The 2021 winter Rohatsu sesshin kept up the momentum from recent sesshins. It also featured dramatic weather right from the beginning. Torrential downpours led to 12 hours with no electricity forcing the group to do okyo and zazen by flashlights and candlelight. The rain turned into strong winds and clear skies by the end.
Read MoreThe year 2022 marks the 50th year since our Founders Omori Sogen and Tanouye Tenshin established Chozen-ji back in 1972. Today we have a beautiful Daihonzan to do shugyo in at the back of Kalihi Valley. To get to this point, many personal sacrifices were made by Tanouye Rotaishi and his students.
Read MoreThanks to the generosity of dozens of donors, we have successfully raised the funds needed to break ground on our development of new housing across the street at 3570 Kalihi Street. We are still welcoming contributions, which will allow us to expand our budget for things like appliances and landscaping later on in the development.
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Art can be enjoyed in many ways at many levels. The arrangement of cushions, a calligraphy, flowers in a vase, a cup of tea, or the scent of incense can enhance the kiai of the moment and foster joy. Art can be practiced in all activities and is accessible by all.
Read MoreWe just finished the summer sesshin last week. 19 people trained, many of them young and local. It was great to see that. Twice as I walked over to the Dojo for the evening inspection of the sitting, there was a full rainbow over Chozen-ji. “Wondrous,” I thought.
Read MoreSince last Fall, we've successfully raised $1.4 million to construct short-term and long-term housing on the empty lot across the street from the Dojo at 3570 Kalihi Street. We're sharing this news with the Chozen-ji network now to invite members and supporters around the world to join us to raise the remaining $400,000 to break ground and complete construction.
Read MoreFour years ago there was one person signed up to do the summer sesshin. The most recent sesshin had 19 participants. This is a great indicator of the change that has happened over the last four years.
Read MoreThe recent summer sesshin was remarkable in many ways, building on the energy of last winter’s sesshin and the spring live-in training period. The crowd was made up of 19 people with young, mostly local students including a few first-timers. Jackson Sayama was the jiki with assistance from Nick Alamia.
Read MoreSeveral weeks ago Dojo members completed construction of a new awning over the steps into the Dojo. This awning was part of the original design but was never built.
Read MoreChozen-ji's 2021 Summer newsletter focuses on a big new project at the Dojo: the development of new housing on the empty lot at 3570 Kalihi Street to support steadily increasing demand for live-in Zen training.
Read MoreIn our Winter 2020 newsletter, you'll read about how Zen training at Chozen-ji has come alive in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Download our most recent newsletter as a PDF or read all of newsletter articles on our blog.
Read MoreCovid-19 lays bare the First and Second Noble Truths that existence is impermanent and that suffering arises from attachments. To date, December 18, 2020, there have been 17 million infections and 310,000 deaths in the United States. Life has been disrupted in so many ways, and so many livelihoods lost. Face to face encounters have become a luxury.
It’s a good time for spiritual training.
Read MoreIn a year when many of us experienced loss, we note the passing of several important Dojo members who taught, trained, and embodied the spirit of Zen training at Chozen-ji. Their influence on past and current Dojo members continues to have an impact on the training here.
Read MoreWhew! What a year! If you are human, you are so looking forward to its end and ready for 2021 to begin. But what does that mean?
Read More“It seemed impossible or at least foolish—maybe even a little crazy—to try. I had previously lived in at Chozen-ji twice, so I had some idea of how difficult three months of live-in training would be.”
Read MoreIn these turbulent times, Zen Art can help you become clear and tranquil—bringing peace to a busy city, or clarity to your environment and state of mind. As a vibrant force, Zen Art influences your vibration, helping you to accord with the flow and rhythm of the Universe, which is unmoved even by today's chaos.
Read More“To receive and let flow away.” —Tanouye Tenshin Rotaishi
This phrase is found in Master Takuan Soho’s letters to swordmaster Yagyu Munenori on the Immovable Mind in fencing. It refers to a technique in which the opponent’s attack is received and returned against him.
For example, the opponent cuts for your head. Receiving the strike with your sword, you let its momentum initiate your cut to his body. Tanouye Rotaishi used to say, “Here’s the secret to life.” Receive and let flow away.
Read MoreWe made the call a few weeks before this summer’s sesshin to go ahead with it, albeit with serious precautions. With safety rules in place, we had an extremely sharp and efficient sesshin, ending with the firing of the wood-fired kiln.
Read MoreEven in late March—as the COVID-19 pandemic began—we saw an increasing number of requests from new students to begin Zen training. We decided to offer beginning zazen instruction online for the first time, even as Chozen-ji monks sheltered in place and Dojo members were asked to stay at home and shelter in place.
Read MoreReconstruction of the wood-fired ceramics kiln was completed in January after more than a year of discussions, design, deconstruction, and construction.
At the time of this newsletter, it has now been fired twice, producing wood-fired ceramics for the Art Show that will hopefully take place in November.
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