BULLETIN
September 2025

The beginning of autumn;
What is the fortune teller
Looking so surprised at?
—Buson
Dear Sangha,
I hate the end of summer. It goes back to childhood, probably, when the end of summer meant the end of fun: back to school, back to work, no more sunshine, no more sea. In many ways, I’ve lived my life like this—hanging on to summer with all my might, refusing to let go: of these long, sunlit days, of my youth. If I get the opportunity, I plunge into the ocean in October, early November—the water still warmish but the crisp air biting at you when you get out. Winter, ignored. Middle age be damned.
I mention all this because, well, I’m nearing fifty now and I still don’t want to grow up. I want to be young and stupid forever, even though I know how stupid that would be. Why this resistance to growing, evolving, becoming who I always knew I was meant to be?
I am meant for so much more than this, or at least that’s what my delusions of grandeur tell me. And I wonder sometimes if that’s what gets in the way—the idea that life is supposed to be any other way. Or, to frame it differently, maybe the only real hindrance is exactly the fact that I believe there’s a hindrance—that I think there’s something’s wrong with me and with my life, something that needs to be fixed.
In Maezumi’s wonderful book, Appreciate Your Life, one of the sections is titled, “Where Is the Hindrance?” On the opposite page is a photograph of Maezumi himself, and he is smiling the most beautiful smile. At ease, holding a rake, happy, his whole presence offers a kind of answer to the question. “Where is the hindrance?” we ask, desperately. And Taizan’s smile responds, quite simply: “What hindrance?”
With love and freedom,
Taylor Plimpton
Editor
SEPTEMBER CALENDAR
Monday, September 1: Zendo closed for Labor Day
Thursday, September 4: Zazen and Dharma Talk by Kojin
Sunday, September 7: Practice & Inquiry Circle with Joshin
Body Breath and Mind ~ Intro to Zen
Thursday, September 11: Zazen and Dharma Talk by Musho
Saturday, September 13: Zazenkai, with Dharma Talk by Soten
Sunday, September 14: Zazen and Dharma Talk by Torei
Thursday, September 18: Zazen and Dharma Talk by Kenko
Friday, September 19: Letters to Solitary, prison letter-writing group
Saturday, September 20: MEDITATENYC at the Zendo
Sunday, September 21: Zazen and Dharma Talk by Fugan
Thursday, September 25: Fusatsu Ceremony, Precepts Talk by Myoko
Sunday, September 28: Zazen and Dharma Talk by Fusho
ONGOING GROUPS
The Bolivian Sitting Group meets online Saturdays: 8 am
Bolivia Zoom Meeting ID: 297 525 8394; Password: 1234
The People of Color Sitting Group meets online Saturdays: 10:30 am
How to Meditate meets Monday evenings online: 6:30 pm
Sorting Out Your Stuff meets online Tuesdays: 10 am
Liturgy Training: In-Person
1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month: 6 pm
Grace and Grit meets online, first Thursday of each month: 3 pm
Sunday, September 14, 4 pm

4:00–4:30 pm: Instructional session
Learn simple, fun techniques for freeing up your sound
4:30–6:00pm: Music improv
How do you translate Beginner’s Mind into sound? Easy. By listening. Harmonizing. Allowing space.
We are all musicians whether we practice an instrument or not. This is a musical improvisation that welcomes all, from beginners to professionals. Based on Music for People techniques and led by Todd Rogers, a generous and trained facilitator, this open kind of improvisation is inspiring and fun for performers, singers, teachers, dancers, and amateur musicians. No experience needed!
“A highpoint of the month for me,” says Joshin Roshi. “A superb practice in not knowing.”
Donation: $10
This is an in-person only event.
Friday, September 19, 6:30 pm
Letters to Solitary
Online Only

“Angry, Sad, Alone.”
This print was made by a young, incarcerated woman in Oaxaca, Mexico. She participated in a project where artists brought printmaking workshops into the prisons. This print was for sale as a fundraiser for the project. I’m sharing this print by Santiago Cruz as it is such a powerful expression of her experience as a young, incarcerated woman.
With gassho,
Seishin
If you are already writing to an incarcerated person or are interested in learning more about this practice, come to the next VZ Lifelines to Solitary online meeting. Join us for an evening of sharing our experiences of letter writing to our incarcerated partners. All are welcome, no need to pre-register.
If you have questions, concerns or topics for discussion, contact Seishin: prisonlettergroup@villagezendo.org.
JOIN US ONLINE HERE
Saturday, September 20, 2025, 1 – 4pm (ET)

At The Village Zendo
260 West Broadway, NY, NY (Entrance at rear of the building on St. John’s Lane)
Feel free to RSVP—if not, just come as you are. We’ll be happy to see you.
Meditate NYC has become a cherished annual tradition—an oasis of calm in the heart of the city.
This year’s theme, “Meditate Now for a Peaceful World,” reflects the 2025 International Day of Peace theme: “Act Now for a Peaceful World.” It invites us to respond to the challenges of our time with clarity, compassion, and courageous stillness. As the world calls for peace, we begin with the breath—grounding ourselves in presence to nurture peace within and around us.
Join us for an afternoon of guided meditation and reflection led by respected Buddhist teachers from a wide range of traditions. Whether you are new to meditation or a longtime practitioner, this gathering offers a rare opportunity to experience the richness of Buddhist wisdom and the power of collective practice.
This event is free and open to all—offering accessible, welcoming space for anyone seeking peace, healing, and deeper connection.
Come meditate with us—and help create a more peaceful world, one breath at a time.
Temple/Center Participants: You are encouraged to bring your own brochures and promotional materials to contribute to the Sangha tables.
Speakers include:
Ven. Aluthgama Dhammajothi, New York Buddhist Vihara
Ven. Dr. T.Kenjitsu Nakagaki, Heiwa Peace and Reconciliation
Foundation of New York
Roshi Shinryu Thomson, The Village Zendo
Geshe Tashi Dorje, Shi-De Kunkyabling
Ven. Chang Hwa, Chan Meditation Center
RSVP TO ATTEND IN PERSON
OR, JOIN ONLINE
REFLECTIONS FROM SUMMER ANGO 2025
THE HEART OF WISDOM AND COMPASSION

Shuso Hossen 2025 for Torei at Wisdom House Photo by Seido

Two poems by Monica Raymond

(photo by Michelle F. Ross)
Written at Wisdom House, Litchfield Connecticut, July 2025
rabbits are hopping all around
the rabbits are hopping all around
like here one races past the Virgin Mary
the white marble statue of her holding her skirts
as if she were Alice in Wonderland or a dancing teacup
and back at home one is running across the tarmac
of Brookline Street and darting under Peter's fence
they don't care about boundaries and borders
gods and goddesses, living or vanquished, are nothing to them
they are galloping, scampering, infiltrating, racketeering—
rabbits running all over the world
with their long hind legs and leaping front paws
their ears thrust back in the wind
votives
Mushrooms of light, you may find them
on saints' altars
where the near hopeless
pray for access, infinite redress
in parish churches
or cathedrals
where priests caress
altar boys, confess parishioners
in santeria bodegas
next to the tall blue mermaid candles
to Oshun, among packets
of sweets and plaster skulls
in zendos at dusk and dawn
where American monks in saffron
chant what sounds like Japanese gibberish
as the sun rises or goes down
apparently even among
Methodists or Lutherans–
these small white wax candles
in their small glass cylinders
safe from each other
and from any larger fire,
till liquid
they burn and burn.
If they were to join, crack open–
think what a rush
of paraffin, a conflagration—
so they do not do that.
Each burns alone,
in its transparent prison, prism
takes on others’ gold light,
beams back at them
till it burns down, burns out
leaving charred wick
a smear of itself on the glass
and soot with which to write this poem

A Photo Essay by Seido (Adam Harrison Levy)

There were three days left of Sesshin, and Torei asked me to take a few snaps on my iPhone. I agreed. But as soon as I lifted the phone, my relationship to Sesshin changed; I was no longer a participant, I was also an observer.
I didn’t much like this sense of separation, so I decided to take mostly black and white photos, which defamiliarized the “real,” and to try to take photos of aspects of the experience that were otherwise overlooked.
As a result, the phone became an extension of my curiosity rather than a recorder of facts. These photos posed questions. It felt like I didn’t take them; they took me.
KINHIN

Which Way is the head heading? Which way are the feet stepping?

How do we express the ancient way?
SHUSO HOSSEN

It is hard to find the words to describe the experience of serving as shuso, but I do know that it was a great privilege to be able to support the sangha in this way. In this photo that Seido took, he captured the joy I was feeling during the Shuso Hossen ceremony, and the overwhelming gratitude for the intimacy and depth of our practice that sustains me. How wondrous is that my path of life led me to the Village Zendo, and that I get to continue to walk on it together with everyone. —Navah Torei Steiner
JUKAI 2025
Our new bodhisattvas are:
Jacynthe Bigras — Shindō 信 道 / Trust in the Way
Joe Madrigrano — Genshin 現真 / Truth of the Present Moment
Photo by Paloma Enmei Martinez-Cruz
We communicate in three places online:
our email list, a Facebook page, and a Groups.io list
where we share events and information among the whole
Sangha. Explore these various ways of staying connected and
up to date here: https://villagezendo.org/connect-with-us/
Editor: Taylor Plimpton
Editor Emerita: Nina Shuka Klippel
Managing Editor/ Design & Production: Howard Thoresen
In these trying times, the Village Zendo still relies on your support.
If you are able, please make a donation.