The theme of this edition of Myoju is “Beginning: Discovery”.
Editorial
Welcome to the Autumn 2020 edition of Myoju magazine. As we go to press, we are facing a new reality. Communal life and society as we know it is changing and will continue to change in ways that we cannot foresee. Faced with the threat of COVID-19, Ekai Osho and the Committee of Management have responded with a suspension to communal activities. We hope that everybody is coping with greater physical separation.
Ekai Osho’s theme for this year is ‘Beginning’, with ‘Discovery’ as the focus leading up to the equinox. Whether we are just starting out on the path of practice or have been practicing for many years, what is it to come back to the beginning, to rediscover?
In Ekai Osho’s Dharma talk, ‘The Goal of Buddhism’ he emphasises the importance of setting a clear goal, putting it into practice, and recognising and facing the challenges as they arise. This is our dynamic nature.
Teishin Shona Innes in her Sunday Sanzenkai talk ‘Begin at the Beginning’ reminds us that our practice is one of ‘…coming back to the beginning. It’s not a true beginning unless there is a sense of purity there, purity meaning nothing extra’.
Last year’s commemoration of Rohatsu, Buddha’s enlightenment, on 8 December coincided with Ekai Osho offering a precepts ceremony for three Jikishoan members; Sally Donen Wain, Helen Shoko O’Shea and Caleb Taizen Mortenson. In December and January wild bushfires raged throughout eastern Australia. Some of Jikishoan’s members were directly affected, as fires threatened their homes and properties. In ‘Waiting for the Fire’ Harry Laing describes watching and waiting as the fire approached his home. Thank you to Ekai Osho for his direction in this ever changing reality.
Gassho,
Margaret Kokyo Lynch, Coordinator
On behalf of Ekai Korematsu Osho – Editor