I encourage looking at these threads, topics and posts today ... ...
Please sit our OUR OCTOBER MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI! ... available any time for sitting ...
It featured this Talk on Offering Metta and Forgiveness to Violent People & Unspeakable Acts ... and a lot of unspeakable violence in the news recently, and in many peoples' pasts ...
It is a continuation of this recent essay by me ... Offering Metta to someone like Stephen Paddock ... about the Las Vegas tragedy ...
And part of avoiding acts of harm ... our Precept reflections continue ... PRECEPTS IV - To Refrain from Stealing ...
One of our members was concerned when a Precept was broken ... Broken Precept ... what to do, how to repair the harm ... much good advice given ...
In our "No Words" Book Club ... Shohaku Okumura looks at the Heart Sutra ... LIVING by VOW: The Heart Sutra - pp 131 to 138 ...
Idiot Compassion ... IS it okay to feel good about helping old ladies cross streets? ... Even if they don't want to cross? ...
Various projects continue in our Treeleaf Art Circle ... feel free to grab some medium, and join in ...
And DON'T FORGET! ... the experiment continues, and we need you! ... A TREELEAF EXPERIMENT with EVERYONE’S PARTICIPATION REQUESTED: “LAH” (Lend A Hand)
I am so glad if this place and the practice are benefiting you. If so, you might consider a DONATION to Treeleaf at this LINK, although there is absolutely no need or requirement to do so. Thank you.
A Re-MINDer on SIMPLICITY:
In a Zen Monastery, SILENCE or A FEW WISE WORDS are cherished over MANY WORDS. Thus, I advise folks to restrain the need to speak unless the heart truly calls. If you find yourself posting many times each day, maybe consider what truly needs to be said ... and when it is best just to answer with silence and an inner Gassho.
SILENCE OR A FEW HESITANT WORDS OF FRIENDSHIP AND SUPPORT OFTEN SPEAK MOST PROFOUNDLY. Post when it is truly important to you and needs to be spoken from the warm heart.
(BUT too much silence or shyness can also be excessive ... so take the Middle Way!)
Also, to those who may get lost among the many threads and conversations in our Forum, please think of a monastery made of wood or brick, with 100 monks holding 10,000 conversations in the hallways, kitchen, Abbot's rooms and library (I assume no chatting in the Zendo where people sit Zazen).
Would you need or want to hear or join in all or most conversations? Of course not! You would, at best, pick and choose the conversations relevant and helpful to you.
So here too in our Sangha, NO NEED TO READ EVERY CONVERSATION: Try to note the ones that seem helpful to your Practice or interests, leave the rest. The above threads are a few suggestions.
Oh, and we do ask folks to note that they have SAT ZAZEN THE PREVIOUS DAY BEFORE POSTING IN THE FORUM (please read about that here):
Gassho, Jundo
SatTodayLAH
Please sit our OUR OCTOBER MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI! ... available any time for sitting ...
It featured this Talk on Offering Metta and Forgiveness to Violent People & Unspeakable Acts ... and a lot of unspeakable violence in the news recently, and in many peoples' pasts ...
It is a continuation of this recent essay by me ... Offering Metta to someone like Stephen Paddock ... about the Las Vegas tragedy ...
And part of avoiding acts of harm ... our Precept reflections continue ... PRECEPTS IV - To Refrain from Stealing ...
One of our members was concerned when a Precept was broken ... Broken Precept ... what to do, how to repair the harm ... much good advice given ...
In our "No Words" Book Club ... Shohaku Okumura looks at the Heart Sutra ... LIVING by VOW: The Heart Sutra - pp 131 to 138 ...
Idiot Compassion ... IS it okay to feel good about helping old ladies cross streets? ... Even if they don't want to cross? ...
Various projects continue in our Treeleaf Art Circle ... feel free to grab some medium, and join in ...
And DON'T FORGET! ... the experiment continues, and we need you! ... A TREELEAF EXPERIMENT with EVERYONE’S PARTICIPATION REQUESTED: “LAH” (Lend A Hand)
I am so glad if this place and the practice are benefiting you. If so, you might consider a DONATION to Treeleaf at this LINK, although there is absolutely no need or requirement to do so. Thank you.
A Re-MINDer on SIMPLICITY:
In a Zen Monastery, SILENCE or A FEW WISE WORDS are cherished over MANY WORDS. Thus, I advise folks to restrain the need to speak unless the heart truly calls. If you find yourself posting many times each day, maybe consider what truly needs to be said ... and when it is best just to answer with silence and an inner Gassho.
SILENCE OR A FEW HESITANT WORDS OF FRIENDSHIP AND SUPPORT OFTEN SPEAK MOST PROFOUNDLY. Post when it is truly important to you and needs to be spoken from the warm heart.
(BUT too much silence or shyness can also be excessive ... so take the Middle Way!)
Also, to those who may get lost among the many threads and conversations in our Forum, please think of a monastery made of wood or brick, with 100 monks holding 10,000 conversations in the hallways, kitchen, Abbot's rooms and library (I assume no chatting in the Zendo where people sit Zazen).
Would you need or want to hear or join in all or most conversations? Of course not! You would, at best, pick and choose the conversations relevant and helpful to you.
So here too in our Sangha, NO NEED TO READ EVERY CONVERSATION: Try to note the ones that seem helpful to your Practice or interests, leave the rest. The above threads are a few suggestions.
Oh, and we do ask folks to note that they have SAT ZAZEN THE PREVIOUS DAY BEFORE POSTING IN THE FORUM (please read about that here):
Gassho, Jundo
SatTodayLAH