BULLETIN
September 2024
Image by Freddy Plimpton
“There is no real beauty without some slight imperfection.” —James Salter
Dear Sangha,
“Discover the perfection of imperfection,” was my mom’s artistic motto. She came up with it during one of her manic phases, when everywhere she looked, especially in nature, she saw immense, devastating beauty—cracked seashells, warped driftwood, bedraggled birds’ nests. She gathered these things, arranged them together, photographed them, painted over the photographs, framed the results. It was hard for me at the time to appreciate the wabi-sabi beauty of it all—mostly because my mom was acting like such a crazy person—but her creations were indeed beautiful, and the imperfections in them were often the most beautiful part. Looking back, I wish I’d been more able to appreciate my poor mom’s imperfections, too—give the lady a break—but I was young and embarrassed and yearned for someone more grounded.
Anyway, it occurs to me that in a certain sense, this is what we are doing in our Zen practice, too: seeking to discover the perfection of imperfection. Most obviously, perhaps, we do this in Zen arts. In Ikebana, for instance, which Fusho Sensei will be guiding us in later this month in the Path of Expression class, evenness and symmetry are frowned upon, and the dense, perfectly rounded bouquet of wedding roses is to be avoided at all costs. Instead, the number of flowers is always odd, stems jut off at unusual angles, and a sense of emptiness is cultivated—enough space, as Fusho once told me, for a butterfly to be able to flit in and around the arrangement with ease.
This is what we seek to discover in ourselves, too, of course—the perfection of ourselves just as we are, imperfections and all. Cracked, aching, yearning, incomplete: This is what it is to be human, and there’s such beauty in this—such beauty in us—if only we allow it to be enough. If only we allow us to be enough.
This is easier said than done, of course—but much the way I wish I could have given my mom a break all those years ago, perhaps we can offer this to ourselves right now, too. Right now, take a big breath, and give yourself a break. You truly are worthy of it.
With much love, and a whole lot of imperfection,
Taylor Plimpton
Editor
SEPTEMBER CALENDAR
Sunday, September 1: Online: Practice and Inquiry with Joshin
In-Person: Body, Breath, Mind—Intro to Zen
Thursday, September 5: Zazen with Dharma Talk by Jiryu
Saturday, September 7: Daily Gathas Workshop: The Meal Gatha
Sunday, September 8: Zazen and Dharma Talk by Enkyo Roshi
Music Improv, 4 pm
Thursday, September 12: Zazen and Dharma Talk by Keiko
Newcomers Meeting
Saturday, September 12: Zazenkai and Dharma Talk by Keiko
Sunday, September 13: Zazen and Dharma Talk by Jisei
Thursday, September 19: Zazen and Dharma Talk by Shinryu Roshi
Saturday, September 21: Prison Letter Writing Group
Sunday, September 22: Zazen and Dharma Talk by Ryoshin Hoshi
Path of Expression
Thursday, September 26: Fusatsu with Precepts Talk
by Bokushu Sensei
Saturday, September 28: Life and Death Worship: Impermanence
Sunday, September 29: Zazen and Dharma Talk by Fugan Sensei
___________________________
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 at 2 pm
Saturday Sep 7, 2:00 – 3:45 pm
Online
Daily Gathas:
Workshop on the Meal Gatha
Photo by A. Jesse Jiryu Davis
Now I open Buddha Tathagatha’s eating bowls
May we be relieved from self-clinging
With all sentient beings
In this workshop, we will delve into the profound teachings encapsulated within the Meal Gatha. As practitioners, we chant this verse during retreats prior to our morning and mid-day meals and integrate it into our daily routines at home. It serves as preparation for cultivating mindfulness in eating, guiding us towards a deeper sense of presence and gratitude during mealtimes—while being aware of the yearnings of our hungry ghosts.
Join us as we explore the rich layers of wisdom embedded within this simple yet profound practice, inviting transformation and harmony into our daily lives through the act of mindful consumption.
This is the third in a series of workshops on Daily Gathas: verses we chant daily at the Village Zendo and on retreats. It will be led by Senior Student Karen Eko Walker.
Please register for the workshop, which is online. A suggested donation of $25 for members, and $40 for non-members helps the Village Zendo sustain our operations. Thank you for your practice and your support!
The workshop involves small group discussion. It will not be recorded.
JUKAI 2024

On Friday, July 26, we celebrated our 2024 Jukai ceremony at Wisdom House in Litchfield, CT. It was the culmination of a week of intensive sesshin practice and a week of precepts study by the Jukai recipients. Seido offers the following introduction to the photographs he took of our new bodhisattvas:
What a tumult!
How do you bow to the cushion? How do you balance the fork, and the knife with the paper plate? How loud do you chant the Four Vows? How do you walk through a door?
But then deeper, always deeper: How do I lie? How do I kill? How am I stingy?
Concentration increases and compassion flows.
And then you receive your Dharma name. You try it on like a new shoe, feeling the fit. Is it me, or is it you? Or is it both?
These photographs were taken ten minutes after these Buddhas attained Buddhahood. Jukai is in their eyes.
Gassho,
Seidō / Adam Harrison Levy
Eric Bing — Yōshō / Cultivates the Pine
Henry Cham — Junpō / Pure Offering
Rick Laremont — Kōtoku / Fosters Virtue
Ben Ingraham — Zensei / Wholesome Energy
Graham Tabor — Kōden / Spacious Field
Molly Goodrich — Kidō / Joyous Way
Photos by Adam Harrison Levy
Saturday, September 21, 1:30 pm
Online
Prison Letter Writing Group Meeting

Dear Sangha,
Our prisoner letter writing group is a small group. Some of us have been corresponding with their penpals for several years and some of us are new. I believe that what we have come to share together is a deep dedication to this form of connecting with those in prison who are reaching out through Solitary Watch. It is similar to greeting a stranger with an open mind and bearing witness. Writing a letter is an almost lost way of communication today, but in this circumstance it is cherished, and moves through barriers.
Sharing our lives with an incarcerated friend opens a door for their expression, which we will hear. Listening and learning about my penpal has shifted my previous held beliefs completely. I ask myself how I can bear witness without judgment. This is just one area of practice that letter writing has revealed. If you might be interested and have about an hour every other month to write a letter to a penpal, we would love to have you join us on September 21 at 1:30! If you have any questions before that time and can’t make the meeting but would like to write, please feel free to reach out.
JOIN ONLINE
If you have questions, concerns, or topics for discussion, contact Seishin.
Begins Sunday, September 22
Online

The Village Zendo’s Japanese name, Dotokuji, means True Expression Temple. Expression and expressive forms are central to Zen practice—they bridge the contemplative wisdom of zazen with its functioning in the world as responsive action.
This year’s Path class, The Path of Expression, is an exploration of two of the traditional Zen arts: poetry and flower arranging.
After last spring’s sessions, led by Senior Student Gessho, which focused on Zen poetry, we are continuing with an exploration in flower arranging.
Fusho Sensei will guide the group through the basics of Ikebana-influenced flower arranging for both the home altar and the home.
Participants in the Zen Flowers course will be given a list of required and suggested materials to be purchased independently at a modest cost (not included in program fee).
If you registered for both sessions in the spring, you are already registered for the fall session.
You will receive an email and Zoom invitation from the registrar, including the list of required materials, close to the start date: Sunday, September 22.
If you are not already registered and wish to join the fall session, please register below.
REFLECTIONS
Poem and image by Taylor Plimpton:
Odd Bird
We are all strange birds
Against a backdrop of night and stars
Behind us Infinity shines
And we are squat or long-legged or odd-beaked
We are turkeys or ducks or other absurd things
Winged and proud and pondering flight
But right now we’re just standing here dumbly
Unaware of the immensity of the whole thing
We are considering pecking at the dust for grubs
Or preening our feathers
And it’s OK how could we get it
What else are we supposed to do
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 Emeritus: Nina Shuka Klippel
Managing Editor/ Design & Production: Howard Thoresen
DONATE HERE
In these trying times, the Village Zendo still relies on your support.
If you are able, please make a donation.
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