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..
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
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.
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!
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.”