by Nomon Tim Burnett
May 12, 2008
Dear Sangha,
I just returned from a wonderful weekend meeting and retreat in California with most of Norman's ordained and lay transmitted students. We had many meetings about Dharma, teaching, how our training as teachers is coming, and so on, but the most importantly we hung around together and got to know each other. Of about 40 people Norman has ordained and done the lay transmission ceremony with there were 25 or so there.
It was so beautiful to look around that room and see all of these people each of whom had been practicing Zen with Norman for 10 to 20 years or more. All different individuals with our own stories and path and yet all sharing the feeling for this life and the practice of the way that Norman teaches. It's hard to quite describe how wonderful it was to be in their company. Somehow very supportive and I guess "opening" would be the feeling I had. And a beautiful testimony to Norman's steady work with so many different people over so long.
I'll type in a few notes from my notebook to give you a little flavor below. I hope to see many of you soon, if you're local maybe you can come down and work with us this weekend. Also upcoming is the next installment of the Zen and Yoga collaboration I've been doing with a wonderful local yoga teacher and our big annual retreat at Samish Island at the end of June. I'm glad to announce a workshop with my Dharma sister Florence Caplow and Jean LaValley of the Bellingham Insight group in June also. Oh and mark your calendar also for our annual Summer picnic - this time in collaboration with the Bellingham Insight group.
May these warming days of Spring bring you joy.
Tim
Everyday Zen Teacher's Meeting May 23-25, Empty Nest Zendo, North Fork California - a few notes
Norman on giving Dharma talks: A Zen talk is acknowledging and speaking about suffering in a way that transforms suffering, reframing suffering as the beginning of the path instead of as a problem to avoid. That there is a path and a practice. The teacher as embodiment of practice but not an expert on it. Provide inspiration and practical teachings that people can really use, but offer practices with our non-dual open hearted spirit.
Feedback: suggestion by Bruce Fortin and others to ask peers, students, teachers for feedback, even consider good old written evaluations too. How am I doing? Norman saying how it's a real challenge giving and receiving feedback with kindness and accuracy. Reminds me to think always of the limits of self-knowledge and the distortion of delusion with is always there [not that someone else really knows either, don't go too far, but listening to a carefully expressed outside point of view very important and we don't get much feedback that we really listen to do we?]
Norman on relating to students: [which is an ironic phrase as he also reminded us several times that he doesn't think of himself as a "teacher" with "students" - just someone practicing with others, wonderful emphasis on the non-dual nature of the teacher-student relationship, not to be caught by it. And yet it's a helpful archetype and a tool too, an interesting challenge to work with this idea of being a "teacher" but I digress….] In interviews receive and listen to the person. Speak from the point of view of practice and what do I have to offer in supporting this person to see their life and troubles through the eye of Dharma. That through the eye of practice everything is always workable and beautiful, just what we need. Practice being authoritative without being at all authoritarian, but do be confident and non-appologetic about expressing how I see it and my understanding as far as it goes. But always humility to see the limits of my understanding.
On the forms, a realization, and my low self-awareness: We were talking about the forms how they are helpful, important but also bothersome and trouble for many. I realized that lately in the new new Zendo I'm finding myself not correcting people, that it's okay if the forms are a little rough more important that people feel safe from being corrected all the time. Trust people to gradually work out the details of the forms by the examples of others. That forms should be presented as important, not deemphasized, and yet always with a gentle touch. Suddenly flashed back on Mel Weitsman (Norman's teacher) correcting my shashu posture so many years ago and that there's still a strong feeling from being corrected during practice. Said out loud, "gee I never correct anyone isn't that beautiful?" and people who've been to sesshin with me there last years gave me a strong reminder that I've actually been a compulsive corrector of forms for years with several examples of eggregious form correcting and how I'd upset people with this - at Samish Sesshin mostly I think. I felt the pain of embarassment and being corrected, tried to work with that. Thanked at least one of those people for correcting me (which is ironic, eh? being corrected about correcting the forms). Wow, embarassment is so powerful. Resolving to be mindful and ask for feedback on how I work with people and I think continuing to work on not correcting people, give them space. Norman almost never correcting anyone. But also offering teachings on the details as people want them.
Grace Schireson, our hostesss at Empty Nest Zendo, a Zen teacher in her own right and long time colleague of Norman's: In therapy it's personal and a problem and you are supposed to help them fix it. In practice the problems are global, trans-personal, all beings are suffering, the teacher isn't supposed to fix it but help the student learn how to practice with it. Psychological stuff needs ot be opened up, be ready to refer people to therapists if there is such strong suffering that they can't feel. "The teacher is life, and if I'm there to be there side by side with people maybe they will learn something about Dharma."
Dharma Transmission: Norman explaining that he is committed to helping everyone in this group reach completion in their training but that Dharma Transmission will not make sense for everyone. Transmission doesn't mean being a teacher in the formal sense, it means the person is deeply committed to going forth in the Dharma and sharing their life with others, living a life of renunciation. Said that some people express practice in a way that is beautiful and true but doesn't match Transmission so well, that he won't be doing us any favors if he give us Transmission but it isn't right for us. That he's sad that there will be hurt feelings from this sooner or later and he hopes we'll work through them okay. He's told me before that just the logistics of doing the Transmission ceremonies is daunting for him - takes a week of hard work, much of it in middle of night, private ceremony. Said that he's now starting a transmission training group with the 5 students who are working inside SF Zen Center now but he doesn't know if all 5 will do the Transmission ceremony. An interesting problem in adapting Zen to this culture. I don't think Transmission is such a big deal in Japan, more a routine thing like getting a diploma. Here we conflate it with being a super-enlightened perfect Zen master. Makes it too loaded. Found myself of course in my mind saying "well, that's interesting but I'm sure I'm a good candidate for tranmission, I want that" the mind always so self-focussed and greedy!
Chanting texts important to Norman: In the services we chanted three texts important to Norman in his own training and understanding. All revolve around humility and being with others. Matches his three points for training priests which he explained again in a talk: (1) be humble, (2) understand everyone as Buddha, (3) serve others. Here is my favorite of those three texts, partly because I briefly studied with Katagiri Roshi myself but really because it's so true. On a good day I feel this, I just want to learn to walk with people. What a mystery "human" is.
Peaceful Life by Katagiri Roshi, Hokyoji, 1988
Being told that it is impossible,
One believes, in despair, "Is that so?"
Being told that it is possible,
One believes, in excitement, "That's right."
But, whichever is chosen,
It does not fit one's heart neatly.
Being asked, "What is unfitting?"
I don't know what it is.
But my heart knows somehow.
I feel an irresistible desire to know.
What a mystery "human" is!
As to this mystery:
Clarifying,
Knowing how to live,
Knowing how to walk with people,
Demonstrating and teaching,
This is the Buddha.
From my human eyes,
I feel it's really impossible to become a Buddha.
But this "I", regarding what the Buddha does,
Vows to practice,
To aspire,
To be resolute,
And tells myself, "Yes, I will."
Just practice right here and now,
And achieve continuity,
Endlessly,
Forever.
This is living in vow.
Herein is one's peaceful life found.
Upcoming Events
Dharma Hall Work Weekend
10am-3pm Saturday May 31st & Sunday June 1st
Red Cedar Dharma Hall
We set up the Red Cedar Dharma Hall through an amazing series of 6 or 7 work weekends. We did incredibly well and the building is in great shape.
Time for some loose ends and improvements that have become clear now that we've inhabited the space a while.
All skill levels welcome - many tasks to work on.
Volunteers to bring food for lunch very welcome.
Questions? Contact building manager Latona Maillard at dharmahall@redcedarzen.org or 510-3167.
Zen and Yoga with Nomon Tim Burnett and Amy Robinson
Saturday June 07, 9am - 1pm
Red Cedar Dharma Hall
Join us for a quiet morning of Zen meditation and Yoga asanas at our beautiful new meditation center in Bellingham. The morning will include sitting and walking meditation, Zen teachings, and Yoga instruction.
Appropriate for beginning and experienced Zen students and Yoga students.
Amy Robinson has developed her dynamic therapeutic style of Hatha Yoga over 10 years of practice of Forrest, Ashtanga, Sivananda, Iyengar and Kundalini yoga. She dove deep into the many waves of yoga living in an ashram in India and has completed Ana Forrest's teacher training: a rigorous process of finding her true inner voice and exploring yoga deeper in her body. She teaches at the Yoga Room in Bellingham
Nomon Tim Burnett is Resident Priest of Red Cedar Zen Community where he leads meditation, offers classes and workshops, and officiates at ceremonies.
$30-$60 sliding scale donation includes support for the teachers. Drop in, no pre-registration required.
And please note this event sponsored by Bellingham Insight with Zen priest Florence Caplow (founding member of our sangha) and Insight Teacher Jean LaValley
The Second Messenger: Dharma of Illness & Pain
with Jean LaValley and Florence Caplow
Saturday June14, 9:30am - 4:30pm
Red Cedar Dharma Hall
In traditional Buddhist teachings, the young Siddhartha met 3 messengers who inspired his spiritual journey: an old person, a sick person and a person who had died. All of us meet these messengers in one way or another. In this gentle one day retreat we will explore the second messenger: illness and physical pain. Is it possible to turn our physical difficulties into the ground of our awakening? How can we take care of our bodies and offer compassion for ourselves in meditation practice? What hard won wisdom can we offer each other?
This day-long retreat is offered to anyone with some Buddhist practice and grounding who has at least occasionally wondered if the dharma was failing them or they were failing the dharma as they lived with illness or pain. The day will include meditation, personal reflection, small and large group sharing and dharma talks.
The retreat will be led by Florence Caplow & Jean La Valley.
To see and/or print a copy of the flyer and registration form you can go to our website: bellinghaminsight.org
Paper copies are available at the Red Cedar Dharma Hall in Bellingham.
Contact the registrar Jean at jeanlavalley@comcast.net if you would like a paper copy mailed to you.
Samish Sesshin 2008
Friday 6/20 at 5:00pm - Saturday 6/28 at noon
(half time attendance an option)
Samish Island Registration is Now Open at www.redcedarzen.org
Every June we offer a full 7-day (8 nights) sesshin in residence at the Community of Christ's camp on beautiful Samish Island. Great Blue Herons fly overhead while swallows dance above the grass. Sleeping in simple but comfortable cabins or tents we spend the week away from phones, newspapers, and our busy daily schedule. Together we settle deeply into the practice of the Way in this lovely spot.
This year we return to the Everyday Zen Community Retreat format. First half will be classes with several Everyday Zen teachers, daily dharma talks by Norman, part of the day silent, part with time to talk and get to know each other. Second half will be silent sesshin.
Attend the first half (workshops), the second half (sesshin), or the entire retreat.
First half: classes and workshops while still maintaining a daily schedule of zazen, service, dharma talks. Arrive 5pm Friday June 20th and leave 5pm Tuesday June 24th.
Second half: formal Zen sesshin, arrive 5pm Tuesday June 24th and continue to the end of the retreat at noon on Saturday June 28th.
Costs and housing for full attendance (all costs are sliding scale):
Costs and housing for half-time attendance:
Note on these fees: The low end of the sliding scale are our actual costs with no padding. We are making every effort to make this retreat as affordable as possible. If you can afford to give more that allows us to offer more scholarships and supports our sangha. Note that the registration fee does not include a donation to the teacher.
Summer Picnic
Saturday August 23, 2:00pm - 6:00pm
Lake Padden
Mark you calendar for our summer picnic, a joint production with Bellingham Insight.
October 2008 Study Retreat
Saturday October 11, 8:00am - Sunday October 12, 3:00pm
Red Cedar Dharma Hall
In this two-day study retreat Norman will teach on an important topic in Buddhism. Details TBA.
In previous retreats Norman taught on the Prajna Paramita wisdom sutras, Shantideva, and Zen Koans.
A study retreat is a regular feature in our fall practice schedule.
These retreats include sitting and walking meditation, but their main focus is study and discussion. There will be two talks and question-and-answer periods each day. Individual interviews with the teacher (dokusan) are not available at study retreats.
Scholarships to cover up to half of the retreat cost are available. Please contact the registrar.
Check back again for registration information.
yours,
Tim
Nomon Tim Burnett
Resident Priest
Resident Priest Nomon Tim Burnett has been a student of Zoketsu Norman Fischer since 1987 when he was a resident at San Francisco Zen Center's Green Gulch Farm. After sitting practice periods at Green Gulch and Tassajara Zen Monastery, Tim helped found the Bellingham Zen Practice Group in 1991. Tim was ordained as a Zen Priest by Norman in June, 2000. Like his teacher, Tim is interested in the possibility of deep and complete practice by lay people.
A person of wide-ranging professional interests, Tim has been a botanist, elementary schoolteacher, writer, and computer programmer. In addition to his work at the Resident Priest of Red Cedar Zen Community, Tim works as a software developer.