WHAT IS ZEN? - Chap 9 - Stages of Practice - P. 122 to End

[Kotei]

Hello,

hey Seishin, to me, you’re not „in the shadows“, but very much out in the light.
Each day, we sit together with the help of the FSR in the first morning light.
You’re an important part of what makes me feel Treeleaf Sangha more directly.

Regarding the priest/lay advancing/stages question…
I do think that there are kind of stages in understanding, like shown in the Ten ox herding pictures, but I don’t see them in a chronological order and not connected to priesthood in any way, either.

Some years ago, I thought differently about what a priest is and what it does, than I do now.
- being committed deeply to the way
- living in accordance with the precepts as much as I can
- practice being a central part of life
- a more formal practice (chanting/bowing/etc)
- study the Dharma
- sewing/wearing the Kesa
- sharing practice with others
- doing good for others, not just myself
- be humble not arrogant, see everyone and everything as Buddha, try to help!, be present with what is in front of you (like Norman said in the talk Q&As)

considering if the path of priesthood is something for myself, I found out that there is no need to wait until a possible moment in the future.
Start NOW, right away.

So what seems different with priesthood?

You can live together a happy, committed life with your loved one, or you can choose a different type of commitment and formally marry.
Despite some legal differences, some feel it also as a different, formal way of commitment and this changes something for them.
I feel priesthood a little bit like that. A formal commitment for life, good or bad times.
If you don’t see such as restriction, you can imho find support and a kind of relief and even freedom.
A bit of love to doing it the traditional way, finding meaning in symbols and symbolic thinking might be involved, too.
A focus on ‚properly‘ and formally guided learning in a certain way may be of benefit to some.
More focus on taking our way of teaching and learning one step further into the next generation, spreading the word.
Being of service to the Sangha.

I enjoyed listening to Norman’s answer on this topic in the Q&A of his talk at Treeleaf from 1:01:00 on: https://www.youtube.com/embed/2UMrdkjYmWY?start=3661

Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Geika]

I watched a video of an ordination, and when one of the new unsui was asked what it meant to them to be a priest, they responded with something like, "Well, I'm living publicly now." Their teacher mentioned also that, "Many people think that becoming a priest is something extraordinary, but it is really to become very ordinary." Both of those sentiments have stuck with me for a while on the matter.

Gassho, sat today, lah

[Meitou]

I apologise for being late for this discussion, I've been without a fully functioning computer for a couple of weeks now and have had to resurrect this old one that I'm using at the moment, not perfect by any means, but better than nothing at all.
When I've thought about what priesthood might mean, I think that the overriding definition for me is of someone who sincerely wants to dedicate their practice to others. I would imagine it being a great responsibility but also a fulfilment. It's something that perhaps in another life, at another time, I would have aspired to. I try not to feel sorry that I came home to Buddhism so late in life and that the conditions of my life now wouldn't permit me to enter into any kind of training; rather I take the conditions of my life as a framework for practising as well as I can. Here in Treeleaf we are blessed to have such wonderful unsui, I look up to them all and sincerely feel that I could approach any of them for guidance. I like that our priests are householders, they are better able to understand the challenges that the rest of us meet on a daily basis.

The one thing that stood out for me in this chapter ( unfortunately!) was how downcast I felt when I read this..

There is something about Zen that you can only fully appreciate when you have had the chance to do a residential practice period, several if possible........Sesshins are very important in Zen, essential probably.

It's very unlikely that I'll ever be able to attend either a residential practice or a sesshin - does that make me less of a practitioner? Am I missing out on something very important? Well, no to the first question, but I'm not sure about the second. I try not to let it worry me, but I admit that I do feel it's something I would love to experience. Having said that, I don't personally feel that not attending sesshin or residential retreat is detrimental to my practice.

The Rohatsu that we have here once a year is very important to me for that reason, I do become fully immersed in it and while I know I can do home retreats by myself, there's something about Rohatsu, the way we are all together, that makes it so special and inclusive. I would love it if we could do this kind of online retreat more than once a year, although I do understand it's a huge undertaking. I wonder if there would be any interest from other Treeleafers in group retreats, a weekend for example?

I did love Norman's description of feeding his kids in the wheelbarrow because it was easy to hose it down afterwards - hilarious!

Gassho
Meitou
satwithyoualltoday lah

[Jundo]

It's very unlikely that I'll ever be able to attend either a residential practice or a sesshin - does that make me less of a practitioner? Am I missing out on something very important? Well, no to the first question, but I'm not sure about the second. I try not to let it worry me, but I admit that I do feel it's something I would love to experience. Having said that, I don't personally feel that not attending sesshin or residential retreat is detrimental to my practice.

The Rohatsu that we have here once a year is very important to me for that reason, I do become fully immersed in it and while I know I can do home retreats by myself, there's something about Rohatsu, the way we are all together, that makes it so special and inclusive. I would love it if we could do this kind of online retreat more than once a year, although I do understand it's a huge undertaking. I wonder if there would be any interest from other Treeleafers in group retreats, a weekend for example?

I did love Norman's description of feeding his kids in the wheelbarrow because it was easy to hose it down afterwards - hilarious!

Gassho
Meitou
satwithyoualltoday lah

I will tell you how I feel about that. One of our Unsui(priests in training) is having some health issues, and feels that he/she cannot join enough into some practice lessons we are doing on how to open the Bowing cloth and Bow, a traditional Soto Zen priestly skill for any ceremony. I told him/her that if one could (in an extreme case) only move one's little finger because paralyzed and confined in bed, then that one motion of the little finger is all the Bows of the universe, all the Ceremony one needs if done with just the right heart. And, if one cannot even move a finger, then I suppose that the heart alone is enough.

On the other hand, someone going to all the retreats in the world with the clutching attitude of heading to the mall or going out on a hunt may miss that heart completely.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Nengei]

I will tell you how I feel about that. One of our Unsui(priests in training) is having some health issues, and feels that he/she cannot join enough into some practice lessons we are doing on how to open the Bowing cloth and Bow, a traditional Soto Zen priestly skill for any ceremony. I told him/her that if one could (in an extreme case) only move one's little finger because paralyzed and confined in bed, then that one motion of the little finger is all the Bows of the universe, all the Ceremony one needs if done with just the right heart. And, if one cannot even move a finger, then I suppose that the heart alone is enough.

On the other hand, someone going to all the retreats in the world with the clutching attitude of heading to the mall or going out on a hunt may miss that heart completely.

Gassho, J

STLah

Nine bows in your direction.

Gassho,
然芸 Nengei
Sat today. LAH.
You deserve to be happy.
You deserve to be loved.

[Meitou]

I will tell you how I feel about that. One of our Unsui(priests in training) is having some health issues, and feels that he/she cannot join enough into some practice lessons we are doing on how to open the Bowing cloth and Bow, a traditional Soto Zen priestly skill for any ceremony. I told him/her that if one could (in an extreme case) only move one's little finger because paralyzed and confined in bed, then that one motion of the little finger is all the Bows of the universe, all the Ceremony one needs if done with just the right heart. And, if one cannot even move a finger, then I suppose that the heart alone is enough.

On the other hand, someone going to all the retreats in the world with the clutching attitude of heading to the mall or going out on a hunt may miss that heart completely.

Gassho, J

STLah

Yes, I agree with you 100%, and as I wrote, I don't believe that not being able to participate in sesshin /retreats is in any way detrimental to my practice.
I think that it's more that sometimes I feel a kind of spiritual loneliness, a sensation of isolation, truly living my Dharma name. But I also feel that this is an important part of my practice, perhaps more than I fully realise. It's also why Treeleaf is so vitally important to me. Slightly off topic but I was reading this touching article by Norman this morning on the importance of spiritual friends.

https://www.lionsroar.com/friends-buddhist-path/?mc_cid=28147cdbdf&mc_eid=43240defdb

Thank you Jundo
Gassho
Meitou
Satwithyoualltoday lah

[Tairin]

I agree with you Meitou about the importance of Treeleaf to combat “spiritual loneliness”. (Great term by the way). I have found that Treeleaf is far more vital to my practice than I ever would have guessed when I first joined. Who knew that Sangha was as important as Buddha and Dharma?


Tairin
Sat today and lah