|
Ekyo's Blog Sharing form the heart
|
|
Samu sesshin |
|
August 15, 2007 In Dai Bosatsu Zendo there is short Samu Sesshin in the beginning of August each year. The schedule is different from seven days sesshin, there is more work time, and less zazen. I was not eager to go back to DBZ after only three weeks from the end of last sesshin I was there. However, only two days after coming home my dharma friends decided that I must come, and ride was already arranged, so I had no choice... And I was very glad that I did go. Zendo was full with many senior students coming, and also big number of first sesshin participants. These days I am so moved seeing so many very young people coming to Zen practice. Some of them are great inspiration to us, old practitioners. One of the most difficult jobs in sesshin is the work of Jisha. Jishas arrange everything for people, from preparing rooms to zendo set up. They serve tea with grace and deal with all unexpected problems and needs of sesshin participants. This sesshin the work of Jisha was done by nineteen years old Emily, with the assistant of similar age, and they did outstanding job! I was also moved by the beautiful voice of Tenrai, who introduced chants for the first time. My samu work was to make lanterns for O Bon ceremony. I worked together with Shunrai, who has been coming to DBZ from France in summer time last few years. We were stuck in gloomy and cold basement lounge, trying to repair over hundred lanterns. The final stage was to cover them around with white rice paper. People who come to O Bon paint the names of their deceased family members on the sides of lanterns, which later after ceremony are set afloat on the lake. Several years ago I had a good luck to participate in O Bon ceremony, and seeing hundreds of lanterns floating on the lake was a magic view… Each evening there was a very long chant of Mizu Segaki with the ceremony of making offerings to hungry ghosts. Mizu Segaki is a very beautiful but difficult chant and it took us several rehearsals to make the ceremony flowing. At the end of ceremony the family names of all sesshin participants were chanted. I was very grateful to be able to dedicate this sesshin to honor my mother, who died four months ago, suddenly and unexpectedly. Sesshin ended with very good feeling. A lot of work was done and new people managed to survive till end. As always it was very inspiring to listen to their honest “reports” during informal brunch after closing ceremony.
|
|
© 2009 Ekyo's Blog |