This fall Shugen Sensei continued his monthly meetings with the Woodstock Interfaith Council, and hosted their October meeting at the Monastery; he also visited with Khenpo Karma Tenkyong at KTD Monastery in Woodstock and discussed strengthening the connection between the two monasterys. Sensei welcomed Seido Roshi, abbot of Toshoji in Japan, for an afternoon visit to ZMM. Seido Roshi lived at the Monastery for several years in the early 1980s, helping Daido Roshi establish it as a training center. In October, Sensei traveled to northern California to participate in The Future of Dharma in America: Stress Reduction or Awakening?, a conference convened by the Global Peace Initiative of Women. In August, Hojin Osho led a wilderness retreat in the Adirondacks specifically for women, and in September, Zuisei visited the Buffalo sangha, where she offered a public talk and led a zazenkai.
The Training Office is offering a series of video conferences to allow far-flung students to be able to engage in study and conversation with the teachers at a distance. Shugen Sensei, Hojin Osho, Hogen Green and Zuisei Goddard will each schedule approximately four of these video conferences throughout the year; conferences will be limited to about a dozen participants at a time. Hojin Osho offered the first of these, on art practice, in late October. Keep an eye on your email inbox for a list of dates, topics, and information about how to sign up.