MWA Newsletter, Zen, -  Nov 26, 2018

Notes from Mountains and Waters Alliance, late fall

Greetings!

Here are a few announcements and a report from the past year.

Announcements:

The potluck group has gotten big enough that it’s not posted any more, to keep the size reasonable. If you would like to come, please email Shodo directly and ask. We’re sharing food and studying together.

Zen practice events:

• Rohatsu sesshin, December 1-8, at the farm. If you live nearby and would like to come out, even for a few hours, let me know by noon November 30. And if you are sitting somewhere else, please remember me in our long-distance sangha.
• “Finding Home in the Vow”: I’m going to work with this theme for a while.
  • One-day retreat with Red Clay Sangha, Atlanta, January 5, 9-5, and Dharma talk January 6.
  • One-day sesshin with Midtown Atlanta Zen, January 12, 8-6.
• 3-day sesshin at the farm, February 22-24 and March 22-24.
• Dharma talk at Clouds in Water Zen Center, St. Paul, MN, March 10.

End of year report:

It’s been a year of quiet, with a month-long retreat in the middle. I started writing a report on that retreat, and never finished – will do that soon. It included a lot of conversations with rocks, some encounters with hail, cold water, dryness – and a vow to support pine trees around the world.

At the farm, I started with a housemate and now have two, not community members but good energy. I’m in conversation with three potential members, all over 50 and all seeming like good possibilities. I posted about living here at https://www.ic.org.

We did some work on the house, and now have two proper bedrooms on the ground floor, plus a “guest room” that needs completion, and guest space in the attic. Of course there was maintenance – sanding and oiling the deck, some painting, and so forth. There was serious tornado damage, mostly to trees rather than buildings, and repair work continues. We are doing much heating with firewood, but it will run out, so we’re also using propane. When the tornado damaged wood dries we’ll have several years worth of wood. In the forest area, many trees are down, and there’s a sense of much hard work and also openness to change. The meditation hut in the woods just might be a log cabin.

In the spring we grafted fruit trees, but not too many of the grafts took. And many trees were girdled during the very late spring snows. Next year we’ll see what’s alive, and graft again.

Organization:

The Advisory Council met by phone every month except one; the Board met twice. We defined membership, discussed outreach and fundraising, and added a member to the Council.

The beautiful new website was created, with a few additions and modifications yet to go.

We applied for grants but did not get any; now one grant application is outstanding and another is in process. We didn’t do a fundraising campaign during this quiet time.

Action: In addition to the spiritual and ceremonial work, I’ve been meeting and talking with several environmental activist groups: a local group resisting Line 3 (northern Minnesota), Climate Disobedience Center (also direct action), and Community Rights Organizing work. Understanding why I felt the need to do this comes with Joanna Macy’s interpretation of the three parts of The Great Turning: protection (resistance to harm), building the new society (farm and community), and consciousness change (teaching Zen and all the MWA work). Theoretically, it’s fine for one person to focus on one part. But I feel better with some participation in all three.

Teaching and publications:

My essay “When the World is on Fire” appeared in Zen Teachings in Challenging Times by Temple Ground Press.

“Finding Home in the Vow” appeared in Boundless Vows, Endless Practice: Bodhisattva Vows in the 21^st Century, by Dogen Institute – my teacher’s organization.

The book I edited, The Mountains and Waters Sutra: A Practitioner’s Guide to Dogen’s Sansuikyo by my teacher Shohaku Okumura was published by Wisdom Publications.

I gave a talk and retreat in Columbus OH, at Red Clay Sangha in Atlanta GA, and a talk at Clouds in Water in St. Paul MN).

Books for sale:

These are all the books that include my writings now.

• Boundless Vows, Endless Practice: Bodhisattva Vows in the 21^st Century – $10
• Zen Teachings in Challenging Times – $14
• The Eightfold Path – also by Temple Ground Press – includes my essay “Right Action: The Whole World is My Body” – $14
• Take Up Your Life: Making Spirituality Work in the Real World – my first book, 1996. $20

If you would like to buy one or more books, please email me, and use Paypal or mail a check to Shodo Spring, 16922 Cabot Ave, Faribault, MN 55021. Add $3 for postage. I’ll mail them first class in recycled envelopes.

Membership:

We’ve defined membership formally. It’s not on the website yet, so let me post it here.

Introductory Member: Sign up as a member below, AND, at least once a year do at least one of the following,

• Learn: Participate in MWA retreats, classes, website discussions, etc, and/or inner spiritual practice,
• Act: Volunteer at the farm or with MWA, other action (including spiritual activism) in harmony with MWA principles,
• Donate: Donation in any amount is encouraged.

Engaged Member: Sign up as a member below, AND do all of the following:

• Learn: Participate in MWA retreats, classes, website discussions, etc, and/or inner spiritual practice at least three hours a month or one weekend a year.
• Act: Volunteer at the farm with MWA, or do other action (including spiritual activism) in harmony with MWA principles, at least three hours a month or one weekend a year.
• Connect: Communicate on a regular basis with other MWA human members in person or by online conversations/blog comments.
• Donate: Regular donation in any amount is encouraged.

At this point, there is no “below” for signing up. Please email me if you want to become a member.

Snow is falling, the sun is coming out occasionally, and it might reach 20F at the warmest point this afternoon. Winter comes, whether we like it or not.

 

Blessings and love to you all,

Shodo