Vol. II, No. 7

Opening of the Zendo

All of a sudden it was upon us—our first sesshin in the new zendo! Just two days before, we had yet to obtain the Certificate of Occupancy required for us to use the zendo. But the long-awaited inspection that day by the Stafford Building Inspector, hosted by Lou Kubicka, yielded the signed C of O—and huzzahs all around. Months of focused efforts rewarded!

But with the opening ceremony of sesshin now just forty-eight hours away, we couldn’t take time to celebrate. Mike Chrest had to finish the installation of his tans (sitting platforms). Lou had to find a way to secure the new dividers (twenty lightweight fiberglass panels covered by fabric hand-sewn on by Cynthia Seefeld and Luna Ngo) to the tans. Tom Kowal and Ed Kademan still had Douglas fir trim to install around the many windows running along three sides of the zendo. And we had to come up with some 180 feet of carpet runners to cover the bare plywood sub-floor of the kinhin route that surrounds the zendo. It all got done, somehow (though the window-trim project continued through sesshin work periods), while a motley assemblage of rugs and carpet strips were collected and laid down to cover the plywood of the long, wide hallways leading to the zendo, thus making possible something of a dokusan rush.

Finally, the new zendo was ready for its First Sitter: the Buddha figure that has presided over the temporary zendo these past six years, patiently (and uncomplainingly) waiting in that basement hall to be sent to his assigned post. With most sesshin participants already having arrived themselves, we moved the large keisu and mokugyo to their new places, and then the makeshift altar, and finally the Buddha herself. The Opening the Eye of the Buddha Ceremony, however, would have to be postponed.

Little did the Buddha know that his first week in his new setting would be bedlam compared to his subterranean abode. Because of scheduling difficulties, we felt obliged to let our contractor take advantage of the clear weather by doing the final grading of the terrain around the new construction. What we didn’t know was that the bulldozer would be in operation—right around the zendo—for a full five days of the sesshin. We discovered that even with all the windows closed in the summer heat, the ten ceiling fans generated enough circulation to keep us fairly comfortable. And now the ‘dozers are gone for good, having left us a newly sculpted, sweeping field north of the new building.

The rows of zendo windows are just high enough for sesshin participants not to be tempted to gaze out at the wildlife that passes close by, like the family of foxes that sometimes romps in the finished new area to the north. Still, each window is filled with a view of the surrounding foliage—forty-five framed, verdant landscapes.

Once we figured out that the bulldozer was there to stay, we set about closing the windows high up in the zendo’s peaked monitor, which tends to funnel noises downward. Without waiting for a break period, we cleared the center aisle of sitters and enlisted a small team of participants to bring in a 20-foot ladder, set it up beneath the monitor, and make the several climbs necessary to close the windows. The knot of guys joining together at the base of the ladder to move and support it, Lou noted, was reminiscent of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima.

The bulldozers provided us with an excellent test of our practice, and prompted reminders of the importance in Zen of becoming one with circumstances and conditions. Otherwise, though, the conditions were close to ideal. First there is the uplifting feeling of having emerged from the basement, magnified by the sheer spaciousness of the new zendo. One participant commented, “It was like sitting in an open field, with birds singing and wind in the trees.” Sitting on tans again was another pleasure, and having the new zendo configured the same way as at Arnold Park, with the altar against the far wall, gives the feeling of coming home after many sesshins away. One unexpected boon was the sense of privacy offered by a dedicated kinhin corridor, which runs around the zendo rather than winding through it. And then there was the satisfaction of having the courtyard porch for early-morning kinhin each day.

The zendo requires further work: the light cast by the ceiling bulbs is uneven in places and needs some tweaking; a big new altar is to be designed by Gerardo-sensei; a few more dividers are needed; and the kinhin route will be fully carpeted (though not until after the July sesshin).

The halls leading to and from the zendo need carpeting, as do the new bedrooms. There are many doors to be hung, trim to mount, bathrooms to finish, and landscaping to do in the courtyard. The swift progress seen over the past year will undergo something of a surge this week with the seventh annual Ralph Chapin Memorial Work Retreat starting tonight. Our temporary Certificate of Occupancy expires in a year, at which point we need to have completed all the work “as shown” on the drawings. But what a privilege to be part of such work!

Lastly, our young zendo needs seasoning, and enrichment, through zazen. Come out when you can and help potentize it with your mind energy.