Back from my hols...

Was good to get back to the zazen group this evening (though odd not having Carol there...!). Was both very pleased and also perhaps a little disappointed that it turns out my presence is hardly required any more... seems as if everyone got on just fine in my absence. A bit ambivalent about that...!

So - thanks to Rob for doing the fetching & carrying, and to all the rest of you for turning up and doing all the other tasks necessary for the group to continue functioning - tea, set-up, tidy-up, bells, discussion... all of that. Thanks for turning up.

Next Monday there'll be no zazen - August Bank Holiday weekend of course. Back to normal thereafter all the way through to Rohatsu & the Christmas season, with Sensei's visit/talk on the 1st November to look forward to.

Crosby sesshin details available

Just announced today, details of the second of the year's major sesshins held in Crosby. The October sesshin is led by Tenshin Roshi and Keizan Sensei, and is considered by many to be the highlight of the StoneWater year.  Bookings are now open, and the earlier you book the better.

Dates: 20th-26th October
Cost: £280 (concessions available)
Flyer available to download... share freely!

This year's proceeds will go towards the rebuilding and renovation of Yokoji Zen Mountain Center after the fire & flood which caused so much damage recently.

Change of email address

Just a quick note to say that the contact email address for the zeNN1 StoneWater Zen Northampton group has changed as of today - please from now on use northampton@stonewaterzen.org to get in touch.

The previous address (admin@SWZ) will continue to be used as a general contact address for the whole UK sangha, and it will usually be received by Andy Tanzan Scott in Liverpool.

Bon Voyage Carol & Paul

We said goodbye to our stalwart member Carol, who will be leaving next week for Thailand with husband Paul - a good excuse to go to the pub for a quick one (かんぱい!) instead of reading from the Platform Sutra and having tea & biccies!

I'd like to say a special thank-you to Carol for the energy she's put into this group over the last almost two years. Carol, your steadfast attendance almost every week over this time has been a great gift to me and the rest of the group. Turning up week after week, rain or shine, that's great Zen practice; regardless of whether you binged when you were supposed to bong!

You've also been unfailingly cheerful and continually helping out with the chores that keep the whole thing running. Making tea isn't a big deal... making tea every week is a great service to us all, and you'll be missed.

Wishing you and Paul the very best on your new adventure, and hope to see you when you pop back to N'hants every now and then.

First service in Northampton...

So given the absence of the Music Appreciation Society for their summer break, we had our first opportunity this week to hold service after zazen. Only a few of us had ever done service before, but given our collective inexperience, I thought it went very well indeed.

I said I'd upload the service sheet for folks to have a look at - so here it is: Service sheet. I've edited it slightly to include a translation for the Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo as well as the Evening Gatha that we wind things up with each day.

I mentioned that we don't have a mokugyo that we'd normally use for keeping the time when chanting... here's a picture of one, just to make the page more interesting!

A personal note...

At home, ironing my disobedient zagu (!), listening to Keizan Sensei on a downloaded talk, and hearing the voices of my dharma brothers and sisters in Liverpool. Miss you all.

Poem: "The Human Route"

Kevin brought in a poem this evening, and I thought I'd share it here, too.

Coming empty handed, going empty handed, that is human
When you are born, where do you come from?
When you die, Where do you go?
Life is like a floating cloud, which appears.
Death is like a floating cloud, which disappears.
The floating cloud itself originally does not exist.
Life and death, coming and going, are also like that.
But there is one thing that always remains clear.
It is pure and clear,
Not depending on life and death.

Then what is the one and clear thing?

I said at the time that I thought this was written by Seung Sahn Sunim (founder of the Kwan Um School of Zen), but it turns out its origin is less certain, and perhaps dates back to T'ang dynasty China (618-907CE). Not sure how true this is, or how to evaluate it, but I suspect that Seung Sahn at least wrote the last line.

Thanks, Kevin...