On February 2, 2020 – a palindrome date, 0202|2020 – Choro Carla Antonaccio had a formal Monk Leaving Ceremony ahead of her moving to Austin, Texas to support practice at Austin Zen Center. After offering incense and circumambulating the zendo in the posture of humble apology, as is traditional, and receiving the bows of the assembly, statements were made by Abbess Josho Phelan, Rev. Zenki Kathleen Batson as a dharma sibling, and David Guy representing the sangha. In her statement, Choro (who is writing this post) said in part:
I can’t offer enough bows to express my gratitude and deep feeling about Red Cedar Mountain. To my root teacher Josho Roshi, my boundless and enduring gratitude for demonstrating Suzuki Roshi’s way beyond the words on a page. To all my dharma siblings, and you are all my dharma siblings, present and past, you have been my companions but even more, you have been my teachers more than I can say. I can never repay you. And to all the teachers and sanghas everywhere who have practiced Soto Zen and especially Suzuki Roshi’s Zen, and in ever more places. Even Texas.
A wonderful potluck lunch followed.
May we continue and extend this practice endlessly, lifetime after lifetime, and may we all realize the Buddha Way.