[Zen Teachings in Challenging Times] - (2) - Impact: Accidental Zen - Shosan Austin

[Jundo]

Dear All,

In anticipation of our honored guest next weekend ...

A Special Treeleaf Event with Shosan Victoria Austin ..Impact: Accidental Zen (LINK)

... let us read her essay, from page 35, "Impact: Accidental Zen -- How the Three Pure Precepts Trained Me to Heal Self and Others."

How might the Three Pure Precepts guide you in health or other difficulties that you are facing or have faced in your life? What have you learned from Shosan's story about facing such times?

For those waiting for their ordered book, still considering purchase, or unable to afford or obtain the book, I have made a PDF version available here:

https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...those-who-need

Gassho, Jundo

stlah

[aprapti]

reading her story made me speechless.. nine bows for Shosan Austin sensei.


aprapti


sat

[Veronica]

So inspirational. I didn't know about the three pure precepts. It was great to read how she was able to rethink the precepts to fit her specific situation and to guide her. Very amazing.
These three pure precepts are helpful in my current situation of starting a new job in health care. Focusing on those makes it seem meaningful and helps me to tap into the beneficial aspects rather than nervousness about details. I can focus on "cultivating good" and "benefitting beings".
Veronica
Stlah

[paulashby]

She asks on page 43,"How could I teach when I felt less able than I had as a child?" Austin is
a master teacher. I read this book when it came out in 2018 and hers was the chapter that I could
never forget. A true teacher of courage, determination, dedication to zazen in a hospital bed and
throughout 32 medical conditions not to mention the five broken teeth and nerve damage to her
throat. How can I ever forget the inner strength of Shosan Austin? When I read this five years ago
I felt shock,then sadness,then deep respect and admiration. Few people could endure such suffering
without falling into places where depression,rage and self-pity become their focal consciousness.
She does not say it directly but zazen and the three pure precepts saved her life. Read between the
lines and she says this from many perspectives in her survival-recovery-treatment-ongoing pain.
For me, the three pure precepts provide a path out of self-pity and give the push to serve and help
others. When I have felt down about some usual temporary problem the way to restore well being
is through acts of compassion and care. Studies have shown that even random acts of kindness
provide a sense of grace and goodness for the giver.
Yes, being good is often a benefit for giver-receiver and zen would erase such distinctions and labels.

May those who read Austin's essay carry it with them on this life journey.
Gassho, peace, Paul Ashby sat lah

[Jundo]

She asks on page 43,"How could I teach when I felt less able than I had as a child?" Austin is
a master teacher. I read this book when it came out in 2018 and hers was the chapter that I could
never forget. A true teacher of courage, determination, dedication to zazen in a hospital bed and
throughout 32 medical conditions not to mention the five broken teeth and nerve damage to her
throat. How can I ever forget the inner strength of Shosan Austin? When I read this five years ago
I felt shock,then sadness,then deep respect and admiration. Few people could endure such suffering
without falling into places where depression,rage and self-pity become their focal consciousness.
She does not say it directly but zazen and the three pure precepts saved her life. Read between the
lines and she says this from many perspectives in her survival-recovery-treatment-ongoing pain.
For me, the three pure precepts provide a path out of self-pity and give the push to serve and help
others. When I have felt down about some usual temporary problem the way to restore well being
is through acts of compassion and care. Studies have shown that even random acts of kindness
provide a sense of grace and goodness for the giver.
Yes, being good is often a benefit for giver-receiver and zen would erase such distinctions and labels.

May those who read Austin's essay carry it with them on this life journey.
Gassho, peace, Paul Ashby sat lah

May I quote some of this in encouraging folks on facebook to come to the talk, Paul?

Gassho, J

stlah

[DanM]

What an amazingly resilient and inspiring person Shosan Austin is! I can't imagine going through what she has and facing it with such courage. One of the things she does really well in this reading is show how the precepts aren't just a rigid set of rules or proscriptions to follow, but are instead a dynamic guide for practicing in every day life, encouraging us to reflect on our life-situation and evaluate what refraining from all ill, cultivating all good and benefitting all beings means in any given moment. It is remarkable enough that her first instinct after the 2nd accident was to worry that she couldn't help others any more, but to then re-evaluate what that means and use her recovery to actualise the 3 pure precepts is truly inspiring. I look forward to her talk on the weekend.

Gassho ,
Dan
ST/LAH

[Houzan]

Tried to read this chapter two months ago. Got a full blown anxiety attack while reading it. Had to stop halfway in the chapter. Really hit something in me. The helplessness she must have felt. Stirred me up good. Will try again and hopefully get through the whole chapter. My take so far: she is in the “champions league” of letting go.

Gassho2 Michael
Satlah

[Onkai]

What an amazing essay about overcoming. It makes me rethink the Pure Precepts and how they can be practiced and what it means to dwell on them. What a wonderful practice she shares.

Gassho,
Onkai

[Naiko]

When I first read this essay awhile ago, I was so moved by Shosan’s story I don’t think I even registered how masterfully she used the Three Pure Precepts as an anchor. Again and again she returns to them with such patience, steadfastness, and curiosity. I especially took note of her efforts not to cause herself harm and setback by forcing progress. That can only be done by really staying with what is, not what one wants. There’s a great lesson in taking refuge in a simple (but not easy), direct root teaching like the Pure Precepts.
Gassho,
Naiko
st lah

[Kokuu]

Dear all

When I first read this book, Shosan Victoria's chapter was one of the stand out ones for me and it continues to have a strong impact as I read it again today. The compounding effect of trauma on trauma must be so hard to endure. I am reminded of the Zen saying - fall down seven, get up eight, but the reality of doing that after severe trauma cannot be overstated.

I love this reflection:

Suddenly the intuition arose that if my lifetime practice was true, it was true right now. When could a practice be tested more than in a catastrophe?

Sometimes it can seem that when things go wrong it means that our practice is not working but that is not the case. Practice is here to meet whatever arises, good or bad. Sometimes it cab change things and sometimes it allows us just to be with what is. My own health condition is in a state of slow decline so I don't practice to change that (although I would not be upset if that happened!) but rather to be intimate with it.

As others have said, Shosan's use of the three pure precepts is incredibly skillful and I think that at times like this making practice really simple is important. We can hold one or two elements of practice that contain its core and focus on those. One of those for me is 'Not knowing is most intimate' (from The Book of Serenity koan 20) and sinking deeply into that not knowing and resting in the intimacy of immediate experience rather than latching onto the part of my brain which wants to figure things out and know how the story ends.

Another is the vow to save all sentient beings, which is similar to Shosan's third pure precept, and asking what that looks like in this very moment. Does it mean taking care of myself or looking outside of myself to see how I can support others using the reality of my circumstances? Sometimes those two are one and the same.

Shosan's determination and dedication shine through this chapter and her experience has clearly added to her ability to teach and connect with others. She notes on p43, "My students tell me that I am a far better teacher than before" and how else are we to understand and embody the truth of suffering other than to live through it? It is also clear that the same three pure precepts that took her through the darkest parts of healing still guide her steps today.

I am really looking forward to Saturday's zazenkai with Shosan and thank Jundo for inviting her to talk to us about this.

Apologies for running long.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Kotei]

A very inspiring read.
Looking forward to attending Shosan's talk tomorrow.

Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Tokan]

hey everyone

It sure is an important teaching that we save all sentient beings through saving ourselves, this seems to be part of the teaching that is Shosan Austin's life.

Gassho, Tokan

satlah

[Risho]

wow

This would be a good passage to read during jukai study imho

gassho

risho
-stlah

[Tairin]

No words, just deep respect



Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Houzan]

Wasn’t able to join live, but watched this last night. A great teaching. Thank you, Jundo, for setting this up.

Gassho2 Michael
Sat