Sanshin Zen Community

07/31/2025

Michael Hofmann is the sumie painter who created the portraits of Sawaki Roshi and Uchiyama Roshi that appear in The Zen Teachings of Homeless Kodo. The originals are now hanging on the wall at Sanshin. He also served as Okumura Roshi's weekly English tutor at Antaiji in 1972.

Michael's family is now raising money for his assisted living in a memory care facility.

This site provides an avenue for Michael Hofmann's friends to provide support for his … Chris Gaffney needs your support for Supporting Michael Hofmann's Care

02/24/2025

New e-book from Dōgen Institute

DI is happy to announce a new e-book-- Plum Blossoms in the Snow: Practicing with the Three Buddha Days.

Now available for purchase here: https://dogeninstitute.podia.com/plum-blossoms-in-the-snow

This ebook presents teachings about the sanbukki 三仏忌, or Three Buddha Days— Buddha’s Birthday, Buddha’s Enlightenment, Buddha’s Parinirvana— given by Shohaku Okumura at Sanshin Zen Community in Bloomington, Indiana, and edited by Hoko Karnegis. Rev. Okumura shares early Buddhist perspectives based on the sutras and Dogen’s later view of Shakyamuni’s life and practice, along with what they mean for practitioners many years later in other countries and cultures.

While Okumura’s teachings were occasioned by the annual observances—Buddha’s birthday in April, his awakening in December and his death in February—their value is not confined to practice during particular times of year. Understanding the meaning of these three important events in Shakyamuni’s life means understanding and practicing with the nature of the Buddha Treasure. Rev. Karnegis provides an extended consideration of this topic in an afterword.

109 pages

NB This is in an e-book format only and not for printing. Works best in browsers and Adobe Reader.

01/30/2025

Check out our January newsletter:

I Vow With All Beings: Balconies Commentary by Hoko Karnegis When climbing up in balconies, I vow with all beings to ascend the tower of truth and see through everything. ​ In the Avataṃsaka...

01/13/2025

In December, we completed a bimonthly discussion series on Sanshin's six points of practice, which are direct legacies of the last three holders of our lineage, Okumura, Uchiyama and Sawaki Roshis. These discussions were part of our yearlong exploration of lineage & legacy. Recordings of Hoko's opening remarks each evening are available on our Youtube channel: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9Vi3s1UrMe5hPwPHCYZ7BzvJz-GAaCJR&si=CnQxHYRt0oFyuJUD

12/23/2024

Hoko recently completed a series of four dharma talks exploring the four main components of Sanshin's practice vision: Zazen, study, work, & ritual -- each with their own particular areas of focus, or "specialties," at Sanshin.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9Vi3s1UrMe7Hq8vFS2KypNiCDNStmanF&si=SP0cxsVg5tBhfiSF

11/19/2024

See below for Okumura Roshi's recent lecture on Dogen's (and Uchiyama Roshi's) teaching of the three minds (Sanshin) as part of Silent Thunder Order's fall 2024 retreat and Sanshin's regular Sunday practice in mid October. This was his 254th talk on his teacher Kosho Uchiyama's book, Opening the Hand of Thought. Recorded on October 13th, 2024

As part of Silent Thunder Order's fall 2024 retreat and Sanshin's regular Sunday practice, Okumura Roshi continues his commentary on his teacher Kosho Uchiya...

11/19/2024

Our November newsletter is available here: https://www.sanshinji.org/sangha-news/archives/11-2024

10/29/2024

See Hoko's commentary on gate statement 44 ("Right means") of the 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination below. New commentaries are posted to our website each Monday: https://www.sanshinji.org/108-gates/gate-44-right-means

"Simply doing actions that help other beings is skillful means, and those beneficial actions equip others to take beneficial action themselves. As bodhisattvas we are always demonstrating how to move through the world with wisdom and compassion, not because we’re better than anyone else but because wisdom and compassion are what happens when we see clearly and we’re not pulled around by delusion. Our challenge is to do this in a way that’s not self-conscious: look at me, what a great and inspiring role model I am!"

Right means are a gate of Dharma illumination; for they are accompanied by right conduct. 衆生を導く正しい方便は法明門である。それによって衆生は正しい行いを具えるからである。...

10/22/2024

Our October newsletter is available here: https://www.sanshinji.org/sangha-news/archives/10-2024

10/22/2024

COMING UP: There is one week left to register for the virtual dharma study intensive with Okumura Roshi. The schedule consists of one lecture and Q & A period each morning from 10 - noon ET, Nov 1- 10, ONLINE ONLY via Zoom.

This November, Okumura Roshi will lecture on Eihei Dogen Zenji's Gakudo Yojinshu. Dogen wrote and compiled this text in 1234, the year after he founded his first temple, Koshoji. It is thus thought to have been Dogen's first writing for his students as a guide for practice at Koshoji.

Learn more and register below (please read the page thoroughly for important orienting information and logistics):

https://www.sanshinji.org/virtual-intensive.html

09/24/2024

See Hoko's commentary on gate statement 39 ("Not to quarrel") of the 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination below. New commentaries are posted to our website each Monday: https://www.sanshinji.org/108-gates/gate-39-not-to-quarrel

"Differences of opinion are normal and healthy. We’re never all going to agree about everything; our karmic circumstances are all different. The question is: what do we do with those differences of opinion? Do we attack the other person and create a win-lose situation? Or do we maintain our equanimity so we can think clearly and see clearly and leave some possibility for agreeing to disagree? Do we maintain a spirit of inquiry and give the other person a chance to explain his or her viewpoint? Or do we just grab as much territory as possible for ourselves?"

Not to quarrel is a gate of Dharma illumination; for it stops angry accusations. 争い闘わないことは法明門である。それによって怒り争うことが断たれるからである。...