(Newsletters are archived at www.stonewaterzen.org/newsletter-archive - the most recent one isn't up there yet but I assume it will be soon... have a browse, there's some interesting stuff there!)
One of the images really stood out for me (and not just because I'm in it!) - a line of shussos! Each year, one of the senior monks or practitioners for the past five years has undertaken their shusso ango, a month-long retreat in the Lakes where they take on the role of head monk (shusso) which culminates in a dharma combat ceremony in Liverpool (see my posts from last August for reflections on my own). Here's a line-up of our shussos...
From back to front (and in the order in which we did our shusso angos) are John Suigen Kenworthy, Andy Tanzan Scott, Tony Shinro Doubleday, Alasdair Taisen Gordon-Finlayson, Keith Shingo Parr and in the front, all queued up to do the shusso ango in 2019, Karen Shoji Robbie. A wonderful sense of continuation and hopefully a mark of the sangha's robust health.
My undying gratitude to all those in the line-up, in front of and behind me, and to Keizan Sensei who has put so much energy into the sangha over the last couple of decades.
On a lighter note, I also loved this moment caught by Jenny Shoshin Best, during Keith's address at his shusso hossenshiki (head monk's dharma combat ceremony) this past August:
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