Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

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DGA
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Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

Post by DGA »

As many of you may know, in April we lost a unique teacher. Ven. Keisho Leary, abbot of California Tendai Monastery, passed away. Quoted below is a remembrance written by Monshin Paul Naamon, abbot of Tendai Buddhist Institute, that celebrates Keisho's life in Dharma and describes the current state of affairs at CTM.
As many people already know Keisho VK Leary died after a relatively short illness. Keisho was the founder and abbot of the California Tendai Monastery in Cobb, California. He was my Dharma brother and good friend. His death saddens us all. [...]

Keisho had been a Buddhist practitioner all of his adult life. His path was one of Shugendo and devotion. Originally he studied with Dr. Ajari Pemchekov, a Russian teacher of Buddhism and Christianity in San Francisco in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Keisho went on to become a monk in the lineage of Enami Kakusho (Gozen-sama) of Mt Hiei, Japan, where he trained in Shido Kegyo and Shugendo practices.

He returned to San Francisco from Japan after several years with the intention of establishing a Tendai temple named 'Hoshu-in'. In March 2005 he relocated from San Francisco to the Cobb Mountain region, on 160 acres of land, at the 2,500 ft elevation on the 4,700 ft mountain. Here he founded the California Tendai Monastery. In 2007 he completed a Goma-do temple for the goma (fire ritual).

A Rakkei Shiki (consecration) of the temple was arranged by the Tendai Jigyodan and the Tendai Buddhist Institute. For three days of inspiring events in April 2010, forty Tendai priests traveled to California from Japan, Europe, the East Coast, and Hawaii. Among the many people attending was Kayaki Kansho, current head of the lineage, Ichishima Shoshin, a great scholar, Uehara Gyosho the great Ajari of the 1000-day kaihogyo and a fellow-disciple of the Master Enami Kakusho, and Senkei Shibayama, world-renowned master of shodo (brush calligraphy).

The monastery is closed for now. There is a caretaker on the property and the Tendai Buddhist Institute will administer future activities there. Keisho had no monastic successor, as a result he requested that I be appointed Jushoku (abbot). We will be seeking ways to best utilize the property in order to propagate the Buddhadharma in Keisho's memory.

Shugendō can be loosely translated as "path of training to achieve spiritual powers. As a general rule, this sect stresses physical endurance as the path to enlightenment. Practitioners perform seclusion, fasting, meditation, mantra, recite sutras, and engage in austere feats of endurance such as standing/sitting under cold mountain waterfalls or in snow."[1] This set of practices describes well Keisho's path of discipline in the Dharma. His absence from our midst impoverishes our world. His contributions to the Dharma will be remembered long into the far remote future.

[1] http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shugendou.html
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Re: Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

Post by Admin_PC »

Condolences.
I really liked reading his blog.
http://vkleary.blogspot.com/
DGA
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Re: Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

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Keisho was an excellent human being. He lead by example; as near as I could tell, he was never not practicing in one way or another. He was the picture of virya.

He had little patience for philosophy or philosophical discussions, but found great joy in rigorous practice. He once said that he did the goma as often as he could because it was fun. His sense of humor was infectious.

His practice space in California is absolutely gorgeous, by the way. The mountain is an excellent venue for Dharma practice.
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Re: Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

Post by Doko »

When the Japanese priests arrived at the NY Betsuin for the anniversary this year they immediately went from the bus into the hondo and preformed a service for Rev Ganshin Rock and Rev Keisho Leary. Unfortunately I never met Ganshin. Rev Senshin and I were so very lucky to have had attended several gyo with Keisho. He taught us things over the years like the specifics of practices but he also taught through his character and he did that well.

~ He will be missed deeply.
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Re: Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

Post by rory »

It's very sad, and even more that Rev. Leary didn't leave a dharma heir. I tried to get Indrajala to go:)
Great news about the priests and ordinations, how many US soryo are there now.
gassho
Rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
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Doko
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Re: Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

Post by Doko »

I want to say that the Tendai North America district has about a dozen Soryo and about the same amount of Doshu.
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Re: Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

Post by eddie »

Does anyone know the state of Cobb Mountain. The Valley fire that has been raging through Northern California started in the very area where the monastery sits. I pray it remains.
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Re: Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

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Sadly, it was wiped out by the fires.
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Re: Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

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Seishin wrote:Sadly, it was wiped out by the fires.
It's a great loss. Keisho had cut trails around the mountain for kaihogyo and other shugendo practices, which he used for many years. In part as a result of his practice, there are what can only be called power spots on that land. Now, who knows if those places will be discovered again.

It was a beautiful place, a truly wonderful venue for Dharma practice. I hope it becomes one again.
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Re: Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

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I visited yesterday. The center of the gomado exists- as it holds fire itself and is made of iron... so it resisted being destroyed. The structures around it are completely gone. Ash and scrap metal. As well as his journals, writings, notes, artwork, and carvings- vanished.

Bare forest remains as well as the kaihogyo trail. Next time I go to the heart of the kaihogyo, where Fudo Myoo resides, I will check whether that shrine hidden among rocks is intact. Keisho placed it there many years ago as an indicator of the heart of the mandala of the mountain. Another of the outdoor shrines used for the evening Shugendo goma remained and was taken home by the property manager.

This is a great loss for us but in line with his emphasis on dharma and his paraphrase of the last words of Shakyamuni posted in the entrance of the cabin- 'work out your own realizations.' He built that place intending for people to come and train intensively, find their own spiritual vision, wisdom and return the merit to the people. To train in Tendai-Shugendo, to enter the gates of mantra and goma. As bodhisattvas they then go out into the world, open temples, do many good works, and be examples of great effort. This was his last great goma, offering all his merits back into the dharmakaya.

He often said that the buildings, the temple project and such were something to do while we were practicing the dharma. Busy work. They came 3rd on a list of priorities he outlined for residing there. The first was the dharma, the second was assisting visitors and guests in their paths. The land, the bodhimanda Keisho established, still exists and can be used for those ends. Prior to those buildings he would camp and perform outdoor goma and kaihogyo. As I see it, the true temple is still alive. His practices and teachings continue in anyone who he crossed paths with. Of his many prayers given to the fire, the most consistent was for more bodhisattva-monks. "How shall I cause all the living to enter the Way supreme and speedily accomplish their buddhahood?"

-byogen
gasshō, myōgen
~Homage to the most compassionate, most kind Bodhisattva Mahasattva Ksitigarbha of the Six Paths of Rebirth~
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Re: Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

Post by User 3495 »

Really sad to hear about this. I hope the temple can be rebuilt and that it will again flourish as a place to practise the Dharma. It reminds me about the passage in the Lotus Sutra (chapter 16). The true pure land of the Buddha and the Dharma can never be destroyed.
When the beings see the kalpa ending
And being consumed by a great fire,
This land of mine is perfectly safe
[...]
My pure land is not destroyed,
Yet the multitude, seeing it consumed with flame,
Are worried, and fear the torment of pain
(Hurvitz, p. 224)
DGA
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Re: Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

Post by DGA »

coldwater wrote:This was his last great goma, offering all his merits back into the dharmakaya.

He often said that the buildings, the temple project and such were something to do while we were practicing the dharma. Busy work. They came 3rd on a list of priorities he outlined for residing there. The first was the dharma, the second was assisting visitors and guests in their paths. The land, the bodhimanda Keisho established, still exists and can be used for those ends. Prior to those buildings he would camp and perform outdoor goma and kaihogyo. As I see it, the true temple is still alive. His practices and teachings continue in anyone who he crossed paths with. Of his many prayers given to the fire, the most consistent was for more bodhisattva-monks. "How shall I cause all the living to enter the Way supreme and speedily accomplish their buddhahood?"
Thank you for these inspiring words, Byogen.
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Re: Keisho Leary and California Tendai Monastery

Post by eddie »

I was afraid that might be the case. Very, very sad.
I just recently heard about Keisho's passing as well.
This is tough.

Thank you Byogen for the information and inspiring words.
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