AZC Newsletter May 2022
From Amala-sensei: Dispelling the gathering clouds
A monk asked Joshu, “What is the principle concern of the one wearing Buddhist robes?” Joshu replied, “Not to deceive oneself.”
This teaching from Joshu seems particularly relevant for us at this time of rampant conspiracy theories, flagrant dissemination of lies, and gaslighting by many leaders, both at war and in “peace” time (is any country truly peaceful as long as we are waging war on the biosphere, our only home?). Misinformation is a powerful weapon of war and it has probably always been used, both against the enemy and to rally one’s own troops. It is there in the label “enemy” and in nationalist and racist rhetoric. Labels dehumanise both the labellers and those labelled. The former commit atrocities, the latter die horrible deaths, or live in fear.
A little over a hundred years ago Rudyard Kipling wrote this WWI epitaph:
If any question why we died
Tell them because our fathers lied.
This verse could mark the graves of U.S. soldiers who fell in Iraq, Russians who have died in Ukraine, or the many tens of thousands of people who have succumbed to starvation because of the conflicts in Yemen and Sudan, to name just a few examples. Besides those who die in war, there are also massive disruptions for the living. The 11-year-old war in Syria has displaced over 5 million people -- imagine the entire population of New Zealand uprooted from their homes. The number of Ukrainian refugees already surpasses this.
Returning to Joshu, what does not deceiving ourselves entail? Why does it matter? George Monbiot suggests that we are in the midst of an epistemic crisis; “the collapse of a shared acceptance of the means by which truth is discerned.” Lies are cynically presented as truth, truth branded as lies, and confusion reigns. But this is not necessarily entirely negative if it shakes us up and motivates us to question current paradigms and our own opinions. This involves recognising our own self-deceptions, which can help to inoculate us against being deceived by others. We can follow the example of Master Zuigan, who plays both “sides”:
Every day Zuigan used to call to himself, “Oh, Master!” and would answer himself, “Yes?” “Be awake, be awake!” he would exclaim, and then answer, “Yes, yes!” “Do not be deceived by others, any day, any time.” “No, I will not.”
Vowing to wake up, Zuigan expresses his bodhisattvic aspiration from the very depths of his being, not fooled by labels such as “other” or “self”, but using them freely to turn the Dharma wheel.
Centre news
Gratitude in plague times
As for much of the country, life since our last newsletter in December has continued to be dominated by the pandemic. After an initially enthusiastic return to the zendo post-lockdown, since Omicron took off attendance has been quite sparse. There seem to be a number of pandemic-related causes and conditions for this: caution about exposure to the virus; needing to quarantine because family members have caught the virus; and then, for some, catching the virus. While there is a special synergy that comes with sitting together, we are grateful to be able to also keep in touch with people via our audio streaming service, podcasts and remote dokusans. We also want to thank you for your continued support at a time of steeply rising costs and ongoing uncertainty. We send much mettā to all those people around the world who have lost loved ones to Covid and who are suffering hardship because of the pandemic and its consequences. We’re learning the hard way about how interconnected we are.
Buffalo shootings
The town of Buffalo is in Western New York, just a 70-minute drive from Rochester, and about half that from Chapin Mill, where RZC sesshins are held, so for me the shootings there feel very close. The fact that the killer took inspiration from the Christchurch mosque gunman and his white supremacist manifesto also brings this crime into sharp focus. But imagine the fear and apprehension I might be feeling if I were a person of colour and having to do my shopping in Buffalo or Rochester or Syracuse. Also, a large part of the media in the U.S. is ignoring this racially-motivated massacre, sending again the implicit message that Black lives do not matter. Mettā to all people enduring this terror once again, and especially to African American friends in Rochester.
-- Sensei
Sesshin
In January, in spite of the pandemic we were able to run a successful in-person sesshin at “orange”, with just a few adjustments. Fortunately we were able to accommodate everyone while maintaining good spacing in the zendo (set up in the larger and better-ventilated hall), and with everyone in single rooms (no one complained about that!) We hope to be able to offer the July sesshin in a similar fashion, depending on conditions at the time.
Farewell to Robin and Kate
After several Covid-related delays, we were finally able to farewell Robin following her coming-to-the path talk, with chocolate cake (vegan, delicious), and thank her for her many years of service to the Centre, first as a volunteer and then as an employee. Robin and Kate are happily settling in to life in Ōtautahi / Christchurch and Robin continues to work remotely for the Centre, doing the bookkeeping.
A report from the South:
Kate and I have begun to settle into our new Christchurch lives. We are living on the eastern side of the city, right beside Bottle Lake Forest and near the beach, so it is a joy to be able to walk through the forest to the beach. I do this walk several times each week and it never fails to settle me and ground me. Kate is not well enough to walk far but is loving the trees and the quiet. We are appreciating our precious green planet more than ever. We are also living near family now, after decades away in Auckland. That too is a joy.
I have started sitting each week with the Mountains and Rivers Order at their Opawa Zendo. Although a sister lineage to ours, their Zendo etiquette is different, so I am back to being a beginner again, bowing at the wrong times. A few other modest milestones: getting my home compost bins set up again, starting to volunteer at a wonderful local community garden, and finally getting all our boxes unpacked and the garage clear! Looking forward to buying e-bikes (and Kate getting well enough to be able to ride one) so we can explore our new city on two wheels.
With much love to all the Auckland Sangha,
Robin and Kate
Robin in the hills overlooking Whakaraupō / Lyttelton Harbour
From the Trustees
2021-2022 Financial Report from the Treasurer
The Trustees are pleased to present a brief summary of the draft financial accounts for the 12 months from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022. The Trustees budgeted for a small surplus but with the second lockdown in Auckland attendance and dana have both dropped. As a consequence the Centre ended the financial year with a deficit of $6,071 (before depreciation and adjustments), although this figure is overstated due to some one-off items of deferred maintenance -- repairs to the front exterior wall (including painting) and the asphalting of the front parking area.
Points of interest to note over the 12-month period to 31 March 2022 are:
Revenue: Revenue shows a small drop of 2.6% over the same period last year –$136,820 versus $140,463.
Expenses: Same period costs have shown a 33% increase, partly a result of additional labour costs to do with training new staff members (up $17,197 or 17%) as well as a 125% increase in property and utility costs (+ $10,838) as noted in the opening paragraph.
Deficit (before depreciation and adjustments): The Centre’s draft financials show a deficit of $6,071. This means that the surplus of $31,272 recorded in the 2020-2021 financial year has become a deficit of $6,071 for the 2021-2022 financial year, a drop of $37,343 in total.
In Summary:
The weaker than expected financial outcome for the year resulted from a number of factors:
Reduced attendance at workshops and sittings
Reduced dana
Higher salary costs
Expenditure on deferred maintenance.
With Robin’s shift to Christchurch and Erena’s resignation, staffing hours have been significantly reduced, lowering salary costs. Secondly the one-off maintenance expenses incurred last year will not be repeated this year. The last financial year was tough on the Centre as we didn’t qualify for any Covid financial support via the wage subsidy. However past careful financial management means we were able to utilise some of our accumulated reserves to cover the shortfall. With the Sangha’s continued generosity, we’re hoping for a small surplus this year.
-- Peter Christenson, Treasurer
New Trustee
Sasha Maher has been a member of the Centre for 8 years, and lives in Onehunga with her wife Angela. She is a lecturer in sustainability at the University of Auckland Business School, and climate change lead at the Environmental Defence Society. Sasha brings her NGO experience and financial acumen to the role, and is excited to be joining us as Trustee.
Sasha
Bulletin Board
Help for a tattoo artist in Ukraine
Some readers will not have heard that one of our members, Tom Hinton, has a tattoo artist friend called ‘Memoire’ in Ukraine. He can no longer tattoo because of the war and has donated his money to various causes in Ukraine. He has little left to support his family, so he is doing collaborations with artists and friends around the world, who will tattoo his designs and then send the proceeds to him. Tom says, “I’m sure the Sangha won’t want any tattoos, ha ha, but just thought people might want the opportunity to support a family directly, on a more personal level.” If you’d like to donate, or get a tattoo, email Tom to learn more.
