Year-End Giving: Letters from Shinge Roshi and Fugan Sam Gordon, President

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Dear Sangha and Dharma Friends,

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, ”wrote Charles Dickens in the opening sentence of A Tale of Two Cities.

We know our beloved communities everywhere are suffering: there’s worsening hunger and housing insecurity, persecution of immigrants, ongoing wars, catastrophic climate chaos.

Right in the midst of it all, our Bodhisattva commitment intensifies. It has to. With trust in theThreefold Refuge, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, we develop the inner stability that allows us to respond to the circumstances of our time with clarity and compassion.

Your participation, concern, and support make it possible for us to do this, and to offer this practice to all who come. This year, escalating costs have brought new fiscal demands, and in order to balance our 2026 budget, we must raise more income. Please consider increasing your monthly and annual giving. With bows of gratitude, we ask that you help us continue our work with a generous year-end gift, which is fully tax deductible. We look forward to seeing you—in the zendo, at our many programs, and on line.

An excellent article by Colin H. Simonds in a recent Lion’s Roar speaks to our Bodhisattva commitment: “Indeed, climate change seems unstoppable, insurmountable. But so too are sentient beings innumerable, our desires inexhaustible, the dharma boundless, and the way of the buddha unattainable. For those practicing in Mahayana contexts, these four statements are likely familiar – they consist of one half of the Bodhisattva Vow. The other half of the vow states what we are to do about the matter: Sentient beings are innumerable, I vow to save them; desires are inexhaustible, I vow to overcome them; the dharma is boundless, I vow to master it; the way of the Buddha is unattainable, I vow to attain it. In each of these cases, the scope or even the sheer impossibility of the task at hand doesn’t compel apathy, renunciation, or giving up. It is in the very face of impossibility that we commit to act.”

Thus he added a fifth vow: “Climate change is out of control, I vow to stop it. This is how one committed to the bodhisattva ideals should think about the inevitability of climate change and climate chaos. In the face of our impossible moment, we must commit to act.”

This summer, we held a workshop called “Contemplative Practice and Climate Action” at Dai Bosatsu Zendo, sharing creative possibilities “in the face of our impossible moment,” evaluating sustainability efforts at HoenJi, DBZ, and New York Zendo, and committing to further steps to support our planet, our home.

We have redoubled our efforts to offer a vibrant, accessible, and responsive practice at the Zen Center of Syracuse HoenJi. It has been a remarkable year, with an enthusiastically received Deep Presence course; winter, spring, summer, and fall sesshins; monthly Dharma Study focusing on the Surangama Sutra; Mandala Day and ancestor commemorations; dokusan; and at the heart of it all, daily zazen. We have extended This Mind to students at area universities, including Syracuse, Colgate, and St. Lawrence, and have been guest speakers at Le Moyne College and other educational institutions. Our Sangha has contributed many volunteer hours to keep our historic site and facilities cared for, shining, and welcoming.

On May 4, I gave Dharma Transmission to Jika Lauren Melnikow, whose warm, openhearted, yet rigorous spirit continues to inspire countless newcomers and Sangha members.

In July, Lobsang Khacho Rinpoche, Phuntso Geshe, Tsokyi Geshe, and four younger monks from Gaden Shartse Monastery spent a week-long residency with us, and the zendo was packed for Phuntso Geshe’s Thursday evening Dharma talk.

Around 100 people came to our Open House in September, with shakuhachi master Marco Burmester, who had played for Jika-shi’s transmission ceremony, returning to perform and give beginners’ instruction; he’ll be coming back to do a “blowing Zen” intensive on Mandala Day, December 21.

We have a new logo and our new website should be ready to access in December.

Thank you for joining us on this transformative path of inner serenity, resilience, and compassion. Your strong support at this time is deeply appreciated.

With profound gratitude,

A Letter from the President of the Zen Center’s Board of Trustees:

At HoenJi’s Fall Anniversary Sesshin, Sangha members from near and far came together in celebration of our 29th year at 266 West Seneca Turnpike. What a treasure we have, this Dharma Connection Temple (the meaning of HoenJi). The golden light of the autumn season is reflected in each of our heart-minds.

Over the course of this year, many of us have been engaged in tending our Sangha garden. This loving care is reflected by the refreshed condition of our ramp that connects the Carriage House Zendo to the Forman House. This ramp is not only pragmatic but symbolic. It has endured countless students charging to engage in dokusan with our cherished teacher, Shinge Roshi. It supports us and, in turn, we support it. Both are required for this practice to continue. In addition, we have undergone an important transition as our long-time and beloved Board Treasurer, Toku Ellen Grapensteter, stepped down at the end of 2024 after many years of service. Reijitsu Paul Batkin graciously took on the position of Treasurer and has been working diligently with Toku, the Finance Committee, the Board, and others to continue the strong fiscal discipline we have exercised since our founding. These are examples of our collective responsibility: caring for this precious gift to ensure that this practice is available for the seventh generation and beyond.

Our new website, to be launched in December, reflects the Sangha’s vision work of last year, carefully developed to appeal to newcomers and old-timers alike. Our new logo incorporates brushwork done many years ago by Eido Shimano Roshi. The practitioner holds a staff representing true insight. Our practice has been invigorated by the rekindling of the Intensive Training Program this fall. All of these things have occurred against a backdrop of national and indeed global discord. What can we do? How do we respond? By giving of ourselves to manifest this practice now and forever. Please consider contributing what you can, increasing your support if you can, to pay forward the gift of this practice.

Sincerely,

Fugan Sam Gordon

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• Zen Center of Syracuse
• 266 West Seneca Turnpike
• Syracuse, NY 13207-2639

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