Farm, MWA Newsletter, -  Oct 08, 2026

Quick note: invitation for October 11 and more – Mountains and Waters Alliance

We’re doing outdoor work while the weather is good, and invite you to join us.

Sunday, October 11, all day: come by for an hour or two.

We’re working on firewood, cutting down smallish trees, cutting logs into firewood size and hauling them to the stacking area.

We’ll be here from 9 am to dusk. Come for an hour or two, or longer. It takes about three people to support each chain saw. It’s heavy work, but there’s space for lightweight support too. Wear sturdy shoes and remember to avoid fuzzy clothes (burrs and such). We’ll have food and equipment. If you can bring a saw, or if you have experience, definitely let me know. No formal registration, use phone, email, or text. It will be fun, you might learn some stuff, and we’ll practice safety.

Date unknown, firewood #2.

We’ll rent a wood splitter and turn our cut wood into split firewood, to stack and dry. Call or email if you’re interested. (See above)

October 31: community and ceremony

potluck, bonfire, and ritual/prayers on behalf of the world, our country, the people who’ve been targeted, and healing. (Call or email, details are not set.)

Just a note:

Forgive me for not writing more. I’m thinking lots – about the three-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, and the three years of Israeli revenge since. About the woman who finally reported her assault by seven fraternity brothers at Cornell, and the exposure of a part of our culture that has been tolerated too long. About our responsibility in a time of tyranny, and what I can offer best, and where fear stops me. About climate change, why we have this lovely fall weather, and what will happen next. About voting. About my body and whether it will recover, and when. I keep meaning to write, and instead I’m always putting out fires. I’m learning patience, and ask it from you too.

December 1-8 is the annual Rohatsu sesshin,

the traditional commemoration of Buddha’s enlightenment. I’ll write more soon. You’ll be welcome to come for a short time or for the whole week, but we need to manage food, sleeping spots, and so forth. Register here, or ask questions by email.

Possibilities –

It’s easier to pin things down when someone tells me they’re interested. So if any of these interest you, tell me and we’ll find a date and details.

• Zazen instruction. (Meditation instruction) Could be connected with one of these other events.
• Monthly work days?
• One-day retreats, maybe once a month?
• I can give talks to groups online, or local groups. Usually I talk about Zen, but I have other topics.
• The Wednesday evening online study group will re-constitute itself in January; I’ll announce it.

I ought to ask for donations.

Here’s the thing: in 2025 when I went on book tour, I stopped taking the small stipend MWA was giving me, and also quit my job. Miraculously, I haven’t gone broke. But if you’d like to send a donation (tax-deductible if you wis), look here. If you’d like to support MWA for free, you can do it with internet shopping through iGive.com, same link. We changed our mailing address.

There are people in my heart here, who have believed in this work … giving time, thought, and dollars. Thank you, and thanks to everyone for whatever you’re doing.

With love,

Shodo for Mountains and Waters Alliance