newsletter Seven Thunders www.seventhunders.org ~ February 2021

Seven Thunders Board of Directors

Co-President Matthew McTigue 503.548.7004 [email protected]

Co-President Ed Glad 503.662.4265 [email protected]

President Emeritus Greg Smith 503.758.1020 [email protected]

Secretary Kailyn Kent 925.321.1704 [email protected]

Treasurer Jenny Brausch 541.971.1297 The True Eye [email protected] Iron Flute case 19 by Leonard Marcel Director Michael Seely hao-chou was planning to visit a mountain 503.730.0821 C Jushin, 778-897). He is well known from his ap- [email protected] temple when an elder wrote a poem pearances in cases in other collections. At and gave it to him: the age of eighteen, he met his teacher, Nan- Director Dan Dickinson chuan (Nanquan/Nansen Fugen, 748-835) and 503.632.5957 Which mountain is not a holy place? trained with him for forty years until his teach- [email protected] Why take walking stick and visit Mount Tai? er’s death. Then, at the age of sixty he began Director If the golden lion appears in the clouds, to travel throughout , visiting prominent Dan Brown It is not a happy omen at all. Chan/ masters of the time He did that for 503.504.2955 [email protected] Continued on page 8 After reading the poem, Chao-chou asked: Director “What is the true eye?” Beth Brenner In this Issue: 602.510.9178 [email protected] The monk made no reply. The True Eye pg 1 Newsletter Editor Greg Smith The Iron Flute (Tetteki Tosui) is a collection of 7 Thunders retreats & events pg 2 503.758.1020 one hundred koan compiled in Japan in the eigh- 7 Thunders sittings pg 2 [email protected] teenth century by a Soto master named Genro Other Pacific Northwest Groups pg 2 Newsletter Layout (n.d.). The name is interesting. As you know, Bob Smith Remembrance pg 3 Teresa Marcel flutes can be made from any of several kinds of January Virtual CIR pg 4 503.534.2600 [email protected] wood, including bamboo, as well as certain other Rohatsu 2020 pg 5 materials, and they have a series of graduated I Dream a World Redux pg 6 TEACHERS Book Group pg 6 Leonard Marcel Roshi openings and a mouthpiece to create music. A 503.636.9009 Zen flute, however, is different. It is made of iron Off the Cushion: A tree Fell pg 7 [email protected] and has no holes. So how does one make music Bend Spring pg 11 Sr Joan Saalfeld with such a thing? Let us see what this case can Books Donations pg 11 503.347.4333 [email protected] tell us. Summer Registration pg 12 June CIR Registration pg 13 Many thanks to all who contributed their time and talents to this publica- The protagonist in this case is the great Chao- Summer Sesshin Registration pg 14 tion. Articles may not be reprinted chou Ts’ung-shen (Zhaozhou Congshen/Joshu without permission from the author. Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 2

Seven Thunders Retreats & Events follow Newsletter Subscriptions

First Saturday Sittings Retreat Schedule Published three times a year, our news- letter is a benefit of Seven Thunders membership. Prospective members Monthly “First Saturday” sittings have been ■ March 27 & 28 – Virtual Palm Sunday who would like to receive the newslet- transferred online until it is deemed safe to CIR at Stones and Clouds, on Zoom, led ter can be added to the mailing list by meet at the Trappist Abbey again. Up-to- by Leonard Marcel. Registration infor- contacting Jenny Brausch at livinggreen@ date information and links to join the sitting mation on page12. comcast.net. Complimentary copies will can be found on the Seven Thunders website ■ April 10 – Virtual Zen retreat in Bend, be sent for up to one year or until at seventhunders.org. The format remains on Zoom, led by Leonard Marcel. January dues requests are mailed. After much the same, with formal group sitting Registration information on page 11. that, if membership dues (full member- beginning at 9:00 a.m. A talk by the teacher ■ June 18 - 19 – Virtual CIR on Zoom, led ship currently $30 per year) are not begins at 10:00 a.m., which is followed by by Sr. Joan Saalfeld. Registration informa- received by March, you will be sent an opportunities for private interviews with the tion on page 13. announcements-only version of the teacher. Formal sitting ends at noon. There is newsletter. Please send membership no charge, but donations for teacher support ■ July 13 - 17 – Zen sesshin at Stones and dues to: Jenny Brausch, PO Box 3119, and Seven Thunders via the website are Clouds (tentatively in person), led by Albany, OR 97321. ~ gratefully accepted. The schedule through Leonard Marcel. Registration informa- 2021 is (* indicates 2nd Saturday of month): tion on page 14. ■ February 6, Leonard Marcel

■ March 6, Leonard Marcel Zazenkai ■ April 3, Sr. Joan Saalfeld Held at the Stones and Clouds (Rai’un) ■ May 1, Sr. Joan Saalfeld Zendo in Lake Oswego, led by Leonard Marcel. These will take place online until ■ June 5, Sr. Joan Saalfeld further notice. ■ July 10*, Sr. Joan Saalfeld ■ February 20 ■ August 7, Leonard Marcel ■ March 20 ■ September 11*, Leonard Marcel ■ September 25 ■ October 2, Sr. Joan Saalfeld ■ October 23 ~ ■ November 6, Leonard Marcel ■ December 4, Sr. Joan Saalfeld Zazenkai follow Zazenkai follow Other Pacific Northwest Seven Thunders Regular Sittings Diamond Groups

Portland Area Sittings Olympia Sittings NO Sangha, Port Angeles ■ Monday evenings via Zoom (until further ■ Monday evenings, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., and ■ Teacher: Kristen Larson. : Saturday notice) at Stones and Clouds (Rai’un) Zendo, every Saturday morning from 6:00 to 8:00 mornings, 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. For more in- 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., zazen & dokusan. Check a.m. in the Chapel at St. Michael Church, formation, please contact Kristen Larson at SevenThunders.org for details. Contact: 1021 Boundary St. SE, Olympia, WA 98501. 360.452.5534 or [email protected]. Leonard Marcel at 503.636.9009 or mar- Three rounds of sittings (from 6:00 to 7:30) [email protected]. are followed by a reading from contempla- Three Treasures Sangha, Seattle tive writers and a questions and comments ■ Teacher: Jack Duffy. Zazen at Dharma Gate Salem Sittings period. Contact: Pat Harvey, 360.357.8401 (1910 24th Ave S.) on Wednesday evenings ■ For Salem ’s online offerings, [email protected] 6:30-8:30 p.m. and Friday mornings 6:30- email for the Zoom links: Redmond Sittings 7:30 a.m., followed by breakfast. For more [email protected]. Wednesday information, please contact ■ Monday evenings, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 529 evening & from 7:00 Larry Keil at 206.322.8759 or go to their NW 19th, Redmond, OR 97756. Contact: to 8:00 p.m. and a Saturday morning medita- website at: http://three-treasures-sangha. Leanne Latterell at leannelatterell@bend- tion & Poetry share from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. org/ ~ broadband.com or 541.604.1739. ~ Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 3

Bob Smith Remembrance

Robert Lloyd Smith, from Corvallis, was turning to Corvallis as an assistant among the handful of original 1985 members professor. He was vital in OSU’s of Seven Thunders. He died at the age of 84 participation and leadership in the on November 15, 2020— shy by about a many large-group, collaborative month of his 85th birthday. Born and raised observing programs that followed, in Chicago, he moved to Portland to study and he helped foster the tone for physics at Reed College and afterwards collaborative research in OSU’s made the Pacific Northwest his home. With Oceanography Department. He his Reed bachelor’s degree in hand, he began was named a Fellow of the Ameri- a graduate program in modern physics in can Association for the Advance- 1958 at the University of Oregon. His stud- ment of Science in 1990, and he ies in Eugene, however, were disrupted when served as editor of Progress in his thesis advisor failed to be given tenure. Oceanography from 1984 to 2002. Cast adrift, Bob found his way to Oregon State and a new program in oceanography Beyond oceanography, Bob en- in the fall of 1960. During his work in physi- joyed the good things in life: swim- cal oceanography, Bob collaborated with fel- ming, walking, wine, food, art, music, low grad students to undertake pioneering Shakespeare, religion, history, and measurements over the continental shelf as his grandchildren. His friendly good well as the seasonal monitoring of coastal nature extended into all these ar- upwelling and downwelling. Their investiga- eas. He was a member of St. Mary’s tions brought them international recognition. Catholic Church in Corvallis and was friends with of the Bene- Bob was a quiet, thoughtful and considerate After completing his PhD in 1964, Bob dictine Abbey in Mt. Angel and the man with a wry sense of humor and a soft took a NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship at Trappist Abbey in Carlton. He is survived and generous smile for everyone he met. His the National Institute of Oceanography by his second wife, Jane spiritual life and contemplative practice were in England before re- Huyer, three children and their spouses, and six serious matters for him. Even in his declin- grandchildren. ing years, he managed to participate in Con- templative Intensive Retreats and occasional First Saturday offerings. He will be missed by all who knew him. ~

Photos courtesy of Jane Huyer Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 4

Contemplative Intensive Retreat – January 22-23, 2021 by Nancy Roberts

Intrepid meditators sat for two days to re- intellect as separateness, which feeds the of the environmental crisis and changing our center, reground, open, and listen for God. agenda of the ego seeking individual “con- habits. As contemplatives we can forgive ev- Sr. Joan Saalfeld SNJM led our group with trol.” We must pay attention because real- eryone and everything, ask forgiveness for all prayers, psalms, conferences, and interviews. izing that all are One is the entry to the and for everything, and pour out love for the With Sr. Joan serving as timekeeper as well kingdom of heaven. We cannot know what Earth. as teacher, the retreat went off without a stage of the spiritual journey we are in but hitch thanks to her years of retreat expe- must settle into a process of gradual trans- One of the phrases in the morning and eve- rience and our stable internet connections. formation. ning prayers could be a bookend to the two Strong sitting came from our retreatants: days: “Quiet our minds and enkindle our Beth Brenner, Pam Evans, Susan Freisinger, Saturday conference included quotes from hearts, that walking the way of your truth Gini Graham, Richard Lance, LeeAnne Lat- The Brothers Karamazov and Chief Seattle, we may leave the imprint of your goodness terell, Sr. Sandra Lincoln, Anna Lyons-Roost, and the prayer from the Pope’s Encyclical by the way we live our lives.” ~ and Eric Roost. Letter Laudato Si. Roughly summarized: Many people first experience the numinous when Even though the weather was crisp and cold, in Nature. We are all part of the web of life in the luxury of sitting in our warm homes, and this can be realized through intuition we attended to silence and surrender. The and wonder; the realization of complete in- Friday conference focused on the illusion terconnectedness includes the sacramental that we are separate beings when in reality, (epiphany) and the personal (experience we are all interconnected. Here are a few of oneness). We are becom- key points, roughly summarized: What is per- ing aware ceived by the senses, can be wrongly interpreted by the Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 5

A Worldwide Rohatsu Sesshin 2020 by Greg Smith

Seven Thunders held a virtual Rohatsu Ses- Teisho and dharma talks during this dark time to reground our lives and resonate with the shin starting on the evening of Thursday, of the year drew on the words of Master Ma truth of Hakuin Zenji’s assertion that “This December 3 and finishing up Sunday eve- and the Buddha’s enlightenment as captured very place is the lotus land; this very body ning on December 6. Fifteen experienced in the Transmission of the Light (Denkoroku). the Buddha.” Even though we were spread Zen students beamed in from Great Britain, Case One of the latter is standard fare for around the planet, we could feel our lives Australia, Virginia, New Mexico, Washington the Rohatsu Sesshin and serves as a power- as they rang together thanks to our silent State, and Oregon where we all sat from ful reminder of what lies at the core of our sitting. ~ our homes while watching and listening to practice. Leonard and Teresa as they opened and closed the zendo, kept time, rang the bells, Knowing that during the week before De- led the services and meal chants, de- cember 8, the day the Buddha is said to have livered teisho, and propelled us though do- recognized his true nature, tens or maybe kusan. They accomplished the work of five hundreds of thousands are sitting just like people with a combination of ease and skill, us across the planet lends a sense of signifi- something that both awed us and elicited cance to the time we spend on our cush- our gratitude. ions. This sesshin provided an opportunity

Above, top row, left to right: Leonard Marcel, Teresa Marcel, Kailyn Kent, Josh Shindler, Tom Davies. Second row: Katy Bain, Greg Smith, Dan Dickinson, and Susan Brandon. Third Row: Eric Roost, Paul Birke- land, Nancy Roberts, Nancy O’Connor. Bottom row: Emma Stone. Not shown: Marian Morgan & Edward Lams. Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 6

Seven Thunders Book Club Discussion via Zoom I Dream a World Redux by Greg Smith

The next meeting of the Seven Thunders experience that forms a solid foundation for book group will be on Friday, March 12, at further dialogue. 7:30 p.m. We will discuss The Ground We Share: Everyday Practice – Buddhist and “This is a lovely, engaging, insightful conver- Christian by Robert Aitken Roshi and David sation between two important contempo- Steindl-Rast (Shambala, 1996, $14.22). rary spiritual teachers and practitioners, one (Aitken) an American-born and These dialogues between Robert Aitken the other (Steindl-Rast) a Benedictine monk. Roshi, one of the first American-born Zen The conversation is drawn from a week-long masters, and Brother David Steindl-Rast, retreat that Aitkin and Steindl-Rast shared in the Roman Catholic monk and hermit, took Hawaii in 1991. They agree quickly to focus place during a week-long retreat the two old on ‘everyday practice’ rather than on abstract friends undertook in 1991 in a remote part conceptions of and Christianity. On Martin Luther King’s Day, NPR put out of the island of Hawaii. Their aim was to ap- The result is not a formal contribution to the a challenge to write a poem modeled on proach the dialogue between Buddhism and growing body of Buddhist-Christian dialogue one by Langston Hughes entitled “I dream a Christianity in a fresh way, one that takes as so much as an illuminating and multifaceted world.” This is what came to mind. its starting point a comparison of the per- exploration of common ground—the sacred sonal experiences of the dialoguers—as a heart that beats at the center of a world I dream a world where people Buddhist and as a Christian, respectively— shared by Christians and Buddhists. This vol- no longer see themselves rather than abstract concepts. The result is ume offers a rare opportunity to eavesdrop the discovery of a surprising amount of com- on a conversation between compas- as superior to other humans mon ground—the kind of sionate believers comfortable with or plants or animals, shared their differences, fully engaged with where all beings are treated as family. each other, and fully engaged in the I dream a world where people are world.”—Steve Schroeder, Booklist. content with sufficiency, Please send Greg Smith (ga- and all are provided [email protected]) a message with adequate shelter, food, about your interest in joining us by March 10, and he’ll send you and medical care. a link to the Zoom meeting on I dream a world where children the 11th. ~ are taught to discover and develop their unique gifts and offered pathways to share those gifts with others. I dream a world where rivers and forests and plains and oceans and tundra damaged by human industry are alive with insects and birds, large mammals and fish, their numbers restored to what they were just a century ago. I dream a world where all people feel their lives and voices matter and that at the moment of their death they know fulfillment. ~ Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 7

Off the Cushion: A Tree Fell in the Forest by Paul Birkeland

A treasured metaphor of mine came crash- This tree isn’t ing down the other day. The dharma wheel unique in the rolled right over it. But it kicked up a small park. A fungus dust cloud of wisdom just the same. The infestation is metaphor consisted of two trees in Ravenna ravaging maple Park. trees. The old growth ce- Ravenna Park is a wooded ravine about 100 dars and firs in yards from our house in northeast Seattle. the park were I’ve been walking it for more than thirty clearcut under years. First I walked it with a dog. Then I mysterious cir- walked it with a different dog, then two dogs, cumstances dur- then a dog and a child, then a dog and two ing WWI. No one children, and now mostly alone. knows quite what happened, but the Years and years ago, I noticed two trees records show that right along the footpath on the south slope the Superinten- of the ravine. One was a bigleaf maple that dent of Parks re- erstwhile companion through all these years had obviously seen better days. It’s a ragged tired wealthy. Maples was also to be its violent destroyer. Could hundred feet tall. It’s perched at the lip of were the first trees to grow back, and they happen any time. an embankment that drops down about came to dominate the ravine. Now, with twenty feet to the creek bed. The tree leans their age and density, they are the perfect So, imagine my surprise on my walk through over the embankment pretty ominously. The hosts for a spreading and opportunistic in- the park the other day to find the yew tree trunk keeps it from falling, but the trunk is lit- fection. completely toppled over, its marvelously tle more than agglomeration of parallel ten- straight trunk pivoted parallel to the ground drils surrounding a hollow space where the The other tree is a Pacific yew. Yew trees at the root. But its maple companion was core of the tree no longer was. A child could are understory trees, evolved for growing in still stretching its ragged rake of a crown to squeeze between the mossed-over tendrils the permanent, semi-twilight beneath other the sky! This was completely unexpected and and stand inside. It’s that far gone. trees. They tend to spread, rather than grow perplexing. I still haven’t figured this out! straight up, and often grow multiple trunks right from the ground. They are often But here’s my takeaway: The mind sure likes twisted and gnarly with mottled, flaky bark. to complicate things, doesn’t it? Tradition associates them with death for a variety of reasons. This particular tree, Ha! however, had a straight trunk for at least fifteen feet. Quite a specimen for a yew A tree fell in the forest. Crash! ~ tree! I always admired it.

Here’s the metaphor: this yew tree was growing less than a foot downslope About “Off the Cushion” of the crumbling maple, right at its base. It grew directly under the maple tree’s lean. It was pretty clear what Off the Cushion is a regular feature of was going to happen here sooner or our newsletter. We invite you to sub- later, and the yew tree was grow- mit articles about what your practice ing in a spot where it faced its im- means to you, of activities off the cush- minent demise every moment of ion which feel like an extension of your every day. With every drip of rain practice. Please e-mail your submissions from the maple tree, with every to newsletter editor Greg Smith at dropped maple leaf, that yew [email protected].~ tree would be reminded that its Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 8

The True Eye, continued from page 1 twenty years before settling at the age of is familiar, such as our habitual reactions of The verse to case 19 of the Wu-men kuan eighty in a ruined temple in northern China. anger and fear to anything that threatens (Mumonkan) may help us here: There, for the next forty years he taught our fragile egos. Me and mine as opposed the Way. He is sometimes regarded as the to you and yours. My side versus your side. The spring flowers, the autumn moon, greatest master during that golden age of We may act as if we know what is going Summer breezes, winter snow, Chan/Zen) in China. Dogen (1200-1253), on, but because everyone and everything is If useless things do not clutter your mind, admiringly called him “the old Buddha.” filtered through our own personal agenda, Every season is the best season. we cannot see or hear anything as it truly In this case, the monk is asking, in effect, is. Even some spiritual achievement, if we In other words, when we see with a clear “What are you seeking by going there? cling to it, becomes an impediment to true mind and true eye, whatever we see is It. What are you hoping to experience, a vi- vision. There is an old saying: “Although And not-It. Both true at the same time. sion of Manjusri in the mountain clouds? gold dust is precious, in the eye it causes What an illusion! Such is of no use to a per- blindness.” After all, what are we doing in this prac- son of Zen. No seeking outside can bring tice? We are dropping all useless things. In true happiness.” In other words, awaken Our old stories and dramas, of which we fact, anything to which we are clinging is to your own inner light and wisdom. See are always the star, also impede the de- useless. This is the revolutionary nature of with your own true Dharma eye. As Hakuin velopment of compassion. When we feel Zen practice. We are here to realize and Ekaku (1686 -1768) tells us, this very place threatened by another’s attitude or behav- experience this uncluttered mind. With the is the Lotus Land. This very mountain, right ior, we cannot see its source in the suffering true eye of discernment, we clearly see all where you are right now, is the abode of that the other feels. Since we are so skilled beings in their original state, right here and Manjusri. and focused at keeping our own pain and now. Then, every season is the best season, suffering at bay, we know very little about every day a good day. Chao-chou (Zhauzhou/Joshu) responds another’s. On this path we come to know by asking the old monk, “What is the true the other’s pain and suffering and to re- This is why zazenkai and sesshin are so cru- eye?” This question, at once sincere and spond to it with compassion, but also to cial to our practice. Daily zazen is essential; challenging, foretells the giant of Zen he will recognize our own suffering well enough to sitting regularly with the sangha is essential; become. see from where it arises and what arises but making the time for more intensive one from it. day or multiple day practice is most cru- We are all familiar with the deluded eye: cial as well. The deeper we can go into our the fundamental delusion of an indepen- Because of the introspective process of our practice, the more open and awake to the dent self, separate from other selves and zazen, we see our lack of attention, lack of truth of our interconnected experience we the resultant delusions coming from that, awareness, lack of kindness. We see more become. such as the fear of being found wanting, be- and more immediately our unskillful and cause we feel inadequate; the unfavorable unhelpful habits, the conditioning we have When Chao-chou (Zhaozhou/Joshu) asks, self-comparisons, criticisms and evaluations; experienced throughout life, and with each “What is the true eye?” the old monk does the old stories we tell ourselves and the complete exhalation we let go. not answer. How do you see his silence old dramas we keep acting out in our lives. here? There are several different kinds of Our old dramas are convenient fictions so So how do we answer Chao-chou’s silence on this path: one is the silence of be- that we do not have to do the hard work (Zhaozhou/Joshu) question? What is the of waking up. Instead, we stay with what true eye? Continued on page 9 Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 9

The True Eye, continued from page 8

ing clueless (“I do not know, cannot say, am Evidently the monks at the of .” (Orategama letter) unable to respond”). Another is the silence Chao-chou (Zhaozhou/Joshu) who had had of waiting to see what the teacher will do encounters with this woman were quite This very world itself is the brilliance of Nir- next; that never works. Another is silence distressed to be caught short by her. What vana. as practice. And still another is silence as did she mean? Why was she disrespecting instruction, the most famous example of them? When one of them told the teacher This path is the Buddha Way, the path of which is that of Vimilakirti when asked by about this, he said, “I will go and investigate the awakened one. And on this path we Manjusri about the gate to non-duality. the old woman for you.” So, the next day begin with zazen and go straight ahead. he went and asked of the woman the same We come together in harmony, which is Many years after the encounter which question and she gave the same response. the very definition and life of sangha, and this case recalls and after Chao-chou Upon returning, Chao-chou (Zhaozhou/ engage in zazen, which is not a process of (Zhaozhou/Joshu) had settled in his own Joshu) said to his students, “I have investi- becoming someone else, but of becoming temple, he did go to Mount Tai. This time, gated the old woman for you.” less and realizing who we really are. Zazen however, he was not seeking anything, but strips us bare. No self, but also no no-self. he was investigating an old woman who ran What did he see? Who was the old tea Both are constructs and concepts. a teashop at the bottom of the mountain. woman of Mount Tai? Who are you? What The story is told in Case 31 of the Wu-men is the one taste of truth? What is the true When Shakyamuni Buddha sat down un- Kuan (Mumonkan), wherein we are told eye? When we are standing upright on our der the tree and committed himself to that there were always monks wanting to own two feet, and with an uncluttered stay there until he realized something, he go to the sacred mountain to pay homage mind, we see that right here is true north, was just as we are – a simple human being, to Manjusri, perhaps hoping to see some right here is the summit of Mount Sumeru, wounded and vulnerable, and who needed vision or to have a spiritual experience in the peak of Mount Tai. to awaken. His not knowing mind investi- the mountain clouds. At a fork in the road, gated and penetrated to the deepest ex- each one would stop at the teashop and ask Great master Hakuin posed the same tent, so that everything fell away and the for directions to Mount Tai. Invariably, the question when he asked: “How can one true eye opened. old tea woman would answer, “Go straight penetrate to the True Face of the Lotus?” ahead.” The monk would walk on, no doubt Then, he said: “It is nothing more than see- What had become clear to him? The same thinking that the tea woman had merely ing into your own mind…. Courageously that had become clear for Chao-chou been giving directions and completely miss- and firmly…investigating it to the end…. (Zhaozhou/Joshu) and Hakuin. There is no ing her Mind. Expecting something else, we You will see right before you, in the place secret to it. All we have to do is sit down do not see what is right in front of us. After where you stand, the True Face of the Lo- as they did, become quiet, let go and prune the monk had gone on a short distance, she tus, and at once your body and mind will away all that is extraneous. No inside, no would say, “A good, respectable monk, but drop away. Opening the True Eye is seeing outside. And then manifest that mind in he too goes on like that.” that this very world is itself the brilliance of Continued on page 10 Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 10

The True Eye, continued from page 9 everything we do – completely, throughout we submit to the discipline of the practice, He then quotes another koan: “Avalokites- life, with nothing left out. Do not let even there is a very deep kind of liberation. By vara has a thousand hands and on each one a little bit slip past unlived, unattended, ne- giving ourselves to the practice and com- of them is an eye?” Which one of them is glected. Every tiny bit of your life is all of mitting ourselves to it, we confirm it for the true eye? Which is the true eye of the it at every moment. None of it is hidden ourselves. Then we can do it completely, of Compassion? Avalokitesvara anywhere. day after day, and nothing can impede us. (Kuan-yin/Kanzeon) is not only the Bod- Whatever arises in our day is not an ob- hisattva of Compassion but is also known In case 23 of this Iron Flute (Tetteki Tosui) stacle, not an impediment, but just grist for as The One Who Gives No Fear. To give collection, master Hsueh-feng (Xuefeng/ the mill of practice, another dharma gate, no fear also means having no fear. No fear, Seppo Gison, 822 – 908) says to a student: another opportunity for insight and change. no anger, no worry, no greed, no delu- “Do not stop until your axe cuts to the very sion. You, as Kanzeon, practice deep pra- center of the tree.” Each of us is using our In his commentary on this case, Nyogen jna paramita, the wisdom of going beyond axe and our shears, cutting and pruning. Senzaki (1876 - 1958) quotes a Chinese duality, the wisdom of the other shore, and This is assiduous daily practice – cutting and poem of the : see that all forms are empty of independent pruning away this powerful delusion of a existence, that whenever greed, anger and separate self, an individuality which asserts All mountains are the temple of Manjusri. delusion arise, they are seen for what they itself so imperiously at the slightest threat Blue ones are far and green ones near. are. They arise endlessly. We vow to aban- to the well-defended ego. It is a thick tree Each has the Bodhisattva enshrined. don them – endlessly. and needs to be cut through to the center. Why climb Mount Tai? The depict Manjusri riding a gold- Every koan is a metaphor for your life. Each This intensity of practice is for every mo- en lion. one is about you yourself. If you can pen- ment of every day. In our culture, which is You may see such an illusion in the moun- etrate this Kanzeon koan, you will also be so geared toward achievement, possession, tain clouds, able to answer Chao-chou’s (Zhaozhou/ entertainment, distraction and the five sec- But it is not real to the eye of a Zen per- Joshu) question. What is the true eye? ~ ond sound-byte or image, every one of us son. has at some level pressing questions about It does not bring the happiness that is life, death, change and loss. These questions sought. demand our attention and resolution. It is these questions which most often bring us to submit ourselves to the rigors of Zen practice. We hope and eventually trust that there is a solution to this dis-ease (dhukka). So, we sit down – every day – and come to zazenkai and sesshin whenever possible. Yet, we find that sitting down and becoming still and silent can be difficult and frustrating, not because that is the nature of Zen practice but because it is the nature of the condi- tioned mind. The untangling of the mental and emotional webs we have been weaving for so long takes commitment, persis- tence and patience.

It seems counter-intuitive that such constraint and restriction leads to real freedom. Yet, when Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 11

Call for Dharma Book Donations by Lisa Kochinski

At the Joya no kane ringing of the bell on anger, and all the other 108 afflictions as New Year’s Eve, we listened to Roshi in- they arise in order to help break ingrained Bend Spring Retreat tone the 108 afflictions that cause one to patterns of negative behavior. This helps in- fall off the path of virtue. A sangha mem- mates not only to deal with prison life while On April 10 from 8:45 a.m. to 4:15 ber remarked afterwards that even dur- they are incarcerated but also to lead bet- p.m., Leonard Marcel will offer his usual ing Covid lockdown, there were plenty of ter and more productive lives when they Spring retreat for Bend Zen. This retreat opportunities to fall off the path of virtue. are released. will be given on Zoom, so it’s open to As I reflected on my actions over the last practitioners anywhere – you don’t have year, I had to agree. Even with an estab- Additionally, PMI sends thousands of do- to be in Bend. lished meditation practice, it is easy to fall nated dharma books, free of charge, to off the path of virtue. How much more so prisoners and to prison libraries. They wel- for those less fortunate than ourselves, es- come donations of new and used books on It will include sitting, two talks, and a pecially the incarcerated in prisons across contemplative spirituality, meditation, Bud- phone interviews with Leonard, with a America. dhism, and related topics. If you have books break for lunch. that you no longer need, please consider The Prison Institute (PMI), also donating them. Those books can do a lot For further information and registration, known as the Prison Dharma Network, was of good out in the world. Please send your please contact Denise at dsfainberg@ founded to bring the benefits of meditation books (no hardbacks, magazines, newslet- yahoo.com. ~ to the incarcerated. PMI serves prisons in ters, cassettes, CDs, or pamphlets) to: every State and their programs have helped thousands of incarcerated prisoners. PMI PMI instructors teach a program called the Path PO Box 206 of Freedom that incorporates mindfulness South Deerfield, MA 01373 meditation, emotional intelligence, com- munication, conflict resolution, and vari- For further information on the PMI, please ous resourcing and resiliency building skills. visit their website: https://www.prisonmind- Mindfulness gained through meditation is fulness.org/projects/books-behind-bars/ ~ a cornerstone of the program, helping in- mates to become aware of greed, pride, Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 12

Palm Sunday Contemplative Intensive Retreat (CIR) – March 27 & 28, 2021

Above: Approaching Jerusalem. The 2021 Palm Sunday CIR will be held vir- own device and provide your own meals. tually via Zoom, starting at 9 a.m. on Satur- Once your registration has been received you may pay the fee online at Seven Thun- day March 27 and end at 5 p.m. on Sunday, and accepted, you will be sent a link for the ders.org (click on the ‘Contribute’ tab and March 28. Timed with Palm Sunday, it is an retreat as well as a PDF containing the re- follow the donation process. opportunity to deepen your contemplative treat schedule and all retreat prayers. practice by sitting intimately in preparation Fees are payable in full to confirm your for Holy Week. Leonard Marcel will lead our The retreat is open to a maximum of 15 at- registration. Should you need to cancel, all retreat, sit with us, present a talk and offer tendees, and the total fee is $75 for Seven but $30 will be refunded for cancellation interviews. He has studied both Zen and Thunders members, $105 for non-members. requests received by retreat registrar on or Christian Contemplation for more than 35 Please notify registrar Teresa Marcel at before March 13; half the fee ($38/$53) will years and has been teaching since 1996. [email protected] of your intention to at- be refunded if received by March 20; no re- tend this retreat. You may then register by fund in the last week before the retreat. Par- The retreat will take place from 9:00 a.m. sending your check to: Teresa Marcel, 1333 tial scholarships are available to Seven Thun- to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 9:00 a.m. to Skyland Dr, Lake Oswego, OR 97034. Please ders members. Registrations will be made in 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. You will sit in your own make out checks to SEVEN THUNDERS. Or, the order received by registrar. ~ space, access the retreat via Zoom on your registration form Palm Sunday Contemplative Intensive Retreat (CIR) March 27 & 28, 2021

Name: ______[ ] Full payment of $105 enclosed

Address: ______[ ] $75 (Seven Thunders members)

Phone: ______Email: ______[ ] Donation for Scholarships $ ______Special needs ______[ ] Request a Scholarship of $ ______

[ ] I commit to participating fully in the entire schedule of formal group contemplation. Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 13

Virtual Contemplative Intensive Retreat (CIR) June18 & 19, 2021

As have all other Seven Thunders activities, the Contemplative Intensive Retreat (CIR) usually held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Trap- pist Abbey in June has been changed to a virtual retreat on Zoom.

Sr. Joan Saalfeld, SNJM, will lead the retreat, present talks and offer interviews. Sr. Joan Saalfeld is a member of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, a retired professor of literature, and is currently living in West Linn, Oregon. She has studied and practiced Zen and Christian Contemplation for over 40 years, first with Robert Aitken Roshi, then with Willigis Jaeger, OSB, Roshi, and lastly with Pat Hawk, C.Ss.R., Roshi, who encouraged her to be a teacher in our Con- templative Intensive Retreats. She has been doing so since 2012. in the last window saying that this is your CIR Please notify registrar Jenny Brausch at liv- fee payment.) The retreat will take place from 8:45 a.m. to [email protected] of your intention to

9:00 p.m. on Friday, June 18, and from 9:00 attend this retreat. You may then register by Fees are payable in full to confirm your am to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 19. You will sending your check to: registration. Should you need to cancel, all sit in your own space, access the retreat via but $30 will be refunded for cancellation Zoom on your own device and provide your requests received by retreat registrar on or own meals. Once your registration has been Jenny Brausch, before June 4; half the fee ($38/$53) will be received and accepted, you will be sent a link P.O. Box 3119 refunded if received by June 11; no refund for the retreat as well as a PDF containing Albany OR 97321 in the last week before the retreat. Partial the retreat schedule and all retreat prayers. scholarships are available to Seven Thunders

members. Registrations will be made in the The retreat is open to a maximum of 12 at- Or, you may pay the fee online at seventhun- order received by registrar. ~ tendees, and the total fee is $75 for Seven ders.org (click on the ‘Contribute’ tab and Thunders members, $105 for non-members. follow the donation process, leaving a note

registration form Contemplative Intensive Retreat (CIR) June 18 & 19, 2021

Name: ______[ ] Full payment of $105 enclosed Address: ______[ ] $75 (Seven Thunders members) Phone: ______Email: ______[ ] Donation for Scholarships $ ______Special needs ______[ ] Request a Scholarship of $ ______

[ ] I commit to participating fully in the entire schedule of formal group contemplation. Seven Thunders Newsletter ~ Page 14

Hybrid Summer Sesshin at Stones and Clouds Zendo July 13 - 17, 2021

and includes all meals from Tuesday evening form requesting a “scholarship” or contact to Saturday breakfast. For online attendance, the registrar. Affordability need not be a the fee is $115 for members, $145 for non- deterrent to attendance. Full or partial members. scholarships are almost always available. Donations for such scholarships are both appreciated and tax-deductible. The extra $30 of the non-member fee can be applied to your Seven Thunders mem- bership, should you choose to do so, which Silence will be observed in the Zendo. For then qualifies you for the member rate for those attending online, please make every all other Seven Thunders regular retreats attempt to maintain silence to the extent and sesshin through the remainder of the possible, as your circumstances permit. calendar year. Registration deadline is June 22. Should you need to cancel, all but $30 To register for the retreat, please email reg- will be refunded for cancellation requests istrar at [email protected] to signal your received by the retreat coordinator on or intent to attend, and then complete the form before June 29; half the fee will be refunded if below and send it with your fee to: received by July 6; no refund in the last week Teresa Marcel before the retreat. 1333 Skyland Drive Lake Oswego, OR 97034. Registrations will be accepted on a first come basis. As this sesshin is usually well subscribed, early registration and payment Please make checks payable to Seven is encouraged. Part-time attendance may be Thunders. Alternatively, you may pay the possible as schedules permit. fee online at SevenThunders.org (click on the ‘Contribute’ tab and follow the donation process). The 2021 Seven Thunders Zen Summer Once your registration has been received Sesshin, led by Leonard Marcel, is tenta- and accepted, you will receive a confirma- tively planned as a hybrid event to take tion from the registrar. If for any reason Questions? Please contact Teresa Marcel at place from 7 p.m. Tuesday evening, July 13 you find the full fee a barrier to attending, 503.636.9009 or [email protected] ~ to 10 a.m. Saturday morning, July 17. This please check the box on the registration arrangement involves a maximum of 7 attendees in the zendo, and 9 online, via registration form Zoom, all following the full in-person sesshin Stones & Clouds Summer Sesshin, July 13 - 17, 2021 schedule (6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on full days). Name: ______Address: ______This plan will be reassessed in June to deter- Phone: ______Email: ______mine if it is a safe option. If it is decided it is Emergency contact name & Phone: ______not safe, the retreat will be held fully online ______and the schedule changed to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on full sesshin days. [ ] I would like to attend in person, and enclose full payment of $180 (the member rate). [ ] I would like to attend in person, and enclose $210. To attend sesshin at the Stones & Clouds [ ] please apply $30 to my Seven Thunders member dues. zendo you will have to be fully vaccinated attend online for Covid-19, be in good health and wear a [ ] I would like to and enclose full payment of $115 (the member rate). mask the entire time. If attending via Zoom, [ ] I I would like to attend online and enclose $145. you will sit in your own space, access the [ ] please apply $30 to my Seven Thunders member dues. retreat on your own device and provide your own meals. The fee for in-person attendance [ ] I request a scholarship of $ ______is $180 for members, $210 for non members, [ ] I enclose a donation of $ ______Please make checks payable to Seven Thunders