Gregory Wonderwheel, Sensei left this body at sunrise this morning.  He will be laid out at home for 3 days. Gregory Wonderwheel, Sensei is long-time Zen student of Terragno, Roshi’s.

He is a core part of Rocks and Clouds Zendo as our head of practice has made many many retreats possible over the last decade. Sensei Wonderwheeel was given authority or teach as an apprentice teacher by Terragno, Roshi last year and a new dharma name of Water Dragon.  

Join us for
1) Sitting Vigil Practice and 2) Community Meditation and Chanting Times

Many of you may know him directly. Many may not. As sangha mates, we wanted to include you and ask for your chants, dedication of practice, and connection to our community in this time. 

Gregory has been treating his cancer for many years and after a significant rebound from cancer treatment, it resurged. He began the full transition of this current embodiment. 

If you are local and want to stop by and sit with him awhile, let me know by PM.  You will be welcome.  All your prayers and thoughts and energies these past days, weeks, months, and years have been felt and gratefully received.

Vigil Sitting Times
Pick a Time from List and Sit or Chant

Our hope is that we can have as much as possible round the clock sitting for the next few days. We are asking for people in our global Sangha to consider taking one of these time slots and sitting where ever you are on behalf of Gregory Wonderwheel, Sensei. Sign up for one or more of these time slots to bring presence into this deep moment of transition.

What to do to Join Sitting Vigil…

1. Click link below.
2. Sign up for one or more sitting slots.
3. When it is time to sit either sit independently or
   join community open zoom link below.

Link to Sit Times Sign Up: https://www.slottr.com/sheets/18278438

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/s/86285071242?pwd=T3U1STQ3ckUrakJDWFp4eHNESTBiZz09#success

Zoom Password: gratitude

Inspired by the initiative of “Awakening for Earth”  (Awakening For Earth) Rocks and Clouds Zendo, in collaboration with PAEAN (Peoples’ Alliance for Earth Action Now PAEAN – Peoples Alliance for Earth), is sponsoring weekly sitting demonstrations for Climate Action Now.

Our goal is to grow this protest that seeks to bring attention to the current climate crisis by a simple act of silent meditation. We also sometimes chant and walk.  We bear witness to the destruction of our world and in doing so strive to awaken others to engage in a monumental nonviolent effort to reverse climate change.

For more information see flier below. 
Contact us at wildrose@pon.net

Terragno Roshi
Buddha’s Birthday Celebration 2023

What if We Took 5 Minutes Per Day to Just Sit With
Our Lives as They Are

Friday Dec 9th, 9am PST to 5 pm PST

Sign Up for the Retreat on Eventbrite
(you are welcome to attend part of all of the retreat)

Link: https://rocksandcloudssesshin.eventbrite.com

Roshi Daniel Terragno shared this poem written by David Rutschman during his Dharma talk.

I Was Reading A Poem

BY DAVID RUTSCHMAN • OCTOBER 2017

I was reading a poem by Ryōkan about a leaf, and how it showed the front and the back as it fell, and I wanted to call someone — my wife, my brother — to tell about the poem.

And I thought that maybe my telling about the poem was the front of the leaf and my silence about the poem was the back.

And then I thought that maybe my telling and my silence together were honestly just the front of the leaf, and that the back was something else, something I didn’t understand.

And then I thought that maybe everything I understood and everything I didn’t were both actually just the front of the leaf — so that the totality of my life was actually just the front of the leaf, just the one side — which would make the other side my death. . . .

Unless my life and death together were really still only the front of the leaf?

I had left the branch. I was falling.

I was loose now in the bright autumn air.

Rocks and Clouds Zendo was fortunate to be with Neti who shared a Dharma Talk Wednesday evening

Here this is for all :

Neti Mushkin Parekh is the founding Reverend of the at the Twining Vines Zen Centre, Katto-an Temple, Canberra, Australia

Join us at 7 p.m. Wednesday Night Meditation and Dharma Talk via ZOOM:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/ Email to request the meeting passcode at rocksandclouldszen@gmail.com

1/1/2022

Hello All,

Welcoming today and greeting each day a new and taking the opportunity to share one of Dogen Zenji’s Jodo ( Dharma Hall Discourse) on the first day of the year from Eihei Koroku (Dogen‘s Extensive Record);

Today is the beginning of a new year [1241], and also a day with three mornings. I say three mornings because it is the beginning of the year, beginning of the month, and the beginning of the day.
Here is a story. A monk asked Jingqing Daofu, “Is there Buddha Dharma at the beginning of the new year or not?”
Jingqing said, “There is.”
The monk asked, “What is the Buddha Dharma at the beginning of the new year?”
Jingqing said, “New Year’s Day begins with a blessing, and the ten thousand things are completely new.”
The monk said, “Thank you, teacher, for your answer.”
Jingqing said, “This old monk today lost the advantage.”
A monk asked Mingjiao Zhimen Shikuan, “Is there Buddha Dharma
at the beginning of the new year, or not?”
Mingjiao said, “There is not.”
The monk said, “Every year is a good year, every day is a good day; why isn’t there [Buddha Dharma in the beginning of the new year]?”
Mingjiao said, “Old man Zhang drinks, and old man Li gets drunk.”
The monk said, “Great Elder, [you are like] a dragon’s head and snake’s tail.”
Mingjiao said, “This old monk today lost the advantage.”
The teacher Dogen said: [Both teachers] say the same, “This old monk today lost the advantage.”
Hearing such a story many people say, “These are good stories about [teachers] losing advantage [in a dialogue].” This mountain monk [Dogen] does not at all agree. Although Jingqing and Mingjiao speak of one loss, they do not yet see one gain. Suppose somebody were to ask me, Kosho, if there is Buddha Dharma at the beginning of the new year, or not.

 July 13 is the “birthday” in the Chinese Buddhist festival calendar for remembrance of Mahasthamaprata Bodhisattva.

“Ta-Shih-Chi P’usa is one of the two main Bodhisattvas of Pure Land Buddhism. Her Sanskrit name is Mahasthamaprata Bodhisattva which means ‘one who has attained great strength’ and is therefore often called the Bodhisattva of Universal Strength. She is an attribute of Amitabha Buddha, representing his Wisdom just as Kuan Shih Yin is his compassionate aspect. She earned her rank of Bodhisattvahood in the distant past through the practice of reciting the name of the Buddha of that period of time. When Amitabha became a Buddha, she and Kuan Shih Yin became his disciples and thus were responsible in welcoming the faithful of the Buddha to his Pure Land at the time of their death.

“The Shurangama Sutra states that in time to come “when Amitabha Buddha retires as the teaching host of the Pure Land, Kuan Shih Yin will take over the responsibility. When it is time for Kuan Shih Yin to retire as Lord of the Pure Land, Ta Shih Chi P’usa will be her successor….”

“Ta Shih Chi P’usa is said to be so powerful that whenever she raises her hand or moves any part of her body, the earth will quake and tremble. Although she is a very popular Bodhisattva to the Chinese, she has not found as many devotees as Kuan Shih Yin, and it is extremely difficult to find a temple dedicated solely in her honor. She is normally worshiped in the Triad with Amitabha Buddha and Kuan Shih Yin Bodhisattva and pictures of them together are commonly found in homes of the Pure Land Buddhists. Those who wish to form a karmic link with her should daily spend a few minutes contemplating on her and request for “wisdom and strength in cultivation” or mind-fully holding her name through the recitation of: “Namo Ta-Shih-Chi P’usa”