Good morning and welcome to this celebration of our 10th anniversary of sitting like Buddhas in this temple, in this room. For new people, I'm Taigen Leighton, the teacher here. I'll say a few things, then I want to call on, there's five other people who were here the very first sitting of the beginning of Ancient Dragon Zen Gate Temple here on Irving Park, so I'll call on Kathy, Kevin, hi Kevin, and Douglas, and Hogetsu, and Eishin, to also say some words. Ten years we've been sitting here, ten years many people have been here, just sitting like Buddha, finding some calm, some opening, some spaciousness in the middle of just sitting

[01:05]

upright and paying attention, calmly breathing, inhaling and exhaling. Ten years, ten years is a long time. Today is actually also my personal 44th anniversary of my first Sazen instruction with Reverend Nakajima on the Upper West Side of New York and doing everyday Sazen since, but ten years. So Nathan wanted to be here, many of the people who have been here over the years are here still in some way. So this is wonderful, I'm just really, really happy. And you know, it's also 2,500 years since Shakyamuni Buddha, who we celebrate. And I checked, I looked up Lake Michigan and it's 14,000 years since the glacier moved

[02:15]

out and Lake Michigan became some form of Lake Michigan. So you know, the Buddha Shakyamuni, who lived around 2,500 years ago in Northeast India, in the Lotus Sutra talked about actually his, he seems to be born and leave the palace and his comfortable palace and wander around and awaken and become the Buddha and teach for a long time and pass away into nirvana. But actually, the Lotus Sutra says, the Buddha says in the Lotus Sutra, his lifespan is inconceivably long. He's been around for a very, very, very, very long time. If you imagine all the stars in the sky, ten times longer than that, and he'll be around twice that long in the future. So Buddha is still here. What does that mean that Buddha is still here?

[03:16]

Well, we can understand it in lots of ways. We can take it literally. But also, it means that here, now, in this room, and for the last ten years, we have been keeping Buddha alive. Each of us, each one of you, even if you're here for the first time, we are keeping Buddha alive in our inhale and exhale and uprightness and trying to find, who is this Buddha on our seat? Nobody else can tell you. You have to find that for yourself. And yet, this practice helps us to settle, to pay attention, to feel how it feels to be the person on our seat. Apart from some idea of reaching some wondrous state of whatever, flashing lights and bells

[04:23]

and stuff like that, just to sit as we all have now, like Buddha, it's wonderful. And of course, that includes that we might be uncomfortable, we might be sleepy, our mind might be racing, we might have difficulty with our back or our knees or whatever. And more likely, we have, you know, we chanted about our ancient twisted karma. We have the chance when we face the wall to face our own portion of greed, hate, and confusion and befriend ourselves. So this is a practice of just uncovering the Buddha on our seat now. Ten years we've been doing this here, many people.

[05:25]

So you know, as I was sitting, I was just visualizing, seeing numbers of people who've been here and, you know, and people come and they may come for Satsang instruction and never return, but still something is imparted. Or they may come and sit with us for a while and then sometimes people move away or other things happen in their life. Sometimes people move, people leave for a while and then they come back. There's a few people in this room like that now. So celebrating these ten years, I also, you know, just, I'm so impressed by this Sangha. This is a very cool Sangha. For those of you who are new, you can stay around and find out, but there's lots of really

[06:34]

fine people here who are doing various really interesting and helpful things in their lives or are working towards that. And there's also lots of people who are practicing here who have practiced with other teachers or who have practiced in other traditions or who have practiced in other non-Buddhist spiritual traditions. And all of that really enriches this. So I just really, you know, I want to say thank you and appreciate all of you here today and all of you who have been here for ten years. So this Sangha has matured to the point, as perhaps you all know, I'm going to be able to take a sabbatical this year and I'm grateful for that chance to start to catch up on reading

[07:42]

and Dharma study. So I'll be away mid-March through September. Might pop in occasionally for a couple of things. But we have so many fine practice leaders here who will be leading all-day sittings, Gyoshin back there, and Douglas, and Hogetsu, and Haishin, and others, Paula and Yozan are away at Green Gulch and Tassajara. So, this is a really, you know, it's like on the third or fourth day of Sashin, when we do longer sittings, three or five days, and I'll be doing a three-day in October and a five-day in December when I'm back. But people who come in the third day or the fourth day even, because people can come for

[08:44]

as many days as they want, you come in and you're already in the fourth day. You can feel that there's been all this long sitting, this deep settling and opening. So those of you who are here for the first time today, this is the tenth year of your being here. So time moves in various directions. I've just been writing an article for a book for Joanna Macy, who was here a number of years, numbers of years ago, about time, and Buddhist time, and Dogen's, our founder in Japan, being time, that time is not something, ten years is not something else outside us. We are the ten years. We are being time right now, all of us. And time is this kind of strange, interesting thing.

[09:51]

It's not just the time on the clock, although it is that, but it's also our activity, our expression, our inhale and exhale, our settling and opening for ten years, and for 2,500 years, and for 14,000 years by Lake Michigan. So all those ten years are here today. So I want to, again, thank all the people who have been here during these ten years. Maybe aren't, couldn't be here today, but are in some way. So Dogen says the time moves in various directions. It moves from today to tomorrow, from tomorrow to yesterday, from yesterday to yesterday. So it's sort of funny to celebrate an anniversary, but we will have a birthday cake later.

[10:54]

So thank you all for being here. I don't know, I could keep babbling, as most of you know I do at times. But I'm going to stop now and call on the people who have been, who were here ten years ago and are here still today, and then ask for anybody else who has questions or comments. So Kathy, can you start? Thank you. Well, it's a pleasure. Yeah, this made me go back and think about, you know, when we were sitting at the Cynical Retreat Center and I heard, you know, about the group that was beginning to sit, and I had been curious about Buddhist practices. I've been down to the meditation before. And there were a variety of people who were sitting on a regular basis and had people who were very experienced in Buddhist practice there, which was helpful. And then Taigen began coming in periodically and would do one day or a weekend sitting with us.

[12:05]

But it was a little more ad hoc, it was a little more free form. We would do kin-hin in the courtyard, so kin-hin outside is kind of fun. We were doing the meal chant in the dining room with other people around us who were not chanting or wondered why we were so quiet. And so, but it was, you know, and it was a number of other religious groups coming in there for retreats so you would be aware of different practices, which was fascinating. But I just wanted to say, so that's a, it was a wonderful group, you know, of us. But I wanted to say that, you know, a lot of you have come since then, you know, so there are people here who have been here nine years or eight years or, and it feels like, you know, and you think of the circles around a tree, the rings on a tree, you know, that each year, you know, a different group of people,

[13:08]

some have come and gone, some are still here, but you've changed it and influenced it and molded it and it's become more and more what it is. So, you know, I'm grateful to have been a part of it. You know, my involvement has been higher at some levels than at other levels, but I kind of stayed connected to it, so I'm appreciative of the whole group. Thank you very much, Kathy. And I'll just add, you know, I'm mentioning the Senegal where we were for a couple of years, well, actually more than a couple of years. I actually escaped California and relocated here 12 years ago this month. So, but having, thinking about the old Senegal practice and what we're doing here, having a space that is designed and dedicated to this practice and this teaching is really wonderful. Kevin, hi.

[14:10]

Hi. Yeah, it's funny that you mentioned the Senegal practice. I was thinking about that when I was driving today, trying to understand how it could actually have been 10 years. It's been 10 years, but I was having a lot of distinct memories. The other thing that really came back to me was all of the Zafu and Zapatan. For those that may not, we basically would move around in different rooms and all of our cushions and everything were in a storage closet, usually on the second floor. So depending on where we were, we had to move everything up and down a couple floors, sometimes completely across the space. And we had to do it quickly enough to get everything set up and then quickly enough in the end to get everything put away. Because I think they had, if I remember correctly, they had a 9 o'clock hard stop and everybody had to be out. So yeah, so this is nicer. It's a little less hectic. And yeah, no, I'm just very, very grateful.

[15:11]

I haven't been able to be as active as I was in the early days. I live outside of the city now, so it's a little bit harder for me to get here. But it's always been fun to come back and just see how much it's grown. I look at these tree analogies. I think that's very, very accurate. It's just kind of taken on a drag. It's taken on a life of its own. I'm very grateful just to have been a part of it and to continue to be a part of it. Thank you, Kevin. Kevin helps lead our children's events when we have celebrations during special occasions. So two weeks from today, we'll have a celebration of Chinese New Year, and Kevin will be back to help with that and with the children. And in the middle of all this, I just want to shout out to David Hill, who found this place. David and Nathan and Don. Yeah. Who is the woman poet in California now? Oh, Amina. Amina, yeah. Casimir? Casimir.

[16:12]

Casimir never made it here. He passed away just as we were leaving the Senegal. But yeah, David drove around the city, and we looked at many places, trying to find a place that we could have a dedicated zendo. And this place happened to be a gut rehab at the time. So our landlord now was the contractor, and we were able to design this space to be what it is now. So thanks to David. Yixin. Hello. You know, when I was thinking about being here, I was thinking about risk and opportunity and what a risk it felt like to those of us who were sort of organizing this. At the time, and personally, I think, you know, many of the things that are part and parcel of my life today did not exist at that time,

[17:13]

nor were they anything that I conceived of. But there was a fair amount of risk involved in deciding that we were going to sign a lease and take on the, you know, building and maintenance of a temple, and some trepidation about, you know, are we going to be able to do this? Are we going to be able to sustain our funding for the term of the lease or, you know, beyond the next year? But, you know, we somehow managed to scrape together enough money so that we felt comfortable doing that. And Taiyin had already taken a risk by moving out here to be our full-time zen teacher. And so, you know, we did. And we, you know, found this space where we could leave things set up. And we started to develop forms and an organizational structure to sustain this space.

[18:15]

But I really want to highlight that our ability to sustain this space has had everything to do with the people who have practiced here over time, as Taiyin and others have been recalling. We couldn't be here without you all. And everyone has contributed to, in lots of different ways, making this a community and not just sort of a group of people who show up and sit. So I do want to say that, so it involved an opportunity that maybe we could get a space. It involved some risk, but it also involved saying yes. And doing so, I think, again and again and again, day after day, year after year, has transformed our saga.

[19:17]

Doing so in my own life has transformed my life. I was not thinking about becoming ordained at the time of this, you know, when we moved here. But that was one of the many things that evolved for me over time. And so, you know, things happen. Some of which we choose, some of which we don't choose, and some of which we say, yeah, you know, maybe this is an opportunity here, maybe I will say yes. So I kind of just wanted to say that as a, you know, something for everyone to think about. You know, what are the risks and the opportunities in your life, and what might you try to say next year? So I've been very, very personally grateful to have this saga. It's enriched my life immensely. And I'm just very grateful for this space. Thank you, Ishan.

[20:19]

Oh, guess who's next. You're giving me a great light. You know, I remember the floor, the doors, the trampoline, all the people who have practiced to bring this floor beyond our imagination and conceptualization. And I just wonder, how did this happen? How did we get this opportunity to be here? And what can we learn? I miss some people very much. I miss my uncle and brother. We actually put together the altar. I miss David and his lovely dogs when we found this place.

[21:23]

I miss his beautiful presence. So many people, but they're still here. You know, I feel that energy. And all of you, your energies will be here. Thank you. Douglas. This place has played a huge role in my life over the years. But it's a place where people come together. This space itself is not significant enough. And it's been an incredible inspiration for me to continue to practice and practice more seriously. Just the way people keep coming back.

[22:27]

But aside from the inspiration, it's very, very important that we practice for the future. We keep you from going astray. There are all sorts of ways that we can think about practicing. And even when we're not in America, in the States. I think the most important thing for me has been how many people here have provided examples for practice. Especially practice on the cushion. Of generosity and gratitude and contention. And there are many people here who demonstrate that. I'm not sure what to do with all of that. I guess more people can say no than ask. But that's just what I wanted to say.

[23:32]

Thank you, Douglas. So, all of you, even if you're here for the first time, are part of this. So, anybody else who wants to make a comment or have a question or share anything, please feel free. Yes, Kyoshin. Thank you for all those wonderful comments. I came here shortly after the doors opened. But in time for the visit from Thai Gang's teacher to officially... What's the word? Dedicate the temple, do the eye-opening for the Buddha. Open an eye for the right. And I have been practicing at a different place for eight years. And then I had two years of floating around looking for the right place for me. And my colleague made a mistake, so I want to just express gratitude to Nathan for saying,

[24:38]

Oh, he might like this place where I practice. It's kind of nice. In a very casual way, it made it so easy to say yes, to jump into. And then Thai Gang's first words to me were, You're always welcome to practice here. And I said, Oh, thank you. What do you recommend? And he said, Just show up. So I've been doing this. And it's wonderful to have that connection with San Francisco Zen Center and a larger community. The Sangha is greater than that. People that show up in this space. Yeah, we are very connected to a whole family of other temples and teachers. Ah, Brian, hi. I was very involved in another spiritual community for one particular place for 30 years.

[25:43]

It took me a long time to see how profound an effect a community like this has on the world. Not just the individuals who come in their individual lives, but there's a great light. And by your presence here and financial support and volunteering for things and going out to lunch with somebody in the Sangha or whatever, just holding forth the Dharma and being a healthy community and being available to the world is profound. And it affects thousands of people over a decade. And it's easy to underestimate that or to look for practical, splashy effects. But it's just a healthy Zen presence for not only one another, but for the world.

[26:48]

It's quite amazing. Thank you, Brian. Other questions as well as comments or anything that anyone wants to share? One of the wonderful things we share is silence sometimes. David. I just want to express my gratitude to you and to the other founding members who are here today for creating this. Because since I've been coming, it's had a profound influence on my life. And it's reminded me of some core values I had, but somehow went away and just floated away in my adult life

[27:49]

and come back and be able to sit and to be able to serve and to be in the Sangha. It's just been really wonderful for me. So I really want to express my gratitude to you and to Kathy, Kevin, Aisin, Pogetsi, and Douglas who are here and everybody else in the Sangha for this opportunity. Thank you so much. Thank you, David. This is also a place where people can just come and sit. You don't have to be involved in anything. You can just come and do Zazen. You don't have to sign up for anything. Just show up and enjoy Zazen. But if you're so inclined, there are lots and lots of opportunities to help out. But no pressure. Just come and enjoy Zazen and breathing together with us. If nobody else has any...

[28:56]

Oh, Dan, hi. Sure. I really started this, my own personal voyage in Buddhism, which has been just extraordinary. The lessons I learned through it, through so many storms, outer storms, that I've been through the last few years of my life, the lesson of becoming more aware of my inner storms, that I'm learning to be aware of them and silence them when I can. It's been an invaluable lesson that really started here. Thank you all. It's a very special lesson. Thank you. Okay. Well, we'll close then formally with our team song for Bodhisattva.

[30:03]

Oh, wait. Just a comment. Maybe you're going to do announcements in a little bit. Yes, I am. Oh, okay. Then I'll wait. We'll do the chants first and then I'll do announcements. So we chant this three times. We'll do the chants first and then I'll do announcements. So we chant this three times. Yeah.

[30:16]

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