The Ember
The Newsle er of the Indianapolis Zen Center
Fall 2010
Flowers in Springtime, Moon in Autumn, Cool Wind in Summer, Snow in Winter.
If you donʹt make anything in your mind, for you it is a good season.
— poem from Case Nineteen of the Mu Mun Kwan
Thinking Makes Everything
by Dorothy LaFara, Dharma Teacher
Practicing Zen is a journey of discovery. We ask questions about life and learn many lessons along the
way. We discover our own truths with the aid of fellow practitioners and experienced teachers. Early on, one
of the Zen teachings I heard was thinking makes everything. That the words and concepts swirling around in
our minds color how we see the world seemed reasonable but makes everything? I thought about that and
wondered…
It’s Too Cold! It’s Too Cold! It’s
Too Cold!
I have always hated cold weather and dreaded the arrival of winter. I
don’t know when this started or how, but the mere thought of winter can
send shivers through my body. For years I would imagine moving to
Hawaii to escape the cold and o en watched golf tournaments in midwinter for a temporary escape to the lush green of warmer seasons.
Growing up in Indiana I got plenty of messages that cold weather was
to be endured. Even before winter officially started people looked forward
to next spring like it was the Promised Land. The winter landscape was
talked about with terms like bleak and gloomy. My parents even bought a
home in a location that allowed us kids to walk to school instead of having
to stand on a corner waiting for a bus in the frigid cold of early winter
mornings. (I can report that walking to and from school in the winter was
no picnic either.)
Was this a case of cold being made by thinking? Was it just my thinking or the thinking of those around
me that made cold?
So, one winter day when the temperature was well below freezing, I tried an experiment. On days like
this I usually prepared for going outside by bundling up and steeling myself to the cold. My mind was filled
with cold and making the trip outside as short as possible. This day I tried something different – to go outside
and experience the conditions as they were without my usual expectations.
Guess what? Cold was just cold, not something unendurable. I embraced the new sensation. It was
glorious. It was like being served an unexpected and exotic dish. My thinking had made COLD, made it into
something it wasn’t. That started a whole round of discoveries — old habits in thinking were questioned and
perceived barriers disappeared. The world came into clearer focus.
What are you and I making right now?
Abbot’s le er
Robert Blender
Recently, I became involved in a conversation with several people in which another person—who was not
present—was blamed and criticized. “She should know that by now!” “If she doesn’t get her act together,
she’s out of here!” The corollary to these statements is that the speaker would be doing things be er and that
the person being criticized must have very low standards for herself or that she must be lazy.
One of the ten precepts taken when a practitioner becomes a Dharma Teacher in Training states: “I vow
not to speak of the faults of others.” The next precept states: “I vow not to praise myself and to put down
others.” These precepts are about the ideal of Right Speech. The Temple Rules say, “Your evil tongue will
bring you to ruin, keep the stopper in the bo le and only take it out when necessary.”
These precepts and rules indicate that the things that
human beings say have been problematic throughout human
history. As the precepts reveal, our statements about each
other are a particular area of concern.
When two people make criticizing statements about a
third person (who is usually not present), it is called
“triangulation.” In relationship and family therapy, we know
that there are two significant rewards to the two people that
are criticizing a third. One pay-off is that they don’t have to
criticize the third person directly—and potentially have
conflict or confrontation. Another pay-off is that the two
people who are criticizing tend to feel closer to one another.
They are now on the team of people who “do things right” or
are “hard workers” or are “smart”, unlike that stupid, lazy,
bad person that they are criticizing. The two criticizers have
made “US and THEM.”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “Don’t make anything. Just
go straight. Find your true self. Help this suffering world.”
Those short simple teaching words can be applied to many
situations in our lives. They point to the difficulties that our
thinking mind can create, our tendency to mistakenly
construct a separate self and our predilection to forget that
our true job is to help this world. That includes our brothers
and sisters who are doing mistaken actions or who have fallen
into a habit of laziness or whose low self-opinion results in
their se ing low standards.
We do not have to look very far to find our own mistakes, laziness or times of low self-esteem. If we are
meditating regularly, then we are consistently confronting our own faults. As we sincerely look at our own
minds, we can develop compassion for others. Their minds are wired the same as ours. That means that
making us and them is a mistake; we do so out of our own ignorance. All of us regularly need this
reminder—that is part of why we do spiritual practice. Gossip is only one manifestation of our ignorance.
The precepts and Temple Rules bring it to our a ention; regular practice helps us to be reminded
consistently. Our job is to help others, not to tear them down.
Calendar
of Events
Nov 6, Saturday
Foundations of
Zen Class
1 PM to 4:30 PM
$20, registration req’d
Nov 13, Saturday
One-day Retreat
9 AM to 4 PM
$20, lunch provided,
registration required
Nov 29 - Dec 5
7-Day Retreat with
Linc Rhodes, JDPSN
morning and evening
practice open to all:
6 AM and 6:30 PM
Dec 5, Sunday
Buddha’s
Enlightenment
Day Ceremony
12:30 PM
Jan 8, Saturday
Foundations of
Zen Class
1 PM to 4:30 PM
$20, lunch provided,
registration required
Disclaimer: All events are subject
to change. Please contact the Zen
Center at 317-921-9902 or by email
at [email protected] before
coming to an event. All events take
place at the Indianapolis Zen
Center, unless otherwise noted.
Foundations of Zen Class
Saturday November 6th and January 8th, 1 pm to 4:30 pm
This class is for those with an interest in knowing more about Zen
Buddhism. Topics covered include the origins of Zen Buddhism, the life
and teachings of the Buddha, stories from Korean Buddhism, and how to
incorporate Zen practice into every day life.
Join us to explore what the practice of Zen offers
To reserve your spot, use the registration form at www.indyzen.org or
email [email protected]. A $20 donation is requested for this class.
Daily Practice during Week-long Retreat
The IZC is offering an unprecedented opportunity for daily morning and
evening practice during the November 29th to December 5th retreat.
You are invited to practice in the morning from 6 am until 7:45 am (8am on
Monday), and to practice in the evening from 6:30 pm until about 9:30 pm.
Come any days, no pre-registration required.
This is offered as part of the one-week retreat, so please observe silence at all times.
Questions? Email [email protected]
One-Week YMJJ Retreat
The upcoming Yong Maeng Jong Jin (YMJJ), “to leap like a tiger while
si ing”, is a 7-day intensive meditation retreat, with a weekend retreat
option. It is a silent retreat with formal four-bowl meals and Kong-an
(koan) interviews with our guiding teacher, Linc Rhodes JDPSN.
The Indianapolis Zen Center offers four YMJJ retreats each year, all
lead by Linc Rhodes, JDPSN. The weekend retreats include an optional
third day on Friday and the last retreat of the year is a full week, Monday,
November 29th through Sunday, December 5th. This one-week retreat has
additional entry points for those not able to sit the entire week. All retreats
include meals and overnight accommodations.
Retreat Fees
Both weekend and one-week fees apply to the December retreat,
depending on the number of days of participation.
Fees for Weekend Retreat
Non-members: $100
Members: $80
DT/DTIT: $65
Fees for One-Week Retreat
Non-members: $250
Members: $200
DT/DTIT: $165
Practice Schedule
Kwan Seum
Bosal
Monday 6:30 p.m.
at Indianapolis
Zen Center
Special chanƟng 7:00 p.m.‐8:00 p.m.
Evening bell, chanƟng, siƫng
Tuesday Source Yoga, Fishers
8:15 p.m.‐9:15 p.m.
Also known as
Avalokitesvara in
Sanskrit,
the bodhisattva of
compassion
Siƫng, walking meditaƟon, chanƟng
Wednesday 6:30 p.m.
OrientaƟon to pracƟce 7:00 p.m.‐8:00 p.m.
Evening bell, chanƟng, siƫng
Sunday 8:30 a.m.
OrientaƟon to pracƟce 9:00 a.m.‐11:00 a.m.
Bows, morning bell, chanƟng, siƫng,
Dharma talk, discussion & socializing
About the Zen Center
The Indianapolis Zen Center offers authentic Zen practice in the lineage
of Zen Master Seung Sahn and is a member of the Kwan Um School of
Zen. Membership is $25/month for individuals and $35/month for families. Becoming a member supports both the center and Zen practice in
the community. Members receive a monthly calendar, the local and
Kwan Um newsle ers, discounts on retreat fees, and have the right to
vote at the annual meeting.
For more information, call 317-921-9902, email [email protected]
or access our Web site at www.indyzen.org