Winter 2025 Newsletter

From Shaku Kojyu:

Happy New Year. The rains have come to Northern California and everything is green and lush.

The summer was very full. Morinaga Soko Roshi's memorial ceremony on July 13th went well and it was good to be together. At that time the temple received a top-down cleaning everywhere. Thank you to everyone who made it a successful weekend.
Rohatsu O-sesshin on December 1st is always the highlight of our year. Everyone's efforts makes it possible to provide the opportunity for anyone to participate.
Visitors to the temple have thoroughly enjoyed the new western red cedar bathtub! Thank you to Walter for making it possible to continue that aspect of our practice. The importance of a good bath making the temple lifestyle possible cannot be overstated.
There is also a 25 minute online sit beginning 6:30am if you would like to join us virtually. There is no online sitting Sunday and Monday morning. Visit Online Sitting for more details.
The board and I are keenly interested in promoting our new Introductory Program, currently scheduled for April 25th. Please send me a message if you are interested in attending.
I am always available for tea and a tour of the temple if you are in the area. Please let me know a few days in advance and we will schedule a visit. First time visitors are also welcome of course, so please feel free to pass the invitation along if it seems appropriate.

Thank you for always keeping the temple in mind. Please take good care of your health.

合掌
釋宏樹

The temple has a program to offer the Rinzai Zen monastic practice at Daishu-in West to more people. We held the first program this past fall, it was a great success and we have a second weekend planned for April 25th and 26th.

We are looking for two participants from the Bay Area. If you know someone or know a group who may be interested in spreading the word, please send them the details via the link below. This is an exciting program, Kojyu and the Daishu-in West board are cultivating and building this opportunity to encourage awareness of the temple.
Please spread the word.

Visit this page for more information.

[青山依旧白雲中] "Seizan kyu ni yorite hakuun no naka"
  [From of old, the blue mountain within the white clouds]

This phrase appears in the Compendium of the Five Lamps, an 13th century compilation of older Zen texts. There is a preceding facile that says "Even if an all-consuming fire burns everything to ashes."

Although there may be a conflagration burning in our hearts, the Buddha Nature always remains completely revealed. The clouds take every shape and form that is imaginable and we are easily hooked and bewildered by them. But even in that bewilderment itself, the blue mountain is itself perfectly clear and present. Although the phrase calls into the contrast the apparent two-ness of form and emptiness, even that so-called bewilderment itself is that blue mountain standing clear and revealed. Within the white clouds.

"From of old" doesn't mean there was a time the blue mountain did not exist. As it does not belong to the order of things that are born or are dying we say "from of old." Although we cannot measure the age of the universe, the blue mountain is still older.

Even though the sky may be dark and there are many storms; in our mind, our personal lives and our greater communities, there is one peak that stands forth always within the white clouds.

For more information and to see our weekly events, please visit our calendar page.

• Sesshin: January 13th-18th
• Sesshin: February 10th - 15th
• Sesshin: March 10th - 15th
• Daijo Osho's Memorial: April 12th
• Sesshin: April 14th - 19th
• Introductory Weekend: April 25th-26th (information)

If you are interested in attending an event, please call the temple or email us at contact@daishuinwest.org.

Our sole means of support are your donations.

You can support the temple via Paypal or @DaishuinWest on Venmo
Physical donations can be remitted to PO Box 716 Garberville CA 95542
Thank you.

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