By Aaron
I wanted to talk a little bit today about what it was like when I first started coming here over ten years ago, and some of the ways that it’s different today that I’m grateful for.
Many people may know these details, but for those who are new to our history, when I first started coming, generally you would have about ten to fifteen people. We’d be facing each other in the middle. We just used this room right here—a very different experience. In the summer, we had the doors open; in the winter, they were closed and we had a heater on. It was very intimate and very different.
We just had one session at that time. And usually, this sharing slot was Reverend Ito. There was an old chalkboard that we used to hang right in front of the window, and oftentimes he would write a phrase—usually in Japanese kanji—and he would talk about that. Actually, we have several wooden signs around, like the one when you walk in. Most of those were written by him. His marks are everywhere here.
Expectations about how we sat and how we practiced were not explicit. You could hear him sometimes catch somebody and tell them how they should do things, but a lot of the direction we would get—how to sit, how to bow—was indirect.
During COVID, we didn’t come here for over a year. We were all on lockdown, and during that time, he died. When we first started coming back, we were so thankful to be here. But Kaz and Ann said very straightforwardly: we want to continue, but we’re going to need some help and support to keep this going.
One of the ways they asked for help was this sharing slot. It used to always be Reverend Ito or Ann, and they basically said, “We’re not going to do this every week. You guys have to help.” Many people have done this now, and personally, I’m always amazed at what people share about their own experiences or how they’re trying to improve themselves. I want to say thank you to everyone who has done that, and encourage people that haven’t—please, please do this.
Another big way our community has helped is with all the setup and cleanup. Now we have up to 50 or 60 people here each week, so there’s a lot more to do, and I’m so thankful people are willing to help out and make this happen.
We also have some new activities. We just had a Moonlight session two weeks ago. That was a suggestion by a student, which is surprising because Kaz reminded us this place is actually called the moon viewing house, and we had never had that idea to use it for viewing the moon! It’s amazing and wonderful. We have a book club that has started. And once every three months we do a longer sesshin with a mix of sitting and walking meditation, paired with a session focused specifically on how we do everything we do. I appreciate that direct instruction.
Finally, a year and a half ago, our group officially started as a non-profit. That’s amazing not just so we can pay for our mats, but so we can maintain and beautify this space. We’re so lucky to be able to practice here.
I just thought today would be a good time to talk a little bit about the past, and say how thankful I am for how we’ve grown. Ann and Kaz have put so much time and effort into what this has become. I want everyone to be aware of Reverend Ito and how he established this place. And I just want to say thank you to all of you for helping to grow this, and for everything you’ve done to contribute and make this place the place that it is.
