Boundless Way Opening

This past weekend I had the honor of officiating at the Temple Opening for the Boundless Way Temple in Worcester, MA, which also included the Eye Opening for their earth-witness Shakyamuni, and a Mountain Seat (abbot installation) for the temple’s first abbot, Dae An Rynick.

About 120 people attended, including teachers George Bowman, John Tarrant, Dokuro, and Taitaku Priest. A bunch of Christian clergy were present as well, but are not in the above photo.

I had a wonderful time and despite that rascal James’ posts on FB about group resistance to Soto form or some such thing, I’ve found the Boundless Way folks (generally) to be very open, interested, and capable.

Somehow it seems I’ve become the group’s “Soto” consultant regarding appropriate form. If only Katagiri Roshi were alive he’d have a hell-of-a-laugh at that. He’d be laughing at me in a warm-hearted, I-told-you-so way. 

The Soto forms snuck into me while I was resisting him and them, you see.

The photo above is from the clergy possession to the ceremony in a big tent set up in the back yard of the temple (more photos coming). A few moments before we lined up and as nefarious clergy gathered around, I stood chatting with one of the above. A lay-person with a knee-length black sweater (a friend of the clergy in question) happened by and stopped to chat with someone a few feet from us.

“Isn’t that the oddest garment,” said the priest.

“Odd” like beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder.