Stefano Mui Barragato
1930-2010
This morning, members and friends of Treetop Zen Center received the following message from Peter Seishin Wohl:
Dear Friends of Treetop,
It is with great sadness that I must tell you that our dear teacher and friend Stefano Barragato passed away peacefully last night. We will be burying him at Treetop this Sunday at 11 am. The burial will be followed by a Memorial Service.
Stef’s body will be in state later this afternoon until the burial on Sunday. The viewing will end at 7:00 each evening.
We will also have the zendo open for sitting today through Sunday. Please join us as you can, as we join together as sangha in recognition of this enormous loss. There is no one who has expressed the Dharma with more clarity, compassion and humor than Stef. He deeply loved the Dharma and the Treetop sangha. He was a friend to us all.
Peter
Stef will be deeply missed.
riposa in pace caro zio stefano, sarai sempre nel mio cuore
tuo nipote luigi
We pray for a peaceful passage during these 49-days for beloved Mui Sensei. His commitment and devotion to truth inspires us all. May these days be filled with comfort and blessings for Margaret, Peter, and all of the members of The TreeTop Sangha.
Love and blessings,
Egyoku/ZCLA
Mui, simple monk,
Sweet and fresh as a summer morning
spacious and clear as a summer sky
may you drift in peace.
With much love and peace to Margaret and the sangha,
Hogetsu/Heart Circle Sanga
May Stef breathe freely and live long in the hearts of those who knew him.
He was a wise and compassionate man who faced a horrible illness with courage and the clear-eyed gaze of the true Zen master.
We will always fondly remember our time spent studying the dharma with him.
We remember especially his playing of a Bach cantata on the recorder as part of a dharma talk, the awesome power of his voice on the renge kyo chant during sesshin, his sharing of a cup of espresso, the sharing of the malas he had made, his hugs, his hand patting his dog Sancho's head, his enjoyment of the large orange poppy that bloomed in the garden, his unabashed love of pizza.
We learned much from you, Stef. Thank you.
Eighteen deep bows in gratitude for the life of Mui Sensei. I will especially always remember your many kindnesses to a young monk as I was just "leaving home." May your passage through the bardo be serene, and may we all ascend to the throne of enlightenment together.
With love,
Issai Chizen
Wagyo-ji
Oceanside, NY
Mui…………..empty of rank…….large of heart…….generous of spirit……..as generous as the spacious sky……
Blessings to those who shared his life,
Kiho
Stefano —
Our friendship goes back to the 1940s when our families were neighboring tenants at 236 Linden Street in Brooklyn, NY. Steve, old friend, may your quest for peace and solitude be fulfilled. My best wishes to Margaret.
Your old friend,
Tony Lazzara