Old Friends

Another full Saturday morning...Currently at City Center we are hosting the Lay Zen Teachers' Conference, about thirty senior laypeople from around the country, many of whom joined us for the morning program. If it's any consolation to our newcomers, these distinguished guests demonstrated that our zendo and Buddha Hall forms are not self-evident, doing many of the things I was recently listing.
This morning's service was a memorial for Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr, and Tova also spoke movingly during the lecture of her experience of being present at his famous 'I have a dream' speech in Washington. We had a very large crowd, some of it due to Liping bringing her students along to experience a morning at Zen Center. This was a bit of a shock for Mark, who had taken over, selflessly since it is his birthday today, offering zazen instruction as the scheduled person is sick. Mark is additionally standing in as acting tanto as Jordan is also sick; I jumped at the chance to relieve his burdens and to sit in with the Saturday Sangha at lunch today, where this group of experienced laypeople were treated to a presentation of the dhyanas, or states of concentration, from one of its members.
Tova also addressed the community's recent losses, spoke of Jerome and Darlene, and also spoke of Lou, whose health is declining. I have not mentioned this to date as I know that both he and Blanche are asking that there be no fuss. The Saturday Sangha ended its session by chanting the Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo for Lou, and one of the residents asked me if we can do the same every day, to keep him in our hearts and minds.
I have been asked if I had nice photos of Lou, so I have dug out my old photo albums again, and found these; he was not much of a one for posing for the camera.
This first is from 2000:

  Then, from 2003, I think, at an ordination:

 I also came across these pictures from Tassajara, on the occasion of Sonja's shuso ceremony; first, Tova with Darlene:

Finally, from the same day, Lien, who is due to be the shuso for the upcoming practice period here, with David Z:

Lien and I arrived at Tassajara at about the same time - indeed Ren took a picture of me taking all my stuff down to my room, and Lien is in the background - and we worked on cabin crew together that first summer. I look forward to having her here in the building again.