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Our Treeleaf Sangha just announced the appointment of our 'Alternate Paths' Shuso, our priest-in-training who will help guide our members with significant health restrictions through the various tasks of our upcoming Jukai (Undertaking the Precepts) and Ango (90 Days of Peaceful Abiding) practice season (Thank you, Onki!
LINK). We will make sure that everyone makes it through the Precepts readings, Rakusu sewing, work practice and, of course, Zazen sittings, even when age or illness of body and mind, hand problems or balance problems, depression and anxiety, pain or poor eyesight seem like hard obstacles. We can modify any activity, find another creative way, to suit the person's restrictions and needs.
The only thing we ask? That the person be sincere and dedicated in doing what they CAN do.
In truth, we are -ALL- 'Alternative Paths' practitioners in our own ways, each of us finding creative ways to make Zen practice fit into our lives of work and home, as parents, partners and people with many duties and time obligations far beyond the protection of monastery walls. We must adjust schedules, fit things in, find ways to find the 'Zen', the 'Samu' work practice and 'Shikantaza,' in our daily routine of meetings, budget calculating and kid chauffeuring, gas pumping, grocery shopping and lawn tending, dish washing and laundry. In fact, the monastery might seem pretty attractive sometimes as a respite from all that!
But in truth, even monks must do their share of meetings, budgets and grocery procuring, gardening and washing, laundry and (if not kid chauffeuring and gas pumping) then visitor tending and candle changing for ceremonies. What is more, there is something especially POWERFUL, beyond a monk's practice, in a householder's practice out in the world (but. as the Buddha frequently noted, also trickier, harder in its way): It is constant opportunity to bring these practices to where life happens, amid the chaos and temptations of daily life. If you can make Zen there, you can make Zen anywhere!
So long are we are sincere and dedicated in doing what we CAN do, it is true and rich practice.
Actually, Master Dogen often seemed to say much the same thing. Oh, there where times when (usually when giving a pep talk to his monks) 'Coach Dogen' would say that being a monk was the only way to go. But at other times (unsurprisingly, when encouraging lay folks) he would encourage lay practice as just as powerful. Dogen Zenji sometimes spoke out of both sides of his no-sided mouth!
A very good example is in the 'Ango' portion of Shobogenzo. There, after laying out page after page of Ango procedures and ritual steps in excruciating detail, demanding precision and near perfection in following those procedures, Dogen did a very surprising thing: He told the story of someone who broke the rules, but did so in a sincere and dedicated way, and that's okay. In the story, Manjushri shows up at the monastery on the very last day of the 90-day Ango. Manjushri says that he did Ango too, but at three other places outside the temple, traditionally said to be a "demon's palace," a rich man's house and, of all places, a bordello!
Mahakasyapa, always a stickler for the rules, is all set to toss Manjushri out of the Ango, and out of the Sangha, for coming so late and doing things wrong. But then the Buddha shows up, stops Mahakasyapa and produces a vision for all to see of myriad Buddhas, countless Mahakasyapas and Manjushris in all directions, declaring that Ango happens at all such places. Master Dogen, repeating the story, added (in his own words and quoting others):
.
In other words, to each their own, so long as they are sincere about it.
Many times in his other writings, Master Dogen would "set down the strict rules," but also toss in surprising stories of someone who broke the rules but did so for seemingly good or sincere reasons. In this case, it took me awhile to get the symbolism of the "three places," but I have come to conclude that Manjushri simply meant that he had practiced "out in the world," a world sometimes filled with the anger and violence of demons, the greed of the money hungry, sexual abuse and misuse, too much alcohol, drugs, rich food and other temptations and possible addictions. What more powerful places to practice moderation, balance and freedom from attachments? His was a most powerful Ango, even if he walked his own "alternative path."
So, do not yearn for monasteries as "the real" place of practice. Where YOU sit and YOU live and YOU work is as real a place of practice as can be.
Oh, do recall that we are Soto Zen Buddhist practitioners, so should try to come as close as we can to Soto Zen Buddhist practices and teachings, even if sometimes more in spirit than in exact form (for example, when we must substitute another balanced and stable posture for the Lotus, or abbreviate full Oryoki chanting to a simple, single "Gassho" and a silent moment most days.) Still, if we are sincere and dedicated in doing so, whole monasteries, all the practice of the Buddhas and Ancestors, is embodied in that other posture, in the single Gassho and silence.
So, please walk your own 'alternative path,' but just be sincere and dedicated about it too.
I wish everyone a good and rewarding Jukai and Ango season this year.
Gassho, J
stlah
Our Treeleaf Sangha just announced the appointment of our 'Alternate Paths' Shuso, our priest-in-training who will help guide our members with significant health restrictions through the various tasks of our upcoming Jukai (Undertaking the Precepts) and Ango (90 Days of Peaceful Abiding) practice season (Thank you, Onki!
LINK). We will make sure that everyone makes it through the Precepts readings, Rakusu sewing, work practice and, of course, Zazen sittings, even when age or illness of body and mind, hand problems or balance problems, depression and anxiety, pain or poor eyesight seem like hard obstacles. We can modify any activity, find another creative way, to suit the person's restrictions and needs.The only thing we ask? That the person be sincere and dedicated in doing what they CAN do.
In truth, we are -ALL- 'Alternative Paths' practitioners in our own ways, each of us finding creative ways to make Zen practice fit into our lives of work and home, as parents, partners and people with many duties and time obligations far beyond the protection of monastery walls. We must adjust schedules, fit things in, find ways to find the 'Zen', the 'Samu' work practice and 'Shikantaza,' in our daily routine of meetings, budget calculating and kid chauffeuring, gas pumping, grocery shopping and lawn tending, dish washing and laundry. In fact, the monastery might seem pretty attractive sometimes as a respite from all that!
But in truth, even monks must do their share of meetings, budgets and grocery procuring, gardening and washing, laundry and (if not kid chauffeuring and gas pumping) then visitor tending and candle changing for ceremonies. What is more, there is something especially POWERFUL, beyond a monk's practice, in a householder's practice out in the world (but. as the Buddha frequently noted, also trickier, harder in its way): It is constant opportunity to bring these practices to where life happens, amid the chaos and temptations of daily life. If you can make Zen there, you can make Zen anywhere!
So long are we are sincere and dedicated in doing what we CAN do, it is true and rich practice.
Actually, Master Dogen often seemed to say much the same thing. Oh, there where times when (usually when giving a pep talk to his monks) 'Coach Dogen' would say that being a monk was the only way to go. But at other times (unsurprisingly, when encouraging lay folks) he would encourage lay practice as just as powerful. Dogen Zenji sometimes spoke out of both sides of his no-sided mouth!
A very good example is in the 'Ango' portion of Shobogenzo. There, after laying out page after page of Ango procedures and ritual steps in excruciating detail, demanding precision and near perfection in following those procedures, Dogen did a very surprising thing: He told the story of someone who broke the rules, but did so in a sincere and dedicated way, and that's okay. In the story, Manjushri shows up at the monastery on the very last day of the 90-day Ango. Manjushri says that he did Ango too, but at three other places outside the temple, traditionally said to be a "demon's palace," a rich man's house and, of all places, a bordello!
Mahakasyapa, always a stickler for the rules, is all set to toss Manjushri out of the Ango, and out of the Sangha, for coming so late and doing things wrong. But then the Buddha shows up, stops Mahakasyapa and produces a vision for all to see of myriad Buddhas, countless Mahakasyapas and Manjushris in all directions, declaring that Ango happens at all such places. Master Dogen, repeating the story, added (in his own words and quoting others):.
A great elephant does not play about in the narrow path that a rabbit makes,
And what could a little bird know of a great wild swan
It was just as if Mahakasyapa had created a new way of
putting the Matter whilst staying within the rules and regulations;
It was just as if Manjushri had grabbed a flying arrow
within his teeth, having already broken the target.
The whole universe is one with Manjushri;
The whole universe is one with Mahakasyapa.
... So, the World-honored One’s doing the summer retreat in one place
is equivalent to Manjushri’s doing it in three places,
and neither is not doing the summer retreat.
And what could a little bird know of a great wild swan
It was just as if Mahakasyapa had created a new way of
putting the Matter whilst staying within the rules and regulations;
It was just as if Manjushri had grabbed a flying arrow
within his teeth, having already broken the target.
The whole universe is one with Manjushri;
The whole universe is one with Mahakasyapa.
... So, the World-honored One’s doing the summer retreat in one place
is equivalent to Manjushri’s doing it in three places,
and neither is not doing the summer retreat.
In other words, to each their own, so long as they are sincere about it.
Many times in his other writings, Master Dogen would "set down the strict rules," but also toss in surprising stories of someone who broke the rules but did so for seemingly good or sincere reasons. In this case, it took me awhile to get the symbolism of the "three places," but I have come to conclude that Manjushri simply meant that he had practiced "out in the world," a world sometimes filled with the anger and violence of demons, the greed of the money hungry, sexual abuse and misuse, too much alcohol, drugs, rich food and other temptations and possible addictions. What more powerful places to practice moderation, balance and freedom from attachments? His was a most powerful Ango, even if he walked his own "alternative path."
So, do not yearn for monasteries as "the real" place of practice. Where YOU sit and YOU live and YOU work is as real a place of practice as can be.
Oh, do recall that we are Soto Zen Buddhist practitioners, so should try to come as close as we can to Soto Zen Buddhist practices and teachings, even if sometimes more in spirit than in exact form (for example, when we must substitute another balanced and stable posture for the Lotus, or abbreviate full Oryoki chanting to a simple, single "Gassho" and a silent moment most days.) Still, if we are sincere and dedicated in doing so, whole monasteries, all the practice of the Buddhas and Ancestors, is embodied in that other posture, in the single Gassho and silence.So, please walk your own 'alternative path,' but just be sincere and dedicated about it too.
I wish everyone a good and rewarding Jukai and Ango season this year.
Gassho, J
stlah
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