mountains talking FALL 2016 Baizhang and the Wild Duck Ken Tetsuzan Morgareidge Baizhang and the Wild Duck In this issue... Ken Tetsuzan Morgareidge From a talk delivered during a Generations later, monks still made pilgrimages to Baizhang and the Wild Duck Ken Tetsuzan Morgareidge 1 zazenkai, Sept. 18, 2016. the provinces of Chiang-hsi (west of the river) and Hu- nan (south of the lake). Maybe they hoped to get some- Columbine, We Meet Again 2 A fundamental teaching of thing via osmosis. the Buddha is impermanence. Diamond Sangha Teachers’ Circle Peggy Metta Sheehan 4 Things, phenomena, dhar- Mazu himself was one of those characters who filled mas (small “d”) arise and pass any room he walked into. It was said that he walked like a beautiful thing Jacqueline St. Joan 6 away according to causes and a bull and had the gaze of a tiger. His rough and ready conditions. Here today, gone style (as seen in the present case) of hitting, shoving and tomorrow. Now you see it, shouting became the model for many later teachers. And Upcoming Events 8 now you don’t. Everything is many of his paradoxical statements live on as koans in up the conjuror’s sleeve. Our the Rinzai tradition. Sangha Picnic 9 lives are just appearance and disappearance. Can we look at all things like that – appreciate them in the moment Baizhang (720–814) was Mazu’s most eminent Zen Center Notes 12 and then let them go, realizing that they have no inde- disciple. He is credited with formulating the rules of pendent existence? monastic practice, and also for the development of the Front Cover: Geoff Keeton self-sufficient Chan (Zen) monasteries that were not Today we will look at case 53 in the Biyanlu, The dependent on government largess. He emphasized the Back Cover: Jeff Black Blue Cliff Record (Hekiganroku in Japanese): Baizhang value of samu, manual labor, as a central practice for the and the Wild Duck. Zen monk. His most famous saying is, “A day without work is a day without eating.” He was the teacher of Once when Mazu was out walking with his disciple such worthies as Huangbo and Guishan. Baizhang, he saw a wild duck fly past. Mazu said, “What is it?” Once when Mazu was out walking with his disciple Baizhang, he saw a wild duck fly past. Mazu said, “What Baizhang replied, “It is a wild duck.” is it?” Mazu said, “Where has it gone?” Baizhang replied, “It is a wild duck.” Baizhang said, “It has flown away.” Mazu asks a seemingly innocent question and Mazu then twisted Baizhang’s nose. Baizhang cried out Baizhang gives a seemingly innocent answer. So, do we in pain. Mazu said, “Has it indeed flown away?” all know what will happen here? Aha! The naïve student Mountains Talking is the quarterly newsletter of the Zen Center of Denver, a Buddhist and the brilliant master. Baizhang is about to get nailed. Mazu (709 – 788) was a dharma grandson of the sangha offering authentic Zen practice and training. For more information, contact: But the commentator Yuanwu pulls a switch; he writes: sixth Chinese ancestor, Huineng. He and Dharma brother Shih-t’ou were the seminal figures of 8th century If you observe this with the correct eye, unexpectedly it’s Zen Center of Denver Chinese Chan. Here is what Heinrich Dumoulin writes Pai Chang who has the correct basis, whereas Great Master P.O. Box 101013 in his history of Zen Buddhism : Ma is creating waves where there is no wind. If all of you Denver, CO 80250 want to be teachers of Buddhas and Patriarchs, then study 303-455-1500 In the center of the new Zen movement stand two Pai Chang. If you want to be unable to save even yourselves, [email protected] masters Ma-tsu and Shih-t’ou, both belonging to the third then study the Great Master Ma. generation after Hui-neng. The Zen chronicles describe the Find us on the web at www.zencenterofdenver.org new surge of energy in moving terms: “West of the river the What is that? It’s a wild duck. What is that? It’s a And on Facebook at www.facebook.com/zencenterofdenver great Solitary One (Ma-tsu) is the master. South of the lake crow perched in a tree. What is that? It’s a car passing by, Stone Head (Shih-t’ou) is the master. People gather there it’s a child playing, it’s a homeless man at the intersec- Editor: Joel Tagert in crowds. Whoever has not seen the two great masters is tion. What is this? It’s a lectern. Why get “Zenny” about regarded as an ignoramus.” Continued p. 10 1 such as dokusan rooms, bathrooms, kitchen, foyer and Already placed in a quiet neighborhood, the property is dining room. bounded on its south side by Prairie Park (pictured left), a narrow stretch of open grassland that rings with cicadas Auxiliary spaces needed for sesshin, such as dorms and in the summer and fall. Perhaps a year or two from now showers, would require the addition of a second floor. we may accompany them with the ringing of densho and While we will certainly investigate these costs, it is pos- keisu. sible we will not be able to afford the additional square footage with the funds on hand, and the board is firmly As Ken Sensei wrote in the board’s announcement of the committed to avoiding taking on any debt. This being sale: the case, the ability to hold overnight retreats may have to wait on a second phase of construction at some point “It occurred to me in our discussions that one of the in the future. most important things a sangha can do is build a tem- ple – a sacred space in which to engage in the most Even so, we are confident we can build a beautiful tem- important work any of us can do in our lives. After over ple exceptionally well suited to our daily practice needs, a year as nomads, we are embarking on the next phase of while continuing to hold sesshin off-site as needed. The our transition to a new home. It is a huge project and a Columbine property is very accessible via most modes of very exciting one. We hope that all who wish to will get transportation, including by car (via I-25), light rail, bus involved.” and bicycle. As our current practice spaces (the Rocky Mountain Miracle Center and Mayu Sanctuary) are both As a last note, if you would like to drive by to see the located nearby, we enter the purchase with some assur- property, feel free; however, please note that the current ance that most members will not be too inconvenienced resident will continue to live there under a rental agree- by the new location. ment for some months to come, so please do not disturb her. Columbine, We Meet Again We’ve purchased a property! Well, nearly. be said that there remains a possibility – a small one, perhaps, but a possibility – that we may yet encounter After a great deal of sangha discussion and consideration, insuperable problems that prevent us from building as the ZCD’s board of directors has voted to proceed with planned. However, given the strong Denver real estate the purchase of a 12,000-square-foot property at 1856 market, the board believes the purchase presents limited South Columbine Street, not far from the University financial risk to the Center in the event we decide to sell of Denver campus. (Old-timers may note with some rather than build. amusement our return to Columbine Street, where the ZCD’s original temple was founded in 1974.) We have Disclaimer aside, the Columbine property offers many been under contract for some time now, and the official advantages for our sangha. At 12,000 square feet it is closing date is October 13. fairly sizable, allowing a building footprint of about 4,300 square feet with plenty of space remaining for a With this purchase, we may now move forward in garden and up to nine or ten parking spaces off the alley. planning the construction of a new Zen temple tailored The building footprint should allow us to fulfill our to our needs. It must be said at the outset that we are base requirements on a wheelchair-accessible first level, only in the preliminary phases of this process, and many including a 1,500-square-foot zendo and ancillary spaces questions of cost and feasibility remain. It must also The property occupies lots 17, 18 and 19 on the survey. 2 3 One evening was a sitting with the whole sangha, fol- Diamond Sangha Teach- lowed by a panel of five teachers addressing various top- ics with questions and answers. Karin Sensei was one of ers’ Circle the panelists. The topics were timely and brought forth This was the fourth DSTC meeting that I have had the by the Honolulu Sangha and included suggestions for privilege to attend. As you can imagine, it is rare to be strengthening lay practice, how is the current mindful- able to share the ins and outs of Zen practice, training ness trend impacting Zen and how we deal with the self and teaching with such wise and wonderful friends in that needs bolstering while simultaneously forgetting the the dharma. self. Apparently there were a few first-time attendees to the Honolulu Diamond Sangha sitting that evening who Our meeting was rich and full of laughter, insight, wondered if this happens every Wednesday night.