Rohatsu Sesshin 2021

12.08.21 – Thanks to all who took part in our Rohatsu Sesshin, I dearly hope it was a fruitful experience. My apologize for being unable to broadcast the very final session, the Bodhi Day Ceremony. As I had feared the strong winds brought down trees all over the Island and we were without power for nearly 12 hours.

“Every sit builds toward sesshin; every sesshin builds toward Rohatsu.”

Tahoma will hold Rohatsu Sesshin on the traditional days, December 1st through 8th. This will be offered as an online retreat but there also be limited opportunities for those in the local area to attend in-person and our evening session will remain open to drop-in attendance (vaccination and masks required)  As the culmination of the Autumn Kessei as well as the training year, we can all dedicate ourselves to an extended week of zazen. OSesshin is always an opportunity to go deep and push ourselves beyond our limits, Rohatsu even more-so as we are asked to leave it all on the table. A virtual sesshin does demand more from us in order to deeply take advantage of the opportunity. The broadcast provides a structure, just as attending a sesshin in-person does, but the commitment is up to the individual.  If one is able commit to doing the entire sesshin, prepare yourself a space where you can minimize distractions. Have your meals planned out and the shopping completed. Work out a way to do kinhin and physical practice. Then just flow along with the schedule. During the Dharma talks we will continue our investigation of the Letters of Dahui and his teachings for lay practitioners without ready access to a teacher. Truly valuable teachings for these times and for lay practice in general.

Online Retreat Information

We will begin with a period of zazen and kokuho on November 30th. Kokuho will include any orientation information needed for online participants.  During the week of retreat Zoom broadcast throughout the day will be in four blocks with the evening broadcast becoming longer and longer as as the week goes on.  

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Guidance in the time of Corona 27

Dear All

We already have mid May. Are you taking good care of your essence? In Sogenji we are in Osesshin, 28 people are here in training. Sitting daily 12 hours of zazen, coming for sanzen 4 times a day and teisho – all this is supporting the deepening of their practice.

In Okayama prefecture all regulations have been lifted, yet people of training do not leave the monastery, now already for 3 months they stay inside. The present situation is like a constant sesshin. The Corona time is an extreme time, yet for people of training their essence can be looked at clearly and it is a chance for further deepening. The essence grows, and there are many who can experience in their sitting that they can drink down their body, the zendo and the whole universe. This experience is not an easy one to have.
This time is a very supportive time for people of training. The ancients left their wisdom for us, we study this and use it to expel all anxiety during these unsettled times. And thus we deepen by using the guidance of the ancients.

How can we greet someone who is sick? How can we deal with us becoming sick? These points we have been looking at. Sickness shows in our body, past, present and future have effect on our being, yet if we do not get stopped by the body, we do not get confused by the body. This is the theory which does not help us, rather we need to actualize this for ourselves.

Vimalakirti teaches us how important it is to deepen. We can actually experience this, using koans, using sussokan, actually deepen in our sitting. For this we need to let go of all this information which is around, or else we cannot deepen. When we do zazen we become zazen, when we do samu we become samu. There can be no extraneous thought entered. Thus we become full and taught inside, with each breath, with each mind moment we become one with the koan. This essence then becomes real and can be experienced.
Even if we do not have this type of professional experience, Hakuin teaches us the Naikan (introspection) method:

This elixir field, located in the sea of vital energy, the lower back and legs, soles of the feet –
it is all my true and original face.
How can that original face have nose holes?
This elixir field, located in the sea of vital energy, the lower back and legs, soles of the feet –
It is all the home and native place of my original being.
What news or tidings could come from that native place?
This elixir field, located in the sea of vital energy, the lower back and legs, soles of the feet –
It is all the pure land of my own mind.
How could the splendours of that pure land exist apart from my mind?
This elixir field, located in the sea of vital energy –
It is all the Amida Buddha of my own self.
How could Amida Buddha preach the Dharma apart from that self?

Using these words, we let our awareness settle within. Not opening from one moment to the next, not making a gap and letting the essence deepen, just like blowing up a balloon. This is how full we feel. And with this all thoughts and imaginations which fill our mind during our daily life, have become torn away, all disappeared. And we only face the reality right here under our very feet. Tasting the reality of this moment only. Once we settle to this degree, we are like a blown up balloon. Our awareness becomes sharp and clear. Then simply the tip of a needle touching the balloon will make it burst. No extraneous thoughts can enter because the energy is so full and taught.

This experience is possible in a monastery but also in society if we continue our efforts. Usually we get tired in our mind by following along all sense perceptions, but when turning inside, we again can actually experience this original energy of us.

A sesshin is for this actual experience. In Sogenji we sit the golden hour for 1,5 hours. Not just 25 minutes because this does not really help us deepen in this way when our awareness can still wander around. When our zazen settles, huge energy is experienced, and then the worries and anxiety dissipates. This again gives us confidence not matter what challenge we may face. True confidence only arises from an actual experience.

Please wherever you are keep up your work and deepen your state of mind. This is my great wish.

Guidance in the time of Corona #15

Dear All,

Are you gathering energy to your tanden?

“This elixir field, located in the sea of vital energy, the lower back and legs, soles of the feet –
it is all my true and original face.
How can that original face have nose holes?
This elixir field, located in the sea of vital energy, the lower back and legs, soles of the feet –
It is all the home and native place of my original being.
What news or tidings could come from that native place?
This elixir field, located in the sea of vital energy, the lower back and legs, soles of the feet –
It is all the pure land of my own mind.
How could the splendours of that pure land exist apart from my mind?
This elixir field, located in the sea of vital energy –
It is all the Amida Buddha of my own self.
How could Amida Buddha preach the Dharma apart from that self? “
(by Hakuin Zenji)

Gathering the energy in the tanden, especially during times like these, to gather the energy is most important.

There was a transmitted to student of Baso Doitsu Zenji called Kiso Jijo Zenji. He would come from his room to the kitchen where the monks were turning the stone mill, Kiso asks them, “what are you doing?” It was obvious to see what they were doing. Still he asked. The monks answere: “We are milling white beans and making bean flour. We are milling rice to make rice flour. We are milling wheat to make wheat flour – and with that we cook.” Kiso Osho responded: “Great work! When you move the milling stones, do not move the central stick.”

A stone mill consists of a stone on the bottom, another one on top and through the central whole a stick is placed, so that the top stone can move well on the bottom stone which stays fixed. The top stone can actually only moved because there is this central stick.

Just like the milling stone moving, it is natural for us to be moving along with the happenings in the world. Moving along with our work, with meetings in our neighborhood, with gatherings of family. All different encounters are our daily life. Yet if we get moved around by them and lose our center, that becomes a big problem. In the end we do not know anymore where we are standing neither do we know how to settle our state of mind.

This is our present situation in the world, this coronavirus is putting so many restrictions on us. So we get anxious and confused. That is what Kiso Osho was pointing at. We never know what will happen next, yet if we get moved around by these changes, we lose our center. We cannot lose the serenity of our mind but need to preserve our clear seeing eye or else we end up in huge confusion.

Please in your daily life do not lose your center. A balanced and centered essence is most important.