valleyzendoblog

Dear zen friend

1)     April Sesshin:       from  04/12  to   04/16.

        May Sesshin:      from   05/10   to   05/14. 

2)     The latest winter was easy to survive. It was relatively warm, snow was little. Our driveway was plowed 2 times only, 10 inches and six inches deep respectively. Snow is plowed 6 or 7 times during normal winter. 

It rained all year long last year. Often times it poured. From that trend, I expected heavy snow in winter.  Where did all water go during winter?

3)    March 23rd  was a day of sleet, rain, and snow. It was not too cold, not too windy,  just quiet. Around 10 pm all lights went out. Computer screen fazed away. Blackout began. I brought a flash light and a kerosine lamp. I expected 8 hours of darkness.  

Lights were on at 10:30 pm. It was a quick fix.  But internet was not connected. Electric devices were blinking and signals were irregular. I rebooted switches all over in the basement and on the first floor. Internet  was not re-connected in an hour. Then the microwave oven had noise with blinking light. TV monitor and video player were not on but noisy. The refrigerator had strange sound. A light bulb outside at the front door was blacked.  At midnight blackout struck again. 

At 4 am,  the power was back. Internet was connected. Everything was normal including the light bulb outside the house.  I felt we are vulnerable to cyber attack or miscalculation of electricity mixture at the grid. 

4)    An old man used to live in the woods near zendo. When I wanted to see him I walked on a path to his cabin. The path was overhung with tiny twigs and leaves. I automatically broke those twigs and branches for the path. The path should be wider and clearer. 

When he saw my clearing activities, he was upset. He said tiny twigs and leaves are gentle. When they are broken, hard branches are left. It is dangerous for face and eyes to be hit hard by them. 

He died a few years ago. I remember his wisdom whenever I walk into the woods. Nature is gentle, a human makes it dangerous. 

Regards. 

Eishin Ikeda

Valley Zendo

Dear zen friend

1)   March sesshin:    from   03/08  to  03/12.  

      April sesshin:       from.   04/12  to  04/16. 

2)   Just after 4 pm on 01/01/2024, M7.6 earthquake rocked Noto Peninsula in Japan. There are many earthquakes in Japan, so people call their nation earthquake super power or a nation of natural disasters. Yet the quake this time was unforgettable. 

The Noto Earthquake happened in the midst of New Year holidays. Everyone was relaxed and enjoyed refreshing new year day. The holiday turned into hell. The land instantly rose at most 4 meters, sea water receded from beach.  There were small ports where fishermen going and coming. Suddenly, boats located on a dry land and waterways lost sea water.  Good news was that damage by tsunami was not reported. 

Roads were broken and twisted everywhere. Many houses collapsed due to the quake and the rise of land. Houses were built  with strict building codes. Those codes have prevented houses from fall when earthquakes occur. Houses, however,   could not stand the power of shaking this time. Beautiful coast lines extended far out at sea. New roads, ports, water supply pipe lines, and sewage system must be rebuilt as soon as possible.  What a disaster! 

Historically Noto Peninsula was the birthplace of Japanese Soto group second to Eiheiji. There are some large temples older than 700 years. Prominent Soto priests studied and practiced there, then moved to other areas all over Japan for centuries. Each temple has a unique story. Those stories have collectively made the history of Sotoshu. 

7 years ago I visited temples in Noto Peninsula. One temple was under repair work. There was an earthquake in the previous year. In February a letter arrived from the same temple. Pictures showed fallen roofs and collapsed buildings. The director of the temple was a friend of mine at Kyoto Antaiji. All personnels have survived, but he must be in charge of rebuilding the temple.  He cannot retire until the completion of  the new job. 

Volcanic activities along the pacific rim have been strong recently. Eruption of volcano and earthquake come from the same cause, motion in the deep earth. 

You know Iojima where Americans and Japanese fought at the end of WWII. Several  American war ships tactically sunk under sea at that time. Now the ships sit on the beach showing rusty bodies. Thus, Iojima has been on the rise. Last year a tiny island appeared close to Iojima. Then both became one. Iojima has ever been expanding. 

About 100 miles southward  Iojima, a new island was born a few years ago by volcanic eruption. A natural disaster may be accompanied by natural reconstruction. 

Regards. 

Valley Zendo

Eishin Ikeda

Dear zen friend

1)    January mini sesshin:    from  01/12   to 01/14. 

       February mini sesshin:   from  02/09  to  02/11.  

2)    The year 2023 ends soon. New year is 2024 by Gregorian calendar. We have to write down 2024 in checks, driver’s licenses, and many documents during new year. The number 2024 dominates our lives and brains in the US.   

Year 2024 is the year of dragon, too.  Dragon was born in China. Chinese calendar uses 12 animals including dragon to apply each year. In my diary there was a year of dragon 12 years ago. The diary refreshed my memories. Using a concrete animal to remember events is more vivid than counting number only. 

In Shobogenzo, Dogen Zenji wrote about the beginning of importing Buddhist texts. It started during the era of Kinmei emperor. When I read that article first, I was stunned at its precise record. How did he know that historical fact which happened 700 years before!?  He’,at least,  must have studied both animal calendar and imperial transmissions. He did not know Gregorian calendar nor scientific mathematics.  Modern day historians refer to Shobogenzo for confirming these historical events. 

We feel odd when we hear that muslim countries use a different calendar. For them the year 2024 passed long time ago. Is it possible for a different calendar to exist? 

Using different calendar other than Gregorian method is actually not rare. Americans use presidents to record historical events. Huge Louisiana was purchased in the era of president Thomas Jefferson. FRB  was set up under Woodrow Wilson presidency. ..etc.  

Some people know everything about Babe Ruth. Same thing is going to happen for the era of Shohei Ohtani. There were the times of Montana, and the days of Brady for football fans. Concrete person comes first, number, second.  

In the Bourne Ultimatum movie, there are words, operation Treadstone, operation Blackbriar, and more operations. I thought names of  operation were created to make stories more interested, It is a fiction in the end. 

When Gulf War started, operation Desert Storm was announced on TV. I learned that In a real military battle, a specific name is given. They don’t say operation 1989 nor operation 2011. Fiction followed facts. 

There were Thirty year war, or Hundred year war. These names don’t show why and where people fought. A concrete name is easier to understand a historical event than an abstract number. 

Buddha Dharna? It includes both abstract concepts and tactile things. 

A Happy New Year! 

Regards. 

Eishin Ikeda

Valley Zendo

Dear zen friend

1)   December mini sesshin:  12/08  12/09,  12/10.  

      January 2024  mini sesshin:  01/12,  01/13,  01/14.

2)  Godzilla-1.0, Godzilla minus one is a new monster movie. It started running on November 3rd, 2023.  It is the 30th Godzilla series movie, and 70th anniversary event. It is said to be a masterpiece. 

The original Godzilla appeared on the screen on the 3rd of November 1954.  Somehow I watched it. I was a child. The body of Godzilla was huge. It swam to Tokyo Bay and destroyed houses and trains. It shot radiation beam and set fire everywhere. The directer for special effects was most famous among people who involved with  the film. I do not remember how Godzilla went away, but I knew it was fiction and just entertainment.    

Godzilla was born in the deep sea near Marshall Islands, where a hydrogen bomb exploded. 

When WWII ended, US was the only nation which had nuclear bomb. In a few years USSR found a way how to make  nuclear bomb.  US and USSR began competition for making more bombs and increasing more power to the  bombs, Both made bombs hundred times more powerful than Hiroshima dropping. Both tested blasts more than hundred times in the air. Scientists reported that radiation in the air was more than doubled compared to radiation in nature.

Then American side had an idea.: Hydrogen bomb would be  much more powerful than atomic bomb. It had to be tested. The test was done around Marshall Islands, Vikini was one of them. 

One of the hydrogen bomb blast tests took place on the 1st of March 1954. Fishermen of a Japanese fishing boat saw a light brighter than the Sun. They did not know what it was. They continued fishing. Then,  rain started. They worked while being drenched with rain (Radiation polluted.)  About ten days later the fishermen knew what they saw after they were back to Japan. 

Some fishermen became sick. One person died in July 1954. Question if he died of radiation persisted. Meanwhile, governments in the world became inclined to ban testing atomic bombs in the air. Atomic bombs,  hydrogen bombs, and radiation were scariest things in the world.  

On 3rd of November 1954, the original Godzilla appeared. Godzilla was created based on worldwide scare on  nuclear arms race. Godzilla was born due to mutation stimulated by fierce radiation and the impact of fusion energy.  Godzilla is an ugly, huge, heavy monster. It may represents human scare. Ultimate pursuit of  powerful weapons may lead to the destruction of ourselves.    

Godzilla minus one is said to be a human drama. A monster movie can become an artistic human drama. It suggests  that the  total human destruction would be avoided. We cannot give up our lives. 

Regards.

Eishin Ikeda

Valley Zendo

Dear Zen friend

1).   November mini Sesshin:    11/10,  11/11,  11/12. 

       December mini Sesshin:     12/08,  12/09,  12/10.

2)  Lots of maple seeds fell on the deck . They filled deck floor.  One day I swept the seeds. Some were tossed into the air. They fell while rotating like a helicopter. I tossed a seed one after another and watched that they were beautifully rotating and landing. I did not know how a maple seed acted until that day. 

A maple seed is not  too light, so it  does not fly in the air. It has two parts, seed core and wing. The wing is very light and shaped like a bird feather. When a  seed falls, heavy seed falls first, light wing follows revolving in the air. All seeds and wings are in the same shape.  One maple tree produces millions or billions of seeds. 

The land of Valley Zendo is decorated with maple trees. Some are huge. There are many maple tree sprouts all the time. A maple tree has a lot of leaves. Leaves fall each autumn. Piles of maple leaves are thick. I wondered how maple sprouts were born. How do maple seeds penetrate into thick maple leave carpet? 

When billions of maple seeds fall rotating in the air, some of them can find wet earth better than simple seed cores do.  Nature is smart and beautiful.   

3)  Recently on YouTube, Topics related astrology are frequently seen. I did not know James Webb Space Telescope till a few weeks ago. It started sending most advanced pictures of stars and galaxies a few months ago. Some pictures were unprecedented and controversial for existing academic world.  

To my surprise, some say Big Bang never occurred after having checked the new pictures.  Big Bang theory was popular for decades.  if it did not happen, many people would be at a loss. They begin searching a new theory or a different idea. Little wonder the topics are trendy. 

 I personally did not believe in the Big Bang theory. I met a book written by Mr. Robert Foyle in my senior high school days. This British scholar advocated a constant cosmos. I was overwhelmed with his expressions. Without sure evidence I have been pro-constant cosmos since then. 

By the way Mr Foyle predicted that there were thick layers of dust about a few feet on the surface of the moon. So a spaceship   landed on the moon would sink under the dust. I worried about the mission of Apollo projects in my college year. Mr. Foyle was not perfect. 

There are many controversies about the cosmos. Has the cosmos the beginning or ending? Is the cosmos infinite or finite? How many black holes are there? What does a black hole do? Is the world universe or multiverse? Can mathematics explain the cosmos? 

These controversies are endless. Ancient Indians and Buddhists had the similar kind of arguments for centuries.  Where is Shakyamuni   or Dogen Zenji? 

Regards.

Eishin Ikeda

Valley Zendo

Dear zen friend

1)    October mini sesshin:     10/06,  10/07,  10/08.

       November mini sesshin:    11/10,  11/11,  11/12

2).   The summer 2023 will be remembered as the year with the longest rainy season. On the last day of September,  today,  it is still raining. 

During summer, working outdoor was disrupted by continual showers. Forecast of fine weather often turned to pouring water.  Firewood split on August 12 still remain unstacked. Cold winter is nearing quietly. 

3).    In June I stayed at a hotel in Kyoto for a week. Breakfast was served at an adjacent restaurant. There the same menu was served at the same time every morning. It was rice, miso soup, egg, a piece of salmon, some vegetables, pickles, and tea. 

As a tourist I was unconsciously looked for something new, something special. The breakfast was not new, not special. It was  daily dish at common Japanese families. If the same breakfast were served for 10 years, however, it would become a tradition. 

Kyoto was the capital for one thousand years. It is the place in which best kimonos are sewn and shown, best lacquered bowls are made and sold, countless potters are found and traded. Sightseers are looking for tradition there.  And you can find refined beauty in  temples, shrines, incense stores,  and tea rooms. Those who looking for something traditional would be satisfied there. 

In fact, making a  kimono requires many tedious jobs. One kimono is a product completed with a maker of cloth, a graphic designer, a dyer, a sewer, and an inspector for quality. People engaged with the process work for the same thing over and over again. Without tradition, a new kimono is not made. The same words are  mentioned about a lacquered bowl. 

If new items like cheesecake,  beef, or chowder were added to the breakfast, tradition would be broken. Replacement with something new would mean the destruction of tradition. Once a tradition were disappeared, regaining or recovering the same thing is difficult.   Serving the same breakfast makes sense.  

An essayist said that there is nothing new in human world. He criticized people who were chasing after new things. Movie and TV were existing before world war II. There were comedies and tragedies on stages in ancient Greece. Some looks for a beautiful kimono, which existed one thousand years ago. Many, many  things are not new but really traditional.    

Regards.

Eishin Ikeda

Valley Zendo

Dear Zen Friend

1).   September mini sesshin:    09/08,  09/09,,  09/10. 

       October mini sesshin:   10/06,  10/07,  10/08.  

2).   This summer was hot and humid with many rainy days. Rainy season continued to the end of August. When it rained, it poured often times. Many branches and leaves fell with rain. Trucks for maintaining roads were seen almost all days throughout the summer. Making firewood starts in September this year. 

This summer reminds me of the year of 2010. Rainy season continued to the end of August then. I became nervous if firewood would have been obtained for winter.. The weather pattern seems to repeat. It is clear that we have lived in the cycle of four seasons every year. The same cycle will occur next year, too.  Flowers in spring, hot in summer, foliage in autumn, and snow in winter. We live in the cycle of nature. 

3)   This year a family of deer danced in our back yard from time to time. They did not go away while we were watching. The family looks to be mother, daughter, and fawn. 

A few years ago a fawn was lying  beside a path in the back yard. It did not move at all. When I petted, body was warm, It stayed there for about  24 hours,  then disappeared. The deer mother in front of my eyes is possible to be that fawn. She represents the  cycle of life and death. 

A thousand years later, deer and bears would play around here having survived both easy times and hard times. Both young maples and old birches would stand under rains and snows. Summer would be hot and winter would be cold. 

Not many things are more beautiful than natural beauty. Not many living beings are more sensitive and graceful than wild animals and flowers. We do not have plenty of  time to enjoy all the gifts of nature.    

4)   A few weeks ago, I was found by a person, who sent me email in which he said that he belonged to the same class in the college. We studied under the same teachers. Because of student violences at that time, we shared little time in school. He stayed in the college, I escaped to Kyoto Antaiji. We discussed what happened from each view about turbulent school environments half a century ago.  A bitter, sweet emotion followed. 

Regards.

Eishin Ikeda

Valley Zendo

Dear zen friend

1)  there is no sesshin in August. 

2)   Wood splitting Day:  August 12th (Sat.)  Work starts at 9 am. 

      There are many big logs. Please bear Safety First in mind. 

3)  Summer lecture:  August 13th (Sun.)  at 11 am.  

Speaker :  Peter Columbus phd.  Peter Columbus is an associate of Valley Zendo and managing events at Shantigar as well. As academic work, he has created a platform for discussing Allan Watts. 3 related books were published and one more publication is scheduled in November. If you have any questions about Allan Watts, Peter Columbus is the person to ask. 

4) September mini sesshin:  09/08, 09/09, 09/10. 

5)   It was hot and rainy in July. Trees and grasses grew fast. I mowed tall grasses on 10th of July for 4 hours in the evening. 

In the morning of 11th I went to a bank, entered through front door, walked right side toward another door. On the left side a traveling suitcase with tiny wheels approached and moved away. 

To my surprise the suitcase moved by itself. A person was not seen. 

I tested how things were seen by putting hand over each  my eyes.  Cataract seemed expanded.  

Having checked YouTubes. some said that under hot weather protein and sugar tend to be  combined and become a clot in blood stream. These clots become cause of cataract. 

I used to like to work under the Sun. Sweat. splash and shower after work was my favorite time. If the Youtubers  were right, my luxurious time was really dangerous! 

All factors like tiredness, heat,  protein, sugar,  must be considered for health for aged people. 

Another Youtuber recommended massaging both palms for 2 minutes each before sleeping. Blood streams in palms and eyes are somehow connected, he said. I did it. It seems to be better than nothing.  

Stay cool. 

Regards.

Eishin Ikeda

Valley Zendo

Dear zen friend

1)  June mini sesshin:  June 09, 10, 11. 

Sunday zazenkai on June 25th is cancelled

July mini sesshin:   July 07, 08, 09. 

Spring Cleaning: July 15th. 

2)    In November 2022, there was Jukaie at Zenshuji temple in Los Angeles. Series of ceremonies took place during a weeklong session. Jukaie was also a part of events for 100th anniversary of Soto Mission. Zenshuji was established in 1922. We performed celebrations on auspicious day in auspicious month. 

There were events at Zenshuji again last week from 25th to 28th. About 120 Soto Zen priests gathered not only from North America but also from South America, Europe, Hawaii, and Japan. This time, we celebrated fruit for last 100 years and set mind for work in coming 100 years. Pledges and continuation were confirmed. 

As a part of the events, Shobogenzo symposium was held. English translation of Shobogenzo sponsored by Sotoshu was completed and published. The official translation would help millions and billions people for centuries. 

Prof. Carl Beaulfelt, chief translator addressed remarks. He was a person of wit but said “I find mistakes in my translation everyday. Shobogenzo contains all the difficulties to rightly interpret sentence by sentence.”  He did not look happy. I personally thanked for his great contribution and shook hands.  

A merit of participation to these events is to meet people who can never be recognized, otherwise. This time I could meet the president of Sotoshu face to face. I can say “I saw him, I was there” for long.   

All ceremonial events planned for years ended well with cooperation of priests and well-wished supporters. It was fun.  

3)   On July 27th, Rev. Gyokei Yokoyama comes to Valley Zendo. He is abbot at Sozenji temple in Los Angeles. He was one of important personnels who led series of 100th anniversary events of Soto Mission to huge success. He will give us speech about anything on Soto Zen. Detailed schedule will be posted in the next email. 

27th is Thursday. If somebody wants to stay at zendo at night before or after, you are welcome. There are work like cleaning, making firewood, or mowing grass as well. Rev. Yokoyama will leave around noon next day on 28th. 

Regards.

Eishin Ikeda

Valley Zendo

Dear Zen Friend

1)   May mini sesshin:    May 12,  13,  14.  

      Sunday zazenkai on May 28 is cancelled. 

      June mini sesshin:   June 09, 10,  11. 

      Sunday zazenkai on June 25 is possibly cancelled. 

2)   A conversation was heard. There was a nationally known logger in adjacent village. He cut big, beautiful trees in his counties. 

Somebody asked him why he was destroying beautiful scenes by cutting hundreds year old trees. He said it was hard to keep up to cost of living in rural areas.  He was making living by exporting logs to Japan.

Japan sounds responsible for the damage of environmental resources around villages in Western Mass. 

About 50 years ago in Japan newspapers informed of pressure from US government to buy American lumbers. 

Majority of people did not want two by fours.  There,  air was different, paint was not used, Roof was heavy for preventing blow from typhoons. There were too many trees to use on mountains. Before importing, house building rules and restrictions had to be changed. 

After political debates done, promotion of importing American lumber was decided on the government level. I thought Americans were happy. 

3)   Right now Valley Zendo enjoys full bloom of daffodils and magnolias. Crab apples and peonies follow suit. Not only we like flowers but also bees, insects, and birds love them. We like to talk about beauty and health. 

Uchiyama Roshi retired from Antaiji at the age of sixty. He moved to a different house and soon a series of lecture began. He talked about his original thoughts as well as sutras. 

Later,  Roshi declared that his new frontier was aging and death.  Old age and death are Buddhist principles, which in reality are avoided in our interest. It is difficult to think and study death. Uchiyama Roshi dared to seek after truths about death and aging. 

Roshi’s reports about aging and death were ones of  his most valuable works.  I appreciated his new findings on eternally old matters.  It was fortunate to know what happens when I get old.  

I  become aged just like Roshi had experienced.  What is my frontier? 

Regards.

Eishin Ikeda

Valley Zendo