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A few photos from our All Beings Zen Sangha Shuso Hossen Ceremony 12/19/2020

All Beings Zen Sangha Guiding Teacher Inryū Sensei and 2020 Shuso (head student) Shōryū Christopher Leader begin the ceremony.

Shōryu following the ceremony wearing the Rakusu which the All Beings Zen Sangha members sewed for him as he holds the ceremonial fan and staff.  Sangha members joined the ceremony via the online zendo (as we could not congregate in person due to the Covid-19 pandemic) to pose questions for the Shuso and to offer congratulations and appreciation.

Shōryū and Inryū Sensei pose near the altar following the ceremony.

“I’m thrilled that we were still able to have such a wonderful ceremony — and such lively Dharma Combat! — even though we were meeting via Zoom. I didn’t expect so many people to show up, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I was able to share this afternoon with so many of you.

I have enjoyed getting closer to you all throughout the year, and I am so grateful for the insight and guidance you offered me during my tenure as Shuso. I left every tea feeling as though I learned something, every sit feeling as though my practice was growing, and every round of pass-the-feather feeling lucky to be among such a diverse and wonderful group of people who choose to dedicate their time to further the same practice that I do. I will wear the Rakusu you sewed for me with joy and respect.

I owe a debt of gratitude to our Beji, Alex Langlinais, who handled the myriad things that I was too tired or ill to manage on my own. He handled much of the schedule and communications this Ango, and always ensured that I was prepared for what I had coming up next. I couldn’t have hoped for more support.

Finally, I offer my endless gratitude to Inryū Sensei for offering me this opportunity, for being willing to work out a path that allowed me to navigate through the practice period, and for offering all of the teachings over the years that led me to this point. I’m thankful for the chance to grow in my practice and in my ability to support the community that she provided by asking me to take on this role.

Though my term as Shuso is over, I hope that I can continue to support all of you practice in any way you need. If you ask, I’ll do the best I can for you”

-Tendō Shōryū, December 21, 2020

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Soto Zen Priests statement for Abolishing the Death Penalty and halting U.S. Federal Executions



Abolish the Death Penalty and Halt All U.S. Federal Executions

I vow not to kill. Not killing life, the Buddha seed grows.                                      Transmit the life of Buddha and do not kill

—Eihei Dogen Zenji

Every version of the Buddha’s ethical precepts begins with this principle: Do Not Kill. Buddha and all the great spiritual teachers — Jesus, Mohammed, the Hebrew prophets, Gandhi — tell us that life is sacred; that violence only begets violence. The logic of cause and effect, karma and its fruit, are inescapable even when you dress them in the emperor or president’s clothes of punitive and retributive justice.

On November 25, 2020 the U.S. Justice Department announced new regulations allowing for the use of new, or rather, old methods for federal executions, including the firing squad and electrocution. According to The New York Times:

Last week, the Justice Department announced that it plans to execute three more inmates on federal death row. If the administration does so, along with two other executions already scheduled, it will have put 13 prisoners to death since July, marking one of the deadliest periods in the history of federal capital punishment since at least 1927. 

As Soto Zen Buddhist priests and teachers, as people of faith, we vigorously oppose state-sponsored murder and this rush to punish. We see capital punishment as the enactment of a cruel and primitive urge for vengeance draped in the fabric of legality. We believe that capital punishment degrades and brutalizes our society by teaching violence in reaction to violence.

The harm of capital punishment does not just fall on the person put to death, but on our whole society — on guards and technicians, wardens, governors, on families of victims, and on each of us allowing this barbarism to go forward in our name.

Capital punishment is the cutting edge of America’s penal system. Social scientists, clergy, politicians, and communities of color all know that this is a broken system, although it is remarkably effective for sowing the seeds of violence. We see no evidence or statistics that capital punishment serves as an effective deterrent to crime. Resting on a foundation of inequality, based on racism and privilege, capital punishment cannot be fixed. Let’s end it now, everywhere! 

People of faith and conscience wish to build a new system of justice based on love, restoration, and redemption. Let those be the lights that guide us. We believe that social and personal transformation are always possible, and that even wounded people can change and contribute to society. While it is true that people reasonably expect protection from those who—by reason of mental illness, and extreme physical or psychological trauma — prey on others, the great majority of all prisoners are capable of transformation. This is our understanding of human nature. As for the handful who must be restrained or separated for their own protection and the safety of others, even these prisoners must be afforded life, a humane environment, and the possibility of meaningful work.

We believe that there is no fair or practical way to arrive at a sentence of death. 

What is our work? Organize against the death penalty in your communities, in your centers and temples. Study and talk about the death penalty; debate it with your friends. Write to the U.S. Attorney General and the President—outgoing and incoming—and speak your opposition and convictions. When federal or state executions are scheduled, join with sisters and brothers of all faiths sitting at the prison gates to bear witness. This is important. We must speak for humane policy and compassion with our bodies. 

Verse 129 of the Dhammapada, Shakyamuni Buddha’s early teaching, says: “All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.” May we live with this awareness and save all beings.

  • We ask the U. S. Federal Government to immediately halt all planned Federal Executions.
  • We ask for a Nationwide moratorium on Federal and State Executions.
  • We ask for our legislatures to reform the justice system to be one of restoration and redemption.

Action Items and Information on the Death Penalty


Signed,

Rev. Sosan Flynn, SZBA President
Clouds in Water Zen Center, Guiding Teacher

Rev. Marc Lesser, SZBA Vice President
Mill Valley Zen, Head Teacher

Rev. Dokai Georgesen, SZBA Treasurer                                                                          Hokyoji Zen Practice Community, Guiding Teacher

Rev. Inryū Bobbi Poncé-Barger, SZBA Secretary                                                              All Beings Zen Sangha, Guiding Teacher

Rev. Charlie Pokorny, SZBA Board Member                                                                     Stone Creek Zen Center, Head priest

Rev. Chimyo Atkinson, SZBA Board Member

Rev. Koshin Paley Ellison, SZBA Board Member
New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, Guiding Teacher

Rev. Chodo Campbell                                                                                                                      New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, Guiding Teacher

Rev. Hozan Alan Senauke
Berkeley Zen Center, Head Priest

Rev. Colin Gipson                                                                                                                        Guiding Teacher, San Antonio Zen Center

Rev. Joan Jiko Halifax                                                                                                                  Abbot, Upaya Zen Center

Continue reading “Soto Zen Priests statement for Abolishing the Death Penalty and halting U.S. Federal Executions”

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This week with All Beings Zen Sangha

Monday, November 23: Way Seeking Mind Talk offered by Lucy Turner after short period of  zazen, 6:30 am

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, November 25: Way Seeking Mind Talk offered by John Flanagan after a short period of  zazen, 6:30 am

 

 

NO Thursday Evening Service or Practice on November 26, 2020

Friday, November 27: Way Seeking Mind Talk offered by Augustine Smith Jr. after a short period of zazen 6:30 am

(rescheduled from 11/ 20)

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This week with All Beings Zen Sangha

Saturday, November 14:  Book Discussion on Shohaku Okumura Roshi’s “Living by Vow,” 1pm-2:30pm EST in our online zendo.  Use this link to join.

We will begin with a short period of zazen at 1pm.  

Watch a short film produced by Okumura’s daughter Yuko titled “Sit”

Kōryū Naomi Knoble will offer some reflections on her study of the text.  

Then we will have ample time for dialogue and discussion of the text and Dharma teachings within it.

At 2:20 we will evaluate whether we should schedule additional time to meet regarding this book and conclude with a circle poem and chanting the 4 great vows.

 

 

 

Way Seeking Mind Talk offered by Kōryū Naomi Knoble after morning zazen, 6:30 am

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, November 19: Dharma Offering by the Shuso titled “Being on Time: Dogen’s Uji and Managing the Present Moment” , Tendō Shōryū Christopher Leader, 7:00 pm

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Inadvertently Evil Giraffes – a class offered by Susan Cho Sunday Nov 1, 2020 1:30EST

Open Class offered by Susan Cho on —Sunday Nov 1, 2020 1:30 pm EST

“Inadvertently Evil Giraffes”        About this  class:    Most of us in the US gobble up an unsustainable portion of the earth’s resources.  More and more of us are realizing this, however, and are eager to scale back to “not too terribly much” or even “just enough.”  Let’s look at ways in which we can consume mindfully in our everyday lives.

About Susan Cho

Led by a growing appreciation for wildlife and the environment that sustains it, I got a bachelor’s in Environmental Science and Policy at U of M College Park, in 2008.  I also became vegan and joined an intentional community (Maitri House) that strives to live with consideration for others.  I’m now serving on the Board of the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Coop.  This past year I helped establish Fullfillery, which sells cleaning and body care products with as little waste as possible.  I’m honored to be asked to share some of what I’ve learned along the way with the All Beings Zen Sangha community.