In his Receiving the Marrow by Bowing Dogen Zenji says, “…retreat from the world and make the way your abode.” Ordinarily we might understand this as saying that practice is separate from the ordinary daily round. But Dogen is prompting us here to realize that the mind that is awake to the true nature of life is free even in the distractions and trances that ordinarily capture all our energies. If we are to realize and manifest the abode of the Way in the midst of all the worldly winds, retreat is at times essential.
We have our eleventh Interdependence sesshin (i.e. Zen retreat) coming up this week. This will begin a one month personal retreat for me. After the last year and a half of intense changes, I welcome time away from my ordinary responsibilities to the Zen Center to refresh and renew for the upcoming seasons of practice. Over the years I’ve discovered the benefit of occasional time away from my usual Dharma practice routine, to sharpen my eye and rejuvenate my appreciation for this profound way of life.
In keeping with this spirit, the July schedule for SJZC will be lighter, and then we’ll take up a full schedule again in August, as we resume in-person practice at SJZC. During this time several sangha members are getting us set up to be able to zoom Sunday service for those at a distance.
With palms together,
Mushin