Mountains and Waters Alliance – personal note March 2 2026

Dear Friends,

Last fall I traveled to support the book Open Reality, then took some quiet time. I sent a few notes about that. After talking about the practice of asking the other-than-human beings to help us, I’m ready for a deep plunge into the practice myself. Don’t expect

For about three months, I’ll be living quietly here at the farm, sitting zazen for several hours per day, listening to the trees, bluffs, grasses, small animals and bugs, and this:

My response to the U.S. wars of aggression will be what I keep saying: I’ll ask for help from the beings that are beyond us, that we have ignored, whose powers are beyond our understanding. The crisis is clear; life on earth is at stake, along with thousands of human lives and our lived experience. If I believe this is the most powerful thing to do, it’s time to do it wholeheartedly.

If you feel so called, please join me in asking for help, for protection of humans, of all the beings of the earth and beyond. Practice where you are. You can sit quietly, and you can ask for help from the sky, stars, rain, and plants and animals right where you are. Or chant, sing, dance, send energy, pray – I have no prescriptions except that this is about asking for help from our relatives, from our other-selves.

In the tradition of forest hermits, I would welcome you to join me. I haven’t figured out how to do that without phone and internet. I can’t tell you where I’ll be at any moment: in the zendo, in the woods, in the garden, or on the rare errand? So if you know me, if you’re nearby, here’s what I can say: Just come to the land and practice here, whether or not you see me. (You could put a note on the front door if you come, if you like.) If you like, send an email; I’ll probably read them about once a week.

I recommend these two talks.

Introduction to sitting meditation: https://mountainsandwatersalliance.org/audio-dharma/ – at the bottom of “introductory talks.”

This talk tells a story about asking for help from all those beings. It might be my best talk on the subject. 40 minutes plus Q&A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej0Tdu0YymA

I’ll see you later. In June I expect to send out a calendar. There will be meditation retreats, land care, and other kinds of practice, as well as visits.

Love to all.

Shodo

Mountains and Waters Alliance event notices Oct 15 2025

Mountains & Waters Alliance July 26, 2025: The time for half-measures is over.

In the world:

These Palestinian journalists are on hunger strike until children in Gaza have food. They ask us to join them. I am joining them today, for one day, because I can do that. If you join them, let me know and tell your friends. There must be a way to tell them too, I’ll learn. (U.S. tax dollars are freely available to fund the genocide – and to kidnap immigrants and activists, drive ordinary Americans into poverty, and enrich the richest – while Israel blocks food deliveries and the U.S. burns food. The last bits of democracy are holding on by a thread.

Like most of us, I feel pretty helpless in the face of an obstinate government. I found this possible action (besides protest and lobbying, of course), and share it with you. My friend Kritee Kanko, Zen teacher and activist, writes:

This is my birthday week and like last year, I am inviting your contributions to beloved sangha member Sarah Habib’s mutual aid effort for sending life affirming food supplies to Gaz@n mothers and children. In spite of the blockade, her friend in Gaz@ has been bringing love and hope to many families. You can see updates on this page.  Last year we sent around $3000 through Sarah to G@za. We have already raised over $2600 this year. You can donate to me directly through this link and I will send the money to Sarah. Please mention “KK Birthday fundraiser” when you send me money. Also you can add your name/initials to this list so that every bit of money feels accounted for.

P.S. World Central Kitchen is functioning again.

Meanwhile, I will pray. That’s what I best know how to do. I will call on the river and the trees, the rocks and grasses, the white pines and cedars, the bald eagle and the pocket gopher, the earth under my feet and the stars and clouds, and every deity I know – I will ask them all for help, during this day of fasting, and after.

Mountains and Waters Alliance

We are at a change time – not exactly matching the enormous transition in the world. In one week, I’ll end my job to give my whole energy to this work. The book tour starts in September. The launch party is Sunday afternoon, September 7, at the farm. People seem to be agreeing with me about the potential of the book; we’ll find out. Online talks will be posted when they’re ready. In the book page, you can read excerpts and endorsements, pre-order the book, ask me to come offer an event or an online talk – whatever fits.  The publisher has discounts for book groups, churches, and several other categories. Email me and I’ll connect you.

There’s a dream, described in the book, of people gathering together in local centers or ritual action and community, in solidarity with earth and all beings. Study groups could evolve into that. And I would support you in any way I can.

Money

We have enough money to do the book tour, if I suspend my stipend for the duration. With the support of the Advisory Council, I’m doing that. I have a safety net that will last several months or cover one disaster. And generosity is coming toward me from people along the way.

The donation button works now. If you’d like to support the trip, or MWA in general, please use it. (If it breaks again, the backup plan is Zelle, which sends money straight into the MWA account.) It’s still possible to support MWA through iGive, which sends a trickle of money to us when you shop online.

The Book Page

The book page tells you where I’ll be, and how to invite me for speaking, teaching, leading – gathering together in ritual and prayer – deep political discussions – whatever fits. I’m going east this fall, west in 2026, and then we’ll see.

Zen Study Group

Zen study group will meet Wednesday evening, August 6, 6:30 pm Central Time. We may have an altered schedule while I’m traveling. If you are interested in joining, please email me now, and I’ll send details.

I welcome your prayers for this work, with all beings.

Love and solidarity,

Shodo

Mountains and Waters Alliance – summer events 2025

Dear Friends,

I’m not writing about the news right now, but I’m paying attention and participating as I can. Right now I just want to get you an update on events that MWA is doing or I’m doing.

Summer events

June 13-15 was planned as an Earth Apprentice retreat. Instead, we’ll be attending the local No Kings rally in Northfield, MN. If you would like to spend some time outdoors with the land, email me and we can have an informal gathering late Saturday afternoon, or Sunday.

Thursday evening June 19, 5:30-7 pm Central Time:  Online Dharma talk based on the book, at Sanshin Zen Community, my home temple. https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/r/day/2025/6/19 

Sunday morning June 22: Online Dharma talk at Hokyoji Zen Community, a country practice place I’ve known and loved for a long time. https://mountainsandwatersalliance.org/event/june-22-hokyoji/

Sunday morning July 13, Online Dharma talk at Hokyoji. https://mountainsandwatersalliance.org/event/july-13-hokyoji/

July 18-20, Friday night to Sunday, Sesshin at the farm.

This is an intensive retreat experience, described here. Registration is required, and you’re invited to talk with me in advance if you haven’t done this before. https://mountainsandwatersalliance.org/event/sesshin-at-farm/

Late summer and fall:

My new book, Open Reality: Meeting the Polycrisis Together With All Beings, will be published September 2.

I’ll be doing a book tour, and event information will be on the book page at www.shodospring.com. Meanwhile, I welcome your invitations to

• give a talk, retreat, or workshop at your sangha or other group,
•  offer a reading at your local bookstore,
• talk to a college class, a study group, an activist group, a church – or
• just take a day off with friends. Or a mini-retreat in the land you call home.

The general plan:

September will include various locations in Minnesota, including Northfield, a retreat in Duluth, a talk at Minnesota Zen Center, and a reading at Fair Trade Books in Red Wing. Plus some online events. Information will be on the book page.

September 26 I go on the road, beginning with a talk and a book table at the Women & Spirituality Conference in Rochester, MN, then going east through Chicago, Cleveland, etc, to New England where I have a few events including a 3-day retreat with Zen Center North Shore, Wenham, Massachusetts.

I’ll travel down the East Coast through New York City, Washington DC, and then head for Atlanta where I have a workshop commitment. There are a lot of places I might stop either before or after Atlanta; afterward I hope to visit Bloomington IN, Columbus OH, and some folks in Michigan and Wisconsin.

If you’re on or near that path, conversation is welcome and a place to stay much appreciated.

If you’re not near that path, there’s always online. Or 2026; I’ve been asked to see some folks in the West and Southwest then.

I had a dream

of small groups of people gathering to call in the spirits and the support of the natural world, each in their own place and their own way. After deciding to do this trip, I realized that this in an opportunity to do that – meet with people and do ceremony, prayer, ritual, everywhere I go. As the Compassionate Earth Walk was a blessing and an embodied prayer, this may be the same. I would rather walk, but I know how long that takes and it won’t happen this fall.

If you would like to send financial support

for this journey, please make a tax-deductible donation to Mountains and Waters Alliance. We appreciate all sorts of support including chanting and prayers.

With love,

Shodo

Mountains and Waters Alliance – Announcements, book news, and gifts

May 3 workday:

Workday at the farm in the magnificent sun and spring blossoms. We have 8 volunteers, welcome more. I know it’s the last minute. Come any time 9:30-3:30. Here’s a description. You can register online or at the farm.

Book:

Resilience.org published my excerpts from the new book. They’re good. And I forgot to include a link for pre-orders. You can read here, and pre-order here. Here are a few words from the excerpts:

All Living Things Speak Us Into Existence
Our bodies are water, moving with the ocean tides. Our bodies are matter, hungering for the feel of the earth underfoot. Each is a cousin of the microbes in the soil and a relative of the burr oaks up the hill.

This body belongs here. The winds blow through, the tides move, the earth holds, and some spark of awareness makes its home in this one body called mine, in these bodies we call ours.

Seeing each other, we create each other. We are no more separate than left hand from right.

Consciousness is who we are and what we are. Everything is mind – not “everything is imagination” but “everything is consciousness. This is about giving up the fight for control and for permanence. When we lose that fight, we can be alive. We are throwing our open and luminous stillness into the creation of everything.

I’m planning a fall book tour, looking for places to connect with people, give readings, have conversations, and do the shared spiritual work I propose in the book. September will be in Minnesota, then Upper Midwest, New England, eastern seaboard, and the middle – Ohio, Michigan, etc.)

Upcoming:

• At the farm, there’s always a welcome for volunteers – but there won’t be a lot of organizing, so call or email.
• Wednesday night study group continues, and will probably be affected by the book tour. To join, email me.
• Sunday evening Fearlessness group continues, likely also affected. We communicate by email.

Retreats:

• June 13-16: “Earth Apprentice Retreat:
• July 18-20: sesshin – silent meditation retreat.
• Fall activities will be on the book page. (It’s not ready yet, on May 2. Soon.)

Gifts:

I’m sharing two half-hour videos offering core teachings.

• Zazen instruction   About this, I will say that the first 5-10 minutes give the core of my teaching.
• Zen Introduction: How To Live.

Begging bowl:

On August 1 I will quit my job, to spend full time working for Mountains and Waters Alliance, beginning with the book tour and other promotion.  Maybe the trip will support itself through book sales and speaking fees. Maybe it won’t. I’m investing 3-4 months and risking all the money I have in this world.

If you would like to support me in this leap of faith:

• Free: Use iGive.com to generate small donations when you shop online. Explanation here.
• Ask your library to buy the book; tell your friends about it; pre-order it (should arrive September 2); share it around; invite me to give a paid talk somewhere, or lead a retreat or workshop. This would be a great book for a discussion group. If you’re in a book club, or if you teach a college class, talk with me about getting a review copy. And I’m available online for talks and such.
• Send money, tax-deductible if that helps.
• Send good thoughts. Include me, include this work in your prayers or chants.
• If you feel called to this way of life, let me know. Sometimes people come here to train; sometimes we work together at a distance.

If the universe says no, I can go back to work; I still have my social work license. My hope, here, is to move into the full force of my vow to free all beings.

Thanks, as always.

Love and commitment,

Shodo

Mountains and Waters Alliance – March 29, 2025 – Announcements

Upcoming events, and the book is ready for pre-order.

Local events:

Land: April 4, 3-7 pm, at the farm. We will dig and move some small pine trees, to a new location for privacy around the future outdoor zendo. If you want to take a tree home, should be easy. Please register.

Activism: Hands Off march, April 5, noon, at your state capitol or Washington DC. (I’ll be at the gathering in Northfield, MN.) For local information look here: https://indivisible.org/.

Land: Saturday, May 3, all day (9:30-3); rain date May 4, at the farm, cosponsored with Clean River Partners. More information and registration here:

In the morning we will make biochar – this involves playing with fire, and a lot of learning, led by Perry Post. After lunch we’ll work with removing invasive species from one area of land we want to restore. Register through Clean River Partners. Also email Shodo, so we can plan food and labor. There’s a chance of finding morels, which would involve staying after the work day. If interested, mention that in the email to Shodo.

Community retreat – Earth Apprentice – June 13-16

Retreats in June, July, and possibly August. Look here for a preview of the year.

Volunteering: Land care or otherwise, please get in touch about specific dates or topics. (We’re still gathering sap and cooking maple syrup.)

Online events:

Sunday March 30, dharma talk at Hokyoji. No registration, but information is here. also May 25, June 22, July 13.

The Book is available for pre-order.

Here’s the link from the publisher; you can pre-order now and receive it probably late August. When/if I see you, I’m happy to sign it. Pre-orders are said to be very important in helping the book get sold.

I’m planning a book tour this fall: Minnesota, Midwest, East Coast. I can give online talks or readings any time, and I’m collecting possibilities for next year – California, Southwest, wherever. Please contact me with any suggestions or requests, including dharma talks, retreats, workshops, bookstore readings, college presentations, churches, environmental and activist groups, and any other groups that might be interested. (I can provide a review copy as needed.)

There will be e-books; I’ll announce when they’re available. Probably September.

Open Reality: Meeting the Polycrisis together with all beings.

Only modern humans have imagined ourselves as gods… And come to the edge of destroying life on earth.

Open Reality speaks to the world behind and beneath our daily collective trauma. It opens practical possibilities for creating a shared, flexible culture that knows the natural world both as family and as a working partner. It invites the reader to a world of possibility. What if industrial civilization isn’t the best that humans can do? What if we weren’t alone in the world, but embedded in a universe of conscious, intentional, powerful beings?

Please remember to breathe, stay close to the ones you love, and let the earth embrace you.

Love,

Shodo

For Mountains and Waters Alliance

MWA – Return of the Light

Writing just after winter solstice, I’m aware of the winter light slowly growing – and I call to the light on every level. There’s an image of a crust breaking open as the life inside grows and grows. May it be so with each of us, and with all of us.

Zen teaching and practice:

I begin by offering two gifts.

First is a new talk introducing the practice of zazen, also known as sitting meditation. This talk begins with my understanding of what zazen is, in connection with my understanding of the Buddhist teaching of the way we belong to the earth. The first six or seven minutes are about this, and then the talk moves into practical matters of posture, breath, and mental awareness.

Second, I’m asking what Buddha offers to us in a difficult time. This talk begins with some current thoughts, includes readings from the Sutta Nipata, and concludes with an amazing discussion with the people online. They have given permission to include them in this post. (The talk begins a few minutes in, lasts about half an hour, and is followed by discussion.)

Upcoming study opportunities

Our Wednesday evening online study group will be focusing on the sixteen Zen precepts during the next few months. If you would like to join us, please do. More information is at the link, and you will want to email me to make sure you have all details. You can also make an appointment to talk, and I can share useful recordings from the past.

I will be offering the precepts to a few people after our basic study is complete. If you have interest in this, you can talk with me about it. (If you don’t know what this phrase means, wait until you’re more familiar with Zen.)

Calendar:

Here is a link to the 2025 calendar. It offers a general sense of what we do here, plus some specific dates. Things always evolve.

Consulting the Oracle:

This is a personal note. A year ago I threw all my energy into a fundraising campaign, and you responded beyond my wildest dreams. For the first time I received a stipend from MWA, and I began to dream of doing this work full time. Then shoulder surgery took more out of me than I could have imagined. I cancelled events to focus on recovery, and wondered what I was doing. I kept the basics going. And I finished editing the manuscript of The Shape of Reality Is Open: Walking Together Through the Polycrisis. It’s now at several publishers, and early responses have been encouraging. Meanwhile, I’ve been living what you might call a “normal” life. I’m starting to recover from the medical exhaustion, getting in touch with my meditation practice, exercising, and relaxing a bit.

I’ve come to look at these last few months as consulting an oracle. I wrote a thoughtful fundraising letter and sent it to as many people as I could, but didn’t start a GoFundMe or vigorously pursue possible donors as I did last year. It felt like putting a question out to the universe, and seeing what answer came back. The answer was “Don’t quit your day job.” I’ve accepted new therapy clients, and let go of my wish to retire, to go on long retreats, and so forth.

Sending the book to publishers is like that too: I make my offering, of six years’ work and struggle, and wait for the response. Will it be welcome? Of course, the answer to that will come in stages: first, finding a publisher, second, book sales, third, whether it becomes a vehicle for my teaching.

Last, I’m allowing my health (kidney issues) to rely on my own knowledge rather than doctors, even alternative ones. I can change course if needed, based on lab tests; intuition says I’ll be fine.

So here we are, going into a new year with a great many unknowns, some of them frightening. That’s why I gave the talk above, about the Buddha and difficult times. I’m watching too much news but mostly calm. This is a time for steady practice – including meditation, exercise, good social relationships, and remembering that we are in the care of the universe at all times.

Love and blessings,

Shodo

Mountains and Waters Alliance year-end report and donation request

Dear Friends,

I write to you after a year of growth and transformation supported by your love and care for Mountains and Waters Alliance. 

Also, let me mention two events. In December we’ll outline the full calendar.

• The Wednesday evening online Zen class will be focusing on the precepts for a while. If you’re interested in studying with us, this would be a good time to begin, December 11.
• Locally, we’re hosting a winter solstice celebration on December 21.

Last year, in addition to long-time supporters and volunteers, people responded to our fundraiser in an amazing way, creating a quiet revolution. Even though I named this work, dreamed it and poured my heart into it, you let me know that it was bigger than I imagined. I’ve been digging the roots in deeply, and need to follow through.

The Roots: 2024 in Review

Here’s a brief summary of what we did this year.

Teaching and Discussion:   weekly online Zen class with 4-6 people, plus individual meetings with students. “The Gift of Fearlessness” group continues to meet twice a month online, now five of us, supporting each other in dealing with events of the world. Newcomers are welcome.
“Earth Apprenticeship” – weekend retreats on becoming an apprentice to the earth – listening, learning, acting – was born in fall 2023. A grant proposal for a two-week program almost got funded. ZCNS plans to visit for an Earth Apprentice Retreat in June 2025.
Retreats: We had four retreats here at the farm, plus some volunteer days and community events.
Guest teaching: Leading Zen retreats in Duluth, MN, and in Atlanta, GA, dharma talks at various Zen communities, and co-teaching an 8-week class at Zen Center North Shore (Massachusetts).
Study and retreat time is essential for doing this work. In 2024, I attended two online ten-day study intensives with my teacher, and a 4-day retreat at Hokyoji (southern Minnesota) plus some solo retreats here.
Networking and building community: This includes participating with other groups, speaking at conferences, informal events at the farm such as the winter solstice bonfire, and lots of phone and email conversations, hosting visitors, and the like. The direction includes strong organizational relationships plus a small residential community and a strong group of people for whom this is a spiritual home.
Administration:  Thanks to generous donations in 2023-24, we were able to pay for some website upgrades and administrative help.

The book: The Shape of Reality is Open: Walking Together Through the Polycrisis

For the last six years, I have been writing the essence of Mountains and Waters Alliance. Originally, I imagined a book about asking for help from beyond-human beings, to address climate change in a different way. As I was writing, the covid epidemic began, and then extensive tumult culturally and politically. Studying and writing, I became engrossed in learning who humans are and how we can play our part in the universe – and am profoundly encouraged by what I’ve learned. The book is now out for consideration by likely publishers. If you’d like to read a short excerpt plus some endorsements, look at: https://mountainsandwatersalliance.org/the-shape-of-reality-is-open/. 

Future Unfolding: Visions for 2025-6

Building community here at home. After ten years here, the time is ripe. People know us. Our small farm hosts MWA activities. I could fruitfully spend a third of my time on active local outreach including community education, schools and colleges, churches and civic groups, and news resources, plus welcoming volunteers, offering more workshops and retreats, and personal connections. We’re also ready to add two or three more residents to the current two.

Reach out nationally and internationally, using the book launch as a vehicle for education and inspiration on the ideals that MWA was founded on. We hope for publication next fall/winter including a book tour. (Note: If your group would like a presentation as part of the book launch, please email me.)

Administration and maintenance: It’s time for both a website overhaul and a truly functional communication system so we can take better care of our people. We have found the (free) software and know what to do; we just need time for a one-time push consolidating everything, with easier upkeep later.

Requesting your financial support

In order to continue the momentum we have achieved this year, we need to execute on the plan above full-time. Applying a frugal approach, including money on hand plus anticipated income for a $35,000 budget, this year’s fundraising goal is $20,000.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation through this link, or mailing a check to Mountains and Waters Alliance, 16922 Cabot Avenue, Faribault, MN 55021, or learn how to get us free support through online shopping that you were already doing.  If your employer has a charity program, you might ask them to match your donation.

If you gave either money or time in 2024, thank you so much. 

Questions?

I’m happy to send additional information, including a tentative 2025 calendar, more numbers, a more detailed report on 2024, and personal thoughts, if you would like. Email me here.

With love and commitment,

Shodo Spring

For Mountains and Waters Alliance

Mountains and Waters Alliance – October 2024 – Fall events and news

Online study group

• Wednesday October 23, 6:30 pm Central Time, through Oct 30, Nov 6, 13, and 20. Focus will be on engaged Buddhism, based on a dharma talk “Trauma, Suffering, and Liberation” by Beth Kanji Goldring. I’ll send a copy of the talk to participants, and we’ll listen to it in class, piece by piece. Please register through the link above. If you have difficulty, email shodo@mountainsandwatersalliance.org.
• December 11 and 18 IF four people commit. Otherwise we will take a break for December.
• In 2025, study group will be January 8, 15, and 22 if four people commit.  Same for February 5, 12, and 19, March 5, 12, 19, and so forth. Topics and texts are not yet determined.

On-site events:

November work weekend

will be November 15, 16, and/or 17. If interested in coming for any part of this, email Shodo for more information and to make arrangements. We have several small projects, outdoors or indoors, depending on weather. Average temperatures would be in the low 40’s, which suggests short outdoor work alternating with indoor work or rest. Outdoor possibilities include adding a railing to the stairs, creating a better landing for those stairs, other small repairs, and firewood in its many aspects.

Rohatsu sesshin, Dec 1-8,

silent long days of sitting meditation, minimal shared work, staying onsite encouraged. We’ll gather Saturday evening Nov 30, and close Sunday morning December 8, Buddha’s Enlightenment Day. Please register soon. Ask questions now, ask about partial participation and whatever you need to know.

Winter solstice gathering, Saturday December 21 –

three parts. Register by emailing Shodo. Mention plans, number of children and adults, and rides offered/needed.

• • • The shortest day: Come any time to join us in preparing food and fire. If you come at sunrise (7 am) or the night before, you can join us for meditation and breakfast.
    • Bonfire, and potluck, arrive about 4 (sunset is 4:34 pm), sharing circle around the fire, and potluck when we’re ready – probably indoors. (Moon rises 11:44 pm, but stars will be out.) In case of terrible weather, the fire will be indoors.
    • Longest night: If you love sitting meditation, please join us for an all-night sit or a sleepover and greet the morning together.  Indoors or out depending on weather.

Looking ahead in 2025:

Each month has a different kind of farm work, including tapping sugar maples, planting pines, garden prep, garden planting, foraging, and so forth through the season. Sesshins and retreats will be announced, beginning in early February in Atlanta.

2025 calendar will appear in November. Also, that will be an invitation to membership and fundraising appeal, with plenty of information.

Book tour:

In fall 2025, I expect to be doing a book tour. If you think your group might like me to offer a talk, a reading, or a workshop, in person or online, now would be a great time to talk with me about how to make that happen. Of course, you’ll wonder what the book is about. Working title is The Shape of Reality Is Open: Walking Together Through the Polycrisis.  I can send information.

And news:

We currently have room for two more residents. If you’re attracted to the thought of living collectively, shared work, spiritual community, good conversation, activism in its various forms – and stars, trees, grasses, creeks and rivers – we’re interested in talking with you. It’s a gradual process. We also accept short-term and long-term guests as interns or while considering residency.

The job posting:

We’ve hired someone part-time, and it’s looking good. If you know someone who has professional-level experience with a marketing program called Hubspot, who would be interested in a few hours per week, send them to me.

Mountains and Waters Alliance – September Updates and Job Posting

This is a brief update plus announcement of a part-time job opportunity with Mountains and Waters Alliance.

UPCOMING

The Zen study group is returning to Wednesday evenings, 6:30-8 Central Time. You are welcome to join or to visit. We are just finishing “Instructions for the Cook.” In late September or early October, we’ll start a new study topic. We’re planning to work with a recording; I won’t post it until  we actually have it. We meet the first, second, and third Wednesdays each month, except for holidays and such. There’s an email list for notices, sharing of class recordings, and so forth. When there is a fifth Wednesday, we decide by group consensus.

There is no wild rice trip as previously hoped.

October 19-20 Shodo leads a retreat in Atlanta.

Rohatsu sesshin will be December 1-8, here at the farm.

Work days or work weekends are not yet scheduled, but things happen along the way. Email Shodo to be in touch.

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Part time, flexible. Primary purpose is office support, so I can focus on other tasks. Up to $800 per month, depending on how things evolve.

• Monitor event postings on website and social media. Make sure everything is functional (e.g. registration pages) and that postings are timely and informative.
• Monitor human interactions and create records accessible to me, to help things run more smoothly. This includes using Hubspot (a marketing software) to store information.

Qualifications:

Well-organized, thinks clearly, creative, good at coordinating.

Comfortable with social media and able to do minor website updates.

Communicates well, verbally and in writing. Is willing to use email.

Ideal:

• already skilled with Hubspot.
• Local (southern Minnesota).
• Wants a long-term part-time job.
• Supports our ideals.

If interested, send an email telling me about yourself, including expected salary range, time availability, goals for working with us, and a resume or equivalent.

Thank you all.

With love,

Shodo Spring

MWA – Notes from the heart, plus schedule updates – June 2024

“Not knowing is most intimate.”

Life continues to be uncertain. It seems more so than usual these days – with climate change, U.S. politics and fears, the actuality of genocide, and civil liberties issues. Relatively safe, I don’t know what to do. Some people have chosen a course and are pursuing it wholeheartedly, and I thank them. Meanwhile, Zen Master Dizang’s “Not knowing is most intimate” is here for me. My advisory group recommends avoiding distractions, sitting more zazen – a lot more – and waiting for clarity, intimate with uncertainty, allowing Life to create me.

I can’t say much more to you. If your direction is clear, please follow it with all your heart. If you are like me, you’re welcome to join me in allowing intimacy, waiting for clarity. If you’d like to connect in that space, feel free to send me your name.  I’ll chant for you, as I do for myself: may we find wisdom, peace, and commitment. May we know our next step, and be willing to take it.

You’re also invited to morning sitting, 6 am Central Time: no zoom, just sitting together wherever we are. Any morning; I’m usually there, and others may be too. We might even call or email each other, for support and encouragement. Or we might take a walk in the woods, or put our hands in the dirt, and listen inwardly and physically, allowing all beings to create and teach us. Here, now, the lilacs are blooming and the iris promise; nettles are offering food and morels are already done. Green and blue, bird song and sun and shade, everywhere says summer.

Zen classes and talks:

June and July: Classes Monday evening again, on Dogen’s writing about the work of the Zen cook. Registration please, donations encouraged but not required.

Thursday evening classes, co-teaching at Zen Center North Shore, Beverley, Massachusetts, Mountains and Waters Sutra. June 6-August 1. Note that the times for zazen and talk are in Eastern Time. In Central Time, zazen begins at 5:30 pm and the talk starts at 6:15 pm. You are strongly encouraged to register and make a donation to support ZCNS, which will give me an honorarium.

Zen classes here will return to Wednesdays in September; we’re not quite sure about August.

Saturday, June 15: online talk with No Barriers Zen.  Two half-hour zazen periods starting at 9 Central Time, followed by talk and discussion. There will be an ASL interpreter; this group is committed to inclusivity. Having spent a year working within the Deaf community, I’m delighted to spend the morning with them.

Retreats:

July 19-21: Earth Apprentice Retreat. (fee, registration required)

August 16-18: Weekend sesshin. More information later.

Nov 30-December 8: Rohatsu sesshin, sitting in silence, honoring Buddha’s enlightenment. More information later.

Things I’m going to attend that might be of interest:

June 19-23, “Practicing the Way in this very moment” Zen retreat at Hokyoji (SE Minnesota) https://hokyoji.org/event/practicing-the-way-in-this-very-moment-2/  registration required

September, wild rice gathering in northern Minnesota with Honor the Earth. More information later.

November 1-10, online class with Shohaku Okumura, ten days, 2 hours each day.

With love,

Shodo

For Mountains and Waters Alliance

Zen talk May 11, plus classes, retreats, and a biochar workshop

Dear friends,

Forgive me for not writing more deeply. I’ve been distracted by the Middle East and the response in this country. Finally I have a way to participate: there is an encampment at a local college. I dropped in yesterday, and am invited to offer some support in the form of meditation instruction. This give joy: it’s the best I have to offer, and they want it.

Other reasons for being slow: My recovery from surgery is going well but far from complete.

Zen events:

Zen talk, “A Blazing Light: notes on Bendowa”, Saturday May 11, online at Heartland Zen Community. Bendowa is translated “wholehearted way” or “negotiating the way” or “on the endeavor of the way” – many expressions. It may be my favorite Zen writing.

Monday evening classes on Bendowa – through the end of May.

Zen classes return to Wednesday evenings in June.

Land events:

May 18, 1-8:30 pm, Biochar workshop. Making biochar from start to finish in our home kiln.

May 17-19, July 19-21: Earth Apprentice Retreat. (fee, registration required)

We’re starting spring cleanup and garden projects. Volunteers are welcome. Specifically, Saturday afternoon volunteering, in the spirit of Earth apprenticeship, will start when weather and my body allow. Contact me to get on the email list for when we get started.

Things I’m going to attend that might be of interest:

June 19-23, “Practicing the Way in this very moment” Zen retreat t Hokyoji (SE Minnesota) https://hokyoji.org/event/practicing-the-way-in-this-very-moment-2/  registration required

As weather is crazy, politics are frightening, and violence overseas is unthinkable, please do a few things:

Pray, or chant, or ask for help from the many living beings who make our world. We are not alone here. Even in this scary election year. Volunteer for candidates, issues, and situations that make sense to you.

I mentioned donations last month; you can look there.

May we find spring in our hearts and peace in the world. May we be bringers of peace.

With love,

Shodo

For Mountains and Waters Alliance

Mountains and Waters Alliance – schedule update

Dear Folks,

We have rescheduled the online Zen study group to Mondays. If this allows you to come, we’d love to have you.

The next class will start April 15 and continue through May 20. Register here, ask questions here.

Earth Apprentice Retreats are currently scheduled for April 20-21, May 17-19, and July 19-21. The April one is in doubt due to Shodo’s medical situation, but if this is when you can come, ask and we can see. May and July are still planned, as are sesshins in August, October, and December.

Thank you.

An offering

Wendell Berry on Our Real Work:
It may be that when we no longer know what to do
we have come to our real work,
and that when we no longer know which way to go
we have come to our real journey.
The mind that is not baffled is not employed.
The impeded stream is the one that sings.

Mountains and Waters Alliance – spring 2024 notes

Dear all,

Here are a few notices as we head into spring. I’m still in recovery from shoulder surgery, keeping typing to a bare minimum. This takes us through June and begins July.

Zen things:

Sunday morning dharma talks online, March 24. April 7.

Wednesday evening classes, starting April 3 and May 1: Bendowa, or “The Wholehearted Way.” Please register.

April 6, daylong retreat at Midtown Atlanta Zen, no online. For more information email here. Topic: Zen practice in challenging times: We’ll talk about fear, hope, despair, and how to practice when the world seems to be falling apart.

Land things:

April 20-21, May 17-19, July 19-21: Earth Apprentice Retreat. (donation requested, registration required)

We’re starting spring cleanup and garden projects. Volunteers are welcome. Specifically, Saturday afternoon volunteering, in the spirit of Earth apprenticeship, will start when weather and my body allow. Contact me to get on the email list for when we get started.

Things I’m going to attend that might be of interest:

March 24 (11 Central Time, after my dharma talk): free showing of the short film, The Opening, and discussion, likely with the filmmaker.

March 26, 10:30 Central Time, presentation on the Congo to a climate discussion group, by David Albert. I know him, it will be good, and email me for the link, which I don’t have yet.

May 2-11, (2 hours every morning), Virtual dharma study intensive (9-11 Central Time, 10 days) online with Shohaku Okumura. Registration required.

June 19-23, “Practicing the Way in this very moment” Zen retreat at Hokyoji (SE Minnesota) – registration required

Please look at the annual schedule for further events.

As weather is crazy, politics are frightening, and violence overseas is unthinkable, please do a few things:

Pray, or chant, or ask for help from the many living beings who make our world. We are not alone here. Even in this scary election year. Volunteer for candidates, issues, and situations that make sense to you.

If you have donations to give, please do.

I’ll mention https://bodhicitta-vihara.com/, which is literally changing the lives of girls and women in India, helping them from poverty and half-slavery to education and a workable life. Of course, sending money to https://www.unrwa.org/, the most reliable provider of food relief in this desperate situation. In the U.S., Censored News is an independent and honest news source for Red Nations news, surviving on donations for over 20 years.

I will stop here, skipping fine organizations in many tribal nations, states, and countries, because I don’t want to go on forever.

To support Mountains and Waters Alliance, I encourage you to sign up with iGive.com, but we also accept money. Everything is here: https://mountainsandwatersalliance.org/donate-support/.

Thanks for following. May your life be joyous and your heart peaceful.

With love,

Shodo

For Mountains and Waters Alliance

Mountains and Waters Alliance – upcoming events for March 2024

Dear Friends,

This is just a brief summary of coming events, with registration links. The schedule has been reduced slightly while Shodo is recovering from minor shoulder surgery. We expect a full retreat schedule summer and fall.

Wednesday night study group, March 6-13-20, 6:30-8 pm.

Focus is on Dogen’s Genjo Koan, “The matter at hand,” a succinct statement of the core teaching of Dogen’s Zen. Registration and more information here. Please register early, with or without payment. If you have questions, contact me.

The first three Wednesdays of each month are study group. We’re currently reading some key writings by Dogen. April and May will both focus on Bendowa, “the wholehearted way.”

March 10 talk at Minnesota Zen Center, in person and online.

3343 East Bde Maka Ska Parkway, Minneapolis. Sitting 9:10, Dharma talk 10 am
Also available on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87103057402?pwd=bnZQYlNJZWk1eHNmZjFvekNBUHlRQT09

March 15 – 17 sesshin is cancelled for medical reasons.

If you would like to come and sit quietly together for part of the weekend, please contact me. I’ll be happy to have your company. At the farm, Faribault, MN.

March 24 talk online at Hokyoji

Sunday morning, info here. No registration required.

April 6 daylong retreat at Midtown Atlanta Zen

This is a one-day retreat including a dharma talk, formal zen ceremonies, optional individual meetings, sitting and walking meditation. To register contact Daiki Barlow at https://www.midtownatlantazen.org/

April 7 Sunday morning dharma talk at Red Clay Sangha in Atlanta, GA

9-11:30 am Eastern Time includes sitting, chanting, and talk. In person at 3315 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd, Chamblee, GA, or online – click for the link.

https://redclaysangha.org/