Mountains Talking Summer 2020 in This Issue
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mountains talking Summer 2020 In this issue... When Cold and Heat Visit When Cold and Heat Visit Karin Ryuku Kempe 3 Karin Ryuku Kempe Temple Practice & Covid-19 Guidelines 4 Today is temperate that too is our human condition. And yet, we can’t get weather, but in past weeks we away from dukkha, can’t avoid it. Daily Vigil Practice 4 have been visited by cold and heat, the Colorado spring. And The first step is to just to see that we cannot. Tung- Garden Zazen 5 some of us may have had chills shan challenges us: “Why not go where there is neither or maybe fever. As a com- cold not heat?” To move away, isn’t it our first instinct? Summer Blooms 6 munity, we are visited by an We squirm in the face of discomfort. But is there any- invisible but powerful disease where without cold or heat? No…no. Of course, Tung- To Practice All Good Joel Tagert 8 process, one to which we are shan knows this, knows it in his bones. He is not playing all vulnerable, no one of us ex- with words and he is not misleading us. He is pushing the Water Peggy Metta Sheehan 9 cepted. Staying close to home, question deeper, closer. Where is that place of no cold no we may be visited by the fear of not having enough sup- heat? Can it be anywhere but right here? Untitled Poem Fred Becker 10 plies, perhaps the loss of our work or financial security, or “When it is cold, let the cold kill you. When it is hot, Father’s Day and Interconnectedness David Marvin 11 find ourselves far apart from those we love, or, even more let the heat kill you.” Dramatic and demanding language. frightening, torn by fear of losing them. We are visited, What is this killing? What is killed? What dies? We only Summer At-Home Sesshin 12 as human beings have always been, by sickness, old age know hot as compared to cool, cool compared to hot. Yet and death, hallmarks of our human condition, none of us cold is completely cold. Hot is completely hot. Without How...? Ken Tetsuzan Morgareidge 13 immune; visited by grief, anger and fear, arising moment comparison, heat and cold disappear. Even more, as heat to moment, none of which we can control or prevent. kills you, you kill heat. As cold kills you, you kill it in The koan I want to talk about this morning is Tung- that instant. shan’s Cold and Heat; it comes up a lot for me these days. Front Cover: Stacey McConlogue No koan is a reflection of dualistic thinking, but You will remember Tungshan (Tozan in Japanese), as one rather expresses the death of any separation. Live as cold, of our most renown Soto ancestors; he lived 807 to 869 Back Cover: Geoff Keeton live as heat. Holding apart dissolves and the world is our and gave us the Five Ranks, as well as many other won- entire body, our own breath and blood. We find intimacy derful teachings. with fear, with fatigue, and with loss; intimacy too with The Blue Cliff Record,Case 43: joy, with love, with beauty. We are not dissociated or deadened, but completely alive, engaged in each moment Mountains Talking is the quarterly magazine of the Zen Center of Denver, a Buddhist sangha A monk asked Tungshan, “When cold and heat visit us, without boundaries. offering authentic Zen practice and training. For more information, contact: how should we avoid them?” If we truly gave up all attempts to avoid our life of Tungshan said, “Why not go where there is neither cold right now, what could that be? What if we did not try to Zen Center of Denver not heat?” run away, or change our experience? If we didn’t try to act 1856 S. Columbine Street like a spiritual person? If we did not try to manipulate or Denver, CO 80210 The monk asked, “Where is there neither cold nor heat?” manage ourselves? Can we let the past be past, over and 303-455-1500 Tungshan said, “When it is cold, let the cold kill you. done with? [email protected] When it is hot, let the heat kill you.” Right now, each of us is at home; we know we Find us on the web at www.zencenterofdenver.org These visitors, heat and cold – should we try to avoid should not leave. But even more, each of us is at home in this body, our own body, and even if it gets sick, that is And on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zencenterofdenver them? We cannot, we cannot. But at times, how we wish we could! Of course, none of this has to do with tempera- still home. You will need to live in that sickness, as that sickness, not longing for some alternative future. Past and Editor: Joel Tagert ture but rather with dis-ease, dukkha, suffering. And each of us has our favorite ways of distraction or distancing; future are like dust in this furnace, already burnt up. Continued p. 14 Temple Practice & Covid-19 Guidelines As we continue to feel our way through the pandem- • Maintain physical distance of six feet or more ic, we are happy to begin offering some limited in-per- from other participants and the resident caretaker son activities at the temple. Our hope is that these will provide our members with the chance to practice in the • Stay at home if you have symptoms such as a serene temple environment while safeguarding the health temperature over 100.4° F, chills, cough, sore throat, and well-being of all involved. shortness of breath, muscle pain, or recent loss of taste or smell, or otherwise are showing symptoms of cold, flu or This does, however, involve a certain amount of dili- allergies. gence on the part of participants. We have posted general guidelines for temple practice at both front and back A small cart with hand sanitizer, masks, gloves and doors as well as the gate to the garden, which you will no other supplies has been placed at the back door and will doubt see. These enjoin us to: be moved as necessary. A printout with more detailed Covid-19 guidelines is also available on the cart. • Wear a mask at all times when inside the temple, in the garden, or working on the temple grounds Please stay in the public areas and do not enter the kitchen or upstairs, to minimize exposure for yourself and • Use hand sanitizer when entering the temple or the resident caretaker, who uses those spaces. While you garden may obviously use the restroom if you need to, it may be preferable to simply wait until you return home. Daily Vigil Practice Each day between noon - 1 p.m. our members are in- Vigils are about wakefulness and can teach us to face the vited to come to the temple for a daily solo vigil practice inner darkness or a state of unknowing. They are a means of (couples in a relationship are of course also welcome to staying open, staying present to whatever will come. They are practice together if they wish). You are welcome to either a time of stillness. Vigils are sometimes explained as a period Garden Zazen take a zabuton outside and sit in the garden, or to sit in of waiting, a waiting for what will come. We are also offering zazen for our members in our Beginning at 6:30 a.m., we will sit for two twenty-five the shrine room or zendo. Other cushions are available if beautiful Zen garden through the summer months each rounds timed by the jiki, with a single bell between the needed, but we encourage you to bring your own. I think during this time of Covid-19, we have never quite been in a position of waiting without having any Thursday morning from 6:30 - 7:20 a.m. To accommo- rounds to change your posture if you wish. The sitting will Advance registration for vigil practice is required; to insight into what we are waiting for. But we know vigils date physical distancing, attendance is strictly limited to end with two strikes on the small keisu at 7:20 a.m. At that sign up, please go to Signupgenius.com or contact the can help support pain and suffering and can be a space that five participants (plus the jiki). Mats will be provided and time, make a seated bow, stand, face outward, and when office. Vigil practice is open to members only. others can lean into for support. Sometimes vigil comes from placed beforehand on the deck; however, please bring your the keisu is struck again, make a final standing bow. In a need to be together – to come together. If we hold vigil at own zafu and other cushions if possible. consideration of our neighbors and the quiet, serene atmo- ZCD member Ginny Swenson writes this regarding this time, we are holding this world experience and waiting sphere, we will not have any chanting. Take your cushions Please wear a mask while in the garden. When arriv- vigil practice: without any specific hope or desired outcome. with you, but leave the zabutons where they are for the jiki ing, please enter via the back gate from the parking lot to collect. Historically vigil has been present in many cultures and (rather than the front door), use the hand sanitizer placed in many spiritual practices.