Falmouth Soto Zen Sangha
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Founded in November 2010,The Falmouth Soto Zen Sangha (FSZS) is a gathering of people (community) exploring our original or Buddha nature through Zazen (meditation) sutra (scripture) and book study; and Dharma talks (conversations and discussion). We meet on Tuesday from 7:00-8:30 (6:30 Newcomers) in the evening at The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth at 840 Sandwich Road, East Falmouth, MA 02536. Call Sangaku Dan Joslyn (Practice Leader) at 508-388-7685 (cell 404-702-7646) or email at
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Each meetings has a three-part format:
1. Welcome and overview of Soto Zen Buddhism,Two 20 minute meditation sessions with a three minute walking mediation (kinhin) between the two, chanting, welcome and announcements.
2. Readings from a selected text, currently Each Moment is the Universe by Dainin Katagiri-roshi, comments about the author and book theme, reading and discussion.
3. The Sangha (those who gather)the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha),Dharma Talk (commentary) by Sangaku Dan Joslyn, and the Sangha.
All Are Welcome
12.04.12
Grey sky gray ocean
Separated by strongly wind blown cold sand
Sitting, beyond space and time
Bodhidharma sees beyond the cave wall
Happy Winter...
11.25.12
Hurry, Hurry,
On Tuesday, November 27, 2012, The Falmouth Soto Zen Sangha (FSZS) will celebrate the 100 anniversary of our Founder's, Zengaku Soyu Matsuoka -roshi's birth and the second anniversary of the founding of Falmouth Soto Zen Sangha (FSZS). As a way of extending our celebration, we will hold an Open House starting at 7:00 PM at UUFF!
Please take this as an opportunity to invite a friend or ten to join us for tea and sweet cakes. Children are welcome too.
The service will be festive and short (ending about 7:45) with an introduction of Soto Zen Buddhism, a brief reading from the works of Matsuroki-roshi and the Abbot of the Silent Thunder Order, Taiun Elliston-roshi, and a story about the Buddha as a child.
So, come one, come all...
06.22.12
While walking barefoot on the beach
A sharp rock invited me to dance
Waves lapped the shore and
Huineng pounded rice
Happy Summer...
Happy Summer...
03.29.12
Join us for Morning Meditation at Milepost #2 beginning April 3, 2012, on the beach at Shore Drive and Oyster Pond about 100 feet on the path toward Woods Hole, each Tuesday 6:30-7:30 (bring a towel or blanket to sit on) and then we go to coffee afterwards!
“Buddha’s Birthday Bash (Hanamatsuri)” will be celebrated in a retreat at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth, 840 Sandwich Rd. from 8:30AM-2:00PM Saturday April 28, 2012. There will be sitting (zazen), walking meditation, talks on the Four Noble Truths and Eight Fold Path, books, videos, handouts, and lunch. A donation of $15 for the day is appreciated.
03.07.12
1. The Sangha continues to welcome new folks and we have expanded our email list accordingly. Please remember to check out our new website that is located on the lager Silent Thunder Order Site (see above).
2. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of our order's patriarch Zengaku Soyu Matsuoka-roshi. We will be celebrating his life and teachings in a number of ways. You may also wish to purchase books of Roshi's Dharma Talks on the STO website or in person from our small store at FSZS. More to come on this...
3. ON April 3, 2012 we renew our morning sit on the beach! "Morning Meditators at Mile Post 2." Each Tuesday morning we can be found where the Shining Sea Bike Path crosses Shore Dr. at Oyster Pond. Just walk on the path toward Woods Hole for 100 feet and you will be at the mile post. We sit from 6:30-7:30 and then head out to Pie In The Sky for coffee.
4. We will celebrate Buddha's birthday (Buddha's Birthday Bash) during a zazenkai to be held at the UUFF fellowship-hall (see above for address) on Saturday, April 28, 2012 from 9AM-3PM. This will also be a Dharma sesshin as we will study the Four Noble Truths and Eight Fold Path in addition to having a "flower-ceremony" for Baby Buddha! I will cook lunch and there will be handouts and a video Dharma Talk. A Dana (donation) of $15 for all of the above would be welcomed.
5. We have been using Skype to expand our out reach to folks who would like to hear the Dharma Talk given each Tuesday night from 8-8:30 (ET) but cannot join us in our zendo. Last night Taiun-Roshi spoke on Matsuoka's teachings on impermanence from Atlanta to us in the zendo and another member via Skype and it worked very well.
6. IF you cannot make it to our zendo and would like to attend via Skype let me know and we will connect you. It is easy just let me know your Skype name/number and I will call you just before 8PM on the Tuesday you wish to join us. We can only handle nine (9) people at a time so beat the crowd and let me know early. We are also working on ways to archive the Dharma Talks for later listening.
7. Please let me know if you have questions about the Sangha, Buddhism or STO Zen as correspondence is still a viable form of communication.
01.17.12
Happy 2012-Year of the Dragon
Colorful, brave, helpful loner and the only mythical animal (to some) in the asian zodiac
There is much going on so here is a brief update:
1. Deep bows to Maggie Jones for donating a mokugyo to the zendo. As you see below it looks somewhat like a fish and is sometimes called that in temples. A distinct hollow sound it is a complement to the kesu or meditation bowl/bell ( our kesu was donated last year by Susan Shelton). May we use it well.
We took in a total of $1350 in weekly dana, and $225 for Founders month (including $112 for our first zazenkai held in November). This means $450 went to UUFF for rent, $675 to STO (450 + 225 from Founders month) and FSZS received $450 of which we spent $275 on food, donations to Japanese relief fund, blankets, candles and incense; and have $175 on hand.
3. We have a new FSZS website: http://kosetsu.net/sto/affiliates/falmouth-soto-zen-sangha
This is exiting because it is found within our Silent Thunder Order webs site. This site is one of the services we receive as being a member of STO. Please go to our website and look around the entire site to see how FSZS is a part of an even larger sangha.
4. We are reading Each Moment is the Universe by Dainin Katagiri-roshi. This book explores impermanence from roshi's point of view and interpretations of Dogen's construct of being-time. I invite all to participate and if you can't join us you can always drop me comments and ask questions (see #5).
5. Skype anyone? FSZS will experiment with a Skype broadcast of our Tuesday night service beginning 02.07.12 At that time we will narrow-cast the dharma talk which will focus on the book and/or other topics. This will be from 8:00-8:30 PM. So, if you would like to drop-in via Skype and your handy-dandy computer or smart phone let me know!
12.12.28
This week our Dhrama Talk is on The Transformation of Scrooge-San, so join us in looking at this classcic Zen-Story. This will be followd next week by "What is a Resolution?" Each talk follows our reading of Katagiri-roshi's work Each Moment is the Universe, that in-turn explores Dogen's concept of being-time as impermanence.
11.25.11
The Novemeber 19, 2011 zazenkai, our first at FSZS, went well with 17 attendees with Taiun Elliston-Roshi speaking to the group via Skype. The Zazenkai was held in celebration of Founders Month that included STO (72) and FSZS (1).
11.19.11 Zazenkai
A zazenki is a brief sesshin or Zen retreat. The FSZS will hold its first zazenki as part of the November Founder's month celebration. We begin at 7:00AM and end at 1:00PM on Saturday, November 19, 2011, at the UUFF meeting house at 840 Sandwich Road. This will be a sangha zazenki as we will do a variety of things that focus on giving everyone as much (or as little) exposure to Soto Zen practices as they wish. Children are welcome and will become my partners-in-teaching. If you do not have a zafu or sitting cushion bring three beach towels and I'll show you how to make one. People who cannot sit on the floor will be taught how to do Zazen in a chair.
So, join us for an hour or two or the entire zazenki — come when you leave and leave when you want! An email note that you WILL attend is helpful in planning for the zazenki. Each hour from 7-1 will feature different practice, liturgy, arts, philosophy, chanting and/or video messages, so call it a 7-Ring - Circle. Here is the schedule:
1. 7:00-7:45 - In-gathering, welcome and overview of the day and instructions of zazen or Soto Zen meditation. This is good for beginners and seasoned mediators as well with time for questions from all and attempts to answer what I can from me.
2. 8:00 - Oryoki style breakfast. Oryoki is to eating what the tea ceremony is to drinking tea. It is a way to give thought to food. I will prepare the meal and we will talk about preparing food, chanting the merits having food, how to eat and to clean up, as all three are mindfulness training. Following the meal we will sit Zazen until 9:00.
3. 9:00 - Kinhin or Zen walking meditation will be discussed and practiced. We will do this out side weather permitting. This is a wonderful way to meditate and to complement time on the cushion.
4. 10:00 - A brief history of Buddhism and Zen with a focus on forms of Zen awareness brought to Japanese and other cultures.
5. 11:00 - Buddhist Shorts (no not those kinds) or brief videos of Dharma talks by Buddhist monks and priests followed by discussion.
6. 12:00 - Lunch Oryoki style (see #2 above).
7. 12:30-1:00 - Leaving the send: Thoughts and Feelings about Your Experience
Dana
Dana is mindful giving of your time and money for the purpose of well being and support of those who wish to explore their true self or Buddha nature. A donation of $10 for the day would be most welcome as would less or more if you wish.
A zazenki is a brief sesshin or Zen retreat. The FSZS will hold its first zazenki as part of the November Founder's month celebration. We begin at 7:00AM and end at 1:00PM on Saturday, November 19, 2011, at the UUFF meeting house at 840 Sandwich Road. This will be a sangha zazenki as we will do a variety of things that focus on giving everyone as much (or as little) exposure to Soto Zen practices as they wish. Children are welcome and will become my partners-in-teaching. If you do not have a zafu or sitting cushion bring three beach towels and I'll show you how to make one. People who cannot sit on the floor will be taught how to do Zazen in a chair.
So, join us for an hour or two or the entire zazenki — come when you leave and leave when you want! An email note that you WILL attend is helpful in planning for the zazenki. Each hour from 7-1 will feature different practice, liturgy, arts, philosophy, chanting and/or video messages, so call it a 7-Ring - Circle. Here is the schedule:
1. 7:00-7:45 - In-gathering, welcome and overview of the day and instructions of zazen or Soto Zen meditation. This is good for beginners and seasoned mediators as well with time for questions from all and attempts to answer what I can from me.
2. 8:00 - Oryoki style breakfast. Oryoki is to eating what the tea ceremony is to drinking tea. It is a way to give thought to food. I will prepare the meal and we will talk about preparing food, chanting the merits having food, how to eat and to clean up, as all three are mindfulness training. Following the meal we will sit Zazen until 9:00.
3. 9:00 - Kinhin or Zen walking meditation will be discussed and practiced. We will do this out side weather permitting. This is a wonderful way to meditate and to complement time on the cushion.
4. 10:00 - A brief history of Buddhism and Zen with a focus on forms of Zen awareness brought to Japanese and other cultures.
5. 11:00 - Buddhist Shorts (no not those kinds) or brief videos of Dharma talks by Buddhist monks and priests followed by discussion.
6. 12:00 - Lunch Oryoki style (see #2 above).
7. 12:30-1:00 - Leaving the send: Thoughts and Feelings about Your Experience
Dana
Dana is mindful giving of your time and money for the purpose of well being and support of those who wish to explore their true self or Buddha nature. A donation of $10 for the day would be most welcome as would less or more if you wish.
While November is Founder's Month for Sangaku's Soto Zen Order (Moku-rai, or Silent Thunder) anyone wishing to make a donation may send a check to the address below made out to the Silent Thunder Order (STO), at any time or go online at http://kosetsu.net/sto/ — bowing in appreciation
