The Backwards Wisdom of Shikantaza

[Dogukan]

Thank you Jundo, it's always inspiring to read your explanations on Shikantaza.

Gassho, Doğukan.
Sat.

[Rikishin]

Wonderful!

Thank you Jundo, this is a wonderful note, an "anthem" without compelling one to stand - just sit!


Frank
ST

[Koushi]

Gassho,
Koushi
STLaH

[Tomás ESP]

remember that "noise is just noise," the disturbance is largely between your own ears.

Gassho, Tomás
Sat&LaH

[Jundo]

Classic teaching by Suzuki Roshi on noise and sound ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have never listened to Suzuki Roshi's wonderful talk on the difference between "sound" and "noise," please do. (Spoiler Alert: basically, this difference is our judgment and reaction between one's ears).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHNyCAJXUXE

Except in extreme situations where excess noise can actually be harmful to the ears, sleep cycle and the like, we just sit in equanimity and acceptance.

On the other hand, Zazen sitting time also is a partial sensory deprivation experience when we can. Master Dogen recommended this in Fukanzazengi ...

For practicing Zen, a quiet room is suitable. Eat and drink moderately. Put aside all involvements and suspend all affairs.

The reason is that, while there is absolutely no difference between silence and noise/stillness and motion/peace and disturbance apart from the human heart and our human measures, sitting as we can in a quiet and still way helps us better realize so. Ultimately, however, the real "Peace and Stillness" is in our heart, between our ears, and not a matter of the outside environment.

So, in our "always beginners" series of talks, I recommended this ...

Most days, we’d best sit Zazen in a quiet room, with little noise and few distractions. The reason is simply that a peaceful, still, quiet environment helps us allow the mind to become peaceful, still and quiet, with thoughts and emotions drifting away as the mind settles down.

But once in awhile, maybe every couple of weeks or so, I recommend that you sit Zazen in a truly disturbing place.

https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...nners-%2821%29

On the other hand, if usually sitting in noisy places, sometimes seek out quieter places. Mix it up.

Thus, in our Zen Way, there were times to sit in the city, times to head to the mountains and a quiet hut.

However, in fact, there is no perfectly quiet place. At our Zendo in Tsukuba, for our Saturday morning Zazenkai, birds can usually be heard chirping prettily in the surrounding trees ... but also, a truck or cars will frequently be heard rushing down the nearby road, carpenters banging fixing a neighbors roof, or a military helicopter passing overhead (I do not know why, but our house must be on some route they use to one of the nearby bases). It has become one of the most powerful teaching tools I have for new students. I tell them that it is not to think "Oh, the birds are very lovely and peaceful ... but the trucks and helicopters disturb my nice Zazen". Rather, "the birds are singing as birds ... the trucks are trucks ... the copter just copters. Do not think one pleasant but the other ugly or detracting from the atmosphere. Then, there is a certain quiet and stillness that one can come hear behind and sounding right through all the sounds and noise."

I learned this sitting many a morning at Nishijima Roshi's old Zendo ... located right next to a NOISY child's playground and a highway. At Taisoji temple, it was traffic sounds from the street outside and the train passing every few minutes. There are really no quiet Zendos or monasteries. Oh, sure, there are the moments of bird tweets and breezes, but then there are stomach rumbles, shuffling feet in the hall, kyosaku stick strikes. When I was sitting at Sojiji Head Monastery, the loudspeaker pages during Zazen ... "Yamamoto Roshi, Call on Line 3." Trucks outside, not to mention my tinnitus which is always there.

CONCLUSION: There has never been perfect quiet until the heart is quiet amid any noise. Thus, we sit "as what is," in equanimity and non-resistance even in "noisy" places (absent some extreme, harmful noise that can be avoided, and even with such noise if it cannot be avoided!). At other times, please seek out still and quiet places to sit (although know that, even then, there is not true silence unless the heart is still and silent). Mix it up, sitting in all kinds of places.

[Guest]

The Backwards Wisdom of Shikantaza

Thank you Jundo.


[emoji4][emoji120]

Gassho
Bobby
SatTodayLAH


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[enis]

Thank you, Jundo.

Gassho.
Enis
SatTodayLAH

[Suuko]

Classic teaching by Suzuki Roshi on noise and sound ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have never listened to Suzuki Roshi's wonderful talk on the difference between "sound" and "noise," please do. (Spoiler Alert: basically, this difference is our judgment and reaction between one's ears).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHNyCAJXUXE

Except in extreme situations where excess noise can actually be harmful to the ears, sleep cycle and the like, we just sit in equanimity and acceptance.

On the other hand, Zazen sitting time also is a partial sensory deprivation experience when we can. Master Dogen recommended this in Fukanzazengi ...

For practicing Zen, a quiet room is suitable. Eat and drink moderately. Put aside all involvements and suspend all affairs.

The reason is that, while there is absolutely no difference between silence and noise/stillness and motion/peace and disturbance apart from the human heart and our human measures, sitting as we can in a quiet and still way helps us better realize so. Ultimately, however, the real "Peace and Stillness" is in our heart, between our ears, and not a matter of the outside environment.

So, in our "always beginners" series of talks, I recommended this ...



On the other hand, if usually sitting in noisy places, sometimes seek out quieter places. Mix it up.

Thus, in our Zen Way, there were times to sit in the city, times to head to the mountains and a quiet hut.

However, in fact, there is no perfectly quiet place. At our Zendo in Tsukuba, for our Saturday morning Zazenkai, birds can usually be heard chirping prettily in the surrounding trees ... but also, a truck or cars will frequently be heard rushing down the nearby road, carpenters banging fixing a neighbors roof, or a military helicopter passing overhead (I do not know why, but our house must be on some route they use to one of the nearby bases). It has become one of the most powerful teaching tools I have for new students. I tell them that it is not to think "Oh, the birds are very lovely and peaceful ... but the trucks and helicopters disturb my nice Zazen". Rather, "the birds are singing as birds ... the trucks are trucks ... the copter just copters. Do not think one pleasant but the other ugly or detracting from the atmosphere. Then, there is a certain quiet and stillness that one can come hear behind and sounding right through all the sounds and noise."

I learned this sitting many a morning at Nishijima Roshi's old Zendo ... located right next to a NOISY child's playground and a highway. At Taisoji temple, it was traffic sounds from the street outside and the train passing every few minutes. There are really no quiet Zendos or monasteries. Oh, sure, there are the moments of bird tweets and breezes, but then there are stomach rumbles, shuffling feet in the hall, kyosaku stick strikes. When I was sitting at Sojiji Head Monastery, the loudspeaker pages during Zazen ... "Yamamoto Roshi, Call on Line 3." Trucks outside, not to mention my tinnitus which is always there.

CONCLUSION: There has never been perfect quiet until the heart is quiet amid any noise. Thus, we sit "as what is," in equanimity and non-resistance even in "noisy" places (absent some extreme, harmful noise that can be avoided, and even with such noise if it cannot be avoided!). At other times, please seek out still and quiet places to sit (although know that, even then, there is not true silence unless the heart is still and silent). Mix it up, sitting in all kinds of places.

As an experiment, I am going to choose the worse music for me and listen to it while I keep my equanimity and sit Zazen.

Gassho,
Sat,
Lah,
Suuko.

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[Jundo]

As an experiment, I am going to choose the worse music for me and listen to it while I keep my equanimity and sit Zazen.

Gassho,
Sat,
Lah,
Suuko.

No, no. Even I can't do that!

https://youtu.be/i_WEMCUhF0E

Gassho, J

STLah

[aprapti]

No, no. Even I can't do that!

... but you are a zenmaster! Hakuin: but not a dead one



aprapti

sat

[Inshin]

No, no. Even I can't do that!

https://youtu.be/i_WEMCUhF0E

Gassho, J

STLah

Still better than ABBA

Gassho
Sat

[Theophan]

Jundo, Thank you.
Gassho
SAT
Theophan

[Anchi]

[DGF]

Thank you for the lesson Sensei,


SaToday
Diana

[Woz]

Thank you

Gassho, Warren

Sat Today