-- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

[Hans]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

Hello Jinyu,

might I humbly suggest you skip the sewing kesa part of your plans and postpone that until the retreat. All I (personally) would need is for you to sit down for twenty minutes and to answer the last remaining basic questions that surfaced in the last few postings.

Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

[Myozan Kodo]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

Hi all,
I’d like to add my voice to Hans’. Urgent questions need to be addressed now. Jinyu, I understand you are very busy, but please do try and reassure us on these matters. It would be greatly appreciated.
Gassho and thanks
Soen

[Hans]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

Hello,

I will call the abbey towards the end of this week and will try to find someone who might be able to answer the more detailed questions that Jinyu is not capable of answering currently. I will do so with the utmost reluctance, because I don't want the abbey people to have doubts about the validity of the original booking. Needless to say I would much rather get answers before the end of the week...we (although I can only speak for myself ultimately) are not a bunch of teenagers who decide to go somewhere for a long weekend, we are all working adults with families who would much rather spend more time with us ( I assume).

I'll keep you posted.


Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

[Jinyu]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

Hi everyone!

Thank you to everyone working so hard to assume my "breaches"... Family and money never fits well ...

I'll be back to you all after work in a few hours.
I can answer directly to some questions:

1. I can confirm that someone will go with me to pick up Taigu and the material needed in Northern France the 27th.
thus I want be able to be at the airport or Central station to welcome people as I intended first.
2. About the Kitchen and the menus: The menus are set (with the help of Rimon) the only thing left is to know how much food we need to buy in regard to the number of participants to come. There is a kitchen (not huge but Ok) with everything needed to prepare food. Now, if one wants to have his own fork and knife... it is up to him.
3. I don't have a plan of the "zendo", actualy there is a refectory and an other room, it would be easier to use the "other room" because the refectory is closer to the the kitchen and the other room (supposed Zendo) is closer to the "sleeping-rooms".
4. concerning the schedule of the retreat: taigu posted it on another post, we need to print it and place it in important places in the building (rooms, kitchen, ...)
5. concerning the Sutra book: There is our zazenkai book which is the base . As proposed, we can each bring our own, and I can print the two chants not included (kannon gyo)
6. concerning statues and images: I can bring a 45cm buddha in meditation and I have printed and framed images of Monju, Kannon of about 25 cm high.
7. a wood block (for the beggining of zazen) is being made by a friend.

I'm sorry I have to get back to work,
Ill b back to you all tonigh to answer questions.

[Taigu]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

Good to hear from you Jinyu. Thank you for making this effort. Communication is all that is needed. Could yu let us know about the people taking part? Could you also answer questions that are asked? I will later post a list of items needed. If you can effectively pick me up, well, that list will be shorter as I can take quite a few items with me as I am not going turtle style...

gassho


Taigu

[Dokan]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

If we need chant books as well as maybe incense or mokugyo or singing bowls I could bring mine. They are all quite small and portable.

Whatever you need, please let me know and I can help!

Additionally I will of course bring my laptop with recording capabilities as well as adapters and extension cords and such.

g

s

[Jinyu]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

Hi!

If we need chant books as well as maybe incense or mokugyo or singing bowls I could bring mine. They are all quite small and portable.

Whatever you need, please let me know and I can help!

Additionally I will of course bring my laptop with recording capabilities as well as adapters and extension cords and such.

Thank you very much Shawn!
I don't think we would need incense, it is quite easy to get here and I think maybe Taigu will pick some from Japan. The mokugyo would be great but I think Taigu may have one in France...

But if you are able to bring material to record the retreat it would be really great!

I'll come back tonight on the Sangha's forum to answer questions.

Have a great day everyone!

gassho,
Jinyu

[Taigu]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

Yes, Jinyu is right, I will bring mokugyo, drum, bells and whistles...
I will also bring outstanding pictures of jizo in a kakejiku form as well as calligraphy work.( and we need hooks to fix them on the wall).
We will need incense pots (filled with millet or ash), three of them (simple bowls would suit).
I will soon post a precise list of what would be needed ( not much, really)

gassho


T.

[Dokan]

Re: Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

I will soon post a precise list of what would be needed

Please keep me in mind to bring whatever is needed.

G

S


Sent from my SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

[Hans]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

Hi!

I'll come back tonight on the Sangha's forum to answer questions.

Hello,

in case I have missed the promised post, I offer my sincere apologies. Just to let you know, I will now return to my original plan to call the monastery next week, since I don't feel properly informed in some regards. It's been five days since your last post Jinyu...five days closer to the retreat.

Some of your answers lead to more questions in my mind. You wrote: T"he menus are set (with the help of Rimon) the only thing left is to know how much food we need to buy in regard to the number of participants to come. There is a kitchen (not huge but Ok) with everything needed to prepare food. Now, if one wants to have his own fork and knife... it is up to him."

So btw. , DO you now know how much food you need to buy, where to buy it and when you will buy it? Whilst it is great the kitchen has everything nedded to PREPARE food, I guess what you also meant was that there is also enough cutlery available for everyday use.

For a German, I am pretty relaxed when it comes to having a few loose ends, when it comes to a retreat however, even a few loose ends will make the retreat go less smoothly, which is why I am splitting hairs here.

Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

[Jinyu]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

Hi everyone,

I've been checking every night (late).
Feel free to contact the abbey if you want to have more precise informations!
But, I'm sorry I must have missed your questions, what exactly do you need to know?

DO you now know how much food you need to buy, where to buy it and when you will buy it? Whilst it is great the kitchen has everything nedded to PREPARE food, I guess what you also meant was that there is also enough cutlery available for everyday use.

Yes, I planned with my father, who as a big van, to buy everything the 22 and 23 December, it let us with eventually the 26 if we really forgot something.

For now, I planned everything for 15 persons, I'm still waiting two persons to confirm their coming. if more people decide to come, we will just buy more than the previsions.
About the menu, it looks great! Should I post it here? I never went to a retreat where the menu was known in advance by everyone... but why not!

Have a very nice day everyone!!
gassho,
Jinyu

[Myozan Kodo]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

Hi everyone.
Jinyu, your efforts are much appreciated. But communication is key. Without it I and Hans and everyone feels they are not sure what they're in for in Belgium!

Also, Hans, I think you should contact the Abbey as a co-organiser. You probably have questions Jinyu hasn't thought of or had time to deal with.

So, what time do we need to show up at the Abbey on the 27th?

Gassho
Soen

[Taigu]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

At least, being in charge of leading this retreat and orchestrating the actual practice~teaching time, would you, please, give me a list that I have asked a miilion times: who is coming?

Thank you, Jinyu.


Take great care of yourself


Gassho


Taigu

[Hans]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

Hello,

just a few helpful last minute bits of information (my wife just had a chat with the abbey people):


During our stay the main part of the abbey will be closed, however the House Sjaloom will await us. Arriving before noon on the 27th is not advised, since the house will only be ready for us from appx. 1PM omwards.

An abbey volunteer by the name of Erik Harcourt will book everyone in (and later check us out). He will be present at the house on the day of our arrival and will make sure that the heating is turned on.

There will be no extra bedding "material" available, so you will have to bring your own bed linen, pillows and/or sleeping bags....not sure about the blanket situation.

There are enough kitchen utensils including cutlery for everyone...so no need to go turn into an Oryoki Taliban

In case of anyone really NEEDING anything special to eat, there is a Delhaize supermarket apparently less than one kilometer away. They are usually pretty good supermarkets.

In case of an emergency of some kind, we could seek help from Father Cornelis who lives in the main building.


Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

those who haven't sent me their phone numbers can still do so. I'll send out an updated list next week.

[Myozan Kodo]

Re: -- Announcement -- Treeleaf Sangha Winter Retreat 2011

Good work Hans (and thanks to your wife). In two weeks time we'll all be enlightened! :wink:
Gassho
Soen