Summer 2025 Newsletter

["Tsune" by Shaku Daijo Osho]

From Kojyu

盛夏の候、ますますご清祥のこととお喜び申し上げます。
"In the height of summer, we rejoice at your continued prosperity."
I know I am not alone in being saddened and shocked by Susan's sudden death. Everyone has just one life. Some lives might be seemingly greater or lesser than others, but it doesn't matter if we die young or live to one thousand years old. In the end, it is all the same one life.
Being lonely and missing our friends is also, as it is, that same one life. Susan did so much to make Daishu-in West, the place and the people, how it is today.
Thank you for your continued support of Daishu-in West. Each and every person adds their own flavor to the temple.
Please remember that I am available if someone would like to visit the temple. There is sitting online at 6:30am (Sun/Mon 無).
Thanks to Walter's generosity we have a brand new Western Red Cedar o-furo! I hope we can look forward to another 20 years of bathing in the traditional fashion. We are very fortunate to be able to follow the monastic routine so closely.

合掌
宏樹

[常] "Tsune"
  Tsune is written at the top of the newsletter as a beautiful scroll by Daijo Osho. Tsune is used in many different ways. It is a character used in the expression "Ordinary mind is itself the way" [吾常心是道]. In this saying Tsune is the "ordinary" of "ordinary mind." It also has the meaning of "perpetual" and "constant."
Many teachers have cautioned us to not stop at understanding this "ordinary mind" as the usual thinking of a human being. "Foolish people assume that the unawakened thoughts and perceptions of sentient beings are themselves Buddha" warns Dogen. Let us not be satisfied with small things and unawakenedness.
常 is something that is continuous and always present, as Mind is never missing in the immediate experience of our lives. That "ordinary mind" never falters or fails at any instant. Mind is the essence all manifestation, so how could we ever be separated by even one millimeter? Like space itself we are empty and full of mysterious goings-on. Ceaseless and completely ordinary.

Thank you for supporting Daishu-in West.
Morinaga Soko Roshi's memorial ceremony is July 13th. We encourage everyone to attend if possible. There will be a sesshin following the ceremony from the 15th.

For more information and to see our weekly events, please visit our calendar page.
If you are interested in attending an event, please call the temple or email us at contact@daishuinwest.org.
Camille has gifted many beautiful bowls to Daishu-in West. They are available for a donation.