tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62047461906676067932024-03-13T06:21:43.483-07:00firefly hallMelissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.comBlogger277125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-86432948381054463272024-01-29T07:39:00.000-08:002024-02-02T12:23:46.943-08:00Taking the Precepts (Jukai at Boundless Way Zen Temple, January 2024)<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEpeWv4d7Phv8zaEpiQesgvMz-X8BHIvDIm1xZhz_mcJI2eEGzgQlqK-wBwwVB9m0p_p5bvUPxOpvltXZzNnHCbimUn_I4Q-Vfq1rDcjkMW8n_d1XxZLxzRG5bmBinMZGGlRxibjAn0Q-sQHI-Aqz1bMp8HyHVgG5KWbOnM5gzj536QZFS_b5MAl-Vl1t/s4080/PXL_20240120_231622756.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEpeWv4d7Phv8zaEpiQesgvMz-X8BHIvDIm1xZhz_mcJI2eEGzgQlqK-wBwwVB9m0p_p5bvUPxOpvltXZzNnHCbimUn_I4Q-Vfq1rDcjkMW8n_d1XxZLxzRG5bmBinMZGGlRxibjAn0Q-sQHI-Aqz1bMp8HyHVgG5KWbOnM5gzj536QZFS_b5MAl-Vl1t/s320/PXL_20240120_231622756.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teachers and Initiates </td></tr></tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMt0oWPUQqviiebu-F9b9PYrZ9UvcVojbbvatmGMPc6GQSmdl_HtLW8EEMwxyXegXIW43SstBYwbj_1a3MjSw33p1YQum737PLJ3iDrhL7Zw6FL7t4kdBt1snjhqWzdPy1zgkEWnmelb4fWHh_-kl8e67eza2KS56XvRgyxB9AVB5f7vT5j54UUPY16hK/s4032/IMG_4040.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXMt0oWPUQqviiebu-F9b9PYrZ9UvcVojbbvatmGMPc6GQSmdl_HtLW8EEMwxyXegXIW43SstBYwbj_1a3MjSw33p1YQum737PLJ3iDrhL7Zw6FL7t4kdBt1snjhqWzdPy1zgkEWnmelb4fWHh_-kl8e67eza2KS56XvRgyxB9AVB5f7vT5j54UUPY16hK/s320/IMG_4040.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madhu and me</td></tr></tbody></table>Last weekend, six Boundless Way Zen Temple students received the 16 Bodhisattva precepts from the four transmitted teachers. David Rōshi and I spent some quality time finding appropriate names that both describe the current quality of the student's practice and hopes for the future -- aspiration names, which we wrote on the backs of the rakusus that were sewed by the students themselves. Dharma Holders Alan and Michael also helped with coming up with ideas for names and signing and stamping. <p></p><p>Above are some happy pictures of us all. The ceremony was hybrid -- people attended in person at the Temple and also on zoom, including one of our initiates from the UK. Here is the list of the people who received jukai, along with their dharma names in Romanized Japanese, Kanji, English:</p><p>Brad Roth (Kyо̄gyо̄): 協行 Flowing Action</p><p>Deb Haas (Shо̄kyo): 正居 Authentic Presence</p><p>David Linshaw (Myо̄chi): 明知 Bright Knowledge</p><p>Bix Spanierman (Shindо̄): 深道 Profound Path</p><p>Madhusmita Dhakal (Yūen): 勇炎 Courageous Flame</p><p>Susann Herrmann (Tokushin): 篤心 Devoted Heart</p><p>Taking the precepts is a step on the path of Zen that is determined by an individual student in consultation with their teacher. Having a moral and ethical sense of what it means to be a human being is an important balance for the practice, which usually involves "taking the backward step" as Dōgen calls it. Jukai is taking the forward step, into the world which needs our attention and healing energy.</p><p>Congratulations to everyone who took jukai!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-18473453335454049202024-01-10T09:11:00.000-08:002024-01-10T09:11:31.868-08:00Great Bodhisattva November Sesshin, Running Still December Rohatsu Sesshin and Snow Falling on Bare Branches January Sesshin<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EpmZg4o0LWKOPPIcsiYBY4FN2e9XbYm1T8fPdSYs7vHXSAQEUfaAa_Nuf1ptvcLOCtL3fa-E_WyzwpQRzBOEZ6hnYrry4zblyhfdv79rB5bL_4kpRKo-qNg_LwFKYDeo-Wc70mebDvc0awHr5Eas_pz22V9Um8mYn8oZ86cq3dFhd07K11GZrJggJDIr/s3264/November%202023%20sesshin.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1872" data-original-width="3264" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EpmZg4o0LWKOPPIcsiYBY4FN2e9XbYm1T8fPdSYs7vHXSAQEUfaAa_Nuf1ptvcLOCtL3fa-E_WyzwpQRzBOEZ6hnYrry4zblyhfdv79rB5bL_4kpRKo-qNg_LwFKYDeo-Wc70mebDvc0awHr5Eas_pz22V9Um8mYn8oZ86cq3dFhd07K11GZrJggJDIr/s320/November%202023%20sesshin.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> November 2023 sesshin</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72jCaj6EcNx9exwexKnw-i6zMwVirBRVuSQI7moA80-RU4-XlLhbg_gUKtPXXSreE-l7IL_JgleRixaMQiYYs-lBKCkYFQXRneFaKK6KX9ZrkpSJnMk1bCkddPR-UuKEXG5UTQ98p4tuSLTC0TJ35owqeGEZ7zDskrHRaeQZ_CfqzcmzYbqltM_UzKCCt/s3294/January%202024%20sesshin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1893" data-original-width="3294" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72jCaj6EcNx9exwexKnw-i6zMwVirBRVuSQI7moA80-RU4-XlLhbg_gUKtPXXSreE-l7IL_JgleRixaMQiYYs-lBKCkYFQXRneFaKK6KX9ZrkpSJnMk1bCkddPR-UuKEXG5UTQ98p4tuSLTC0TJ35owqeGEZ7zDskrHRaeQZ_CfqzcmzYbqltM_UzKCCt/s320/January%202024%20sesshin.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> January 2024 sesshin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Since I last wrote in this blog, Boundless Way Zen Temple has hosted three sesshins, in November and December, 2023 and in January 2024. All three were wonderful in their own ways, as usual. November and January were entirely on Zoom, which continues to be a platform for deep practice in two dimensions. Our December sesshin was in person at the Temple, and for the first time since the pandemic began, we suspended our requirement for negative covid tests before arrival. Sadly, we couldn't have predicted the rise in covid cases beginning in early December, and so we had to end the sesshin a little early when one participant tested positive for covid and we had to send them home. We ended the sesshin early, although most people stayed at the Temple to help with clean-up and care for the Temple before leaving. Around a third of our participants came down with covid within 10 days of leaving (including me). Naturally, we will reinstate the testing policy for our next sesshin, scheduled to be a hybrid, with in person and Zoom options, in early February. We decided not to take a photo on the last day, as we usually do.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I have been reflecting on the Five Remembrances quite a bit while recovering from covid -- it's really true that we are all of the nature to have ill health, as if I needed a reminder. Resting, canceling appointments, missing Christmas and New Year's with our children and grandchildren, rescheduling our December precepts ceremony have been some of the karmic consequences of being in a human body. While it's all unavoidable, I did have the delusion that I wouldn't contract covid, having indeed avoided it for the first four years of the pandemic. All unfolds as it unfolds, and I'm glad for all the learning. May all of you who read this blog have the best health that is possible for you, as one version of the lovingkindness instructions say.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Happy New Year!</div><br /></div><br /> <p></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-15727758965917387602023-12-07T08:56:00.000-08:002023-12-07T08:56:43.790-08:00The Mindset That Steals Your Joy<p><br /></p><p>I had the great good fortune to be interviewed by Dr. Kasim Al-Mashat, a Canadian mindfulness teacher. We enjoyed each other's company, and hopefully some of that comes through in this conversation, available on Youtube.</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/5kfRkk1MOdM?si=lH5g4dpgh5eFKBx8">The Mindset That Steals Your Joy</a> </p><p>May you find joy in the nidst of the darkness and sorrow of this burning world!</p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-67394800668345716352023-10-11T11:47:00.001-07:002023-10-11T11:56:11.132-07:00Photos from the Boundless Way Zen Temple August and October Sesshins<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-bDPqfUNKgE1Kc0NQ4WL2IrKD-A1HJQyiGPonL8hcp1Obyb1rigeJ1C33uXAOSs8wbpXeUMg-iglozIr1W3H1MPX_rKGPnVb9geoXXGsHb0MqkA9wH9zaVcQMjVbNhLIm1bmR6oe3FjTCAQ_aGEVeNQ_4UZ11wCC_UStJovnOD6T8Kc4KpaD4fEIgSRh/s1200/Aug%202023.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-bDPqfUNKgE1Kc0NQ4WL2IrKD-A1HJQyiGPonL8hcp1Obyb1rigeJ1C33uXAOSs8wbpXeUMg-iglozIr1W3H1MPX_rKGPnVb9geoXXGsHb0MqkA9wH9zaVcQMjVbNhLIm1bmR6oe3FjTCAQ_aGEVeNQ_4UZ11wCC_UStJovnOD6T8Kc4KpaD4fEIgSRh/s320/Aug%202023.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hospital for Hearts Broken Open August Sesshin</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2Ky4-QGolqSYStfmJeNsM1C-Id89elm5gxZsFkjjoPUDQ-ElcryJfP08hJlWFdzJhYve2TNVGAZn9qfLyFumVn1dmDC44KkpUjuVuOCrJvLJUDV_nm0QBR5pQEAqWNezmDGYJVkUsL_hvUXIYVIMln3My9PlID7_XuqmGmxhzferAzgRg8OO1HJB58VI/s3322/October%202023%20Sesshin%20Photo.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1895" data-original-width="3322" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2Ky4-QGolqSYStfmJeNsM1C-Id89elm5gxZsFkjjoPUDQ-ElcryJfP08hJlWFdzJhYve2TNVGAZn9qfLyFumVn1dmDC44KkpUjuVuOCrJvLJUDV_nm0QBR5pQEAqWNezmDGYJVkUsL_hvUXIYVIMln3My9PlID7_XuqmGmxhzferAzgRg8OO1HJB58VI/s320/October%202023%20Sesshin%20Photo.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindness and Compassion October Sesshin<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /> <p></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-2777987045499476592023-08-04T09:23:00.001-07:002023-08-04T09:23:37.346-07:00Hakuin's Song of Zazen paraphrased by Nyogen Senzaki<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSv8w5V127iKrH1v0jV5Hxiag1wpscVQH84OJNDoPF4-nKv-yru8Rcn-ndDLk0eVJ8ePVIhC8rOt5LpZsabjyLeFqQGN-NJkTLylLxUzFgadZlFqlk7yVewfYW0vQafWbWCjmdWqneF26SN6g0BQdQO_n-A1GE_avgKi6s2NuAhzDujX2amGTcOspdmYz/s267/Nyogen%20Senzaki.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSv8w5V127iKrH1v0jV5Hxiag1wpscVQH84OJNDoPF4-nKv-yru8Rcn-ndDLk0eVJ8ePVIhC8rOt5LpZsabjyLeFqQGN-NJkTLylLxUzFgadZlFqlk7yVewfYW0vQafWbWCjmdWqneF26SN6g0BQdQO_n-A1GE_avgKi6s2NuAhzDujX2amGTcOspdmYz/s1600/Nyogen%20Senzaki.jpeg" width="189" /></a></div><p><br /></p>My dear friend Dosho Port, Rōshi found the following text in his garage -- an unpublished manuscript probably given to him by his first teacher Maezumi Rōshi -- a collection of translations of Hakuin Zenji's Song of Zazen, the first Zen text I fell in love with myself. It's from Nyogen Senzaki (1876-1958) a great Japanese Zen teacher who was one of the pioneers in bringing Zen to the United States in the last century. Dosho Rōshi writes on his blog that it's not really a translation, but more of a paraphrase. I find it inspiring and beautiful. Here it is:<p></p><p><i>From the very beginning you are a Buddha. As there is no ice apart from water, so there is no Buddha outside our fellow-beings. People fail to perceive the truth, though it is within them, and they search afar for it. They suffer thirst, failing to see the fountain near at hand. They are in poverty, forgetting that they are heirs to boundless wealth.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>You say that you are suffering. You only suffer because of your own ignorance. Light your prajna, the inner wisdom, and darkness will instantly vanish. That is what we call zazen, Mahayana Dhyana.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>I can not tell you how zazen, Mahayana Dhyana, does its marvelous work for you. No other study, however sublime, surpasses it. It stands beyond comparison. You can experience it by yourself. The errors of the past will no longer harass you. Where is hell? You left it in yesterday's dream. Where is paradise? You are standing in it.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>If you praise zazen, Mahayana Dhyana, you are drawing yourself next to the Buddha. If you practice zazen, Mahayana Dhyana, you are actually walking in the path of the Buddhas. When you realize that your true self is not-self then your mind will transcend all thoughts.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>Thus the gate of true freedom will be opened, and you will enter the holy path rightfully. Your karma will be the emanations of Buddha's wisdom and grace. You can now come and go when ever and where ever you please, for the truth is yours, and you have nothing to do but to manifest it. Even your singing and dancing will actualize Buddha-Dharma. The whole world will be beautiful to your eyes.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>In the infinite sky of Samadhi, the moon of the Tathagata's four wisdoms is shining, yet its rays of silvery light are the reflections of your true self. Now what else do you want in this world? The long sought Nirvana is yours. You live in Buddha's paradise of lotus flowers, and you are a Buddha yourself.</i></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-66100145238882963562023-06-28T08:10:00.001-07:002023-06-28T09:06:22.153-07:00This Very Sesshin: June 2023 <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1nVs_zX97N1nSU10HXEY9pBuDbzqHRzlMmkO8d-2teCdi5WYDJ3rECGTdtuiatKTYs5gp0FVFOwTLXYceI3FbM2u_lMa5T8pGXC_ty7AgkkFPYfvtqsPzHM_eFAQKHqNLuIiAnIRURDLT1CpSp00hqFJ9xH7b04zytx_YBsTRqMO_csvXFTObnek_sfD/s3270/June%202023%20sesshin.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1872" data-original-width="3270" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1nVs_zX97N1nSU10HXEY9pBuDbzqHRzlMmkO8d-2teCdi5WYDJ3rECGTdtuiatKTYs5gp0FVFOwTLXYceI3FbM2u_lMa5T8pGXC_ty7AgkkFPYfvtqsPzHM_eFAQKHqNLuIiAnIRURDLT1CpSp00hqFJ9xH7b04zytx_YBsTRqMO_csvXFTObnek_sfD/s320/June%202023%20sesshin.png" width="320" /></a></div>This past weekend we completed our June sesshin, all online on Zoom, and lasting from Friday night to Sunday mid-day, our shortest sesshin of the eleven we offer each year. This gave a few people who were completely new to sesshin an opportunity to taste the flavor of Zen in the form of intensive practice. In addition, many of our long-time practitioners got refreshed through practicing together. Time seemed to be no obstacle, and also no matter.<p></p><p>Despite the brevity of our time together, the sesshin sangha, under the leadership of our tanto Rev. Corwyn Miyagishima, and his assistants Rev. Paul Galvin, Pierce Butler and Sabrina Miller, dove deeply into the Great Matter. David Rōshi, Dharma Holder Alan Richardson and I looked into the kōan from the Gateless Gate, case 30: "This very mind is Buddha." In the story, the student Damei asks the great teacher Ma, "What is Buddha? And Mazu answers, "This very mind is Buddha." Since one of the great discoveries we make in our study of Zen is that everything is Buddha, that is, everything is the awakened heart/mind, this short kōan gave us many pointers to knowing this for ourselves, through our actual lived experience. </p><p>Every sesshin is named by the tanto, and this particular one was named "This Very Sesshin" by Rev. Corwyn. Our next sesshin opportunities will be in July, August, September and October. More information can be found here:<a href="http://www.worcesterzen.org">Boundless Way Zen Temple</a>.</p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-47792855446928288362023-06-02T05:26:00.004-07:002023-06-02T05:26:33.497-07:00Comings and Goings<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXpE9Uqbg-UPhMyEtcOdEiLD-U5EPM2MiQJezN2UzdRh7jd-8jPeuV85FVoUcTv_5kvXAHr1sUcIBmppisjz4SVcGf7-2qd1UYuh4uEHqwWQfdyGjnDVAfh2zvdZFTMuwsD_Ufo1HguFNhHr_3ti1egwvOnmQLb03V7Ut19WRc5XuK45D9QygBOGvoA/s2816/IMG_0869.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2112" data-original-width="2816" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXpE9Uqbg-UPhMyEtcOdEiLD-U5EPM2MiQJezN2UzdRh7jd-8jPeuV85FVoUcTv_5kvXAHr1sUcIBmppisjz4SVcGf7-2qd1UYuh4uEHqwWQfdyGjnDVAfh2zvdZFTMuwsD_Ufo1HguFNhHr_3ti1egwvOnmQLb03V7Ut19WRc5XuK45D9QygBOGvoA/s320/IMG_0869.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2005 sesshin photo at Senexet House in Connecticut</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Someone sent me this photo recently. He didn't know where or when it was taken, but I managed to identify it, from the people and the colors of the rakusus, It was taken 18 years ago at the end of a sesshin at Senexet House, where Boundless Way folks used to meet to have our intensive meditation retreats. Looking over the photo, I have mixed thoughts and feelings -- the first thought being: "we were all so young!" A handful of people in the picture are still practicing with David and me in Boundless Way -- you may recognize some of those faces. And a few more have died and many more have gone on their way to other Zen communities, or to another kind of non-Zen life. So there is also nostalgia and some sadness. The main teaching for me that comes from this photo is how fragile our connections are to each other, to life, and to the dharma. Currently we have a dedicated and devoted group of practitioners in Boundless Way: over one hundred members of the organization, and many more who come and practice together on Zoom and in person. This morning there were nearly forty faces who showed up for dokusan, or just to practice zazen together. How many will be with us in 20 years? I myself, if I'm still alive, will be close to 90. Because everything comes and goes in this delicate system of connection, I am moved to be even more grateful for who is in my life right now. Thanks to all who are reading this, whether or not we've met or practiced together, for being here. Many bows to you all!<br /><p></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-28350360615983367042023-05-31T08:20:00.001-07:002023-05-31T08:21:23.407-07:00Two Sesshins: April 2023 Crying and Laughing and May 2023 Ducky Down <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWhVsiEE9B5p93q-spZo2W1U-66WWGPoaUPGc96k2ASH9VVorxuC2KNQ3V41hD1jBXZwp6Q6f88n6ZTkaICJatEsbOKjLiH8Xs8M9EQTaEluEfuMt1hWzxGBTc4LNCf1xpWkx--vbOvc5z-fSj2KRT5_TBj7j0GEyhDcugFRBuwwzayY-nRLYKHhgGiA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1716" data-original-width="3006" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWhVsiEE9B5p93q-spZo2W1U-66WWGPoaUPGc96k2ASH9VVorxuC2KNQ3V41hD1jBXZwp6Q6f88n6ZTkaICJatEsbOKjLiH8Xs8M9EQTaEluEfuMt1hWzxGBTc4LNCf1xpWkx--vbOvc5z-fSj2KRT5_TBj7j0GEyhDcugFRBuwwzayY-nRLYKHhgGiA=w320-h182" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">April Sesshin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rjlgjug1XVJ8WGQq9IFZ2QapVh_Hhf6n-sHT9TXeDk20Xc53hyEJckYHiLvFEHelNjXesXBytHh2In7xmQxZOrSdIj8Hxea9lTmXOIRbgZiolJLdjkI73FySHjmPyHCiYOXk50AlTxJ_iqWFIbX3oa9D9c4_g480_P3az25vZUHb9sdExgJzd5gVuA/s320/May%202023%20sesshin%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="320" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rjlgjug1XVJ8WGQq9IFZ2QapVh_Hhf6n-sHT9TXeDk20Xc53hyEJckYHiLvFEHelNjXesXBytHh2In7xmQxZOrSdIj8Hxea9lTmXOIRbgZiolJLdjkI73FySHjmPyHCiYOXk50AlTxJ_iqWFIbX3oa9D9c4_g480_P3az25vZUHb9sdExgJzd5gVuA/w320-h182/May%202023%20sesshin%20.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May Sesshin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>On the weekend of April 20 -- 24, 2023, we had an online only Zoom sesshin at the Temple. Our tanto, Rev. Paul Galvin, named it the "Crying and Laughing Sesshin" after an incident that followed our selected koan: Baizhang's Wild Duck, Case 53 from the Blue Cliff Record. In the story, Baizhang and his teacher Mazu have a dialogue about a duck, and later, Baizhang expresses his new view of reality with a fellow student, first by crying and then by laughing. (Or, depending on the translation source, in the reverse order.)<div><br /></div><div>And then in May 19 -- 22 we had our hybrid Ducky Down sesshin, named by our residential tanto, Jenny Smith, and based on a comment in our Dharma dialogue quoting a Sesame Street song, attached here for your delight: <a href="https://youtu.be/v6GKNGPDDKU">Put the Duckie Down</a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Dharma as conveyed by ducks!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></div>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-77822972408352414342023-03-22T08:06:00.000-07:002023-03-22T08:06:22.147-07:00Crest of the Wave March 2023 Sesshin<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtP3bRxKX0bD9hU6KmQ5LDq53ee_UTKDnKE3JSD981Rv7hSIkWgC4UprjKsT0SWG2V-WrdW-Ec6pXTS5Yxm-g9Tl21BVM5QFVuGkLLU0wXo7zYMQouqyv_5HNqeRBUaoansqMOKDvitc_b48z6hAc8t98CpayxZNc7fxgYtsqcMVtPLeRqh8Vqn_BDA/s1769/March%202023%20sesshin%20photo.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1167" data-original-width="1769" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBtP3bRxKX0bD9hU6KmQ5LDq53ee_UTKDnKE3JSD981Rv7hSIkWgC4UprjKsT0SWG2V-WrdW-Ec6pXTS5Yxm-g9Tl21BVM5QFVuGkLLU0wXo7zYMQouqyv_5HNqeRBUaoansqMOKDvitc_b48z6hAc8t98CpayxZNc7fxgYtsqcMVtPLeRqh8Vqn_BDA/s320/March%202023%20sesshin%20photo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Our first fully in person sesshin (Zen meditation retreat) for quite some time ended this past Monday, and here are most of the participants in a lovely group photo taken by Dharma Holder and Temple Director Michael Herzog. Michael was also the tanto (head seat/sesshin manager) for the weekend, along with Jenny Smith, who was the registrar and assistant tanto. The retreat was taught by David Rynick, Rōshi, Dharma Holder Alan Richardson and myself. We focused on a new translation of a kōan that appears in both the Blue Cliff Record collection as case 24 and the Book of Equanimity collection as case 60. It turns on the relationship between Guishan and his Dharma heir, known as Iron Grindstone Liu. Their friendship and connection, along with our own gratitude towards our ancestors who provided us with the forms of sesshin, permeated our silent practice throughout the weekend. Alan gave an encouragement talk about our present moment demonstration of our inheritance as the crest of a great wave of dharma, of the teachings that have been handed down to us for the last 2600 years, and the power of this was felt by all. If you are interested in experiencing this inherited energetic force, please consider registering for one or all of our next three sesshins. April will be on zoom only, May will be a hybrid of in person and zoom, and June will be a 2 day zoom only sesshin. More information is here: <a href="http://www.worcesterzen.org">Boundless Way Zen Temple</a>. As our home page on our website says: Welcome Home!<p></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-11952983658253904572023-03-03T09:25:00.002-08:002023-03-03T09:25:35.524-08:00Falling Here Sesshin<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDttojiPFfJVMyf6-cw6uqrDPaHAafvaVlXmwbF-a-ufyH-VcrfPI_vbKFkYOiqW6F1F2wXAz0IYfXI5b5fGBBRnaTtfl6gXz7WmlHDIZ_NGbx9hYsow50E4utLDxciWjOYZ4RKTQwJq7i7J1seUbnSe5di4GZDq6Z_ex7hwHJT8RYelfkpv-XI_OB2g/s2469/February%202023%20sesshin.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1878" data-original-width="2469" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDttojiPFfJVMyf6-cw6uqrDPaHAafvaVlXmwbF-a-ufyH-VcrfPI_vbKFkYOiqW6F1F2wXAz0IYfXI5b5fGBBRnaTtfl6gXz7WmlHDIZ_NGbx9hYsow50E4utLDxciWjOYZ4RKTQwJq7i7J1seUbnSe5di4GZDq6Z_ex7hwHJT8RYelfkpv-XI_OB2g/s320/February%202023%20sesshin.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few weeks ago we had our February Hybrid Sesshin, with people from far away joining the Temple sesshin residents on Zoom for a lovely weekend of serious Zen practice and play. Our theme was a koan about Layman Pang and his famous saying, "Beautiful snowflakes! They don't fall anywhere else!" Back in February, we were starved for snow in Worcester, and now we've had one big storm to be followed this weekend by another. It's deeply true that everything that happens, good, bad or neutral, is simply what is happening. Nothing happens anywhere else!</div><br /> <p></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-5438216833184248552023-03-01T09:41:00.001-08:002023-03-03T09:26:17.714-08:00Leaving the SZBA<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JwOhYwtvy_AR77g0Kgjjj5L2m1vNB9vtsxqsZgwhLEmXUeEmkFV62a935P-qF5DcJsWqBAax6lanUmIKd5iiVXu-55ZfG9KZeqzar1rO1Dhw2_yZ-ixWwS3ZS-UEXPqUoeNiqEK2_8iGymER_2JVURBd9H-HYK9uHDTBgV-bCuglrPu9HiX0oTw6uQ/s3264/IMG_3166.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JwOhYwtvy_AR77g0Kgjjj5L2m1vNB9vtsxqsZgwhLEmXUeEmkFV62a935P-qF5DcJsWqBAax6lanUmIKd5iiVXu-55ZfG9KZeqzar1rO1Dhw2_yZ-ixWwS3ZS-UEXPqUoeNiqEK2_8iGymER_2JVURBd9H-HYK9uHDTBgV-bCuglrPu9HiX0oTw6uQ/s320/IMG_3166.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>About a month ago, I resigned from the Soto Zen Buddhist Association, a group of ordained Soto Zen priests. My letter of resignation, which follows at the end of this post, is self-explanatory. I noticed that as soon as I pressed send on the email, I felt an enormous sense of relief. My ordination is in two Soto Zen lineages, and in Boundless Way Zen, we have found a way to be priests that matches my deepest sense of what it means to commit whole-heartedly to the Great Way of Zen. Our style has drifted away from the SZBA style in many respects, especially in our training, which we feel is more strict and also more spacious than what is now expected by the SZBA. Here is a section from the Boundless Way Zen Temple website which describes our understanding of what it means to be a Zen priest. Please scroll down to the section called "ordination" for more details: <a href="https://worcesterzen.org/authorization-transmission-ordination/#ordination">https://worcesterzen.org/authorization-transmission-ordination/#ordination</a>. And here is the first paragraph of that section:<p></p><p><i>"Priests vow to manifest the life of the sangha. Ordination is a commitment not only to Zen and Buddhism, but also to our particular manifestation of the Path within the Boundless Way Zen sangha. This means taking on tasks of support and leadership that can range from shoveling snow at the Temple to being a member of the Leadership Council, from leading a sitting group to being a chaplain in the larger community. An unsui (clouds-and-water) priest may perform all the rites of the Boundless Way, including performing marriages and conducting funerals. An unsui priest may also serve in the larger community in a variety of ministerial capacities." </i></p><p>I end this post with the letter that I sent explaining my resignation, written and submitted together with my teacher James Ford and one of my students, David Caruso: </p><p><i>All of us who have signed below have had misgivings about our place within the Soto Zen Buddhist Association for a number of years. Beyond a nostalgic sense of identity with the historic Soto transmission and fondness for many individuals involved, we do not see an alignment with either the larger vision of the organization, nor its expectations for membership. </i></p><p><i>Triggered by the recent suspension of a member, we began discussing our relationship with the SZBA, and why we remain members. Each of us have different feelings about it, but we come to the same basic conclusion.</i></p><p><i>Our lack of alignment stems from our perception of an expanding list of expectations starting with formation requirements which we do not expect from our students, and extending to what are considered ethical violations that seem at once both overly broad and randomly specific. After consulting with our formal and informal dharma family, we have come to the conclusion that it is time to leave.</i></p><p><i>Please accept this as our formal resignation from membership within the Soto Zen Buddhist Association.</i></p><p><i>Rev. James Myōun Ford, Empty Moon Zen</i></p><p><i>Rev. Melissa Myōzen Blacker, Boundless Way Zen Temple</i></p><p><i>Rev. David Shunyo Caruso, Boundless Way Zen Temple</i></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-21205888748362575872023-01-27T12:03:00.001-08:002023-01-27T12:03:46.685-08:00Sweeping the Path Sesshin<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1GsBN1VtOi_qrcNH4HVT50zNq3bftRYhUpRcXL14RZrLfIK91Du53L2DTLIJipuryNcZSMmMNou4czDm8Fr96FxkBPf0YGxiHd8kGLz2rct0L50mHG7zxoUSSWNUxuL6crICyslXzdV3DbYDSf-1P0wd3XGGjxd5rG7rFPclHm2RW0Srvo7qtyHM7Q/s3267/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-09%20at%2010.43.25%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="1878" data-original-width="3267" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1GsBN1VtOi_qrcNH4HVT50zNq3bftRYhUpRcXL14RZrLfIK91Du53L2DTLIJipuryNcZSMmMNou4czDm8Fr96FxkBPf0YGxiHd8kGLz2rct0L50mHG7zxoUSSWNUxuL6crICyslXzdV3DbYDSf-1P0wd3XGGjxd5rG7rFPclHm2RW0Srvo7qtyHM7Q/w200-h115/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-09%20at%2010.43.25%20AM.png" width="200" /></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Some of the attendees at the January Sesshin</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our first sesshin of 2023 was completely online thanks to the magic of Zoom, and we will continue to have sesshin this year almost monthly: some on Zoom, some hybrid (on Zoom and at the Temple) and some at the Temple only. Our sesshin schedule is here: </span></span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/16bAWRqQqwE24_oEfS8n8ZRS8SOMgzcOf7m1huh2DiP4/preview?pli=1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">2023 sesshin dates and information</a><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Rōshi was still recovering from his pre-Christmas car accident, but I was ready to teach after the trauma of his accident and my brother's unexpected death began to fade a bit for me and was ably partnered in teaching with Dharma Holder Alan Richardson, assisted by Dharma Holder Michael Herzog. David came in and out, and had the energy to give a brief encouragement talk on the last night. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our theme for this sesshin was Case 21 from The Book of Serenity collection: Yunyan Sweeps the Grounds, focusing on what it means to be busy. It was a rich and deep time for all. Our next sesshin is a hybrid one, from February 10 -- 13, and will hopefully be taught by David and me, with </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">assistance</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> from Dharma </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Holder</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Michael. There are still a couple of in person places left, and an infinite number of online places. If you're not too busy with your own sweeping, you might consider signing up!</span></span></span></div><p></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-79957960231605968332023-01-09T08:57:00.000-08:002023-01-09T08:57:04.483-08:00Healing and Receiving<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjH7QNr_SZ_z9J_aKujI9is6wTQDLGPMbTQ8ui-dFkYLzahiZfDhcc3VMXa71bpJDlJg8n8xOQkPnAiw7aEP2Pn3bbBCN5UBs4HUI0wkdSB4iQoUcaQMlkYEjNC2g_V3dArimN46KhPn24wVGnNFjD8TusUzMIYMDWQqSmXqDfWXGzB4Fhx9_fFFM8g/s4032/69434903622__11775F44-68C1-41A2-9343-C46D772CAADD.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjH7QNr_SZ_z9J_aKujI9is6wTQDLGPMbTQ8ui-dFkYLzahiZfDhcc3VMXa71bpJDlJg8n8xOQkPnAiw7aEP2Pn3bbBCN5UBs4HUI0wkdSB4iQoUcaQMlkYEjNC2g_V3dArimN46KhPn24wVGnNFjD8TusUzMIYMDWQqSmXqDfWXGzB4Fhx9_fFFM8g/s320/69434903622__11775F44-68C1-41A2-9343-C46D772CAADD.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>About two months ago, I fell from a high stool, and landed on the back of my head, smashed into a cast-iron radiator. A visit to the emergency room was a journey through grace -- so many people, including a sangha member who is an EMT, helped me through this wildly unexpected event. <p></p><p>And then, the Friday before Christmas, my husband David Dae An Rynick, Roshi, was in a car accident in New Jersey during a powerful storm, as he was traveling from Pennsylvania where he had been visiting his mother. He has a fractured sternum and some bruises, and our car was totaled. We managed to get him home that night and I'm glad he’s alive! </p><p>Following that, on Christmas day, my brother Stephen died unexpectedly. David and I are both grieving and healing, emotionally and physically. I have slowly returned to teaching, supported by the Dharma Holders and Senior Assistant Teachers of Boundless Way Zen who have stepped in to offer talks and dokusan. We are so grateful to everyone in the sangha who has reached out to us by phone, email, and text. A number of people have offered the use of their car, offered to shop, sent flowers, bought groceries, and made and delivered meals. We truly feel that we are surrounded by love and compassion. </p><p>And this weekend I taught a sesshin on Zoom with David going in and out as he was able, partnered with Dharma Holder Alan Richardson and assisted by Dharma Holder Michael Herzog. </p><p>I am truly grateful for my good fortune that has given us the opportunity to heal and receive from friends, family and our amazing Zen community.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-50946336643919280382022-12-11T13:52:00.002-08:002022-12-11T13:52:31.243-08:00snow<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MAIYIwMA5sfarSuk2Vj1ve2Zw1EfRjoEMmA0fFe9udss1xN9D43_5Wh3zFE-4NR3e9CdlEteRW1QuRaCZdzOEh8LbzJ-On66NRbjD79MHeLi393q7CIqxKFnCQKTimWJzqN6sIqwQcezB6iKdZRjXYgX8jeVoJomSQVdMoI35QFHrAcJU8eXXIurwQ/s3842/snow%20MH%20photo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1941" data-original-width="3842" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MAIYIwMA5sfarSuk2Vj1ve2Zw1EfRjoEMmA0fFe9udss1xN9D43_5Wh3zFE-4NR3e9CdlEteRW1QuRaCZdzOEh8LbzJ-On66NRbjD79MHeLi393q7CIqxKFnCQKTimWJzqN6sIqwQcezB6iKdZRjXYgX8jeVoJomSQVdMoI35QFHrAcJU8eXXIurwQ/s320/snow%20MH%20photo.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo by Michael Herzog, sculpture by David Rynick</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Blue Cliff Record Case 42 begins: "Layman Pang was leaving Yaoshan. Yaoshan ordered ten of his Zen students to see Pang off at the temple gate. Pang pointed to the falling snow in the air and said, 'Beautiful snow-flakes! — they don’t fall on any other place.'"</p><p>This is just the beginning of the koan, and is followed by a dialogue between Layman Pang and a Zen student who challenges him. But before the objecting mind of that student enters the story, we can relish Layman Pang's words by themselves. </p><p>It's snowing in Worcester tonight. Later, David and I will walk over to the Temple for our Sunday night service, through the darkness, through the falling snow. It's not a big storm, and the whiteness spreading everywhere is so lovely. Layman Pang, a Zen ancestor who never ordained and who is revered for both his ordinariness and his deep insight, must have enjoyed a similar scene as he was ending his visit at the teacher Yaoshan's place. Sometimes his additional comment is translated as "they don't fall anywhere." But I like this translation -- there's nowhere else they can be. There's nothing else that could be happening right now. </p><p>Whether your present moment experience is lovely or painful, sweet or challenging, can you see this truth for yourself? There is no other life than the one we are living. And in a moment, there will be some other life. Our way of practice keeps pointing us to this, this, this. Nowhere else. The mind that wants good things to last and bad things to stop has a hard time sinking into the reality of this. Pause and feel it for yourself. "Beautiful snowflakes! -- they don't fall on any other place."</p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-78012370284971715162022-12-06T11:24:00.000-08:002022-12-06T11:24:06.295-08:00The Snake's Tail Sesshin<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7FH8TYFK0pJW6TkAoQBY_M_MBah4tR3-ll_RzLl1yw_DZnljNc8wncuYcaEKngWsPVod6lItv8K_NnyEvHlTuTLlo-UNQMHILlH6WBnWgvDLxK0bQZSbJEhALO5lprHFbEBP1UPVYswANPq72xnjyGDkqUoWYu0hcXG6WBZNijgKupSiDlF2MqTMsA/s2634/December%202022%20sesshin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1878" data-original-width="2634" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7FH8TYFK0pJW6TkAoQBY_M_MBah4tR3-ll_RzLl1yw_DZnljNc8wncuYcaEKngWsPVod6lItv8K_NnyEvHlTuTLlo-UNQMHILlH6WBnWgvDLxK0bQZSbJEhALO5lprHFbEBP1UPVYswANPq72xnjyGDkqUoWYu0hcXG6WBZNijgKupSiDlF2MqTMsA/s320/December%202022%20sesshin.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> We had our annual Rōhatsu sesshin this past weekend, celebrating the day 2600 years ago that our founding teacher, Shakyamūni Buddha, had his great awakening to the true nature of reality. We worked with kōan 6 from the Gateless Gate collection, where the Buddha twirls a flower and his first Dharma heir, Mahakashyapa, smiles and is recognized as understanding the great matter of our Way. it was the first sesshin taught by Dharma Holder Michael Herzog, who assisted David Rynick Rōshi and myself, and the head seat (tanto) was Assistant Teacher Adam Monty, with Senior Assistant Teacher Rev. Paul Galvin supporting him as assistant tanto, and Assistant Teacher Rev. Corwyn Miyagishima supporting our zoom sangha as online tanto. We had 40 participants, 22 in person at the Temple, and 18 in the zoom zendo. The name given to the sesshin by Adam is based on the poem by Wumen that accompanies the koan, where, describing the Buddha, he writes, "The snake shows his tail." The whole is revealed with one glimpse of the part. And so it is with awakening. The weekend was a wondrous experience of deep practice and community connection.<p></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-58086961678808399522022-10-12T13:50:00.003-07:002022-10-12T13:52:38.940-07:00Wandering and Wondering Fall 2022 Sesshin<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WU0MbkRtW5IEPGXiWPcajW2NoELp4TpCH0vNf7Dxz9oAVET4TxKBFiJ14wKlVDRY2l_aLmX9K3Zg3gmOTGxk7FirBfKkcq2fbKPyX46-d4D--ZRDaIzWFkkMT79PC-LcXeM49XFAqeEssNelA5Uv4k3vaGMhwsNG3FS6HxvRvbeyiOsvjEdiYGFqyA/s1280/Wandering%20and%20Wandering%20Fall%202022%20Sesshin.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="1280" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WU0MbkRtW5IEPGXiWPcajW2NoELp4TpCH0vNf7Dxz9oAVET4TxKBFiJ14wKlVDRY2l_aLmX9K3Zg3gmOTGxk7FirBfKkcq2fbKPyX46-d4D--ZRDaIzWFkkMT79PC-LcXeM49XFAqeEssNelA5Uv4k3vaGMhwsNG3FS6HxvRvbeyiOsvjEdiYGFqyA/s320/Wandering%20and%20Wandering%20Fall%202022%20Sesshin.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p></blockquote><p><br /> This past weekend we celebrated the arrival of fall and Indigenous People's Day with a three day hybrid sesshin -- around 20 people participated online on zoom, and 20 people were in residence at the Temple. We explored a koan case from the Blue Cliff Record, in which Zen master Changsha goes off wandering in the mountains. </p><p>We are finding ways to continue to deepen and widen our Temple residential practice, while including people from around the country and the world, through zoom. We are truly blessed that the strength of the Dharma has supported our sangha practice. Come wander and wonder with us: <a href="http://www.worcesterzen.org">Boundless Way Zen Temple</a></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-84230882630106876102022-06-12T13:46:00.001-07:002022-06-12T13:46:42.956-07:00Near and Far the Same Sesshin<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vIeolDWSrwCoZ8NjP-Miy2gfqht2A8EJaDfwwdRdvDLSHnIzWbsTNCfkUisDrR9YJoAKvcGj-d279t4z5U-49hn0LciRGSk5Wv1JAtoi8aa3P3d_TEOzT9ulwqWVlqcENBpcA_V3G9R_fols_S7fHFNo0pYPuGyJwsmDS4vq6Hz7I3FYxkttPdfEVA/s3248/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-12%20at%2011.50.51%20AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1848" data-original-width="3248" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vIeolDWSrwCoZ8NjP-Miy2gfqht2A8EJaDfwwdRdvDLSHnIzWbsTNCfkUisDrR9YJoAKvcGj-d279t4z5U-49hn0LciRGSk5Wv1JAtoi8aa3P3d_TEOzT9ulwqWVlqcENBpcA_V3G9R_fols_S7fHFNo0pYPuGyJwsmDS4vq6Hz7I3FYxkttPdfEVA/s320/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-12%20at%2011.50.51%20AM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo by Corwyn Miyagishima</td></tr></tbody></table> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Our June 2020 sesshin just concluded, celebrated by the community of participants with joyous cheers and tears. This was an historic event for our sangha -- our first hybrid sesshin, with 12 people attending in person at the Temple and 24 more people attending on Zoom. </p><p>Because of the pandemic, we have turned toward developing intensive meditation retreats on Zoom, and our sangha now includes students who practice from a geographic distance from the Temple as well as local folks. In the past, far away seemed truly far away. </p><p>Since spring of 2020, we have found a way to provide a Zen retreat experience for people everywhere in the world on-line, and our sangha has expanded because of it. With COVID numbers finally becoming slightly lower in Worcester, we took a chance on inviting a few students experienced with in-person sesshin, and our various Temple committees: technology, in-person safety, sesshin and communications all worked together to create a hybrid experience. </p><p>People coming in person were all fully vaccinated and also took COVID tests the morning of sesshin, so that we could create a safe in-person experience. This particular sesshin included attendees from California and many Northeastern states, France, Belgium, the UK and Denmark, as well as people from nearby in Massachusetts. </p><p>We took as our topic the koan from the Gateless Gate collection: "Ordinary Mind is the Way." and David Rynick Roshi, Dharma Holder Alan Richardson and I offered talks and individual meetings throughout the time we had together. </p><p>We experienced a deep connection between near and far -- the ordinary barriers of time and space melted away, and so our tanto (head seat) Adam Monty, who is also the president of the Temple, named it the Near and Far the Same Sesshin. Rev. Corwyn Miyagishima was the tanto of the online portion of the sesshin and supported people through his dharma heart and his technology skills. </p><p>I am so grateful for everyone who created and participated in this retreat. Our next hybrid sesshin will be in late July through early August, and the in-person component will be open to anyone who is vaccinated (and boosted) providing that COVID numbers stay the same or diminish. And everyone is invited to join on Zoom, wherever you are in the world!</p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-28506805568293979022022-04-20T13:51:00.000-07:002022-04-20T13:51:00.412-07:00The Ready to Fly Sesshin<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcnA9Bs1OyvKfRYK5FLsFWW3ZSXnmdTmt1FghsUeuxiUMsujq8NzzLbppsEmNzKO-DaJfmnreccEMjF9iHm6XeW8ZPVZNbl-JV4NYm1N72gGbaAefX3YjHs2NsByA_-v4rb6-4F2GF27dya90tIdJN3wGvwpfQHvyvYGdJ0BdmKBTwIk9Z8Nu53qZZg/s3363/Ready%20to%20Fly%20Sesshin%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1614" data-original-width="3363" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcnA9Bs1OyvKfRYK5FLsFWW3ZSXnmdTmt1FghsUeuxiUMsujq8NzzLbppsEmNzKO-DaJfmnreccEMjF9iHm6XeW8ZPVZNbl-JV4NYm1N72gGbaAefX3YjHs2NsByA_-v4rb6-4F2GF27dya90tIdJN3wGvwpfQHvyvYGdJ0BdmKBTwIk9Z8Nu53qZZg/s320/Ready%20to%20Fly%20Sesshin%202.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Above are many of the participants in our Spring Distant Temple Bell Sesshin, which the tanto (head seat and retreat manager) Rev. Paul Galvin named the "Ready to Fly" Sesshin. As usual the transformations of heart were numerous, and I am so grateful for everyone who participated, especially the officers who made it all happen: Jenny Smith, Senior Assistant Teacher Michael Herzog, Rev. Corwyn Miyagishima and Erin Barbour. Plus deep bows to my fellow teachers David Rynick, Roshi and Dharma Holder Alan Richardson. </p><p>Our next sesshin at Boundless Way Temple will be June 10 -- 12, and will be our first ever hybrid sesshin, with a few people in residence at the Temple, and everyone else on Zoom. We look forward to this new chapter in our sesshin journey as we slowly come through the experience of closing due to COVID in March of 2020, and our discovery of the powers of Zoom. We're all ready to fly!</p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-57487104313430144162022-02-15T06:58:00.005-08:002022-02-15T06:58:42.524-08:00The Shining Grasses Sesshin<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg99JJeHPpIFsZOL6LWMCePdwSRxYnjSsj8JJvv60NbM6nQ7ZDzjLqTsB5Mrqt0fEwNUPm67PXyza6XiTreye7S1HGg1GBkKbyOVhFILI1pVNli33FqacQfGXKtrkvYGzOcspraz6XH-Q55psAeKbRma0t-GdyvTgHKSo4Wec0gSgDdKKWgPrx2PfB4cQ=s3203" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1862" data-original-width="3203" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg99JJeHPpIFsZOL6LWMCePdwSRxYnjSsj8JJvv60NbM6nQ7ZDzjLqTsB5Mrqt0fEwNUPm67PXyza6XiTreye7S1HGg1GBkKbyOVhFILI1pVNli33FqacQfGXKtrkvYGzOcspraz6XH-Q55psAeKbRma0t-GdyvTgHKSo4Wec0gSgDdKKWgPrx2PfB4cQ=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo by Corwyn Miyagishima</td></tr></tbody></table> </p>The topic for our latest Boundless Way Temple sesshin, taught in our Zoom zendo by David Rynick, Roshi, Dharma Holder Alan Richardson and myself, was a story from the Record of Layman Pang. <p></p><div><i>The Layman was sitting in his thatched cottage one day studying the sutras. "Difficult, difficult, difficult," he said; "like trying to scatter ten measures of sesame seed all over a tree." "Easy, easy, easy," Mrs. Pang said; "like touching your feet to the ground when you get out of bed." "Neither difficult nor easy," their daughter Ling Zhao said; "the teachings of the Ancestors are written on the tips of the hundred shining grasses."</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Indeed, this is the world we live in, full of sorrows and joys, while all the time the teachings about the Dharma, actual reality, surround us if we train ourselves to perceive them. A Zen sesshin is one way to immerse the heart, mind and body in this way of seeing, hearing and feeling. At a certain point in our practice life, we can find the teachings everywhere. Sometimes it feels difficult, sometimes it feels easy. And sometimes we recognize that those categories point us away from what is right here, always shining and ready for us.</div><div><br /></div><div>Special thanks to the tanto (head seat) for this sesshin, Jenny Smith, and the assistant tanto Senior Assistant Teacher Michael Herzog, plus the whole sesshin officer team: Adam Monty, Senior Assistant Teacher Rev. Paul Galvin, Rev. Corwyn Miyagishima and Assistant Teacher Rev. Ray Demers, who gave one of the evening encouragement talks. And deep bows to everyone who attended, pictured above. Our next sesshin will be in April -- for more information: <a href="http://www.worcesterzen.org">Boundless Way Temple</a>.</div>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-22161951401377052962022-01-28T12:43:00.001-08:002022-01-28T12:43:07.140-08:00Seeing into the nature of past and future<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEig2yTCahkAyDNGyg6lMbZ5rNQNFIV1oS0zADwkGpDT7duUUDoA6kN59rRMNM0NSCYRlHNWl58pKDBizGeLA0JjAbi5nQREX3DMh2yKDjp2YNso-gOhpQK2Jba_s36dsbfITBhlmDpUUYCtYydE1j_ETlmLwD9H3ALP2BFF0K94C-n1PRBm7FDo7vfTpw=s2658" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2658" data-original-width="1580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEig2yTCahkAyDNGyg6lMbZ5rNQNFIV1oS0zADwkGpDT7duUUDoA6kN59rRMNM0NSCYRlHNWl58pKDBizGeLA0JjAbi5nQREX3DMh2yKDjp2YNso-gOhpQK2Jba_s36dsbfITBhlmDpUUYCtYydE1j_ETlmLwD9H3ALP2BFF0K94C-n1PRBm7FDo7vfTpw=s320" width="190" /></a></div>A big snow storm is headed our way. The weather folks are predicting one to two feet here in Worcester, and two to three feet east of us in Boston. The storm is supposed to start in less than twelve hours, and already the streets and the sky and the air are quiet. There is nothing to do but empty the compost, make sure the snow blower has enough gas, and wait. <p></p><p>Of course, this is a specific example of our usual condition, as human beings. We believe we know what will happen next, but we can only make approximate guesses, and base our actions on those guesses. A dharma friend told me today that he had stopped, pretty much, going over events that have happened in the past, and trying to predict what will happen. Most of his energy these days is going to being present for what's happening right now. </p><p>Another spiritual friend said something similar to me later in the day. She understands that what has passed has gone, and the energy it takes to keep the specifics of the past in memory is a waste of precious brain resources. "Forget it all," she said. </p><p>The past is a palace of memories, and the future is a cloudy region of fantasy. Right here, in this moment, the air is cold and quiet. The compost is emptied and the gas can is full. One moment at a time, life unfolds. We can meet it with surprise and wonder. Happy snow day!</p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-51395130765381922852021-12-21T14:13:00.000-08:002021-12-21T14:13:09.512-08:00And Yet<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXHU1cjNncDeoM1nnjFenU79axWfqsuRy0zC7qgg6-CIqKYk4HI9wpEw8LX2RDFt_TW6E0Jt1IxobmpN78UPfQiyFaWEy5LZVtUCiPN6DM0l96iYza9PWXo5-w0EkecdO-p2G3An3MTB_UoJ08ofVuuxCoYmAsZbbqDGe9u0PMr1b4MWCFBOwHZ_cr3w=s2592" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1936" data-original-width="2592" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXHU1cjNncDeoM1nnjFenU79axWfqsuRy0zC7qgg6-CIqKYk4HI9wpEw8LX2RDFt_TW6E0Jt1IxobmpN78UPfQiyFaWEy5LZVtUCiPN6DM0l96iYza9PWXo5-w0EkecdO-p2G3An3MTB_UoJ08ofVuuxCoYmAsZbbqDGe9u0PMr1b4MWCFBOwHZ_cr3w=s320" width="320" /></a></div>The Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827) wrote the following poem after his two year old daughter died:<p></p><p><i>tsuyu no yo wa </i></p><p><i>tsuyu no yo nagara </i></p><p><i>sari nagara</i></p><p>This world of dew</p><p>is a world of dew.</p><p>And yet ... and yet ....</p><p>Later, commenting on this poem, he wrote, "I knew that it was no use to cry, that water once flown past the bridge does not return and scattered blossoms are gone beyond recall. Yet try as I would, I could not, simply cut the binding cord of human love." </p><p>Last week I lost a dear friend, who died after a full life at the age of 98. I was lucky enough to be able to be with her the day before she died, holding her hand, breathing with her and quietly singing old jazz standards that both she and my mother and I had loved. She and my mother had been best friends, and when my mother died 35 years ago, she became a second mother to me. The two women had been pregnant at the same time, and both gave birth to daughters: me and my oldest friend. We four were all together when my mother died, and here we were again, only the three of us, as one of us again passed from this world to whatever lies beyond. As she lay dying, she kept saying, "I've been here a long time!" </p><p>So many parts of this experience reflect the teachings of Zen. We were facing impermanence and death and loss, and at the same time crying together and feeling our love for each other. This world of dew, where everything vanishes like dew on a leaf in the morning sun, is indeed a world of dew. There's no arguing with impermanence. As much as we'd like it to be different, everything comes and goes. So my friend was once alive, and now she is no longer on the planet in bodily form. </p><p>Issa's "and yet...and yet" is the other side of this logical understanding. We cannot "cut the binding cord of human love." Our hearts break regularly. As the recently deceased songwriter Stephen Sondheim sings "Sometimes people leave you, halfway through the wood." It's just the way it is. And yet...and yet. </p><p>I miss my friend, and will continue to heal from her passing as time goes on, and her death recedes further and further into the past. But she lives on in my heart, as do all my other loved ones who have left me in various ways. Impermanence goes hand in hand with love and connection. It's a mystery -- the great paradox of living a life in Zen -- facing into whatever arises and being as present as possible. </p><p><br /></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-11717668966897914212021-12-06T12:17:00.001-08:002021-12-06T12:17:27.156-08:00Great Dreams Sesshin<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gao2TMBM3yY/Ya5p-n4I7TI/AAAAAAAAT90/pd6YiSWctYon5x-u1pBTOZk9bzeYZHJcwCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/December%2B2021%2Bsesshin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="2048" height="184" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gao2TMBM3yY/Ya5p-n4I7TI/AAAAAAAAT90/pd6YiSWctYon5x-u1pBTOZk9bzeYZHJcwCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/December%2B2021%2Bsesshin.png" width="320" /></a></div>The Boundless Way Temple sangha just completed the last online sesshin of 2021, the Rohatsu Distant Temple Bell Sesshin. Our tanto, or "head seat" Rev. Corwyn MIyagishima, who organized and was the main support for the students taking the retreat, gave it the name "Great Dreams." Rev. Corwyn in turn was supported by a wonderful team of "officers" who lead sesshin, doing timing for sitting and and walking meditation, helping the teachers meet with students individually, and leading chanting and yoga. My grateful thanks goes to them all: Senior Assistant Teachers Rev. Paul Galvin, Jean Erlbaum, Michael Herzog, Dharma Holder Alan Richardson and Jenny Smith, who was also the registrar. <p></p><p>Zen communities everywhere traditionally hold a sesshin (Japanese for "to touch the heart-mind") every December. This retreat honors the awakening experience of our original teacher, Shakyamuni Buddha, 2600 years ago, as he sat through the night and saw the morning star at daybreak. (Rohatsu, in Japanese, means December 8, the traditional date on which this moment of clear understanding is celebrated as "Bodhi Day." ) </p><p>We took up a Zen teaching story, or koan, in the Gateless Gate collection: Case number 25, about a dream that a teacher named Yangshan had in which he went to the heavenly realm of the future Buddha, Maitreya, and was asked to give a talk. The collector of the Gateless Gate, Wumen, wrote a poem about Yangshan's experience, which contains the line, "he dreamed a dream within a dream." Dreams of all kinds were mentioned in Dharma talks given by the four Guiding Teachers of Boundless Way Zen, Bob Waldinger, Sensei, Mike Fieleke Sensei, David Rynick, Roshi and myself, along with encouragement talks from Alan, Michael Herzog, and Rev. Corwyn. </p><p>In this time, full of uncertainty in the face of the world situation and the ongoing pandemic, it can indeed feel like we are living in a dream. Shakyamuni Buddha woke up from his own dream, and our practice together, now on zoom, and in the future in person (perhaps with an online component) is designed to help us awaken. Join us when we come together again in February for another zoom sesshin. Registration information will be found soon at <a href="http://www.worcesterzen.org">Boundless Way Temple</a>.</p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-50295241730229044082021-12-03T05:35:00.000-08:002021-12-03T05:35:07.024-08:00Mindfulness and Music<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KylnmOtObG8/YaobbXFUCGI/AAAAAAAAT9A/mLqwc96NXy4Od6vylnR0p3gTi4s6C1LdACPcBGAsYHg/s4032/IMG_0329.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KylnmOtObG8/YaobbXFUCGI/AAAAAAAAT9A/mLqwc96NXy4Od6vylnR0p3gTi4s6C1LdACPcBGAsYHg/s320/IMG_0329.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>I recently received a recording of a piece of music composed and created by Dylan Galloghly, a musician from Australia. In 2008, Dylan attended a training I taught in Adelaide, Australia for people who wanted to learn how to teach Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. One of the hallmarks of modern mindfulness as taught by Jon Kabat-Zinn, with whom I worked for twenty years at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, is the use of guided meditations. In Zen practice we sit in silence, but in modern mindfulness practice we listen to a teacher guide and instruct us during the meditation period. Dylan recorded me leading a basic breath meditation practice, and wove in various sounds to create the following piece of music, which Dylan gave me permission to share: <a href="https://soundcloud.com/parnellmarch/sets/melissasmeditation/s-16iqsxpwLWP?si=57d6cb8441e6497896ec49b4a7a881cb">making music from mindfulness</a><p></p><p>Enjoy!</p><p><br /></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-85573091916586941572021-10-06T12:48:00.002-07:002021-10-06T12:48:53.719-07:00The Ineffable Sound of Raindrops Sesshin<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zeVGDWJ-Eak/YV35Je8fddI/AAAAAAAATjY/nEVAd6NSQp49HMTENL9eCrtF2xsUCQbjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Fall%2B2021%2BSesshin%2BPhoto.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zeVGDWJ-Eak/YV35Je8fddI/AAAAAAAATjY/nEVAd6NSQp49HMTENL9eCrtF2xsUCQbjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Fall%2B2021%2BSesshin%2BPhoto.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> As we journey more deeply into the pandemic, our virtual sesshin grow ever more deep and illuminating. Thanks to our tanto and registrar Jenny Smith, assistant tanto Rev. Paul Galvin, and the officer team of Rev. Corwyn Miyagishima, Michael Herzog and Pierce Butler, and the team of teachers: Bob Waldinger, Sensei, David Rynick, Roshi and myself, we opened our hearts to the sound of the raindrops. Deep gratitude to everyone who participated!<p></p>Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204746190667606793.post-11142735884054288492021-08-08T06:10:00.002-07:002021-08-08T06:10:47.317-07:00The Wondrous Light and Dark Sesshin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fi99834al0w/YQ_W2EUsszI/AAAAAAAATQQ/5um2S4Bzw90qX3I1Jj1RPQxf6UTUO2HYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Summer%2B2021%2BWondrous%2BLight%2Band%2BDark%2BSesshin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fi99834al0w/YQ_W2EUsszI/AAAAAAAATQQ/5um2S4Bzw90qX3I1Jj1RPQxf6UTUO2HYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Summer%2B2021%2BWondrous%2BLight%2Band%2BDark%2BSesshin.png" width="320" /></a></div>The Boundless Way Temple Summer Distant Temple Bell Sesshin, four days of intensive practice on Zoom integrated with daily life at home, ended this past Monday. We focused on the teachings of our Zen ancestor Shitou, and his work "Harmony of Relative and Absolute." Our tanto (head of practice) Michael Herzog gave our time together the name "The Wondrous Light and Dark Sesshin." Here is the photo of our participants. Our next sesshin will also be on Zoom, until the pandemic allows us to meet in person at Boundless Way Temple once again: Oct. 1 - 4. For information about our retreats and any of our programs, visit our website: <a href="https://worcesterzen.org/">Boundless Way Temple</a>.Melissa Myozen Blackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11167880368843619858noreply@blogger.com0