC, and are on day one of a five-day general sesshin. There will be sanzen meetings with Roshi in the mornings at 6am, and in the evenings at 7:30pm. There will also be teisho public talks during this time. If you live nearby and would like to attend, please call 909-985-6410 to find out the times and dates that Roshi will be speaking.

Mount Baldy has two more dai-sesshin retreats this summer: August 7-12, and September 4-10. Seichu ends on September 15. We expect that Roshi will be doing sanzen twice a day and giving teisho intermittently during the non-dai-sesshin stretches of time this summer. Roshi continues to lead our seichu training periods with vigor, skill, and intensity (during the retreat in Los Angeles, for example, he gave two teishos a day, for seven days, on top of meeting with every student three times a day).

Fortunately, we have the following twelve folks here all summer to meet our teacher’s efforts. Here are the staff and students for this year’s summer seichu training program:

DONAI:

Jiki-Jitsu: Kendo
Shoji: Soiku
Shoshoji: Dan MacKinnon

JOJU

Shika: Gento
Inji: Myoren
Tenzo: Dokan
Shoden: Bindu Dexter
Translator: Kazumi Tanaka
Joju Helper: Myosen

MEMBERS

Alice Chan
Andrea Binder
Patrick Mair

Paul Humphries, Josh Lamson, and Roshin are currently on camp as well, and so we have a full house right now. It’s a gift to be able to practice with such sincere and dedicated students, monk, and nuns, especially in such large numbers. Fortunately, we have a large number of tasks to keep everyone busy around camp this summer, including a zendo roof-shingle repair project, a couple painting projects, and the usual upkeep of our grounds.

Speaking of large numbers, it’s time for our MBZC wildlife update: we have been besieged by animals lately thanks to a few late spring and early summer storms. We’ve already caught somewhere between five and six rattlesnakes. (An activity done with a metal snake catcher claw, and a lot of frightened screaming, depending on who’s at the other end of it.) There is a contingent of chipmunks living in the garden behind Roshi’s cabin. They line up together and take turns positioning themselves under a leaky water spigot and drinking while the others stand sentinel. We have spotted several deer, a great many mice, rats, lizards, and blue jays.

On August 21, Dan ManKinnon will be taking his tokudo shiki ordination vows. Dan came to us by way of the North Carolina Zen Center, and has been practicing with Roshi for a little over a year now. He is a sincere, dedicated student who once put his foot through the ceiling of the Zendo while changing a light bulb in the rafters. He will make a fine monk, and we are happy to have him!

Finally, MBZC recently had a board of directors meeting. Our accountant, Karen Salvato, provided detailed financial statements which once again made it abundantly clear that MBZC basically breaks even at the end of every year. We have three main sources of income keeping us solvent: dai-sesshin retreats, workshops (where we rent the facilities out to other groups during the off season), and donations/membership fees.

A deep bow of gratitude, then, to the following 2010-11 donors. Without you, MBZC would operate at a loss. Also listed are those who have made personal donations to Roshi.

Donors to MBZC:

Donors to Roshi:

Gassho,

Gento, Shika MBZC

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello friends!

With the completion of our Rohatsu Dai-Sesshin retreat a little over a week ago, Mt. Baldy’s winter Seichu is now officially in full-swing.

Roshi is in fine health and spirits, the MBZC staff is working hard down in LA to prepare Rinzai-ji for the upcoming New Year’s celebration, and, up here at Mt. Baldy, where I am stationed today, the skies are a crisp clear blue — this, after seven days straight of rain, timed almost perfectly by mother nature to coincide with our seven day Rohatsu retreat.

Roshi led the Rohatsu retreat with one teisho (public talk) and four private meetings or sanzens per day. He gave us each five sanzens on the final day, serving as a continued inspiration for how and why to practice Zen.

Rohatsu was attended by the following people: the students included Dan MacKinnon, who is also a fulltime Seichu student this winter. Rinzai-ji board members Paul Humphries and Paul Karsten attended, as did Deva Graf, Anneliese Zobl, Wen Hsin, Jennifer Jones, Nora Haenn, Oscar Moreno and Gladys Jimenez.

On the Donai or Zendo end of camp we had the following officers: Daijo and Kendo served as Jiki-jitsu and Joko, their officer roles for this winter Seichu. Dokan was our Rohatsu Shoji, and will be serving in that role here all winter. Koyo was Shoji Osho for Rohatsu, and Genshu and Shahreyar Ataie served as Tanto Jokei and Jiki Jokei.

On the Joju end of camp, I occupied the role of Shika, my winter Seichu position. Myoren was Inji for Rohatsu, also her Seichu role, with Bindu Dexter as Seichu and Rohatsu Nakaten. Kazumi Tanaka was Joju Helper for Rohatsu. Soken served in the kitchen as Tenzo, with Myosen acting as Rohatsu transcriber. Fusae Yeshareem translated for Roshi.

But what you really want to hear about is the weather…

For the first five days of solid rain, it was merely very wet, with a leak in the Zendo, one of the cabins, and eventually the kitchen. Then, seemingly all at once, Mt. Baldy Road turned into a river, which blasted through the bottom of our driveway, digging deep ruts, depositing large boulders, and tearing up the asphalt.

It rained and rained, and this new river grew and grew, tearing up more and more of Mt. Baldy Road at several spots between the Zen Center and Mt. Baldy Village.

The great irony of the week, of course, was when we lost our water, such that it was coming down out of the skies and not out of the taps. (We quickly got it back, however, thanks to the hard work of SHIA, or Snowcrest Heights Improvement Association.)

On the last day of Rohatsu several retreatants had to leave early for fear of not being able to make their flight when the retreat ended, as the status of the road was getting worse and worse. Meanwhile, we had to evacuate the translator and her family from the guest cabin for fear of flooding.

At first Roshi said, “Every ten years, it rains like this,” then he changed it to “Three times I’ve seen rain like this.” Then after the retreat ended and we called a former Mt. Baldy priest to tell him that the center was ok, Roshi just said, as the rain turned to sleet outside his window: “Spectacular.”

And indeed it was. The entire landscape, both man-made and natural, has been transformed by the flooding. And yet, not much has changed at all. Evan Chapman, a Mt. Baldy Village resident, arrived a few days after the retreat in his backhoe and re-graded our driveway. Meanwhile, Mt. Baldy road was drivable right after the rain stopped, thanks to the Mt. Baldy road crews.

And so, with that as a preamble… a reminder that there is still room for you in our remaining Mt. Baldy winter retreats. Our winter schedule is:

February 7 Hashinkyuji; February 8-14 Dai-Sesshin; February 15 Nirvana Day Ceremony

March 5 Hashinkyuji; March 6-12 Dai-Sesshin

Please email office@mbzc.org to RSVP, or call 909 985 6410. A Mt. Baldy winter Seichu Dai-Sesshin retreat remains a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deepen your Zen practice with an unqualified Zen master and your sangha peers.

Finally, on a sober note, one of Roshi’s most senior Oshos, Genro, founder of the Bodhidharma Zendo in Vienna, died on the 28th of November at the age of 86. Many of us in the U.S. who started studying with Roshi in the past decade never got a chance to practice with and learn from Genro, but one of Roshi’s long-time students told me a story that illustrates the significance that Genro played in his life and Zen practice.

The long time student told me that he was suffering intensely for many years on the cushion. He decided to tell Genro his troubles. “All day every day I’m just absorbed in self-pity,” he said. Genro smiled and shouted, “Yeeeees, isn’t it great?!” The student suddenly realized that all these years he had been savoring his self-pity; this insight allowed him to move past it. “Genro really helped me,” he said.

Best wishes to Genro’s Austrian Sangha in this time of mourning and transition.

Sincerely,

Gento, Shika

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello friends,

It’s hard to believe that summer’s over, and fall is here — hard to believe but impossible to deny, as the temperature edges downward, the fog sets in, animals become more scarce, football-sized pinecones fall from trees and onto our bald heads, and we start preparing for our Winter Seichu training period.

Here’s our winter schedule:

Mt. Baldy Zen Center

Dec 8 Seichu Begins
Dec. 14 Hashinkyuji
Dec. 15 – 22 Rohatsu
Dec . 22 Jodo-e Ceremony

Rinzai-ji Zen Center (Part of MBZC Seichu)

Jan. 1 New Year’s Day Ceremony
Jan. 10 Rinzai-ki Ceremony/Hashinkyuji
Jan. 11-17 Dai-Sesshin

Mt. Baldy Zen Center

February 7 Hashinkyuji
February 8-14 Dai-Sesshin
February 15 Nirvana Day Ceremony

March 5 Hashinkyuji
March 6-12 Dai-Sesshin
March 15 Seichu ends

How many more Winter Seichu training periods will we have here at MBZC? One never knows, so take your boots out of storage, book your flight (and email us the info), send in your $200 non-refundable deposit to ensure your place, and come and practice here this winter!

Please be aware that the days after both Rohatsu and the February MBZC Dai-Sesshin retreats there are ceremonies, which means that the staff will be busy that morning. Please book your flights out of Ontario on those days for mid to late afternoon. And out of respect for the staff members who must pick you up, please book your arrival flights to come in no later than 7pm for all the retreats this winter.

We were fortunate to have a large crew practicing here this past summer. Our fulltime Seichu roster ran the gamut from brand new students to seasoned ones who have been training with Roshi for decades. The ages of the fulltime students ranged from 21 to 73. Fortunately, it was a talented group. We were able to get momentum on and complete several projects around camp: everything from sewing new robe collars to building firehose casings to replacing burned-out propane heaters and rebuilding a water-damaged and partially collapsed ceiling.

We also distributed 30 tons of gravel on the driveway:

One other notable event this past summer Seichu: Michael Moscoso — now Kendo — got ordained. Though a Mt. Cobb monk, the Tokudo Shiki ceremony took place at Mt. Baldy, with Gido Osho presiding, and Roshi overseeing. Kendo’s sister and two friends attended the ceremony, as did a number of Oshos, monks and students.

Seichu ended back in the middle of September, after which the Mt. Baldy staff attended a retreat at Rinzai-ji in Los Angeles, and then Roshi went to Mt. Cobb for a Dai-Sesshin there, followed by his return to Los Angeles for a few days, and then — off to Bodhi for the Fall Kessei training period! Easily the busiest 103 year-old Zen master in the business. When people ask after Roshi’s health, all one can do is point to his schedule. That said, minus the usual aches and pains, Roshi seemed to be in very good spirits and health when I saw him last, a little under a week ago in New Mexico. He had just taken a bath in a tub filled with hot-spring water, and was enjoying a fine cup of strong green tea prepared by the Inji.

Mt. Baldy’s fulltime staff right now is Daijo, Myoren, Bindu Dexter and myself. Though a Mt. Baldy scholarship nun, Myoren has been traveling with Roshi for the past couple years to Mt. Cobb, Bodhi, Puerto Rico, Arizona etc., serving in the officer position of Inji. She is currently training with Roshi and the New Mexico crew at Bodhi. She is planning on returning to Japan in a few weeks to visit her family in Tokyo. I will also be visiting my family in Wisconsin for one week over Thanksgiving.

Daijo is currently serving as Seikan Shoji, and has been compiling and working through a list of to-do projects around camp. All things considered, it’s a small plot of land that we live on here, but it’s amazing how much there is to keep us busy — let’s just start with the woodpecker holes we found pounded into the backside of the guest cabin this morning. Bindu is Seikan Tenzo, and has been flexing his cooking muscles in the kitchen. He’s taking his Benji or free days this weekend, and is spending them with his girlfriend Hannah, whom we’re all thinking of as the weather drops: she knitted the Mt. Baldy staff scarves last year.

We have two workshops this fall, a yoga group hosted by Jenn Santana and a meditation retreat given by Marvin Treiger and his wife Cathy. Marvin will be here November 4-7 if anyone living locally would like to volunteer to help.

Finally, on a sad note, one of MBZC’s most trusted and reliable Sangha members has gone on to greener pastures. This past Seichu, after fifteen years of dedicated and unflagging service, the Zen Center truck, a Toyota Tacoma, gave up the ghost. Cause of death: failure of transmission (and clutch [and, frankly, the body was pretty banged up]). Each new monk in turn put the truck to the test, especially during winter, where it functioned as a snow-plow, a bull-dozer, a four-wheeled sleigh, a towing vehicle etc. How many of us rode it roughshod over uneven land, backed it into a tree, or drove twenty feet before realizing that the parking brake was still on? (Maybe that was just me.)

The truck was an exemplary model of humble service that puts most of us Zen monks to shame, and proved that there is no shortage of teachers in this life, if you know which hoods to look under. The search begins for its reincarnation in the newer Tacoma models in the car lots down in the City of Claremont.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and we hope to see you soon,

Gento, Shika

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello friends,

MBZC is pleased to announce its winter schedule.

Dec 8 Seichu Begins
Dec. 14 Hashinkyuji
Dec. 15 – 22 Rohatsu
Dec . 22 Jodo-e Ceremony

Rinzai-ji Zen Center (Part of MBZC Seichu)

Jan. 1 New Year’s Day Ceremony
Jan. 10 Rinzai-ki Ceremony/Hashinkyuji
Jan. 11-17 Dai-Sesshin

Mt. Baldy Zen Center

February 7 Hashinkyuji
February 8-14 Dai-Sesshin
February 15 Nirvana Day Ceremony

March 5 Hashinkyuji
March 6-12 Dai-Sesshin

March 15 Seichu ends

For starters, a quick correction: the final Dai-Sesshin of the MBZC Seichu will run from August 30th through September 5th, not the 6th, as stated incorrectly in a previous email. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

Secondly, MBZC had as part of its August schedule a Dai-Sesshin at Mt. Cobb. This retreat has now been moved to October. Please contact Mt. Cobb for further details (707) 928-5667.

MBZC has just finished its third retreat of the Summer Seichu season. The 32 officers and participants for that retreat were:

Members:

Alice Chan Cheryl Keating
Douglas Brodley Tracy Keating
Douglas Doerr August Kryger
Dana Dunlap Elaine Mackle
Bill Flynn Patrick Mair
Wen Hsin Monica McTighe
Jennifer Jones Michael Moscoso
Paul Karsten Dylan Raithel
Nate Reynolds
Sally Stein

Donai:

Jikijitsu Daijo
Joko Soiku
Tanto Jokei Gido
Jiki Jokei Oscar Moreno
Shoji Dokuro
Shoshoji Jim Detweiler

Joju:

Shika Gento
Inji Kumiko Yasukawa
Densu Sokai
Shoden Shuko
Shoden Myosen
Tenzo Gyodo
Nakaten Bindu Dexter
Translator Kazumi Tanaka

Myoyu arrived on day six to help out with Roshi, and left this morning. Along with ongoing bags of groceries for Roshi, she recently generously donated a very fine, brand new Canon G3 photocopier to MBZC, which has gone a long way towards making the Sisyphean task of office paperwork a little easier. Meanwhile, Gyodo donated a blender and juicer to the kitchen, along with several food items. We seem to be on a roll, then, so if anyone finds his- or herself thinking: What do I want to do with that new high powered snow-blower gathering dust in the garage…? Seriously, MBZC is the recipient of a steady flow of donated items large and small, which, along with being practically useful, vitalize and inspire the center, and continuously connect us to the sangha at large. We deeply appreciate every one of your gifts.

Our numbers are high on camp right now! For the rest of Seichu we plan to have Soiku, Gento, Daijo, Myosen, Oren (arriving today) Jim Detweiler, Kumiko Yasukawa, Bindu Dexter, Michael Moscoso, and Elaine Mackle. For those of us slow in math, that puts MBZC at eleven full-timers, with several participants coming and going over the next few weeks. This means that we will have momentum to get several projects going, including robe mending, stonework around the paths/driveway, cabin maintenance, and the occasional rattlesnake-caching-and-releasing (we’re at three or four now, for the summer). Meanwhile, in other good news, Kumiko has tendered her resignation at her job in Canada, and has decided to stay and practice at MBZC indefinitely.

We’re halfway through our summer Seichu, and no doubt everyone would like to know about Roshi’s health. This is a difficult topic to comment on, as it’s always hard to gauge exactly how he’s doing, and what standards we should even apply when talking about a 102 year old man who works as hard as he does. He missed two sanzens due to tiredness this past Dai-Sesshin, but was generally genki (strong), and mentioned to the Inji that the newer students were good, and helped keep him lively and active. Ultimately, the best way to find out how Roshi is doing is to come and see for yourself, if you can. Again, we have our final Seichu retreat from August 30th-September 5th. MBZC will then be hosting a special Dai-Sesshin for Roshi’s European students from October 4th-10th. European practitioners will be given priority for this retreat, but everyone is welcome depending on space.

We hope to see you soon.

Gassho,

Gento, Shika

May 18, 2009

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Hello friends,

We find ourselves, here at MBZC, in the thick of our spring Seikan practice. We’ve hosted several workshops (Unfettered Mind, Bodymind Institute, and Enlightenment Intensive), hiked Mt Baldy (ok, only halfway), hosted a work party (where we dai-cleaned the Zendo, sutra hall and dining hall), removed the carpet from cabin 4 (and with it, the ungodly stench afflicting that cabin) and sent a couple staff members to a Dai-Sesshin at Bodhi Manda.

Some of you have inquired into Roshi’s health following his flu-induced hospital stay in Los Angeles. After scaling back his participation in a Sesshin at Rinzai-Ji and a Dai-Sesshin at Bodhi Manda, Roshi gained much of his energy back as he participated fully (four sanzens a day, and teisho) in the following Bodhi Dai-Sesshin. Two of our staff members, Jim Detweiler and Bindu Dan Dexter, attended the retreat and reported back positively on Roshi’s vitality and overall health.

MBZC’s fulltime staff members are Gento (Shika), Daijo (Jikijitsu), Jim Detweiler (Shoji), Kumiko Yasukawa (currently at Bodhi serving as Roshi’s Inji) and Bindu Dan Dexter (Tenzo). Daijo, formerly a fulltime monk at Bodhi Manda and a student of Roshi’s for over a decade, joined us a little after spring semi-formal training began. Aside from being an all-around nice guy and a sincere Zen practitioner, Daijo plays a mean mandolin. (No word if he’s learned the Heart Sutra on it yet.) We’re delighted to have him as a fulltime MBZC monk.

As for staff, we can’t forget the center’s mascot, Kara. Dizzy with what must be spring fever (and, apparently, an identity crisis), our cat has taken to fetching and retrieving her mouse toy as though she’s a dog. This is what happens when you spend your entire life indoors. Outdoors, we’ve caught an incredibly ornery rattlesnake and have had to slalom around coyote droppings on the kinhin path. There are lizards, finches, squirrels, ants, flies, hornets and crickets aplenty. The air is scented with the opening of flowers that are coloring the rocky hillsides yellow and blue.

Much of this vibrant spring life will be dried up and dead, of course, by the time you arrive here in July for our summer Seichu practice — but we extend the invitation nonetheless. MBZC is fortunate to have a busy Seichu cued up, with Roshi scheduled to participate fully for two plus months. The slots are filling up fast, however, and so we urge you to (a) send us a $200 non-refundable check to secure your place in any of our summer Dai Sesshins, (b) buy your plane ticket and forward us the info and (c) join us for the increasingly rare and precious privilege of practicing with a 102 year old Zen master.

Gassho,

Gento, Shika

thanks for your patience re: MBZC’s summer schedule, which is as follows:

July 1, Seichu begins
July 5-11, MBZC Dai-Sesshin
July 19-25, Rinzai Ji Dai-Sesshin
August 2-8, MBZC Dai-Sesshin
August 15-21, Mt. Cobb Dai-Sesshin
August 30-September 5, MBZC Dai-Sesshin

MBZC has finished its winter Seichu training period, and Roshi is now leading a Dai-Sesshin in Puerto Rico. It was a winter fraught with snowy weather here at MBZC, necessitating several emergency measures, such as shoveling snow off the roofs for fear of collapse, and hiring Evan Chapman, a local with a large snowplow, to clear the driveway (twice!). The weather seems to be getting balmier, though Roshi assured me before he left that it will at least snow again in May (as it did last year) if not sooner.

We were fortunate to be joined by several students and a nun this winter during non-Dai-Sesshin periods, including Oren, Susan Linnell, Gabriel Lucero, and David Seaman. They helped round out our healthy fulltime Seichu staff/student participants: Soken, Gento, Jim Detweiler, Deva Graf, Kumiko Yasukawa, Kazumi Tanaka, Goran Nillson, and Bindu Dan Dexter. Gary Galsworth attended several Dai-Sesshins this winter, and made some serious headway on several plumbing projects; he fixed many of the plumbing problems we knew we had, and many more we didn’t even know were there. He’s saved the Zen Center countless thousands of dollars over the years.

MBZC’s Seikan scholarship students are Gento, Jim Detweiler, Kumiko Yasukawa and Bindu Dan Dexter. Both Jim and Kumiko are on their family visits, with Kumiko in Tokyo and Jim in Philadelphia. Goran Nillson has returned to Europe and his wife and son after putting in a solid eight month stint at MBZC as a scholarship student and winter Shoji. We already miss his work ethic, sense of humor and Swedish smile. As for Seikan officer positions, Bindu is in the kitchen learning the ropes as Nakaten or Tenzo-in-training, with Jim filling in as Shoji, Kumiko continuing her duties as Inji, and I am Shika. We have several projects around camp that we will focus on this Seikan, as well as some of our regular workshops (Aikido Ai, Ken McLeod, Marvin Treiger etc.), a Zazenkai and a sangha appreciation pot-luck dinner.

We hope to be receiving your $200 deposits soon for summer Seichu Dai-Sesshins.

Gassho,

Gento, Shika