Also, a Hard Copy Will Be Distributed on Request at the Zendo and at the Grail

Dear Sangha,

How wonderful, our summer ango time is almost here! This year, from July 24 to August 25, the Village Zendo community (and anyone who wishes to join us) will engage in an intensification of practice and attention to our lives.

This is in accord with the traditional Zen long retreats called ‘ango’ or peaceful dwelling. Our Village Zendo Summer Ango is conducted both as a residential retreat at The Grail and also in the city, in the midst of our ordinary daily lives of coming and going to work, family and Zendo. For thirty-one days we personally commit to more zazen, study, and other practices such as clear awareness of our interaction with others and attentiveness to the precepts.

This year we are studying Dotoku, (Expressions), a short writing of Dogen’s for which the Village Zendo’s temple name, was given: Dotoku-ji. It is from this sense of activated practice that our Five Expressions arose.

Kazuaki Tanahashi’s translation can be downloaded from the Village Zendo web page at http://villagezendo.org/2013/02/summer-ango-2013-general-information/ and in his of Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo, Shambhala. Or, another version by Nearman can be downloaded at http://www.shastaabbey.org/pdf/shobo/038dotok.pdf

Also, a hard copy will be distributed on request at the Zendo and at the Grail.

One person is asked to serve as ‘Shuso’, or practice leader, someone to show up as our model of sincere practice. This year’s shuso is Peggy Ikai Schubert, who has written a letter and a commitment form to help us articulate our aims for this period of time. It is very helpful to fill our your commitment form and share it with one of the teachers. Please join Ikai and the whole community in exploring this active way to energize our practice!

All of these documents, the shuso letter, the commitment form, and the study text, can be downloaded from our website.

Thank you for your practice,

Roshi

Pat Enkyo O’Hara

Abbot, Village Zendo

588 Broadway, suite 1108, New York, New York 10012