Zen Mountain Monastery

Trip legs (latest at top):

18 Oct 04 – Hither Hills State Park, Long Island, New York
We wrap up our 8-night stay at Promised Land State Park in Pennsylvania, and head directly east, through New Jersey, and over the George Washington Bridge. We soon cross the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, and continue almost to the easternmost tip of Long Island. Hither Hills State Park is almost deserted, as the season is long gone and the weather is damp and windy. However, New York State sticks it to out-of-state residents no matter what time of year, and we pay $48/night, double the resident rate. A far cry from the hospitality of Pennsylvania, where we were paying $9/night for primitive camping.

After setting up camp, we head back west 15 miles to the town of Sagaponack, where noted author and Zen teacher Peter Muryo Matthiessen provides a community zendo in a converted barn. Our good Zen friend and leader of the Southern Palm Zen Group, Mitch Doshin Cantor, is in town for a couple days. We hustle to find the zendo before the evening sitting period begins. Discussion of some the writings of Zen master Lin-Chi (Rinzai) follows sitting, and then fellowship at a pizza joint nearby. You can tell you are with a bunch of Buddhists (or Hindus probably) when nobody’s pizza has meat on it.

19 Oct 04 – Sagaponack Zendo, Sagaponack, New York
We leave camp and drive back into town for 7am dawn zazen with the Sagaponack group. After sitting, Mitch introduces us to Peter, and I snap a couple quick portraits.

Doshin and Muryo
Mitch Doshin Cantor, and his teacher, Peter Muryo Matthiessen. I apologize to everyone for the image quality... black clothes and white walls and built-in flash. An outdoor shot would have worked better with the equipment I was using.
Sagaponack Zendo Altar

After breakfast, we spend the middle of the day sheltered from the rain and wind in the Sag Harbor public library, a fantastic brick structure built with old whaling money. We use their wireless internet to catch up on email and finances. We do a small grocery run on the way back to camp, and Dawn makes soup and grilled cheese in full rain gear.

Windy Rainy Lunch
We didn't feel like putting up the rain fly in the wind, so we just toughed it out. Grilled cheese sandwiches and cream of mushroom soup. This meal is a lot like one of our first lunches approaching Starved Rock State Park in Illinois on a cold, windy, summer day. Obviously, this is comfort food for us.

We have just a bit of daylight for hiking. We head west on the strangely named North Trail, to head southwest when we pick up Elisha's Valley Trail. We cross the Long Island Railroad tracks which run through the Hither Woods. We turn north on the Stephen Talkhouse Path and hike as far as Fresh Pond, before we turn around and head back to camp.

20 Oct 04 – Walking Dunes, Hither Hills State Park, New York
After dawn zazen at the Sagaponack Zendo, we have a quick breakfast and then visit the Amagansett art studio of Dennis, one of the senior sangha members. Dennis takes the time to show us around both floors of his studio, and talk to us a little about how images come to him to paint.

Dennis' Studio
Our new friend Dennis, from the Sagaponack Zen group, is a fine artist. Here is part of his studio in Amagansett.
Studio Refuge
Sumi-e painting can only properly be done as an extension of meditation. Here is Dennis' space for sumi-e.

After lunch we lace up our hiking boots for the first time in several days, and from the campground in Hither Hills strike northwest across the park’s trail system. We retrace part of our path from yesterday afternoon, along North Trail and Elisha's Valley Trail, but this time we turn south on the Stephen Talkhouse Path, and hike west all the way to Napeague Harbor. We turn north on Napeague Harbor Road for another 1/4 mile until we reach Walking Dunes.

Our day's destination is Walking Dunes, part of the park so named because the wind reshapes the dunes constantly. After about an hour of hiking we reach the dunes, then spend another hour trekking the Walking Dunes Trail, an annotated nature trail through the dunes. In the middle of the dunes we find several townspeople harvesting wild cranberries from a natural bog.

Elisha's Valley
On Elisha's Valley Trail in Hither Hills State Park, on Long Island, NY.
Walking Dunes
On Walking Dunes Trail in Hither Hills State Park, on Long Island, NY.
Wild Cranberry Bog
We found several local residents harvesting wild cranberries here. Hither Hills SP, NY.

Upon our return to camp, we crush canned garbanzos and mix up a double batch of hummus, then clean ourselves up as best we can and return to Sagaponack. Tonight is the semi-annual pot-luck dinner of the Sagaponack sangha, and it is just our serendipitous good fortune that we are in town.

21 Oct 04 – Fire Lotus Temple, Brooklyn, New York
As we strike camp in Hither Hills, the wind and the rain relent temporarily, and we are treated to an amazing sunrise.

Hither Hills Sunrise
After 3 windy, rainy nights at Hither Hills State Park, we interrupt breaking camp to run down to the beach at sunrise.

Our final dawn zazen in Sagaponack ends with goodbyes and well-wishes, then breakfast with sangha member Jared, who shares his experiences in residency at Zen Mountain Monastery and Zen Mountain Center.

Sagaponack Zendo
Finally, a nice natural-light shot. The zendo is a former barn converted into two sitting spaces and a coatroom.

We drive west the length of Long Island into Brooklyn by lunchtime to find Fire Lotus Temple, an affiliate of Zen Mountain Monastery. During our tour of the zendo, not only do I kick myself for forgetting my camera in the car, but we are also somewhat surprised to learn that sesshin has already started at ZMM, a week earlier than we had mistakenly recorded. So rather than visit friends and family until next Thursday, we realize we have to head directly for ZMM right this very minute, and join sesshin already in progress.

The GWB and Manhattan
Looking south-southeast along the Hudson River from the Palisades Parkway in New Jersey. That's the George Washington Bridge in front of the Manhattan skyline. The Empire State building is on the far right. We are supposed to be at sesshin already and here I am out of the car taking photos.

24 Oct 04 – Zen Mountain Monastery, Mt Tremper, New York
My first sesshin at ZMM was in the mid 1980’s, and I joined it in progress on Wednesday morning. During that first sesshin, I simply was not prepared for the sesshin schedule. By Friday morning of that first sesshin I was in constant physical pain, but I toughed it out until mid-day Sunday, as nobody quits once they start sesshin. My second sesshin I joined on Friday morning. After that, I added one day at a time until I was doing the entire sesshin starting Monday night. As this is Dawn’s first sesshin, we start Thursday, and by sesshin’s end on Sunday, we are still married.

Zen Mountain Monastery Altar
Zen Mountain Monastery Zendo
A powerful place to sit. The old floor was diagonal planking, and had a lot more character, but apparently starting munching feet. I miss its rough texture and creaking underfoot. Here is a link to an excellent introduction to zazen (Zen meditation).

Zen Mountain Monastery was originally a Benedictine monastery when it was finished in 1936. A large wooden crucifix with a beautiful carving of Jesus Christ hangs on the exterior of the east wall of the monastery. The interior of the east wall is the zendo, exactly where the altar is located. Therefore the Christ image and the Buddha image are co-located at pretty much the same place on the same wall, facing in two different directions.

Benedictine Crucifix
In this photograph you can see the wrought-iron gazebo, and the crucifix on the stone wall.

Dawn’s oldest brother Bill lives in Maynard, MA. At 10pm Sunday evening we pull into Bill and Deidre's house.