KAIHAN                  Fall 2003
 North Carolina Zen Center                                             919-542-7411
390 Ironwood Road                                                         http://www.nczencenter.org/
  Pittsboro, NC 27312-6754                                             info@nczencenter.org

For the full daily practice schedule check the web site or call the Center.


"Don't be misled by all our talk of buildings and money.  This talk is necessary!  Our gratitude is deep!  But even if our zendo were made of branches covered with fallen leaves, and our toilet were a hole in the ground, we would continue to put what we are learning into practice in our everyday lives.  One of the simplest statements of our practice is the meal chant The Three Bites:  "The first bite eliminates all evil; the second bite nurtures all good; the third bite saves all sentient beings; all alike attain the Buddha way."  There are translations that sound conditional, such as "The first morsel is to destroy all evils....May we all attain the path of Buddhahood."  This is like saying, "I'll be happy when I find the path."  Our practice is not conditional; instead, it is to destroy all evil at this moment!  Save all beings now!  To do this, we have to be able to manifest our awakened nature.  In this time of changing light, open your eyes and notice this!  I deeply appreciate all of you practitioners and those who support our efforts!"

Sandy


           After a year and a half of hard work the Youngs are now occupying their apartment in the west end of the multi-purpose building (pictured in the attached photo to the far right. In the middle ground is the edge of the bath house while the kitchen is to the fore, bordering the courtyard. Our point of view is from the front of the zendo). A certificate of occupancy was granted for that portion of the structure with the provisos that nothing be stored in the unfinished end and that it be finished within a year. The next step is the windows and doors($4200). Completing the entire building will be $10-15,000.

The center realizes the great efforts the Youngs made to get this building to this stage and the handsomeness of their contributions to it. We are most grateful for their commitment to our practice here at Brooks Branch.  The bath house has, in the meantime, become storage for a great collection of tools and supplies but until they can be moved into another building they make working on the bath house difficult.

Fortunately, Barbara Gordon donated a small utility shed which has been de-constructed and is slated to be reconstructed and expanded into a tool building on what was the old tent platform. She is being helped in this effort by Matt Young, Jason Dowdle, and Be Gardiner while Linda Campany feeds them all.  Our thank you¹s to all these people for their efforts.
Also to all sixteen who came to the fall weekend for the work they did here then. Along with the final wiring in the apartment a  host of maintenance was done and the gate was readied for the roof decking. And to Michael Brown for his perseverance on the gate which currently waits only its roof slates and to Joe Kenlan, the guiding hand for the beautiful stone retaining walls between the bath house and multi-purpose building.

During the fall weekend Sandy continued his lectures on Case 2 of the Mumonkan, "Hyakujo and the Fox".
One morning Be, a lay monk, entered the interview room, sat, adjusted his robes, bowed to Sandy, and said, just like the old man/ fox,  "Can you give me a turning phrase?"
Sandy replied, "What do you want to be liberated from."
The student paused then laughed.
Sandy said, "I guess that will be turning phrase enough" and rang his bell.

Contributions of time , materials and money have come from: Art Knowles of Word of Mouth Carpentry and Melody Ivins who have constructed new steps for front of the zendo, Chuck Stuts and Tom Dow who are working on the landscaping, Kenny O'Hara, Judith Brooks, BJ O¹Brien, Dennis Lennox, R. Kraus, Jason Dowdle, Caroline Gardiner, Harold Younger, David Dyer, Lisa Richey and Stefano Ponte, Kalo Baron,, Woody Setzer, Jennifer Armstrong, Linda Campany, John Iler, Be Gardiner, Barbara Gordon, Catherine Boston, Pam Berger, Tony Zanella, Anna Madden, Wiley Akers, Joe Kenlan, Roxanne Henderson, Michael Brown, Bill Stephens, Aline Kala and Keith Sykes, Judith Brooks, John Baugh, and Daphne Jones.

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