Mountains and Waters Alliance, January 2, 2023

Entering 2023: waxing moon first quarter, daylight growing, snow paused

I greet you from the land of cold and snow, entering the next winter storm, knowing that the erratic weather is from climate change. Imagining Mother Earth shaking us off, freeing herself – and dreaming that we can still make peace, become friends, live in the hands of the gods again, in the hands of all beings.

I asked for a poem for the time, and here is what came.

Eight years here now,

listening to the birds,

asking the trees and hills and sometimes feeling their reply,

just barely beginning to know my welcome,

to take my place.

The next step is to ask for help.

Oh yes, I’ve asked –

for the earth, for this land itself,

for water protectors at Line Three

and land protectors at Thacker Pass,

wherever my attention landed.

But now,

learning so slowly,

I will ask for myself.

For health, and rest, and human community.

It seems as if she’s moved in spite of me,

calling people here, helping with work and softening my heart.

I forgive myself for being so slow.

After writing, I went down to the altar at the creek, and asked for my health to improve. I could feel an answer. Still a mystery.

The river has two names, Dakota and English. Inyan Bosndata (Standing Rock River) and Cannon River (from the French for canoes).

The creeks have no names. People ask their names. But I honor their wildness and their changing, and don’t want to burden them with a fixed name. The state DNR calls them “intermittent streams,” which seems to acknowledge their wildness.

Perhaps some day they will tell me their names; until then I leave them to themselves.

Changes:

There are now three residents, with space for one more now, probably an additional space this fall. Pleae write if you’re interested in joining us.

One of us will be focusing on the land; we expect more activities, more workdays. Watch here for announcements.

The Facebook page for Mountains and Waters Alliance is now closed, and will be shut down. There are two ways to stay connected. You can subscribe to the blog at the website, and receive emails. Or you can follow my personal Facebook page (Shodo Spring), where the blogs are always posted.

Some online events, old and new:

• The Wednesday night Zen group becomes a class, beginning January 4; you can still register.
• Monday morning zazen continues online.
• The Gift of Fearlessness has moved to 2nd and 4th Tuesdays each month, discussing current events.
• I’m giving a dharma talk at Hokyoji on January 22.
• On January 21, 2-4 Central Time, I’ll be attending “Climate Change as Spiritual Teacher” a council led by Adyashanti, a well-known spiritual teacher whom I respect a great deal. No cost; here’s a link.

Local events:

• Talking circle, Sunday January 22, 4 pm with potluck at 6. You probably know talking circle by now: deep listening, opening to wisdom, clarifying intention. “What is mine to do?” could be our guiding question for this meeting. If we choose, then, we may meet again, monthly or as we are guided. Location at the farm; in-person only. (There could be support and encouragement to do the same in your own place.) Please register by email.

Retreats and Farm events:

If there are additions, we’ll announce them here.

• February 11, morning: Intro to Zen, 2-hour workshop
• February 11-12, either a land care retreat or a simple work day, tapping trees for sap for maple syrup.
• February 17-19: sesshin – silent meditation retreat.
• March 11: work day including processing maple syrup and other seasonal activities.
• late March: closed for a personal walking retreat
• April 14-16: land care: Meditation plus dharma talks and conversation, plus work with the land, probably involving fire – biochar, and/or burning fields to make prairie or to calm invasive plants.
• May will be closed, no weekend events.
• June 10: maybe a workday, focused on gardening
• July to December: to be announced.

Giving, upcoming classes and talks, and communications

Giving:

This is the season of fundraising appeals. I’ve been invisible, underground, working on the book, occasional talks, and leading one study group and one discussion group. With nothing to see, I make no claim to your dollars. Still, if you would like to support this work here is a window. Gifts make it possible to give more time to teaching and writing, and ultimately to center my life on our mission. https://mountainsandwatersalliance.org/donate-support/

Currently I work more than half time as a psychotherapist. It’s good work and also demanding, and helps me repay the loan I took out to expand the house and make space for a beginning community. (There will be three of us here by January, with one space open for an additional resident.)

Classes

An online study group will begin Wednesday, January 4, 6:30-8 pm, on Dogen’s writing “Being Time” through Dainin Katagiri’s Each Moment is the Universe. Registration is necessary, preferably by December 15; donations are requested but not required. More information here.

There will be an in-person “Introduction to Zen” on a January Saturday morning, not yet scheduled. If interested, you’re encouraged to contact me; it will help planning.

Retreats and Farm events

The general monthly pattern is a retreat on the third weekend, a workday on the second weekend. Retreats are either sesshin, an intensive meditation retreat, up to five days long, or “land care retreat” including meditation, dharma talk and discussion, and mindful work on the land. There’s a flexible fee, registration required, and I love doing these.

Workdays are usually informal and involve whatever is needed, mostly farm and land work. Lunch and snacks are provided, and no money changes hands. Sometimes people stay after for dharma conversation.

Speculative schedule (that’s even less than tentative, and none of these are event listings yes.)

• January 14: workday indoors, either sewing or construction of the painting/rehab sort.
• January 21: intro to Zen, which could be followed by a half-day of sitting meditation.
• February 11: workday, tap maple trees
• February 18-19, land care retreat, maple trees and meditation
• March 11: just possibly a workday involving maple syrup
• late March: closed for a personal walking retreat
• April 15-16: something involving fire – burning fields to make prairie, biochar, remove\calm invasive plants.
• May closed: I’ll be at my teacher’s last teaching retreat, then various family occasions.
• June 10: possible workday, gardening
• late June: probably no events due to travel for ceremonies at Sanshinji, my teacher’s temple
• July-December: similar pattern, no details yet. Except that I will sit Rohatsu sesshin, December 1-8, either here or with another sangha. There will be at least one or two sesshins and land care retreats.

Talks

November 27, this Sunday, I’m giving a dharma talk online for Hokyoji Zen Practice Community in southern Minnesota. The talk starts at 9:30am Central Time; zazen begins at 8:30 and you can join at any time.Here’s the link: https://www.hokyoji.org/sunday-talks/

December 10, Saturday, I’ll talk online with Heartland Zen about the text Sansuikyo (Mountains and Waters Sutra) and the book I edited for Okumura Roshi. 11:00 am, meditation 10:30. Link is at https://www.heartlandzen.org/

Communications:

At the end of this year I will discontinue the Facebook page for Mountains and Waters Alliance. If you have been following there, you might sign up for blog posts (bottom of this page), or switch to my personal page (Shodo Spring) if it’s not too crowded for you. The reason is that organizational pages keep becoming more and more difficult to use, and I don’t think the page is that useful.)

In Memoriam:

On this day in 1963, an assassination took the life of John F Kennedy, a courageous leader in many ways. It’s 59 years, and the world has changed incalculably. Or perhaps just its appearance has changed, except that now we face climate disaster and open fascism and so much else. We also have great upwellings of humanity, love, and creativity. I imagine a great event at the 60th anniversary, a celebration of life and humanity. My part in that celebration will be to honor the gifts of trees, mountains, rivers, oceans, prairies, meadows, mycelia, all of life – and to ask for their continuing participation.

I’ll follow that with acknowledgment of how it goes in our world today. I’ve given too much attention for too long to external events. December’s post will look outward at it all, hopefully from a calm place.

Please Vote. And Breathe.

Voting is an exercise of political power. Self-expression has nothing to do with it. We vote all the time for people we don’t prefer, in order to avoid potential disasters. If you’re worried about possible disasters of any kind, please vote in addition to your other actions.

To make sure you’re still registered correctly: https://www.usa.gov/confirm-voter-registration. It also has information on how to register in each state, and whether you need ID.

Quoting an email from my friend Bob Ciernia:

“In Mein Kampf, Hitler said what he would do if his party came to power. People didn’t believe him. Let’s not make the same mistake …. Despite losing the popular vote by over 7 million votes (and losing the Electoral College vote 306 to 232), a majority of Republicans believe they won the 2020 Presidential election. What does it say about your view of the world if you think the only way you could ever lose an election is if it is rigged? Again, please take them at their word ….

“If you want to do something… there is still time to affect the outcome of the 2022 election. I [Bob] am a member of this group: https://www.fridayaction.org/projects/#current   [They identify critical races and send postcards, sometimes increasing voter turnout by 10%. Of course there are many options for action.]

“Please remember the words of Martin Niemöller (1892-1984), a Lutheran minister who spent eight years in prisons and concentration camps between 1937 and 1945.

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”

Remember that local candidates matter, Secretaries of State control voting, and school boards make a difference for our children.

And still there is this:

From Edna St. Vincent Millay, over a hundred years ago.

O world, I cannot hold thee close enough!

   Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!

   Thy mists, that roll and rise!

Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag

And all but cry with colour!   That gaunt crag

To crush!   To lift the lean of that black bluff!

World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!

Long have I known a glory in it all,

         But never knew I this;

         Here such a passion is

As stretcheth me apart,—Lord, I do fear

Thou’st made the world too beautiful this year;

My soul is all but out of me,—let fall

No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.

A bit of news:

September sesshin had 3 participants, and was a gift. Even though I spent my free time protecting the garden plants from the first frost, as well as building fires to warm the zendo, at the end my heart was lighter and I was able to engage wholeheartedly with daily life having released some kind of burden.

Here are some photos from that daily life:

Next summer when the garage gets hot, it will be like our own kiln. (This lumber was milled from our own trees. There’s more of that to come.)

For upcoming events, see last month’s post. Except this update: the Wednesday night Zen group is on hiatus, and will begin January 4 with an organized class on Dogen’s writing “Being Time” using Dainin Katagiri’s Each Moment is the Universe: Zen and the way of being time. We’ll meet at 6:30 pm on the first three Wednesdays of each month January through April. It will be more formal than our past reading/discussion, and a donation is requested at a level that works for you.

And there will be at least one introduction to Zen event – a day or a half-day – probably January 21.

There’s space for two more residents.

I wrote last month; now I’m keeping it simple. Please email me if you have interest in either a short-term visit or a long-term stay.

Being Earth

The book is nearly done and has a working title: Being Earth: What to Do With the Time that is Given Us. The initial description: “A Buddhist response to the crisis of our times, Being Earth draws on history, anthropology, archaeology, biology, and psychology to invite new perspectives and possibilities.”

Money is tight

because of the construction, inflation, medical expenses, and life in general. I’m working more hours, but also encouraging donations, tax-deductible, either on the website or by mailing a check.

There’s also a free way to support through www.iGive.com. You set things up with them, then automatically a small percentage comes to MWA when you buy online from one of their sellers. Most airlines and many major companies are on it.

If you’re experiencing problems with wildfire, flood, drought, storm, covid, or social crisis, my heart is with you. Ask if you would like us to chant for your well-being.

Warmly,

Shodo Spring

for Mountains and Waters Alliance

Mountains and Waters Alliance September news and thoughts

Please forgive the long silence. I’m back and will try to be more regular.

First, upcoming events:

Sesshin, September 23-27

(arrive Thursday night, end Tuesday noon)

The term sesshin means “to settle the mind.” We sit quietly together, 6 am to 9 pm with breaks for walking meditation and for meals. It’s a gentle time, and if you haven’t done it before please call and talk with us first. I love this way of just sitting together, but for most people it’s best to explore gradually. Partial participation can be arranged.

Details are here, registration is required. There is no extra charge for staying here.

Workday, October 8

followed by a potluck supper. (There is not an event post for this.) Work is 9-4, break and socializing 4-6, potluck about 6.

Most likely projects involve garden and land care. If there are enough of us, moving wood and other heavy projects are offered. Lunch is provided.

Register by email; say whether you will come for work, potluck, or both.

Introduction to Zen October 14 – Friday evening 7-9

Stands alone or leads into land care retreat. Includes instruction in sitting and walking meditation, brief discussion of chanting and ceremonies, and questions and answers. By donation. If you would like to come just to this and not the land care retreat, please email.

Land care retreat October 15-16 (Friday evening to Sunday afternoon)

This weekend begins with introduction to Zen, then combines meditation, dharma talks, and outdoor work in the spirit of being one with the earth. Registration is required, there is a fee, and more information is here. You may also begin Saturday morning after breakfast, at 9 am.

Online groups continue:

• Zen study group, Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm Central Time.
• Gift of Fearlessness, Sunday evenings 7 pm Central Time
• Monday morning zazen is still at 6 am Central Time. 50 minutes of sitting followed by a short chanting service and conversation.

These are all coordinated by email rather than website. If you are interested in joining any, email me.

Dharma talk online October 2, Sunday morning

This is at Northfield Buddhist Meditation Center The talk is in person and online. For online, use this link   The password is “med” followed by “55057” sitting is 9:30-10, talk is approximately 10-11.

Residents

Having finished major construction, upgraded to four bedrooms, and long work with  volunteers outdoors in garden and woods, I find myself talking with several potential residents. If you are tempted to come and practice here, please

contact me soon. Here are a few basics:

• I hope for people interested in joining in morning zazen and retreats. Zen background is helpful because we share a language, but it’s not required at all.
• Most people pay a modest rent, a share of what it costs to have this beautiful place. There are people who could make that from the land, and welcome to do so: farmers and gardeners, especially permaculturists; herbalists; woodworkers; and possibly basket weavers and other traditional skills.
• Community matters. A weekly house meeting is essential. We share decision-making, yet as owner (until that becomes shared) there are responsibilities that are mine.
• There is no incense or fragrance indoors, because of my chemical sensitivities. We will try to honor other disability needs as well.
• This is an incredibly beautiful place, and it needs care. Everyone who lives here shares in that.(There are photos throughout the website.)
• I hope eventually to share ownership.

Some thoughts on Zen and action:

Tuesday I had a lovely interview with Siddhesh Mukerji, who is writing a book about Buddhism and activism. His questions brought out my thoughts beautifully. Here is a recording of our conversation, unedited.

Last Monday, I learned of an opportunity to support Lakota-led prayer action protecting the Black Hills, He Sapa. My friend Karen Little Thunder and others gathered for prayer outside a Federal courthouse where there was a hearing on violations of the laws regarding new lithium mining. I emailed and used social media to reach whoever I could, and spent an hour at the Central Altar on this land, offering chanting, meditation, and energy. The Black Hills Clean Water Alliance will know what happened.

Blessings in the fall. Please remember to breathe.

Warmly,

Shodo Spring

for Mountains and Waters Alliance

Farm/garden day May 21

Dear Friends,

Please forgive me for not commenting on the conditions of the world today. Sometimes writing is more than I can manage. But if you wish to send support to Ukraine, there is a Zen community in Poland that has taken on this work, and are known to people that I know. (You may have to use Google Translate.)
https://fundacjabadz.pl/wesprzyj-ukraine/

Saturday, May 21 – Farm/garden day

So this was “spring cleanup day” and now we know more.

The house renovation is not finished, so we can’t move furniture back, but visits will be offered. The big task will be planting tiny plants and generally putting in the garden. People who want to use carpentry skills or big muscles will be invited to do things like building the outhouse or moving dirt and wood. Plenty of choices.

The day: early people 9-1, lunch at 1, afternoon crew 1-5, and a leisurely supper and bonfire afterward – as we like. Lunch looks like nettle soup with cornbread and black bean salad; dinner is uncertain; there’s a dessert involving rhubarb. Potluck contributions are welcome but not required.

If you’d like to come, please let me know your plans so I can do food. If you want to come Friday or even another day, email me and we’ll see what we can do.

COVID: Things seem a little tenuous these days. Tell me if you are in one of these two groups:

• Unvaccinated
• Particularly vulnerable in any way, including being a caretaker or just concerned.

We’ll keep these two groups separated. We’ll be outdoors, and we’ll have a contact tracing sign-in sheet.

Other upcoming events appear on the right of this post, so I won’t repeat them here.

I’ll be visiting Bloomington, Indiana a couple of times, and Atlanta in late July/early August. Feel free to reach out about either a visit or a ride share.

Warmly,

Shodo

Even In War

About two days ago, a shooting war began between Russia and Ukraine. Everyone knows who is right and wrong, except me. People have sent essays and speeches, and I can add a few bits of information or links. Here is just one source of many: a talk by Vladimir Pozner. There are some common themes in these alternative voices: that Western powers promised that NATO wouldn’t expand eastward, and then it did; that Putin once wanted to join NATO and was turned down. I do not support Putin or the invasion, but the media has gotten into that cheerleading mode that I cannot join.

War is never good. Claims of innocence are always suspect, though innocence does exist in the world. What to do? Praying for peace is always a good thing; meditating for justice is also safe. That’s all I’m going to say. You’re invited to add a comment with your favorite information source.

Meanwhile, life goes on here, far from the war. It’s a little disconcerting, being aware that all our lives are in the balance and not quite sure what to do. But really, not so different from dealing with global warming, or violent racism, or most things: what can we do?  Joanna Macy describes three kinds of action: holding actions, building the new future, and spiritual work. I’m mostly involved in the latter two, living in a present and working for a future spiritually based and connected with all of life.

It would be great if people who are doing things add a link or a short comment – especially about these very immediate events including the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

News at Home:

A local reporter came to do a story, and did this beautiful and wise description of what we’re doing here:

Local group uses Buddhist practices to to seek understanding

There seems to be a paywall. They told me people could generally access the article once or twice before the paywall came up, but some people are having difficulty. I am trying to arrange access.

In response to this welcome, I will offer some introductory afternoons later this year, summer or fall.

Spring 2022 Events:

• This spring, we have a 5-day sesshin March 18-22: silent sitting and walking meditation, shared meals, very simple. (Register soon please)
• On March 26, a Saturday morning, I’m giving a dharma talk “Together With All Beings: Understanding the Self” online at Heartland Zen.
• April 10, a Sunday morning, I give a talk online at Hokyoji Zen Monastery, no title yet.
• May 5-9 I will be attending the Genzo-e (teaching retreat) at Sanshin Zen Community, with my teacher Shohaku Okumura, available online.
• June 5, a Sunday morning, I give a talk online and in person at Clouds in Water Zen Community, no title.
• June 17-21 is the summer 5-day sesshin.
• Online groups continue, and are coordinated by email, newcomers welcome:
  • The Gift of Fearlessness, Sundays 4:30-6 pm Central Time, weeks 1, 2, 4, and 5
  • Zen study group, Wednesdays 6:30-8 pm Central Time
  • Monday morning zazen – sitting meditation, Monday mornings 5:55-7 Central Time

We expect to have construction in April, dates unknown, and there will be a chance for volunteers to help – especially with moving furniture, possibly with painting and other work.

Poem

Last, I want to leave you with this poem by Wendell Berry. It’s from 1977; I can’t say it’s still true 45 years later. I still offer it.

A Vision

If we will have the wisdom to survive,
to stand like slow-growing trees
on a ruined place, renewing, enriching it,
if we will make our seasons welcome here,
asking not too much of earth or heaven,
then a long time after we are dead
the lives our lives prepare will live
here, their houses strongly placed
upon the valley sides, fields and gardens
rich in the windows. The river will run
clear, as we will never know it,
and over it, birdsong like a canopy.
On the levels of the hills will be
green meadows, stock bells in noon shade.
On the steeps where greed and ignorance cut down
the old forest, an old forest will stand,
its rich leaf-fall drifting on its roots.
The veins of forgotten springs will have opened.
Families will be singing in the fields.
In their voices they will hear a music
risen out of the ground. They will take
nothing from the ground they will not return,
whatever the grief at parting. Memory,
native to this valley, will spread over it
like a grove, and memory will grow
into legend, legend into song, song
into sacrament. The abundance of this place,
the songs of its people and its birds,
will be health and wisdom and indwelling
light. This is no paradisal dream.
Its hardship is its possibility.

Wendell Berry

Sending blessings to you. Inviting you to pray for peace, love, and joy, for justice and freedom. Inviting you to stop by the nearest old tree, or meadow, or creek, to greet them warmly, bring an offering of any kind (a song? A cookie?) and speak to them the same prayers, share with them, consider them as friends and allies.

Love,

Shodo

Land event this weekend, and a recorded talk

Dear Ones,

If you would like to come and spend some time with the land this weekend (Oct 9 and/or 10) here is the information and registration link. It’s a work weekend and there is no charge; the schedule is loose and you can come for part of it.

The real reason for this note is to share a beautiful interview with Tenzin Palmo, about practice and emptiness. She is the nun who spent 12 years in a cave in Tibetan Buddhist practice; she is also an absolute delight to meet. She is talking (at this moment) about the importance of foundational practice, which would be calming or mindfulness practice. And about practice in daily life as well.

I recommend this interview very highly. It’s about an hour, and you could listen to it in small pieces if you like.

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo: Emptiness, Dzogchen, and Women in Buddhism (#126)

With love,

Shodo

Ordinary life – Mountains and Waters Alliance, fall 2021

“When the crowded Vietnamese refugee boats met with storms or pirates, if everyone panicked all would be lost.

But if even one person on the boat remained calm and centered, it was enough. It showed the way for everyone to survive.”

Thich Nhat Hanh

Rather than talking about any of the kinds of fear people are feeling these days, I’m going to invite you to spend some quiet and calm time with us, in the crisp cool days and nights, glorious fall colors, harvesting, transplanting, bonfire, good conversation…as much or as little of the weekend as you like.

Work weekend: Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10, with more information and registration here.

That’s my invitation right now – ordinary life and community.

The next official event after that is Rohatsu sesshin, seven days of silent sitting meditation beginning the evening of November 30. Mostly it’s serious Zen people who like this – but talk with me if you’re tempted, everybody has a first time.

For both events, we’ll take care of Covid safety as appropriate to the time.

We have a couple of photos: a new altar cloth, hand woven by Kathleen Quinn (in the picture). And I started bringing in firewood for the winter – though to heat with wood throughout would take a lot more labor power than I have alone.

There is still space for extra people who want to live here. Reading the website gives you an idea. A couple of interested people are coming for the work weekend, which is a great time to get the feel of things.

Last – if you would like to support us:

At no cost to you, iGive.com gives a percentage of your online shopping to us. You go here, fill out the forms, put a button on the gadget you most use for shopping, and name Mountains and Waters Alliance. The rest of it is basically automatic. If you do this by November 15 and actually buy something by December 1, we get an extra $5. But mostly, it’s a steady trickle, with a burst of cash for big shopping events or plane tickets etc. Lots of stores are on it – just go to their website as you would otherwise. (Don’t ever stop supporting your locally owned stores!)

Love you all.

Shodo

Covid update on MWA Events

Dear Friends,

This is an update on the events calendar I sent out last month. It seems like a good idea to be more careful with the unknowns on the new Covid variants. The uncertainty of life is requiring us to pay attention.

When you register for any event, please let me know whether you are vaccinated, which seems to give considerable protection. Also let me know if you are especially vulnerable or live with vulnerable people. We did this safely twice last year, before vaccines, adjusting precautions as we went.

Online:

Wednesday evening study group continues,

currently working with Taigen Leighton’s Zen Questions. If you’d like to join, email me. More details here.

Gift of Fearlessness

specifically designed as a space to care for ourselves and each other around the challenges in today’s world. We will resume in September. Email me if you’re considering joining. We’ve been meeting Sunday evenings. Details here.

Monday morning Zazen

Mondays, 6 am Central Time, details here.

At the Farm

Workday August 14.

11-5, lunch and snacks offered. We have garden projects and building projects. I have been out of state (returned August 3), so consider what feels safe to you. Probably entirely outdoors. Details here.

Land Care Retreat: moved from August 13-16 to August 20-23:

Combines sitting meditation with outdoor work as sacred ceremony. Garden, land care, and possibly some building. Free to past volunteers. Please register – we’ll go ahead if there are three registrations by the 15th. Details and registration here.

Sesshin September 17-21

(Thursday night to Tuesday afternoon): Sitting silently together, in the zendo or outdoors. Probably cancelled, but let me know if you plan to come. We may just wait for December. Registration required; fee or work exchange. Details and registration here.

October 9, 11-5: Transplanting day

We have raspberries to prune and move, rhubarb to divide and plant, possibly hazelnut bushes, strawberries, and who knows what else.

All the workdays are Saturday but could be extended on request. All come with a great lunch, free camping and so forth for those who stay extra – and probably veggies or plants if you would like some to take home.

December 1-8: Rohatsu Sesshin:

This will definitely happen, but possibly online.

Seven days of silent meditation, honoring the enlightenment of Dogen (founder of Soto Zen). A very quiet kind of adventure. Requires registration plus fee or work exchange. If you have not done sesshin here, we’ll need to talk first.

And in the world:

The construction, the protests, and the arrests continue at Line 3 in northern Minnesota. A central information source is http://stopline3.org. They are asking people to come now, but there’s plenty of other support to offer, especially contacting your legislators, the governor, and the President.
I don’t need to tell you about wildfires, floods, heat waves, disasters, and deaths continuing. We live in difficult times. Please take heart. (Note The Gift of Fearlessness group as a space to hold this .)

With love,

Shodo

Work/Party Day at Mountains and Waters Farm July 10

You’re invited to a beautiful day in the country, with some good work and a feast at the end. The weather forecast is cool (low 70’s) with showers tapering off around 11 am – perfect for the weeding projects.

The general plan: 11-5 followed by supper. (snack breaks and creek visits as needed)

Please tell me what hours you’d like to come. If you want to arrive before 11 or leave before 5, just tell me. To come just for supper, see below. Also see Covid safety notes at bottom.

Registering:

Send me an email  with this information: Your name, of course. __________________
bringing friends? (names) ________________
bringing kids? (names and ages) __________________
Planned arrival time ______. Planned ending time ______ . Staying for supper? ________

Which area of interest/skill? (details below)

• ___Heavy lifting (A half hour will help us move the window)
• ___carpentry
• ___plants
• ___miscellaneous ______________________________
• ___ anything needed
• ___want to make ice cream (this will only happen if there are interested folks)

Special stuff: check any of these boxes on food: ___Vegan ___ Need meat ___ Other restrictions ___________

And any other needs (allergies, physical limits, etc)? _________________________________________

If you are not vaccinated, or have special concerns about Covid, please check here ___. I’ll contact you so we can work it out with everybody who cares.

Party only? 4 or 5 pm

Some people have put many hours of love into this place (or into the Alliance): just come. But tell me so we can organize food.

If you’re new here and not up for work yet, you’re still welcome to come – and it would be nice if you can bring a potluck dish.

Covid:

• We’ll be mostly outdoors and it’s easy to do physical distancing. Most people are vaccinated.
• Still: Some people can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons; some people live with vulnerable people. Some people are just not vaccinated by their own reasons. Whatever.
• If you have any of these particular situations, please tell me at registration and we’ll make a decision. And if you have symptoms, are exposed to Covid, or have been on a plane or train in the past two weeks, please talk to me so we can figure out what’s safe.

I have no idea how many people will come; I’m pretty sure of at least two. Any number is fine.

I’ll send another email with directions, parking, “what to bring” information, and the rest.

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You don’t have to read the project list, but maybe you’d like to.

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The big project: move the picture window out of the truck! Probably wants 3 strong people to do it; took 2 skilled people to put it in the truck…

Everything else is a wonderful bonus. Leading options:

Carpentry:

There are three doors to install. I need at least one person with skills equal to or better than mine. Two such people, and/or a real carpenter, would be greatly appreciated.
We could put up the outhouse, if we got really enthusiastic. (composting toilet is ready)

Move heavy things:

Once the truck is empty, there’s a lot of firewood to haul, left from tornado damage 3 years ago.
There’s a firepit to build, all the stones are close by and it’s half done. Creativity involved.

Plant things: (your choice)

Weeding: There’s a garden. There are always weeds, maybe harvesting, or feel free to harvest the weeds, some are great food.
Pruning raspberries – an adventure: I set out to prune the raspberries and came away with quarts of ripe black berries – and there’s more. I can provide the armor, tools, and the plan.
Foraging: wild raspberries, nettles for pesto and soup, milkweed for freezing and canning, daylilies for freezing and pickling, herbs.
Fruit trees: They’ve gotten lost in the grasses and flowers – find them and see if they need anything. We can have a tour after.

Miscellaneous:

• Food: Take over the kitchen, organize snacks and supper from the things we have here.
• Sharpen tools – an extremely valuable task.
• Fixing tools (just the wood splitter, really)

Too much to ask:

• Organizing the workshop.
• Mowing, chain saw stuff, weed-whacking
• Indoor projects include painting, drywall, cleaning/organizing…
• Various projects in the wood, including buckthorn and its friends.
  This list goes on forever, like on any farm. Do not be intimidated.
• You are invited to take home harvested food, and also plants – raspberries, wildflowers, strawberries, walking onions, and various herbs… though midsummer might not be the best time.

Party only? 4 or 5 pm

Some people have put many hours of love into this place (or into the Alliance): just come. But tell me so we can organize food.

If you’re new here and not up for work yet, you’re still welcome to come – and it would be nice if you can bring a potluck dish.

Covid:

We’ll be mostly outdoors and it’s easy to do physical distancing. Most people are vaccinated.
Still: Some people can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons or aren’t vaccinated for their own reasons; some people live with vulnerable people; some people are just concerned. Whatever. If you have any of these situations, please tell me at registration and we’ll make a decision so everyone can feel safe. And if you have symptoms, are exposed to Covid, or have been on a plane or train in the past two weeks, please talk to me so we can figure it out.
I have no idea how many people will come; I’m pretty sure of two, which is enough. Limit is probably 20.

I’ll send another email with directions, “what to bring” information, and the rest.

Warmly,

Shodo

Spring, peace, welcome

Spring has burst forth in the past two weeks. Everything in me welcomes it. So today  just this, with Wendell Berry:

“The Peace of Wild Things”

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Activities and events

the Covid disclaimer:

We don’t know what will happen next, though things seem to be improving as more people are vaccinated. We discuss expectations at the beginning of each event (and in advance by email). Summer activities are mostly outdoors. We expect people to be responsible if they’ve been exposed, recently traveled, have vulnerable people to protect, and so forth. Expect standard safety protocols appropriate to the situation.

Gardening:

May 15, Saturday, we will be planting the garden, which has been prepped by several people on May 1 and other days. Tomatoes, potatoes, butternut squash, green peppers, canteloupe, and some herbs. Morning, afternoon, or both. Send an email to Shodo, and we’ll coordinate start and stop times, lunch, what you might need, directions, and carpooling. If we get everything in, there are a few other projects involving berries, fruit trees, and foraging.

Future dates to be arranged.

Construction:

We probably start in June, depending on the building permit. I’m gathering names of people, and their availability and skill levels. (Support staff is good too – for instance cooking.) Email me here, and I’ll keep you posted. We expect coming and going of people, with enough stability to help it flow smoothly.  Morning zazen is offered at 6 am, optional.

The project is opening up the main floor of the house, for added sun, more space, and an extra bedroom. The main point is to create a good south wall so we can attach a solar greenhouse and stop heating with fossil fuels. A second point is an additional nice bedroom for long-term guests or residents. Because the plan is still six residents.

Retreats:

June 17-22 is planned for a sesshin – an intensive meditation retreat in complete silence. This may be shortened or altered in some way if construction is still going on; advance registrations will make sure that it remains in full.

Land care retreat, August 13-16, sesshin September 16-21, sesshin November 30-December 8.

For all retreats: if interested, please either click above to register, or email for information.

Online:

Wednesday night study group, Sunday afternoon discussion group, and Monday morning zazen continue as usual.

Offerings:

I’ve had some lovely conversations about the world. Here are links to one talk, two four-way discussions, and one interview:

Dharma talk, Everything around me is my refuge

The “Dismantling Conquest” conversations, organized by Katherine Jordan: Part I and Part II (90 minutes each)

“Simple Sacred Solutions” is a series of dialogues from Green Yoga Project. Two interviews are posted each day May 1-7, and on their website afterward. Mine will be available Wednesday, May 5 (any time). Register here; you’ll receive an email with a link, to access the talks on the given day.

And if you are engaged in the struggle for justice and human rights; if you are embraced by soil and water and growing food; if you are deep in silent meditation; if you are disheartened by your own life or discouraged by the changes in the world; if you are filled with gratitude; if you are afraid; if you are angry – whoever you are and in whatever state, know that you are held.

If you would like us to chant on behalf of yourself or a loved one, someone in danger, sick, missing, in prison, passed over, or for a cause or a concern, please ask.

With love,

Shodo

MWA March 27, 2021 – Sorrow, shock, new life

As we weary of the pandemic and look forward to spring – forgive my rambling. And note the recording and the events at the bottom of the page.

A gunman has shot and killed ten people in a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. Less than a week earlier a gunman shot and killed eight people in massage parlors in Atlanta. Now, the state of Georgia has passed a draconian voter suppression law, and yesterday arrested a Black legislator for knocking on a door so she could witness the governor’s photo op. In Washington DC The US Senate cannot organize itself to stop minority rule (the filibuster). The Voting Rights Act is moving strictly on partisan lines, because Republicans admit they can’t win an election honestly.

The State of Minnesota has seated a jury for the trial of Derek Chauvin, who was filmed killing George Floyd, which started enormous protests, some violence, and became the occasion for more violence by police against protesters and journalists. The State has invested enormous sums in policing, fencing.

Official violence continues against people resisting Line 3 in northern Minnesota; sheriff departments are raking in the cash as Enbridge makes the mandated payments for pipeline “protection.” Line 3 is in court again and there’s some hope of legal victory. At Thacker Pass, the protest against lithium mining enters its third month of calling environmentalists to account along with mining companies.

Geneen Marie Haugen writes “I am stunned each time another hideous event exposes human depravity or psychosis or indifference for the lives of others. Every time, I (perhaps foolishly) anticipate some kind of collective awakening. …My belly aches with longing to mend what has gone awry, if only I could identify it. I want to be able to say, ‘Here is a way.’

Me too.

I’m reading a book called They Thought They Were Free: the Germans, 1933-45. The stories of ordinary individuals who joined the Nazi party are chilling; the way they manipulate truth and memory is uncomfortably familiar. But here is a comment from the author’s academic friend about his own choices. On taking the loyalty oath, “That day the world was lost, and it was I who lost it.” Although it had enabled him to hide fugitives and save lives, he said “If I had refused to take the oath in 1935, it would have meant that thousands and thousands like me, all over Germany, were refusing to take it. Their refusal would have heartened millions. Thus the regime would have been overthrown.” He speaks about not being ready, not having enough faith that he might make a difference, and so he took the easier path.

We know people who took the harder path. Daniel Ellsberg escaped life in prison (unlike Reality Winner, Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange, and even Edward Snowden in exile). Others have paid a different kind of price: Peter Norman, Australian runner supporting Carlos and Smith’s 1968 Olympic protest, lost his career and more – depression, alcoholism, and painkiller addiction after an injury. In 2000 he had no regret for standing up. Hugh Thompson, after stopping his soldiers from participating in the My Lai massacre, “was denounced as a traitor, and spent much of his life suffering from depression, PTSD, and nightmares.” And young Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans were executed by the Nazis. “Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go.”

What is appropriate action? What does each of us do, in a time when things are so ? And then how do we become the people who can take the risk? When I walked along the KXL route in 2013, there was no way to predict what the results would be – and it is still not possible to say what we contributed to the eventual protection of the land. But doing it made me alive. It was hard. Afterward it was hard to go back to ordinary life. Mountains and Waters Alliance, here on the farm and writing online, feels more mundane. But if I abandoned it, I would no longer feel alive.

Spring is in the air; amid the ruins of authorized violence and voter suppression, life renews. Line 3 protests with sacred ceremony mixed with arrests and legal battles. Buddhist Justice Reporter  looks deeply at the Derrick Chauvin trial. Protect Thacker Pass asks hard questions and confronts the self-deception of the environmental movement. Part of the great upswelling on behalf of the earth and our humanity, Mountains and Waters Alliance asks us to become allies with forests, mountains, and rivers instead of trying to be gods.

It’s a frightening time. So always is labor and birth. Be alive.

Announcements:

Here’s a recording of a dharma talk called “Refuge,” given at Red Clay Sangha in Atlanta. Here’s a link for a talk Sunday morning, March 28, also called “Refuge.”

Partial re- opening:

The months of April through June will be a work-practice period at MWA; come for what time you can, join us in zazen and in work. Covid safety continues as a priority,including quarantining in place, limited numbers, etc. In May we do construction, the first step toward solarizing the house. Meditation retreats and work retreats follow through the year; online groups, classes, and zazen continue.

Take heart. Something is rising. We are part of it, we are alive.

With love,

Shodo-

Spring practice period and events

Dear Friends,

In spite of Covid-19, we will offer some in-person options for this year. Things may change if the pandemic worsens. Meanwhile we have online events.

Online:

• Sunday evenings, 4:30 Central Time, online discussion group called “The Gift of Fearlessness”
• Wednesday evenings, 6:30 Central Time, Zen study group.
• February 20 one-day retreat with Red Clay Sangha in Atlanta
• February 21 Dharma talk at Red Clay Sangha in Atlanta
• March 28, Dharma talk at Clouds in Water Zen Center, 8:45-10:30 Central Time
• April 11, Dharma talk at Northfield Buddhist Meditation Center, 9-11 Central Time

Spring

Spring Work/Practice Period is an extended time for meditation, dharma discussion, and work as practice, in the context of community and the natural world. We’d like to welcome two or three people for an extended time, with more later when the weather warms. You can arrive April 1 or later, and stay to late summer. Well, for the hardy March is an option; we have plants to start indoors and maple trees to tap. Please read the more detailed description here, and plan to talk with me before you actually come. Also take a look at the visitor information.

Self-quarantine on site for up to two weeks, depending on individual circumstances. That self-quarantine can be done mostly outdoors, or in your room, with meals and other activities organized in a safe way. Like the traditional Zen tangaryo (which consists of simply sitting meditation all day), it provides a chance to get settled in this place while not having a lot of obligations. After a few days we’ll likely be able to find some kinds of solo work for you.

Volunteers are also welcome during this time.

Main Projects:

• construction – adding space and light – carpenters & support people
• gardening, cooking, general help, and, if there are enough hands, woods repair

This includes a volunteer weekend April 16-20 (come for part or all). Schedules are still in flux with weather, there will be other weekend opportunities.

Please see the calendar for later events:

• land care retreat August 13-16.
• Sesshin (meditation) June, September, December

Even in this pandemic time, I hope several of you will be able to come.

With love,

Shodo Spring

Welcome!

In this time of turmoil and uncertainty, impermanence is thoroughly present to us. I offer you these words of the Buddha, from the Upaddha Sutta:

The Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One: “This is half of the holy life, lord: admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie.”

The Buddha replied:

“Don’t say that, Ananda. Don’t say that. Admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life. When a monk has admirable people as friends, companions, and comrades, he can be expected to develop and pursue the noble eightfold path.”

Spiritual community makes everything possible.

An invitation

We are having a long quiet time with the pandemic. Now I write to invite you to come out to the farm. All the things below can be done even during the pandemic.

Residents

We’ll have space for more people in spring/summer of 2021. In my dreams, I see four people (eventually six), balanced in age, gender, and race or culture, with spiritual and activist commitments in harmony with the MWA vision, and functioning as a community, not a hierarchy.

Someone with these skills could probably quickly support themselves from the land while contributing to the community:

• woodworker or carver – to work with the black walnut, black cherry, oak, maple, and other fine woods here, making things to sell
• basket weaver – likewise, making things to sell
• herbalist and/or forager – working with the many medicinal plants that grow here, gathering mushrooms and other specialty foods for sale
• nursery plants – growing for sale as well as developing our food system here

These skills are much needed, and I’d look for ways to support them.

• farming, especially someone who knows animals
• orchard care, for the fruit and nut trees
• land care, environmental restoration
• office and/or social networking skills
• foraging, cooking, processing food
• carpenter or handy-person

Some people will also be working off the farm, so I’m not the only one working for cash.

In the dream,

• once the solar greenhouse is up we spend little time doing firewood, having more time for other things.
• even while putting away food and preparing for the future, our primary shared focus is ceremony, meditation, and action.
• we support each other in our individual contributions to the world, and in spiritual life as well.
• As people become committed to being here, we look for ways to equalize ownership of the land.

Visiting – outdoors

• Local people are encouraged to begin to make this your home, where you belong, where you spend time outdoors, and where you offer care. (After pandemic, indoors too.)
• There’s a specific invitation: to find a place on the land that calls to you, where you listen to the plants, land, and wildlife, are nourished by them and give your energy in return. I’m eager to facilitate this. Residents are also welcome to do such a thing.
• Work is also welcome, in garden and garden prep, but also many other things – look at the skills list above. I’m able to pay for some of these, and you can earn work exchange (for retreats) for the others.
• Overnight visits of days or weeks are as before, with the addition of virus safety care.

Work projects:

• Firewood: gather, split, and stack – October, also before or after
• Forest mending – there’s a grant for tornado damage, involves heavy work and some chain saws, probably November.
• Garden preparation and tending – making more new garden beds so we can grow more food next year – August to October.
• Tree planting, fences, transplanting berries and other perennials… if there’s extra time or a skilled volunteer.
• Forest mending part 2, spring – manage buckthorn and honeysuckle, invasives in the woods, also on a small grant.

Retreats

• Silent meditation retreats are coming up; these are completely silent, just sitting and walking meditation, sharing the work of cooking, cleaning, fire care, etc. Until the pandemic is past, in-person retreats will be limited to 5, with online participation possible.
  • September 25-29
  • November 30-December 8, Rohatsu sesshin
  • More to be scheduled in 2021.
• One or two land care retreats will also be offered in 2021.
• You can ask about an individual retreat.

Online:

• We sit zazen 6-6:50 Central Time every morning, Monday to Friday, online, followed by a short service. Just come.
• Wednesday evenings 6:30-8 Central Time, Introduction to Zen (based on Shohaku Okumura’s Living by Vow) Email Shodo first if you can, but also okay to just come.
• Sunday evenings 4:30-5:45 Central Time, The Gift of Fearlessness, discussing the current situation and our responses to it.

Classes generally start with 10 minutes of quiet sitting meditation. Location is here for all of these.

Individual support:

It’s possible to set up an online meeting with Shodo for spiritual guidance. Email or talk with her.

Let us hold each other in our hearts during these difficult times. You can chant, pray, offer loving-kindness meditation on behalf of individuals, groups, places, whatever and whoever calls to you.

Much warmth,

Shodo Spring

Zen practice opportunities at Mountains and Waters – summer 2020

Opening up to practice on the land, during the time of pandemic: we’re making a gentle start.

The Land Care Retreat, July 24-26

has been modified so that we can come together safely. Each of us (person or family) will spend most of their time in relationship with a particular part of the land. That may be deep in the woods, up the hill, down by the creek, in the orchard or garden or right near the house. You’re invited to find yourself in that piece of ground, to fall in love with it, to care for it, and to let it nourish and heal you. We’ll come together on the lawn for meals, discussion, and sitting zazen together.

Please look here for more information, and feel free to contact us. With the care around the pandemic, we’ll probably have a lot of advance discussion.

Fees are minimal, only covering outright expenses, yet there could be some work exchange.

Hiking and Visiting, by arrangement

Local people are welcome to come out and spend time on the land. You can walk in the meadow, orchard, woods, or by the creeks. If you’d like to do a land care project, you’re most welcome.

Personal visits, unless brief, usually involve working together in the garden or something. It’s a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. (It could involve harvesting, canning, freezing, or whatever we think is safe to do together.)

I’m also interested in hiring some people to do work, which mostly involves either gardening skills, muscles, or chain saws.

For any of these, email is best.

Zazen online

We’re now sitting together in the morning, Monday through Friday at 6 am Central Time (7 Eastern, 5 Mountain, 4 Pacific), and you are invited. Here is detailed information.

Online classes and groups

Living by Vow: Introductory class Wednesday evenings 6:30-8 pm Central Time, using the text by my teacher Shohaku Okumura. Best way to join is by emailing Shodo.

The Gift of Fearlessness: Sunday evenings at 4-5:15 pm Central Time. This discussion group started in response to the pandemic, and is now also contemplating the uprisings over racism and injustice. Best way to join is by emailing Shodo.