Walking Mountains“The green mountains are always walking” — Daokai

VOLUME 28, ISSUE 8nOVEMbEr 2016

The Vermont Zen Center’s mission is to create a peace-ful and inviting environ-ment to support those who seek wisdom, compassion, joy, and equanimity within a Buddhist context. The two-fold practice of the Center is to overcome the causes of suffering through spiritual development and to alleviate the world’s suffering through outreach activities and the cultivation of a caring atti-tude to the earth. (continued on page 2)

Dear Sangha and Friends, It’s election time here in our world, and we can certainly see evidence of the six realms of existence (hells, hungry ghosts, animal, human, titan and deva) throughout the past few months and the previous year. It’s so easy for our own thoughts and minds to fall prey to any one of them. Listening and watching the news, Facebook, and Twitter only adds fuel to the fire.

We can be grateful for the Term Student Program that ends later this month to help us through this challenging time. How fortunate we are that the Great Jukai Ceremony takes place at the Center this very month and in this particular year. Walking through these realms we are reminded of the endless cycle of birth and death. This makes us even more grateful to have the good karma to be born a human, to have found this practice, and to have a teacher, a Sangha, and a temple. And then we move into the Thanksgiving Ceremony and the opportunity to express our gratitude. Please join us.

— Joan White

Baby in Trainingby Shelley O’Brien

InsIde ThIs Issue

Baby in Training

Orbiting the Big Planet

Dharma Gifts

Great Jukai

Ceremony Schedule

Calendar

Term Student News

Workdays

Thanksgiving

B ringing my 3 month old daughter Clara to the Vermont

Training Program was such a valuable experience for me. It proved to me that practice need never be put on hold while you raise a family. The very thought that there is practice and there is family and they are two separate things that you need to negotiate was

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happily proven to be totally false to me during the course of the training week.

On the first day, we got along fairly well as Clara seamlessly transitioned from falling asleep in a Sangha nanny’s arms in the morning to bouncing in the dining room over breakfast and lunch, to me wearing her in a carrier, while watering the flowers in the afternoon. by 3:40, we were in our room in the midst of a long feeding session. Just as we were getting going, I heard a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” I said. “It’s roshi,” came the reply.

She popped her head in and said that there was no one scheduled to lead the Prajna Paramita, and could I do it? I put on my rakusu and walked into the buddha Hall a few minutes later, holding Clara and realizing that there was nowhere to put her down! roshi turned and I handed Clara to her and took a seat at the kesu.

“GOnG!” At that, Clara opened up her mouth and let out a very loud scream.

“GOnG!” the screaming continued. I beckoned to roshi to hand her to me, and we carried on, all somehow managing to chant with poor unhappy Clara letting us know just how easy it is to be heard over a room of twenty chanting Zen trainees.

Despite changing her environment each afternoon, Clara screamed each time we started the Prajna Paramita. The bells and

(continued from page 1)

sounds were just too much for her new ears. However, miraculously, by the last day during the closing ceremony she had finally gotten used to the bells, and fell fast asleep while we all expressed our immense gratitude at the opportunity to attend this program.

To be given this opportunity to practice with Clara in tow was so precious. Everyone in the training program gracefully moved around our disruptions and offered us help at every turn. The incredible flexibility of the Sangha and my teacher was so moving, it created in me more determination to do my absolute best , in practice and in motherhood.

Clara and I spent the week lifted and held by a thousand arms:

the arms of the beautiful Center providing such a open space for us to be ourselves; the arms of the 20 members of the training program and the Sangha nannies that came for the morning and evening sittings so I could attend dokusan; the arms of our teacher who didn’t bat an eye throughout the week. no matter what transpired, there was a way to work it out.

Through it all I also felt Clara’s arms around me, holding on so tightly, teaching me precisely how to serve and precisely how to love (precisely how to practice!).

Practicing with your baby daughter through crying, eating, playing and sleeping is still of course, just practice. It wasn’t perfect, but it sure was perfectly wonderful! —

Practicing with your baby daughter through

crying, eating, playing and sleeping is still of

course, just practice. It wasn’t perfect, but it sure

was perfectly wonderful!

“

”

November 2016 Walking Mountains 3

by Larry Johanson

A fter a surfeit of Cnn, the ongoing spectacle of the

US presidential elections, and news of random terrorist attacks across the world I began to feel jaded, tired and a bit overwhelmed by the suffering I saw on television and read about on various news channels.

normally I never get to this stage because over the course of any year I retreat to sesshins at least two to three times where I empty myself of the accumulated stress and tension of “living the full catastrophe,” as Zorba the Greek so vividly describes the reality of everyday life.

For a number of reasons I had not been to the Center since April of 2015. Although I sit almost every day at home, my practice had become weak and flabby and my sense of connection to my teacher began to wane. This alarmed me because I’ve always felt my relationship to my teacher to be like a small planet, orbiting in the gravitational field of a big planet,

staying aligned and balanced as long as it stayed within the gravitational field of that planet.

I had begun to wobble, knew I was in trouble, and decided that I needed a double dose of my teacher’s gravitational pull to get back into alignment and balance. So I decided to enroll in the training program and segue into the August seven day sesshin.

roshi’s opening teisho for the beginning of the training program was the 13th koan in the Mumonkan, Tokusan Carries His Bowls. Occasionally she slapped the lectern with such vigor and force that someone on my left kept jumping out of his or her seat with a “Huh!” Seppo, if he were present, would have had to sit up and take note and Ganto would have doubled over with laughter relieved that Tokusan had finally gotten the last word of Zen!

As for me, the gravitational pull I felt, confirmed that I was once again

Orbiting the Big Planet

—

in the orbit of the big planet. Over the course of the week, with no distraction from radio or TV, I tuned in to the all-pervading silence that comes with zazen; the twitter of birds in the morning; wisps of white clouds gently gliding across the sky; leaves shimmering and shimmying in the gentle breeze; the smell of incense; the taste of the delightful and delectable food and desserts; Clara cooing one moment and squealing the next even as we chanted the Prajna Paramita; the laughter and chatter of my fellow trainees when talking was permitted.

The world had become once again a symphony of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and pleasant thoughts. I felt infused with new energy and inspired by my teacher and my Dharma brothers and sisters. no more wobbling for the time being but circling in my proper orbit around the big planet. True training, as our teacher says, has to be with one’s teacher with one’s Dharma brothers and sisters. So true.

At the closing ceremony, filled with gratitude, I vowed that going forward, karma willing, I’ll be baack! Palm to Palm.

—

T ravelling to Vermont with my Dharma sister Lynne

and Dharma brother Larry is a gift in itself, a time to share our lives. We exchange family stories and offer each other words of support, but there is also laughter and joy: the joy of being together blended with the joy of being en route to two weeks of Dharma practice with our teacher and dear sister Sangha. Seeing and reconnecting with our Vermont

dharma Giftsby Marielle LeBlanc

Sangha is a vital part of this spiritual journey we are on.

Sitting with Sangha for extended times always develops these deep invisible bonds. This happens in sesshin, of course, where we sit, chant, and work together all day in silence. but it also occurs during the training program. And, here there is also the opportunity to meet and talk with each other to deepen existing friendships and make new ones.

After a 5-day training program, sesshin begins. I feel rooted into my

practice and deeply connected to the triple Sangha I’m about to sit with in silence for 7 days. Then, at the snap of a finger, it’s all over. There is a little time to reconnect with everyone with feelings of joy and buoyancy and a clearer mind.

Time to return to Toronto, more sweet time to connect with my Dharma brother and sister. This is, I realize, a rare opportunity since we live far apart from each other. I feel so much gratitude for all these gifts. How lucky we are!

4 Walking Mountains November 2016

Great Jukai—The Ceremony of entering the Buddha’s Way

On Sunday, november 13,

at 5:00 p.m., the Center

will hold a ceremony of Great

Jukai. There is no morning sitting

that day. While Jukai has been held

many times over the past 28 years,

Great Jukai has been held only a

few times. What is different about

this ceremony?

In the usual Jukai, there

is chanting, incense offering,

repentance, and taking of the

Sixteen Precepts—the Three

Treasures, Three General

resolutions, and Ten Cardinal

Precepts. In Great Jukai, we do all

this, but prior to that participants

pass through the Wheel of Samsara:

different areas in the Center

portraying the six unenlightened

realms of existence. The ceremony

itself is longer and more elaborate

with a dramatic burning of klesa

papers, representing our ego

defilements, taking place after the

repentance ceremony.

Six Realms of Existence

The six unenlightened realms

that everyone passes through

on their way to the zendo are

those of hell, hungry ghosts,

animals, human beings, titans,

and devas. Each of these realms

forms a segment on the Wheel of

Life. beings in these realms are

conditioned by ego-based notions

of a separate self, which desires

everything that satisfies it and

rejects everything that opposes

it. At the hub of the Wheel is ego,

embodied by the defilements of

greed, anger, and ignorance.

The Wheel of Life is set in

motion by actions stemming

from our basic ignorance of the

nature of existence and by karmic

propensities from incalculable

past lifetimes. Our craving for the

pleasures of the senses and our

clinging to them keep this Wheel

revolving and thereby lead to an

unending cycle of births, deaths,

and rebirths to which we remain

bound until full awakening.

Kannon Bodhisattva

In each of the six realms, the

bodhisattva Kannon appears,

representing the omnipresence

of absolute compassion, a

manifestation of the enlightened

Mind common to all beings. The

bodhisattva has a different color

in each realm and she bears gifts

appropriate to the needs of the

inhabitants. In hell, she carries

the flame of purification; in the

realm of hungry ghosts, she

offers spiritual food and drink to

liberate the tortured spirits from

their unquenchable greed; in the

animal realm she holds a book,

since animals are driven by blind

instinct; in the realm of titans—who

understand only the language of

force and violence—she brandishes

the flaming sword of wisdom; to

the devas, she plays the melody

of impermanence on a lute; and

among the humans, she carries a

staff and begging bowl, pointing

out the way of ultimate liberation

which humans alone are capable of

following.

Yamaraja and the Klesa

In traversing the six realms,

one comes first before Yamaraja,

the “Lord of Death,” who holds up

his mirror of karma. Yamaraja does

not condemn, but rather, through

this mirror, allows each person to

pronounce his or her own judgment

as to their former and future life.

Yamaraja himself may also be seen

as an aspect of Kannon, who, out

of compassion, stirs an individual’s

innate need for liberation. Thus,

what might otherwise be suffering

is transformed into that which has

the power to cleanse and purify.

November 2016 Walking Mountains 5

From Yamaraja each member will

receive the klesa paper, symbolic of

one’s greed, anger, and ignorance,

which will be offered up at the altar

and then burned prior to taking the

Precepts. The klesa is represented

by a cock, signifying desires,

passions and greedy attachment;

a pig, symbolizing ignorance and

delusion; and a snake, representing

anger and hatred. In the traditional

depiction the animals are shown

biting one another’s tails.

Significance of Jukai

Of the Jukai ceremony itself,

Zen Master Dogen said, “The

buddhas and Patriarchs have all

stated that receiving the precepts

is the first step to entering the

Way.” Zen Master bassui said, “The

precepts are a shortcut for entering

the buddha gate.” Taking Jukai

is essential for those who wish to

practice Zen as a buddhist. In fact,

it is not until participating in this

ceremony that you can truly be said

to be a member of the buddha’s

family. This is because the Precepts

lay the foundation for practice in

the buddhadharma, setting forth

the ethical and spiritual mores for

following the Way of the buddha.

It is customary to take Jukai as

often as possible. Each time you

participate in this ceremony, your

resolve to practice and realize the

buddha’s Dharma grows stronger.

Important Details—Please Read Carefully

At Great Jukai, after

passing through the Six realms,

participants will enter the buddha

Hall to make repentance and

take the Three refuges, the Three

General resolutions, and the Ten

Cardinal Precepts. Jukai also entails

making a monetary donation to

the teacher, called an “incense

offering” which

is presented at

the altar. This

traditional gift

represents the

practitioner’s

desire to

support the

teacher’s work

in propagating

buddhism.

because this

is one of the most

solemn rituals we observe at the

Center, please be sure to wear

a clean and pressed robe if you

have one. If not, wear dark, solid-

colored clothing or, better yet,

borrow a robe from the Center. It

is also customary to bathe before

receiving Jukai and to clean one’s

living quarters as well. Children

old enough to participate in the

ceremony are welcome to attend.

Please be aware, though, that

some of the realms—in particular

the realm of Hell—may be

frightening to younger children.

(You may wish to skip that realm

if you are with a young child.)

Only practicing members of the

Sangha and their families may

attend. Please do not invite friends

who are not practicing buddhists.

Those receiving rakusus and

buddhist names will have their

ceremony in the reception room

of the buddha building prior to

Great Jukai.

Please note that for this

ceremony, people will enter

the Center via the Zen Garden

sliding doors in the Buddha

Building. More details will be

given closer to Great Jukai via

email. no one should enter the

Center through the front door.

We sincerely hope you will

join us for this special ceremony of

Entering the buddha’s Way.—

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6:45–8:30 p.m.

5 p.m.

10 a.m.–noon

9–11 a.m.

Expanded Ceremony of Entering the Way of the Bud-

dha passing through the six realm of existence. This

ceremony takes place once every 3-5 years.

To restore the Center to its pre-realm condition.

The Sangha is invited to the ceremony commemorat-

ing the successful end of the three Term Student pro-

grams. Reception afterwards. Please lend a hand if you can.

Zazen followed by ceremony of gratitude.

Please bring a packaged VEGETARIAN food offering for

the food shelf. Refreshments afterwards. Families and

guests welcome!

To set up for the ceremony on Sunday. Help Needed!

6:45–9:00 p.m.

November 2016 Walking Mountains 7

F or the past few weeks,

sittings have been full and,

as people have been devoting extra time

to sitting and other spiritual activities, a

corresponding increase in energy both

in and out of the zendo is evident. The

Term Student Program ends on Thursday,

November 17, with a special ceremony.

Family members are cordially invited to

attend, as are all Sangha members. We

hope you will come to celebrate the end

of the successful intensification of practice

by all 49 participants in this year’s

program, the largest we’ve ever had.

Term student newsTo prepare for the upcoming ceremonies of Great Jukai and Thanksgiving there will be several workdays at the Center. The workdays for Great Jukai are on Thursday, November 10 (during the usual sitting time); all day Friday, November 11; and Saturday, November 12 (starting as early as people wish and continuing as long as needed). Meals will be provided. There will also be a rehearsal for those involved in the ceremony on Sunday morning, November 13 at 10 a.m.

The workday for the Thanksgiving Ceremony is on Saturday, November 19, 10 a.m. until noon.

Workdays at the Center

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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November 2016

PM ZAZEN Sesshin Deadline

Throughout the Term Student Program, on Tuesday evenings there will be a very short sitting followed by a meeting in the Buddha Hall for Term Students only. Non-participants are welcome to continue sitting informally in the zendo.

Term Student Meeting

Teisho

Term Student Closing Ceremony

(All Programs)

Great Jukai Ceremony Workdays

PM ZAZEN

GREATJUKAI

ZEN CENTER CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK 11/21–28

Term Student Meeting

THANKSGIVING CEREMONY

Tai Chi Course 4

ZEN CENTER CLOSED

Ceremony Workday

AM ZAZEN TUE-FRI

AM ZAZEN MON-FRI

AM ZAZEN TUE-FRI

Tai Chi Course 1

Tai Chi Course 2

Tai Chi Course 3

Sitting and Workshop

Prep

WORKSHOP

Great Jukai Cleanup Workday

ZEN CENTER CLOSED

CR Sesshin

AM ZAZEN TUE-FRI

PM ZAZEN

PM ZAZEN

COnTrIBuTOrs:• Maria Delia Crosby, layout

• Roshi Sunyana Graef

• Larry Johanson

• Marielle LeBlanc

• Shelley O’Brien

• Greg Sheldon, copy editor

• Kelly Story, production

• Joan White, editor

Autumn evening;

A crow p erched

On a withered bough.

— Basho

A Ceremony of Thanksgiving will be held on Sunday, November 20 at 10:00 a.m., after an hour-long informal sitting. Family members of all ages are welcome to attend this special ceremony; everyone is invited to attend the sitting, too, if they wish. non-sitters could also wait in the living room or come at 10:00. The sitting begins at the usual time of 9:00 a.m. There will be no dokusan.

Thanksgiving Ceremony—expressing Our Gratitude

During our annual Thanksgiving ceremony, we make food offerings, read words of gratitude, chant, offer incense, circumambulate, and end with a special gatha of gratitude. Afterwards, join us for pie, cider, and bagels.

Please remember to bring a packaged vegetarian food offering for the emergency food shelf. This will be presented at the altar as part of the ceremony.—

Vermont Zen CenterPost Office Box 880Shelburne, VT 05482

802-985-9746www.vermontzen.org

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDShelburne, VTPermit No. 60