By Meido Moore, Shinjinkai
Bright, breezy autumn weather greeted attendees at a November 3rd ceremony dedicating the zendo of So’tekizan Korinzenji, “Patriarch’s Target Mountain, Shining Forest Zen Temple,” or Korinji for short. Korinji is a new Rinzai monastery near Madison, Wis. Zen priests, students and supporters from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey and Utah – including a number of Birankai Aikido teachers – gathered together to witness the event.
The ceremony began at the newly constructed Korinji gate, which I was pleased to dedicate by sprinkling salt and water on its posts while reciting the hak’ku darani, the heart mantra from the Surangama sutra. Moving uphill to the zendo where guests were being 
seated, this continued within the building as the corners of each room were sprinkled in the same manner. Salt and water are purifying substances, while the purpose of the mantra is to liberate beings and remove negative forces.
Following this the chanting portion of our ceremony began. The Heart Sutra was chanted by all, followed by several repetitions of the Great Compassion Dharani (Daihishu) and the Crisis-Averting Dharani (Shosaishu). Dedication was given first to Monju Bosatsu or Manjusri, the Bodhisattva often enshrined in places of meditation. Further dedication was then given to the attendees and their families, to all Korinji donors and volunteers, and to the many teachers – including Chiba Sensei – whose inspiration has been crucial to Korinji’s establishment.
After this formal ceremony several individuals spoke to the group, commenting on the significance of founding a place of training in today’s world. Finally I gave a teisho (formal dharma talk). Since it is traditional that a poem be offered by a newly arriving abbot, I recited the following to mark the occasion of Korinji’s birth:
A crow flies over this valley,
white with frost.
Dawn comes with flashing blade
and a bowstring’s hum,
thrusting through with her spear
the poles of the spinning world.
What is the goal of the Patriarchs?
Gathering twigs for a fire,
pulling in our chins
against the cold.
It could be said that here are several levels of meaning in these lines. Aside from a few references that might be familiar to Zen practitioners, those who have experience of Zen’s fruition might immediately grasp what is behind the words.
A zaike tokudo (jukai) ceremony commenced soon after this, during which four students 
received lay Buddhist precepts and were given dharma names. With official activities ended guests stayed to enjoy tea, coffee and sweets. Everyone was invited to sign a flat piece of polished cedarwood which will be lacquered and then sealed within the zendo ceiling to commemorate the occasion.
All in all it was an amazing day…and the culmination of quite a few years of work. The completion of this first structure marks the historic birth of a new Rinzai Zen monastery in the West. It is with gratitude and deep emotion that we reflect on all the circumstances which led to this. Especially, I am grateful to all the people whose life energy has been so freely given to this end.
We invite everyone to help out as we continue to build Korinji (and hold our first short sesshin there this spring). More information can be found at www.korinji.org. A gallery with more images from the ceremony is here: http://korinji.smugmug.com/KorinjiDedication
– Meido Moore