Zen belongs to the wisdom traditions of the world. A wisdom tradition is not based on an absolute wisdom from the outside, whether it’s God, a book, a guru, or whatever. Instead, a person finds wisdom through contemplation and investigation. Wisdom is discovered and lived.

Zazen is an excellent way to discover wisdom. Living it, however, is another thing and will be addressed later. Wisdom is not some knowledge about something. That would be objectifying knowledge and thus making it an external wisdom. In living in the world, external knowledge is what we most often use. It comes from a dualistic mind that takes the world as outside and builds up knowledge about it. Inwardly, it includes knowing about our opinions, ideas, etc.

Real wisdom comes from a unified mind, where the world is neither outside nor inside. It’s direct knowing – an intuitive mind. As an old Zen saying put it, “Put your hand under water and you know for yourself whether it’s hot or cold.” There’s no need to use a thermometer to know the temperature. If you did use a thermometer it would be knowledge about the temperature. Putting your hand in the water gives direct experience and knowledge.

Using a simple example like this gives us insight into what real wisdom is. Notice and reflect on how often we use direct knowing and how often we use knowing about. Start becoming aware of what type of knowledge we use, moment by moment, during our day.  This gives insight into the two ways our mind can function: being at one or being at two. From this we fathom how we arise and return from the source of being. The answer to the ancient questions “Who am I?”, “Where am I from?” and “Where do I go?” is found in the functioning of our mind, not in other places or times.

The Buddhist idea of being at one is not special. Moment-by-moment awareness and mindfulness show that we experience being one many times a day. Our upbringing makes us think we always exist as a separate, permanent self, and we impose that view over our actual experiences. Laughter is an example. We all lose ourselves in a good laugh and yet afterwards say, “I laughed”. In truth there was no “I” during the laughter, and so it’s better to say “I became laughter ” or “laughter became me.”

We come to see that direct knowing is accurate. Standing in the rain we know the weather. There’s no need to find out with a weather webpage.  Knowing about something is just our view or others’ views, ideas and opinions on all sorts of things. It’s rarely accurate despite the fact that many base their lives on this form of knowledge. Our belief in the accuracy of knowing about is a deeply habitual pattern and often goes unquestioned.

Having gained the experiential insight into the two types of knowledge or wisdom, we turn next to how to actually live this. We notice that when there is oneness there is no “I am” to think, know or reflect. The “I am” returns when oneness splits into two and the sense of “myself” appears. Thus the reflecting “I am” can recognize the experience of oneness that occurred prior.

It’s this “I am” that has feelings and emotions after arising from the prior oneness. Over time, as the heart function repeatedly arises  from oneness and directly knows that the other is myself, it wells up with true, unconditional love. This is the love that accepts that all things and beings have equal right to be with us. It is beyond the personal love of moods, likes and dislikes, love and hate. True love appears every time we dissolve into making eye contact, shaking hands, hugging or kissing another. Then good outflowings well up of involvement, friendship, sharing and caring. They are not narrow, inward-turning feelings based on me, what I want, etc.

Thus we find the heart function. In truth, it develops of its own accord as we practice the coming and going between oneness and duality.

Real wisdom wells up as we practise. Real wisdom is continually perceiving that each moment is complete and total. There are no likes and dislikes, aversion or grasping, good and bad. Our mind is clear; it simply reflects or mirrors things just as they are.

Mental and physical activities become increasingly based on this wisdom: activities grounded in not being apart and distant from the moment; activities that reflect the totality of the situation and not just “what I want” or “what can I get from this” viewpoints. Strictly speaking we do not cultivate this way: the way cultivates us.

In Zen we truly do not learn how to live from external wisdom, from outside knowledge, even though many people commonly do. Directly knowing from life’s experiences gives feedback on how to further our activities and relationships. We have no need to judge people or situations. Rather, we consider how the person or situation can be helped or improved.

Real wisdom ultimately is a doing rather than a knowing, as if the doing knows. We find it in the spontaneous act that doesn’t doubt but knows. Real wisdom is not some knowledge we store in our brains or in a notebook, however wise it may appear. It’s the activities that arise from good health. This “good health” goes beyond the narrow Western idea typically concerned just with the body and emotions. It’s good health in a very large way, including others and the world. Good health embraces our ethics, relationships, respect and caring for all others; our groundedness, and our intimate connectedness to our lives.

Lama Yeshe was a Tibet monk that first exposed Eshin to Buddhism. By chance, just as this newsletter was about to be printed Eshin received an email newsletter from the Lama Yeshe Archives that included this talk addressing the same subject. Here is the beginning of the talk:

 Whenever human problems arise, instead of getting nervous and worried, you'd be better off meditating and checking up. Meditators get answers. The answers are there. The calm, clear mind gives knowledge-wisdom the space to come up with an answer. The foggy mind is an obstacle; it makes answers invisible. So meditation is really the best way to check up and find solutions to your problems.

We often think we get answers through question-and-answer sessions and that's true up to a point; certain things can be answered that way. But if you're unaware, even if the lama gives a worthwhile answer, it doesn't really register; it goes right over your head. That's because your questioning is not serious. When you want to question something deeply and meditate on it seriously, when the answer comes, it's so powerful. In other words, you become the answer; you become that knowledge rather than its remaining superficial.

Many times somebody asks you a question and you reply, "This, this, this...." We don't consider that to be true knowledge. You might have a little wisdom but we don't call that knowledge.

So it's very worthwhile to meditate. It gives you the answers you seek. Answers you discover for yourself through meditation are much more meaningful, much deeper, than those you get from somebody else's replies to your questions. You ask somebody, "Please could you tell me blah, blah, blah"; the other person says, "Blah, blah, blah"; you think "OK, that's good." Then another problem occupies your mind because you don't have the penetrative concentration to cut through the fog of your confusion.

Contributions

Thanks to Vinnie for the brush paintings that he did for the Zen Centre many years ago.

David Stevenson Passing through Masset passing through Masset after a long drive to land’s end, at day’s end towards my  life’s end tired and full of the work watching the waves kiss the beach again and again and again there is no end to their passion and my passing does not deter or disturb them the waves dissolving into foam form into emptiness so I dissolve by the moment there is no trace of my passing smiling into nothingness	Carlo Piroso Meal time at Sesshin Wood clap Slurp, slurp of the tea Cup put on wooden table Chump, chump of the salad Chopsticks put on wooden table Shuffle, grunt, scrape, snort, bump, sneeze, cough, drop A continuous expanding avalanche of sounds. Then . . . Parmesan cheese sprinkled over spaghetti Complete silence Quietness never heard so loud Ah!! In the middle of an avalanche a mountain is found.
Paul Albert
Nothing matters and yet it does. No subjective no objective and yet something wants to believe in such matters. Maybe this is why for so long it was hard to see the sun rises in the morning.	I met a horse and climbed up on. Connecting with the shoulder blades strong. Up the hill and down the road, It wanted to rebel. Through the bushes, my pants urbane, The reins were pulled till silence remained. Then we both were happy. Where is that cowboy when I go home?

Centre News

27th April saw the first Buddha's Birthday ceremony and potluck lunch at the new centre. This is the largest gathering of the year. Thanks to Myorei, Risako and Minhee for arranging the flowers, and to many others for weeding the garden, thoroughly cleaning the building and setting up the ceremony space. About forty people attended. Besides the sangha there were several guests checking out the Opening Day that occurred concurrently. After the traditional ceremony everyone enjoyed a lively and delicious potluck lunch. The weather had closed in, so lunch was inside rather than in the garden.

The small jobs to finish the major renovation of the new centre on Sherbrooke Street are now complete. Let’s give a very, very large “thank you” to all who helped in so many ways with this large, complex and expensive project. Practice has picked up after the construction mess, with several new members and well-attended one-day sits.

Reno 2 has started!! This is a much smaller project to enhance the place. It involves drywalling and painting the new kitchen for use as a room until the old kitchen is moved there in a few months. The old kitchen will then become a general-use room, initially for retreat dining, weekend sangha socials and gathering before sits. The original corner bedroom at the Zen Centre level will be refreshed along with its ensuite bathroom. It’s suitable for out-of-town sangha members who want to spend a few days in Vancouver or who want to stay an extra day or two before or after a sesshin or one-day sit. If you’re interested in renting the room for one or a few days please contact Eshin. The office and interview room are painted and will be fitted out as part of Reno 2.

Reno 3 is way down the road. It involves significant structural changes, though less than for Reno 1. The zendo would be enlarged and a much larger general room created.

The May sesshin had twelve participants, half from Vancouver and half from other towns – Prince George, Kitimat, Montreal and Powel River. The weather was cloudy with some sun and no rain: ideal for sesshin. Uta and Don from Prince George attended their first sesshin. The sesshin was steady and smooth-running and the end seemed to come quickly.

The directors decided in June to hold future sesshins at the centre in Vancouver rather than on Galiano Island. This is a big step: sesshin energy and work periods, especially in the garden, will help the centre; and it’s financially advantageous. As well, the centre has larger facilities, including zendo seating, sleeping space, kitchen and bathrooms. Bunk beds will be bought for the bedrooms. The February sesshin established that a sesshin could, indeed, be held at the Zen Centre, even while the facilities were still being enhanced.

The centre has a history stretching back fifteen years of holding sesshins at DragonFly on Galiano Island. We have a deep feeling of gratitude to Catherine and Ken, owners of DragonFly, for their kindness and warmth in offering their place. In return, the sesshin work periods have provided much regular maintenance (hedge trimming, weeding, orchard pruning, house cleaning) and improvements to the garden. Cat and Ken will be taken to dinner in autumn along with regular sesshin participants to express our gratitude. The centre intends to continue doing one sesshin a year at DragonFly to help with garden maintenance. Cat kindly donated to the Zen Centre the small elegant table used as a butsudan on Galiano. It’s now a butsudan in the entrance-room alcove.

 

The next sesshin is August 23rd – 30th.
Please consider this opportunity for intensive practice. Remember that it’s held at the centre in Vancouver. It will start with a service Friday evening that everyone is expected to attend and end, as usual, with an informal breakfast the Saturday morning after sesshin.

Many plants and flowers planted by the previous owner are appearing in the garden. This year we’re seeing what’s already there, as daffodils, peonies, roses, and other flowers pop up over the months. A plan for both front and back gardens will be made incorporating these flowers. This year just the weeding is being done; next year planting can begin.

Sangha News

Giko and Eko visited the centre on May 14. They are Rinzai-ji Oshos who were making a brief personal trip to Vancouver. They took time to visit with Eshin and Myorei in the afternoon.

The centre has seen several new committed members and sitters since February. Welcome to Rory, Stephane, Dalip, Krista, Elsie, Kevin, Lina and others.

Donations

The Centre asks for a contribution from its friends. This is a way to support the Zen Centre itself and to repay benefits from the Centre’s practise. It’s the practice of giving and receiving, receiving and giving. A contribution of $20 per month is expected and many contribute $35 or $50 per month as appreciation of the practice and importance of the centre developes.

A great thank you for all the membership and general donations since spring: Adrian Dobre, Branko Vrbic, Bryson Young, Christian Reuten, Dalip Mahal, Elsie Sands, Fred Newman, Jonathan Gallant, Jose Agular, Krista Johnson, Myorei, Paramita Banerjee, Paul Albert, Peggy Scott, Risako Ota, Stephane Chretien and for all the anonymous donations.

A big “Thank you” for both the items and the time that sangha members donate to help the centre: Jon for painting; Myorei for flowers, cleaning and homestay ”mothering;” Risako for homestay ‘sistering”; David for electrical; and others for general help.