"The purpose of sesshin is to be completely one with our practice. We use two Chinese characters for 'sesshin.' 'Ses' means to treat something the way one treats a guest or the way a student treats a Teacher. Another meaning of 'ses' is to control or arrange things in order. 'Shin' means mind or heart. So sesshin means to have proper functioning of mind. When we say 'control,' it is our five senses and our will, or small monkey mind which should be controlled. We control our monkey mind in order to resume our true Big Mind. When monkey mind is always taking over the activity of Big Mind, we naturally become a monkey."

- Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

 

 

"One who conquers himself is greater than another who conquers a thousand times a thousand on the battlefield."
- Siddhartha Guatama

Monkey Head Sangha is a tribe of sentient beings coming together, formally, once a week to practice a little Soto Zen. We sit, we walk, we sit some more and then have some daison with our Teacher, Peter. Then we have some coffee (or tea, or perhaps both) and Peter tosses out some Dharma our way. Of course there's some bell ringing, some incense, a candle involved, some chanting.

Oh, yes, we practice Zen meditation, as well.

"Have good trust in yourself - not in the One that you think you should be, but in the One that you are"

- Maezumi Roshi

"It's a game of chants."

~ Kristopher Robin Raged

"Zazen is the only practice I know of which rests, trains, steadies, and relaxes your mind. Zazen develops your mind to the point where it becomes the greatest tool you can have. Your mind is always working. Even when you sleep your mind is working. When you go on vacation your body rests. You lie down on the beach, take in the warm rays of the sun and relax. But your mind is still working, working, working. When you are sleeping your mind doesn’t rest—it dreams! And everyone knows how much work dreaming can be! When you do Zazen your mind rests. You mind is “let go” and is given the time to build its inner muscles. In this way your mind is strengthened and takes a rest at the same time. And most important, your mind is at peace."

- Stefano Mui Barragato

"Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine."
- Shunryu Suzuki

"Think of your mind as that piece of steel before it is placed in the forge. It is cluttered with a lot of junk and dross. The dross of the mind is the many thoughts you have. I’ve often likened the mind to a sea, and the waves of the sea as the thoughts of the mind. Sometimes, probably, most times, the sea of your mind is raging with the force of a hurricane with waves tossing and turning every which way. Zazen is one way to calm your mind."

- Stefano Mui Barragato

We'll get into the depths if you want to chase down some of the other pages. We might even talk about the bell ringing!

"I do not cut my life up into days but my days into lives, each day, each hour, an entire life."

- Juan Ramon Jimenez

Our Teacher, Peter, comes to us from TreeTop Zen Center, in Oakland, Maine. And thanks to the munificence of the good peeps at Wormwood Zen Center in Darksummer, NE, we are able to practice at the Unitarian Church on Winthrop Street in Augusta.

We are a diverse group of zen cowboys from a wild and wide range of backgrounds, beliefs and religions. Monkey Head Sangha has included Christians and Jews and atheists and Buddhists and agnostics and even a Shaivite; no one has been offended yet. And no virgins were sacrificed during the making of this website.

Many of our members suffer from addiction issues and mental health issues. And wow, one of these days, this writer will quit smoking, swear!

"I'd like to offer something to help you but in the zen school we don't have a single thing!"
- Ikkyu

So, we get together every thursday at 5pm, with a beginner's group meeting at 430pm. This happens at the Unitarian-Universalist Church in Augusta, Maine, cultural center of the universe. For more information, feel free to call the Heartline at 689-TUFF.

See you there, Buddha!

 

A brief history of Soto Zen Buddhism
Zen 1,2,3
Contact Information
Helpful links to Enlightenment
Zendo etiquette at Monkey Head
A brief history of Monkey Head Sangha

"Even to speak the word Buddha is dragging in the mud soaking wet; Even to say the word Zen is a total embarrassment"

- Blue Cliff Record

 

 

Check out the happenings at our mother sangha, Treetop Zen Center

 

 

 

 

"They tell me I'm the monkey, all my friends are junkies. But that's not really true!"

- the Rolling Stones