MANDALA PROJECT UPDATE BULLETIN

First Annual Mandala Benefit Bazaar

By Neil Myers

Featuring thirty-three invited vendors, ten taiko drummers, two kyudo archers, a tea master and a Buddhist flute player, the first Bazaar to Benefit the SMZC Mandala Project on September 4th attracted some 400 guests. ”In addition to filling up our regular lots, parked cars lined the road almost to the redwood grove,” says Demian Kwong, who with his wife, Julie Kwong, had conceived the idea earlier in the spring, when they witnessed a similar event at Rinso-In, a traditional Zen Buddhist temple south of Tokyo.

“Hosting our own version of a Bazaar here for the first time took a lot of effort,“ Demian Kwong says. “Sangha members, dharma friends, and especially residents worked tirelessly to make it happen. At the same time, once we took the first steps, the whole thing unfolded naturally. We were very happy with the result. While it lasted, the Bazaar created an atmosphere in which everyone seemed totally connected and present. Greeting old friends and welcoming interested newcomers to our community was particularly exciting.”

Vendors included potters and ceramicists, wood-carvers, clothing designers, jewelers, painters, collagists, weavers, gourd carvers and photographers. Demian comments that their response was very positive. “They found the environment and energy of the Bazaar congenial. It was more than a matter of simply selling their work. They seemed pleased to support the Zen Center itself, and to extend the Buddhist vision of happinness for the world.”

The passion for “art and aesthetics” that these vendors and performers represented, Demian notes, “is an important part of our lineage. If you can recognize beauty in yourself, then you can recognize it in the world. At Rinso-In this was especially evident in the pottery, and it’s something we noticed in the work of every artisan we invited here. Particularly at Sonoma Mountain, in the grounds and buildings as in Roshi’s calligraphy, beauty is part of a practice that involves everyone. When sangha and aesthetics converge, that creates aliveness and strength.”

“The Bazaar demonstrated how people can be part of Zen Center in many different ways,” Demian adds. “Doing zazen, of course, is central. But it’s also possible to express our practice in preparing and selling food, setting chairs and tables, helping people park. It’s as if all of us participating as one were also manifesting an active form of meditation. As if the Bazaar and our temple itself were a ‘container,’ a coherent, tangible vehicle for zen energy itself.”

We particularly want to thank the Ten Ten Taiko drummers, Shakuhachi flutist Elliot Kallen, Tea performer Soei Moiuri Sensei (Tea Teacher of Omote Senke Soei Mouri Sensei), and Kyudo archers Lucy Halvorson and Hans Brede. Our gratitude also to potters and ceramicists Carol Adams, Phil and Roger Demmin, Jackie Formanek, Barbara Hoffman, Judy Hummell, Michiko Kinoshita, Asa Pritchett, Kathleen Silver; tea accessory provider Sachiko Knappman; clothing and accessory designers Toshiko Beemans and Yasuko Bloom; calligrapher Christine Haggerty; oil painter Mike Hardin; Mandala painter Kaho Koinuma; collagists John Cambre, and Linda Gamble; photographers David Busch, Tom Huffman, Carmen and Ira Leibin, and Patrick Wilkes; honey maker Michael Huber; gourd carver Emily Hamilton; jewelers Christine Gonsalves, Susan Heeringa-Pieper, and Kailen Stepanek and Maya Shimizu; weaver Ellen LaBruce; natto maker Minami Satoh; Buddhist master carver Takayuki Zoshi, and everyone else whose craft was part of this effort..

Mandala Project Update Summer 2010

By Cam Kwong – Mandala Coordinator

Even in this economic crisis that we feel around us there are generous donations coming in. We have raised $1,959,500 and need only $461,000 to begin construction on the proposed Meditation Hall. Thank you to everyone for your continued support of the Mandala Project. The state of our nation and of the world emphasizes the importance of this project. Of the 5 areas of fundraising; Quiet Campaign, Phone Campaign, Grants, Mailing Campaign and Events that the Zen Center is using, much of our energy lately has gone toward the area of ‘Grants’. We have been creating “inquiry letters” that will be sent out this summer to 6 foundations that fund grants to organizations that fit their mission. Christie Green, Kathy Dennison and I have been working together to draft these inquiry letters. Thank you to Kathy for her research efforts in identifying the foundations and to Kathy and Christie for their creativity and suggestions in drafting these letters. If the foundations accept our letters we will be sending them a full proposal later this year for final grant considerations. I also want to put the word out that the Zen Center is seeking a fundraiser to help me continue the Mandala Project fundraising as I transition into managing/drafting the design and construction documents for the proposed Meditation Hall. The fundraiser needs to be a local person with experience fundraising in Sonoma/Napa Counties. If you have any possible leads or questions please call me at 415-388-9009. In closing I wanted to share with you a note that Roshi wrote me about the relationship and importance of the Mandala structures and the practice of Buddhadhharma.

The ancient practice of Buddha's Dharma is still continued and kept alive to this very day. And that these living Structures will provide the continuity of this authentic Dharma to continue for the next 300 years. The new Zendo - is The womb of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from which they are born. This birth is like dawn's light as it dispels the darkness of the landscape by helping the many human beings to restore their inherent nature - Basic Goodness.
Jakusho Kwong-roshi Spring 2010

Interview with Mandala Coordinator Cam Kwong, Nov. 5, 2009

by Neil Myers

The Mandala Project is an endeavor shared by all of us at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center who wish to protect and maintain the dharma we’ve inherited from so many teachers. The support that sangha members and friends have already shown has been extraordinary, and will continue to be crucial as fundraising continues and the new buildings gradually move from the planning stage to actual realization. This evolving Mandala work, in Roshi’s words, “expresses how we care for our deepest inner selves, our very breath.” This Newsletter issue seems the right moment to give a current overview of this important project. On November 5, I (N) met for a couple of hours with Cam Kwong (C), Mandala Coordinator, to get his perspective on where things stand. My wife Lorna (L) sat in on the discussion. Here are some highlights of our interview. ----------


N. Cam, it’s been about five years since the Mandala campaign began. Can you give us a general sense of how things are going?

C. The Zen Center actually had done two earlier campaigns, to purchase the property in 1973, and for the Restroom Building in 1994. Our current Mandala campaign, however, is simply essential to the future of the Zen Center itself. Roshi and I want to express our gratitude to the many members and friends who have supported this effort. We’re very optimistic that we will reach our fundraising goal especially in view of the $1,884,000 that has now been raised.

N. Though you were an architect and not a fundraiser, you stepped in at a crucial moment.

C. Earlier coordinators, Carol Lingman, Zenobia Barlow, and Marvin Bobes, all made major contributions, and helped establish a foundation for me to continue to work from. We’ve continued their work by strengthening our fundraising foundation, getting such things in place as the computerized data-base, committees, financial and construction goals.

L. You said the Mandala is an essential step for zen center. What do you mean?

C. There are issues involving the Sonoma County Use Permit we first received in 1984. Originally, when the county allowed us to be a religious entity in an agricultural zone, they required that all our structures comply with the latest building codes, which involve energy, structural reliability, access etc. Many years ago we learned that our existing zendo, housed in a beautifully rebuilt hundred year old barn, didn’t comply. This was the great impetus for this campaign.

L. From the outside this marvelous place seems timeless. But if Mandala fundraising is a necessity, I don’t think you can repeat that often enough.

C. That’s exactly where we’re coming from. We must fundraise in order to bring the SMZC structures up to county codes. But this is also, as Roshi says, an opportunity to establish a firm base to carry the dharma into the future. Our fundraising assumes that once we have enough to construct a particular building, we’ll start on it. Right now the $1,884,000 we have for the new zendo is around twenty percent --$480,000 -- short of its estimated cost. If we can solicit the rest, we hope to break ground in the Fall of 2010. Our long-range fundraising goal, however, is five million dollars, to include a Kitchen/Dining Hall, an Abbot’s Study and a maintenance endowment. Once the Mandala Project is realized it will accomplish two things: it will bring all our buildings up to county code, and most important, it will provide a place to practice the Dharma for future generations.

N. Does it look like we’ll get the missing twenty percent for the new zendo?

C. What’s interesting for me is that it’s difficult to anticipate where funds will come from. People you assume will donate, don’t, and those you think wouldn’t, actually do! Contributions are coming in from various sources right now. But it’s hard to say. Two years ago, I wouldn’t have predicted that by 2010 we’d have nearly doubled what we had then, going from one million to nearly two!

N. Can you say something about how the fundraising works?

C. It’s evolved in several important ways and now there are five avenues of fundraising. We’ve been lucky that Kurt Swenson -- husband of a longtime sangha member, CEO of Rock of Ages Corporation, and an experienced fundraiser -- came on board to help us. Kurt made a number of very helpful suggestions that gave the whole endeavor a clearer direction. Earlier, Marvin Bobes had begun a phone campaign to reach all Zen Center members and friends. Kurt recommended that, alongside it, we develop a “quiet campaign” to identify possible major donors and contact them. These two components are now the heart of our effort. The other possibilities include grants, which Deborah Stagg, Christie Green and Kathy Dennison are now looking into. We’re aware of several potentially receptive foundations, but there could be others interested in encouraging art, architecture, or land preservation. We’re also thinking of doing a mass brochure mailing next year to further spread the word about the Mandala Project as well as solicit donations. Finally, there are fundraising events, such as a reading, a concert, or a meal prepared by a well-known chef. Branching into such activities requires a larger team than the Quiet and Calling Campaigns, which actually take the least amount of work.

N. So you’ll probably need a lot of assistance for those kinds of projects.

C. We can definitely use help there! For a public event, we’ll need people to manage invitations, send out directions, choose speakers, locate housing if necessary etc.. We’ll be looking for an Event Coordinator -- particularly for a possible fundraising dinner in 2010 -- as well as volunteers for specific tasks. Even if we decide on a mass mailing, someone will have to compose an appropriate brochure for it. In short, we would appeciate both skilled and general help in all sorts of different ways. N. What should anyone interested in helping do?

C. Well, the first thing is to simply call or email the zen center (707- 545-8105; SMZC@smzc.net), or me (415-388- 9009; ckwong.kletteney@sbcglobal.net). We’ll list names and preferences, and if something relevant comes up, we’ll notify them. Specifically, in addition to what I just mentioned, we would very much like to have people with graphic arts skills to help create new publicity, and others who might simply come up for part of a day and stuff envelopes when that’s called for. Of course there’s our ongoing fundraising, in which we can use many hands, and eventually there’s even the possibility of assisting the actual construction when that begins. The first step, though, is to compile lists of those willing to aid in absolutely any way.

N. When actual construction of the new zendo begins, how will that affect the daily routine of the zen center itself?

C. We decided not to merely remodel the present zendo because that would have put it out of commission for several years, straining the entire center. So the older zendo will remain in use when, down the hill behind it, work on the new building begins. Once we start, we’ll first grade the site, then build the foundation, and eventually raise the timber framing. That could be noisy, as in any construction zone, but the crews will be well aware of the Zen Center’s schedule, and will limit noise during meditation periods and retreats. Every effort will be made to let basic routines continue during the 18 to 24 months I estimate it’ll take to complete the new zendo.

N. What will the new zendo look like?

C. We have drawings posted in the Sangha House, but it still may be hard for some to visualize the result. The feeling, and the actual materials used, will recall the Restroom Building, which was also built by Joinery Structures of Oakland. It’ll use traditional Japanese timber framing, with conventional in-fill framing between the posts and beams.

N. So it’ll be in some ways a traditional Japanese Soto Meditation Hall, open and spacious, with an interior that can accommodate multiple uses. And yet it’ll be a California building as well?

C. That it’ll be constructed here in the landscape and climate of Sonoma Mountain by an experienced builder like Paul Discoe will make it an American structure. Certainly the understanding Paul acquired through his long training in traditional temple building in Japan also will be evident in it. So it’ll have the feeling of Soto temples, but it’ll have a distinctly local flavor as well. It’s important to remember that the present zendo, which was developed out of an old California barn, now has a very tangible feeling to it, rooted in the Zen practice that’s been embodied there for nearly 40 years. That feeling is unmistakable, and unique. It’s hard to describe, but most people sense it the instant they walk into it. Because of the practice at the Zen Center, this feeling will naturally become rooted in the new structures.

N. We’ve brought many visitors up there, and most of them notice this luminous mood almost instantly.

C. Yes. Whenever we bring Building Department people there, they react the same way. I remember a civil engineer who had no idea what Buddhism was, but felt something, and talked openly about it. The point is that, in fact, these zen buildings are intimately part of the practice itself! There’s really no separation between zendo and zen here. It’s precisely that feeling that we want to carry into the new Meditation Hall we’re proposing.

N. Roshi has said that he hopes these Mandala structures will be able to shelter the dharma for three hundred years. He talks about how important this will be in a time of deep uncertainty, such as the world is experiencing now. Can you say something further about this? Enduring as a vital spiritual source for so long sounds visionary, although, in fact, if you look at the history of Zen temples in Japan, it’s not unusual.

C. When we first started on the Mandala, I was struck by a letter Carol Lingman found, that Dogen Zenji had written in the middle of the 13th century, when he was soliciting funds to build a temple of his own. In it, he said that it’s essential to build these structures primarily because they house the dharma. This made me feel ok - if Dogen could do it, so could we! When I think of the buildings we’re proposing, I’m not necessarily thinking of three hundred years, but I do know what the dharma has done in the thirty five years we’ve been here. I know that raising these new structures will certainly enable the practice to continue through the generations. These buildings may last three hundred years, or eight hundred, or a thousand. It all depends on everyone’s participation in making it happen. And I think this has a lot to do with why the zen center feels as it does. A lot of intention, a lot of effort and love have gone into creating what’s here. If we can continue this through the Mandala project, I think it could anchor the dharma for many generations past our own particular lives.

N. So in a sense there’s urgency about the fundraising we’re doing, but there’s also a patient confidence that in time the whole Mandala will manifest itself.

C. What I’ve learned is that, if I’d initially begun by assuming that in three years we would raise X amount of dollars, it might have been very disappointing to get there and not have it. Of course you certainly need to start with some specific intention. But I also think that in the context of this zen center, what we’re doing almost parallels the way a life may be lived. There are things that happen in life, to which people gradually learn how to respond. If our fundraising efforts seem to be taking a long time, it may be partly because we simply weren’t initially trained in doing any such thing. We’re all learning on the job. Of course, we’d all like it to happen quicker. If we got $480,000 next week, we’d begin building right away. But when I look at what we’ve done so far, that makes me feel positive about future possibilities. I think this is what Roshi feels as well. Sometimes I call him when I’m not feeling very confident, and he says, “well, you know, there’s a bigger picture out there!” In other words, we can do it! It’s a matter of acknowledging the goal while not being entirely sure of the little turns the path is going to take.

L. Can you talk about the fact that the whole economy collapsed a year ago, and since then most fundraising has, if not ground to a halt, certainly declined?

C. I’m not sure what we could do now that’s different from what we did when we started the campaign in 2004. We’re still fundraising, though in a very difficult environment. People seem more selective now, but they’re still donating to the Zen Center. Roshi said that this difficult economic time, when many are suffering worldwide, is a particularly good moment to donate to places like the Zen Center, because the practice and the dharma simply are needed. They’re necessary.

N. You’ve taken on a very large job, and you’re doing it part time. How has this affected your family life, and your work life?

C. First, the zen center has been my home for a long time, and as I get older I understand more of how essential the dharma and practice are. Now that we have Grace, our little one, I can’t get up here that often. I could easily spend forty hours each week on the Mandala, of course, but since I have only two days each week, I just have to be patient, and do what I can manage at this point. But I believe that too is an integral part of balancing one’s life. As I said, so many people -- especially Carol Lingman, Marvin Bobes and Kurt Swenson -- have worked hard to establish a firm fundraising base for the Mandala Project. I must continue to do my best each day, and begin to attract a larger group to help. Working on the Mandala demands real dedication, over a long period of time. I know that at the moment I can give only what I can give, but I’m dedicated to the zen center, because of my connection with it, the practice, and the dharma. I know how this place has helped me in my own life, and how it has helped others.

N. What would you most like to tell the zen center community, as well as donors and friends?

C. That if the zen center means anything to them, if something about it reaches them, then they can help by donating or volunteering for the Mandala. This is a way of expressing gratitude, and of sustaining what the Zen Center is doing. And since it’s going to be a long road, then a sense of patience must be involved also. If people want to see it happen faster, we need more active support. I was willing to follow Marvin as coordinator because I know that this place is meaningful for everyone, whether they come just once, or stay on as three year residents. And even if people simply hear about zen center from a friend, it can touch them in many ways. I know that Sonoma Mountain has had an impact on many people. I hear the most amazing stories. Most of those who come here can recognize that they’re receiving something crucial both for their own life, and the lives of everybody around them. It has a ripple effect. It helps them, it helps communities, it helps the entire world. So, to put it simply, I’d ask them to support the Mandala. Find a way; donate, help coordinate an event, volunteer in some capacity.

N. Anything else?

C. This whole process has been interesting for me, because, as I’ve said, I was an architect not a fundraiser. As in everything I’ve learned that fundraising is a practice in itself, and that has shed light on many things, for one it’s helped me recognize my hesitation to ask for what’s needed. I’ve found that best way to accomplish things is to be direct. You have to directly request donations, and call directly on people to do particular tasks. I‘ve also found that I can’t accomplish everything by myself; that I can be more gentle with myself, and delegate more. I was a little fearful at first, and in a way I still am. But I know that if you do as much as you can with your full attention, you’ll get to a point where you can see a much bigger picture. You take little steps with confidence that they’ll eventually take you to the entire vision. That’s the surprise outcome of this whole process.

Interview with Paul Zengyu Discoe, March 10, 2009

by Neil and Lorna Myers

For our second interview with Paul Discoe, the designer of the Sonoma Mandala, we visited him at his Live Edge Studio in Oakland. From the moment we drove through the gate of an abandoned oxygen plant, we found ourselves surrounded by huge logs. burls, tall piles of planks, and mountains of chips. We waited in a showroom filled with striking tables, chairs, bowls, bookcases, objects made from local distressed wood, Paul later explained. He showed us into his office, and we began to talk.

N. It’s been a couple of years since our last interview. I’m wondering what may have changed in your thinking about the Sonoma Mandala.

P. Well, I’m waiting to see what happens. I’m still happy to be involved, on whatever level works.

L. One of the interesting things in the beautiful book you recently published is your comment on the importance of blending the traditional and the contemporary. Do you have further thoughts about this in regard to the Sonoma Mandala project?

P. Well this is an age-old question, that’s come up many times, about how much of the Asian tradition to bring into zen practice, and how much of new American zen. I quote Suzuki-roshi in my book about avoiding overpruning the tree that you transplant. No matter how traditional you try to be, just the fact of moving the dharma to California is going to affect it radically anyway. So you don’t actually have to put extra effort into making Zen contemporary or site-specific or appropriate for the new generation, since those things will inevitably happen. Basically you’re best off trying to capture as much of the traditional ritual spirit as possible, since it’s going to get rearranged at its own pace. If you try to rearrange it first, however, the result may not even be recognizable.

L. Can you give us a few examples?

P. One is the decision over whether to have a raised tan (meditation platform) in the zendo. The tradition of the tan is there for a number of reasons. Originally Japanese zendos weren’t enclosed structures, in contrast to what we expect in the west. The first zendo floors, as at Eiheiji [a large 13th century training temple in the hills near Fukui, Japan], were dirt, so what was required was a raised sitting area, as if outdoors, with the building itself an umbrella overhead. By eliminating the tan, the zendo becomes a more flexible space, which can accommodate chairs for lectures, or be used as a yoga center, or a site for a modern dance performance. On the other hand, once other things creep into the way a zendo is used, the feeling of traditional monastic training, even if it’s only done for the day, is much more difficult to conjure up.
   So it’s always a trade-off. Eiheiji has three traditional buildings, a Buddha Hall for chanting,, a Dharma Hall for lectures, and a Zendo for meditation. Sometimes, however, you simply can’t afford to build all these. At Sonoma Mountain we need to develop a single building to support all these services. This will alter the experience you’d have if the zendo was exclusively devoted to meditation.
   Of course those things that can’t be done traditionally, because of circumstances, have to be done in a new way. Still, I think you should make every effort to sustain the warm continuity evident in phases that were developed over the centuries. A lot of the way that Eiheiji was built came from China. You can see examples of similar construction and use of architectural space in the arts of the Han dynasty, going back to the second century BC. That tradition has a certain power that’s useful to transmit to the future. Buddhism is so much of a holistic teaching, that in it body, mind, physical environment, voice, breath and all the elements of human activity are interrelated and play off of each other in a way that can be at once a distraction and a help. You need to take in the visual, the audial, and the physical, the tactile, so that they all aid each other in forming the zazen mind.

N. In the sense of the presence of the past?

P. My experience, both in Japan and at Tassajara, was that listening to lectures about people of the 7th or 9th centuries, while sitting in meditation just as they did -- and in a space like Tassajara, so isolated that it’s not plugged in to any particular period -- then time becomes totally irrelevant, and you’re no longer merely in the 21st century. I found experiencing such timelessness highly illuminating. Basically I think that the physical environment makes a difference, that people look at things differently when they wake up in the morning and can’t simply go to the refrigerator for a glass of orange juice.

N. In the last interview you said very eloquently that “the existence of these buildings is a teaching in itself.” Can you say anything further about how the specific buildings proposed for the Sonoma Mandala might demonstrate this?

P. Well, that’s what I’m saying. The physical environment forms the mental and emotional environment as well. Creating a space that makes a harmonious visual - audial-emotional environment is very conducive to putting you in the mind of the Buddha’s teaching, and is a teaching in itself. In contrast, I think that more grandiose structures like Odiyan, near Salt Point, go too far. Odiyan strikes me as so precious and yet so powerful, as well as withdrawn from the rest of the world, that somebody going there might have a very strong experience, which afterwards would simply be too hot to carry, to bring back to the normal world.
   So it’s important not to go too far. Not that I think this would ever happen at Sonoma Mountain Center, because that’s not the nature of the practice there. But it’s important not to become so esoteric, cultish and sectarian that you make it impossible to relate to the world around you. On the other hand, if you don’t make your temple distinctive enough, then the effect is lost, and you might as well rent a hall in downtown Santa Rosa. It’s important to find a middle ground, to developing a special space that’s encouraging without overpowering.

N. Roshi talks about constructing a set of buildings which will transmit the dharma for 300 years.

P. Well, that’s a good start! Such buildings need enough gravitas, enough weight, enough intrigue to capture people’s imagination for 300 years. They musn’t be too trendy or specialized. They have to be as timeless as possible, rather than express some particular mode of the moment.

N. You talk in your book about the elements of water, fire, air, stone and wood.

P. Well, that of course is more of a Taoist than strictly Buddhist, understanding, but of course zen in many ways is the marriage of Taoism and Buddhism in China. There certainly has been a mixture of those understandings over the years. For me, incorporating earth elements is simply part of the tradition that I studied. I’ve never heard any zen person say that you have to consult astrology, but a lot of teachers have emphasized how important it is to include water, fire, wood and stone in Buddhist architecture.

N. When I visualize the temples we saw in Japan, I think of the presence of wood, seemingly unchanging but still organic, and welcoming.

P. I think so too. These buildings could have been done in masonry, more or less as Chinese temples were, and still convey powerful feelings, but in the lighter, more open Sonoma County environment, I think that wood is probably the best material. I’m a big devotee of trees, I think they’re great teachers, so that’s the element I gravitate towards. But here again, it’s good to have as much balance as possible. It’s important not to exclude any element, or let one become too dominant.

L. I was going to ask you, if you had your ideal choice, what wood would choose for Sonoma Mountain?

P. Well, I think on Sonoma Mountain it’s oak, fir and redwood. Those are good materials for that site, and it’s not too difficult to come by them.

L. You also write of the value of re-used wood.

P. Yes. Unfortunately since re-used wood has recently become fashionable, it’s also rather expensive, but what I’m putting my energy into now is taking on abandoned trees, killed for whatever reason, old age, disease, wind damage, relocation of buildings or urban expansion. That’s the wood that I’m using nowadays. It’s not always totally available, but there’s a great deal of it, along with forest wood that’s grown sustainably. Despite what people think, wood is definitely a renewable resource, and in the process of renewing itself it also cleanses the environment. So the more wood we use the better off mankind is. As long as we’re careful to be al- ways planting and nurturing more trees.

L. That idea is different from the usual environmental perspective.

P. I think it’s a misunderstanding. If you use steel or concrete or glass or any of those more readily available modern materials, you do more damage to the environ- ment, and create more turmoil, than by using wood.

L. You also write about “mismatched” wood. There’s a photo in your book of a door made that way, almost as if it’s patchwork.

P. You mean “contrasting”? Of course, there again, you can get carried away. Still, I think it’s important not to have everything so homogenous that it’s all the same, since different activities have different weights. You don’t want your shoes to resemble your eating bowls, or clothes you sleep in to be like what you wear to work. It’s important that different facets of existence harmonize together, so that some things are smooth and polished, some rough, some plain, some ornate. It’s good to incorporate all of that together, & to see it not as a jumble but as a diverse whole.

N. Finally, you write in your book about the importance of working as a team. Can you talk about this in relation to the Sonoma Mandala?

P. Well, in order for a team to coalesce, you have to have a shared vision, and that can come from chanting a sutra that’s been chanted for several millenniums, or from following the rules to a game that’s been played for years, or it can be the result of vision that encourages a practice. In every case you need a framework for the group to coalesce within. I think that’s why it’s important to have a master plan, a focal point that people can understand and come to terms with. Just sitting together is a lot different than sitting by yourself, just as chanting in a group is different than chanting by yourself. Of course there’s value to doing it alone, but something very different comes out of a group sharing a larger activity.

N. Do you think a construction team needs to be all dharma practitioners?

P. A team of all practitioners would be a great teaching for people, but it’s extremely difficult to pull off. I think it would be nice if possible. That was how most things were done at Tassajara in the early years, but now people are hired from the outside. Maybe it’s just a matter of youth versus maturity, or just a different way of dealing with tasks. I find youthful vigor appealing, but others find it uncomfortable, and not conducive to mental health.

N. Here’s an off-the-wall question, about “jumping off the hundred foot pole.” How would you say this is manifested in traditional zen influenced architecture?

P. In the architecture! That’s a good question. That may be more a matter of a personal state of mind than an architectural concept. I’ve never thought of it that way! I’m a big believer in hundred foot poles, however. Certainly they’re a little scary. At this moment, I’ve started a new business, and at my age that’s pretty much like jumping off such a pole. And since somebody took the net of an over-rich economy away, I’m now in free-fall, and wonder what’s going to happen. Though I wouldn’t have done it any other way!
   But I really don’t know how the hundred foot pole would relate to architecture except in the sense of ‘build it and they will come’ -- meaning that you can’t worry too much about whether or not it’ll be useful for anyone in the future, you just do it and let whatever happens happen. And again, there’s the issue of how cautious to be. As far as the Sonoma Mandala is concerned, I understand waiting to start until the money’s all there, and I would probably do it that way myself, but I also think that acting immediately on a big vision through a master plan would be jumping off a hundred foot pole, in a way that doesn’t jeopardize the sangha but would demonstrate a vision to the world, and create positive energy.

N. Is there anything else you’d like to share with the sangha now, regarding the Mandala Project?

P. It’s just that I think there’s a resource here that’s very special, and that it would be good to proceed, and move ahead. There’s no reason to force it, of course, but on the other hand, it’s fine to stretch and take a bigger step. One of the things I found in Japan that enthralled me during my temple building apprenticeship years ago was their approach to teaching. They would constantly give me tasks that were just a little beyond my capability, so that I had to keep reaching toward the next step. They hung me out a few times, but mostly this made it possible for me to see and learn without pushing me past the point of failure. They kept encouraging me to do just a little bit more. So I think it’s always good to encourage the sangha to think about doing a little bit more --to keep the growth pressure on!

Landscaping Team Visits SMZC, July 31, 2009

On the morning of July 31, Kwong-roshi,Shinko Kwong and ten members and friends of the SMZC sangha met with Christie Green and Richard Jennings of Santa Fe, New Mexico, here for a two-day visit to consider landscaping and water management plans for the Mandala project. Cam Kwong, who chaired the event, comments that “what was exciting was the presence of so many people representing so many interlocking specialties -- architecture, hydrology, electricity, trees, ponds, landscape design, resources conservation, grant proposals, dharma practice and management -- to discuss the actual nuts and bolts of the project. Clearly everyone there was clearly committed. The energy in the room was palpable.”
Kwong-Roshi began the meeting by describing the origins of Zen Center in the early seventies, when, after a failed attempt in Calistoga, he recognized the “sacred”nature of the land on Sonoma Mountain, and despite limited funds established a thriving zen center through an intense effort shared by the entire sangha, continuing today in the Mandala Project. A vivid, spirited discussion of the intimate connection of land and dharma on this site followed.
Christie Green, founder of Down to Earth, based in Santa Fe, spoke appreciatively of the resonant spiritual beauty of Zen Center grounds. Using an extensive slide show, Green presented the innovative, ecologically appropriate gardens and environments she has fashioned, which offer aesthetic richness and biodiverse stewardship together. She has offered to design landscaping honoring local plants and conditions for the new zendo and other structures as a personal contribution to the Mandala.
The second speaker was Richard Jennings, founder of Earthwrights Designs, a Santa Fe company in the forefront of configuring and building ecologically sensitive systems to use water most efficiently by creatively cooperating with nature. After hearing an extensive discussion of water issues at Zen Center, he offered a survey of pioneering, low-maintenance ways of husbanding usage, utilizing runoff and sewage in harmony with local soils, nutrients and the habitats of the plants, animals and bacteria that compose a livable environment. Mr. Jennings will consult on a proposal for a relatively inexpensive, state-of-the-art water system to serve Zen Center and the new Mandala buildings alike.
There was also discussion of many other Zen Center property features, including the now disused vineyard, the vernal pond, the wisteria used in the SMZC logo, the Asian feeling of the landscape style, the use of solar energy, tree health, legal easements and the restoration of the redwoods that had once been characteristic of the area.
Later in the afternoon the team walked SMZC property, and looked closely at the layout of the new zendo, the proposed kitchen, and other buildings. There was some discussion about the zendo site, the extensive grading and moving of wells that would be necessary, and of the recent history of the Lotus Pond filling with sediment. After taking the road back toward the Sangha House, they also examined the most down-slope wells and pumps near the creek (which was flowing). Finally, at Suzuki Roshi’s memorial, the visitors offered water. Afterwards, Cam Kwong remarked that “this was the first time we had discussed the Mandala project as a concrete event, with its own set of technical challenges and probabilities. There was an invigorating sense of discovery throughout. These two who came so far to meet with us reminded us that something innovative and exciting is going to happen when, if fund-raising continues at its current levels, we break ground for the new Zendo next spring.”