August training period

An email went out today on the national mailing list, giving details of the August training period.

(If you're not on the national or Northampton mailing lists, it's very easy to add yourself - go to the main website at www.stonewaterzen.org and scroll right to the bottom of the page. You'll see a small form there, and you can add yourself to one or more of the mailing lists we maintain.)

This year will be the fourth year that we've had one of the StoneWater monks in residence for the training month, in the position of 'shuso' or 'head monk / trainee', and Keizan Sensei has previously asked John Suigen Kenworthy, Andy Tanzan Scott and Tony Shinro Doubleday to take on the Shuso role, and each has done a fantastic job of that, and by doing so be confirmed as senior students at the heart of our sangha. John and Andy have been named as Assistant Teachers and support Sensei in Liverpool, and Tony has been named as a Dharma Holder and leads the group in London, as well as co-leading some of our sangha's retreats.

This year, Sensei has invited me to step up and take on the role, and I've agreed. More importantly, perhaps, my boss and my wife have also agreed, freeing me to leave home and work for the whole of August!

In the run-up to the training period, I will post some reflections on what being Shuso means to me, but for now I'll stick to some practicalities.

The training period is held at the StoneWater Zendo in the Lakes (nr Penrith), and consists of four separate one-week sesshins that people can attend (usually with a maximum of two sesshins per individual). The third week is slightly different, with less formal practice and a lot more samu (labour) to improve the facilities and generally fix up the place. The final week is slightly shorter, as we leave the Lakes and head back to Liverpool to prepare for the Shuso Hossen ceremony which will be on Sat 26th August in the afternoon... more on this at a later date.

The responsibility for arranging all of this is down to the Shuso (i.e. me), who takes bookings, organises who will be doing what, handles all queries - basically everything bar the cooking.

Of course, this is all in vain if the Shuso doesn't have the support of the community! I was really quite relieved and grateful that there were quite a few people who expressed interest in the Training Period when I asked at the recent sesshin in Crosby, but there are still places available every week, and I'm really keen to encourage people to join me in the Lakes for this time.

If you want to come along, or simply have any questions about it, please email me at alasdair@gordon-finlayson.net, or call me on my mobile on 07807 753 781.

Keizan Sensei & Alasdair Taisen GF at Crosby, April 2017