Sokukoji Sangha News
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SokukoJi Sangha News April 2013 Click to jump to Stories: SOKUZAN ROBERT BROWN RECEIVES ñ Sokuzan’s Transmission DHARMA TRANSMISSION ñ Okesa: Buddha's Robe On Thursday, March 7, 2013, Ku- ñ Upcoming Memorial zan Shoho Michael Newhall, Resi- Day Retreat dent Teacher and chief priest at Jikoji Zen Center, our sister temple ñ Sokuzan Conducts Jukai in Los Gatos, California, traveled to ñ Traverse City Retreat SokukoJi to confer Dharma trans- mission on Sokuzan Robert Brown. ñ St Louis Workshops In the private ceremony held in the zendo, Shoho and Sokuzan ñ SokukoJi’s Future Annex convened for nearly three hours ñ Help Us Help Others where Shoho administered the rites and conferred transmission ñ Monthly Video Dharma according to the Soto Zen lineage. ñ Monthly Audio Dharma The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Zen ñ Addendum Buddhism (pg. 71) defines Dhar- ma transmission as: “Transmission of the Dharma from master to disciple. According to the Zen tradion, the first exam- ple of Dharma transmission oc- curred on Vulture Peak between Shakyamuni Buddha (Siddharta Gautama) and Mahakashyapa. “Tradional renderings of Zen history are oen referred to as 'transmissions of the lamp.' These maintain that the Dharma was transmied from Shakyamuni through twenty-eight generaons of Indian patriarchs, the last of whom was Bodhidharma, who carried the teaching to China. The Dharma was then transmied through five generaons of Chinese Zen patriarchs to the Sixth Patriarch, Hui-neng (638-713). Since then, the Dharma has been transmied by masters throughout the genera- ons of the Zen lineage; all surviving Zen lineages trace themselves back to Dharma transmission from the Sixth Patriarch. “The most common expression indicang that an authenc transmission has oc- Kuzan Shoho Michael Newhall curred is for a master to confer inka, or a “seal of approval,” onto a disciple. There are also a variety of outward symbols used within the Zen tra- dion to cerfy a transmission of the Dharma. In some cases, official cerficates of transmission are prepared; in other cases, a Dharma robe, a portrait of the master, a copy of a text, or a religious implement belonging to the master may serve the same purpose. Only those masters who receive a seal of trans- mission are eligible to take on disciples, passing on the Dharma to the next generaon. In addion, the expression is employed as an instuonal recognion of office. The Soto school in Ja- pan today uses the ritual form of Dharma transmission to indi- cate valid ordinaons within the sect. Almost every Soto monk receives Dharma transmission when he is ordained in order to qualify as the head priest of a local temple.” And from Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo (Chapter 17): “A Buddha is transmied Dharma only from a buddha, an an- cestor only from an ancestor, through merging realizaon in direct transmission. In this way, it is the unsurpassable enlight- enment. It is impossible to give the seal of realizaon without being a buddha, and it is impossible to become a buddha with- out receiving the seal of realizaon from a buddha. Who else, other than a buddha, can cerfy this realizaon as the most venerable, the most unsurpassable? Kuzan Shoho offering incense at the Jizo Shrine “When you have the seal of realizaon from a buddha, you have realizaon without a teacher, realizaon without self. This being so, it is said, 'A buddha receives realizaon from a buddha; an ancestor merges realizaon with an ancestor.'” During the ceremony, Sokuzan formally exchanged his novice monk's Okesa, which he had sewn for his 2007 ordina- on, for his brown Okesa, which was stched over a two-year period by more than fiy praconers and students from Traverse City, New York City, Bale Creek, and State College, Pennsylvania. Understandably, this personal experience is not easily conveyed, but when asked about the sig- nificance of his Dharma transmission, Sokuzan said: “In terms of the tradion, it is a way of giving an imprimatur to the pracce of an ordained priest (male or female) so that people who approach will see that he has been authorized to funcon as a leader or teacher in the Buddhadharma. In the Zen tradion, Dharma transmission may also be given when someone is quite young because they need it to qualify and funcon as the head priest when they come into a family temple so there may or may not be realizaon happening. The Zendo is prepared for the Dharma transmission ceremony Return to First Page “A transmied priest in this country is more like someone who has been praccing for years and has gone through Shuso pracce or what is re- ferred to as Dharma combat. Confronted by quesons about meditaon and pracce, the priest demonstrates, through his answers, that he has an understanding that is beyond informaon or a superficial, conceptual idea. He actually has some insight into realizaon. “In addion to the sewing of the robe (Okesa), the Rakusu, and the zagu (bowing mat), there are certain lineage documents that have to be made similar to the kechimyaku (the blood lineage) that is made for jukai (lay ordinaon). “With Dharma transmission, Shoho Mike Newhall told me, 'Now you're “street legal.” You've been doing this anyway, but now you're actually approved by the lineage holders.' This transmission enables me to give lay ordinaon, ordain monks, give Dharma transmission as well as other pracces that we have been doing. This is important to me—to be part of a lineage that has been going on for centuries rather than of some- thing that was just made up--being part of the family of the Buddha, Dinner at A Taste of India down through Bodhidharma, the 6th patriarch, Rujing out of China and then Dogen in Japan, and then up to my Teacher, Kobun, and my precep- tor, Shoho Mike.” Following the ceremony, Jiun, Seikyo, Kanzan, Unyo, Sheldon, Jusn, and Julie, celebrated with Sokuzan and Shoho at A Taste of India in Bale Creek. Help Us Help Others SokukoJi Buddhist Community is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organizaon. We operate largely by donaons. Please help us connue to cover the expenses of providing pracce space and teachings. Visit SokukoJi’s Dana Page to use Credit Cards or PayPal, or send a check to SokukoJi Buddhist Community, 33 Anderson Ct., Bale Creek, MI 49017. Thank You! Please remember to contribute to the Dana Box in the hall across from the kitchen. Monthly Video Dharma Click here to watch Sokuzan talk on “Shaking Hands With Demons”, to not fight the negavity in the mind that arises on the path of enlightenment, or view other dharma talks in our Video Dharma. Monthly Audio Dharma Click here to listen to “Guided Sense Consciousness Meditation” by Sokuzan in Traverse City on March 10, 2013, or lis- ten to other dharma talks in our Audio Dharma . Return to First Page Sokuzan Conducts Jukai; Karen becomes “Kozan” Sokuzan’s recent Dharma transmission gave him the authority to conduct Karen McLean’s Jukai ceremony in which she formally took refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, commied to the bodhi- sava vows, and received the ten grave precepts. Sokuzan approved Karen’s request for Jukai about two years ago. She was required to sew a rakusu (le and be- low) in the tradion of Sokuzan’s line- age, parcipate in extended retreat pracce, study the Buddhadharma, facilitate meditaon/ study groups, and parcipate in other vari- ous awareness pracce forms. During Jukai ceremony which was performed in Traverse City with local sangha aending, Karen was given the public dharma name “Kozan”, which means “Tiger Mountain.” The dharma name serves as a reminder of the com- mitment to the path. Upcoming Memorial Day Weekend Retreat The retreat will be from May 23rd to the 27th, sign up now to reserve your spot. This year we will take advantage of the lodging space available at the temple in hosng this retreat. We will begin on Thursday, May 23rd at 7:00 pm with orientaon and oryoki instrucon and the retreat will conclude aer lunch on Monday, May 27th. We will have communal meals, with lunch being served oryoki style in the zendo, and breakfast and dinners in the community room. We will have service and block sing each morning. Aernoon and evenings will include sing and walking medita- on, various awareness pracces such as brush and ink awareness, dharma study, work periods and other pracces. Sokuzan will give a Dharma talk each day, and there will be opportunity for private interviews. We will have specific details on the schedule as the retreat approaches. The cost to aend the enre retreat is $280.00, which includes lodging at the temple and all meals. If you are interested in aending, please contact Kozan at [email protected]. Return to First Page The Okesa: Buddha's Robe Takkesage (Robe Chant) Great robe of liberaon! Virtuous field far beyond form and empness Wearing the Tathagata's teaching We vow to be with all things. History of Nyohō-e (from Study of the Okesa, Nyohō-e—Buddha's Robe by Tomoe Katagiri) One day about 2,500 years ago when Shakyamuni Buddha was on his way from Rajagrha to the south to teach with his disciple Ananda, he stopped to take a look at a rice field and noced its footpaths were formed in a marvelous order and neatness. The rice plants were grow- ing together peacefully with other creatures without any discrimina- on. Shakyamuni Buddha pointed to the rice field and asked Ananda if he could create a Buddhist robe for the disciples of Buddha that had the same paern as those rice fields.