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Ekyo's Blog Sharing form the heart
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March On! |
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March 20, 2008
For number of years since the end of Rohatsu sesshin till early March Dai Bosatsu Zendo was winter proof and closed. Only one person or two were taking care of it. Winter time is very harsh at the top of mountain. More recently this has changed. The first Martin Luther King sesshin is in the middle of January, before traditional March On sesshin happening late February or in March. This year there were about twelve residents and guest workers throughout entire winter time. I did hear some complaining that the winter is endless… Last time I attended March On sesshin was several years ago, perhaps the one when Sogen Yamakawa Roshi came with his monks. This year after giving in to Venerable Fujin’s pressure I decided to go, even though preparing taxes and work pile occupied my head. Of course she arranged ride too. Polish friends got me from bus to the top of mountain. The road up the mountain was difficult to drive, and Janusz was very proud that his new four wheel drive Toyota was able to make it there. Sesshin was rather small. I was very glad that I came. There were only two first sesshin participants this time, but they seem to sit pretty well. Zendo was filled with residents and more senior practitioners. Great intimacy was felt among us. Everyone was assigned two or three jobs, but I had none. I guess someone decided that I am good for nothing. Probably true… one step to being useless idiot. So I did busy myself with helping here and there, and rested when needed. Each meal I marveled the food, somehow it felt to me very tasty. It must have been a good energy of Fujin and Join absorbed into it apart from the quality and presentation. We did not hear any loud noises coming from tenzo this time… There was some scolding in zendo… Several sesshin officers did their jobs for the first time, but everyone was acting as very experienced. It seems that winter time was a very effective training time at Dai Bosatsu. Roshi recently came back from Japan, so we heard some news. Lay people there do not have so many opportunities to do zazen together. Some traditional monasteries do not allow them to come. And there is a great thirst for zazen practice among lay people in Japan these days. Teisho was delivered every day, thanks to Roshi kindness, and everyone could go to dokusan as many times as they wanted. While we all sat at one table during final lunch one could truly feel genuine togetherness. Of course winter was in full bloom, snowing first, than a bit of melting and another snow fall at the end. Nature provided spectacle in this very short sesshin. And short it was, passed like an arrow for me. Suddenly departure time…. MARCH ON!
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