Tonglen Practice Circle 26 July 2020

[Kokuu]

Hello folks,

This Sunday, 26 July 2020, there will be another special guided Tonglen Practice Circle for anyone who wishes to do taking and sending practice for themselves and everyone affected by the current world situation and the fear that goes with it.

This event will occur in the Scheduled Sitting Room (SSR) at 8pm UK time (BST/UST+1) and last for around 35 minutes.

World Times are:

Anchorage (AKDT): 11am
LA (PDT): 12pm
Denver (MDT): 1pm
Houston (CDT): 2pm
New York (EDT): 3pm
London (BST/UST+1): 8pm
Paris/Berlin (UST+2): 9pm
Kyiv (UST+3): 10pm
Bangkok (UST+7): 2am (Monday)
Tokyo (UST+9): 4am (Monday)
Canberra (UST+11): 6am (Monday)
Wellington (UST+13): 8am (Monday)

We hope to see you all there. With Zoom there is plenty of space!

Deep bows,

Kokuu & Washin

[Onka]

Thanks Kokuu
My cat and I enjoyed it. I will be joining you again, I'll have to check the cat's calendar.
Gassho
Onka
st

[Kokuu]

Ha! I hope he/she is free! Lovely to have you there and I hope the rest of your day is a good one!

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Onka]

Comrade Kokuu
This morning I found it odd that we sat 5 minutes for ourselves, 10 minutes for others and finally 5 minutes for all sentient beings. Can you help me understand why each section wasn't even? The way I see it is that our Practice is geared towards the Bodhisattva ideal and that I perhaps naievely see as being the best version of ourselves so we can better serve others. Enlightenment has never been a motivation or consideration for me on this journey believe it or not. I appreciate the focus on acknowledging our own suffering and offering love and compassion towards ourselves for the above reason but why the differentiation between "others" and "all sentient beings"? Again perhaps naively I assume all sentient beings as being all living things on this lump of rock. As such I don't particularly like the divying up so that humans are seemingly more important than other living or inanimate objects that I share the planet with.
Am I being silly, is this "just how it is" or is there traditional/Practice elements that I'm missing?
Sorry for exceeding the 3 sentence guide but I couldn't help it.
Gassho
Onka
Sat today

[Kokuu]

Hi Onka

Tonglen is a traditional practice. Tonglen as practiced at Treeleaf has totally been assigned time slots by me.

The ten minutes is longer than the others because we are aiming to work with a particular person or group of people or organisms that we are drawn to because they seem to need particular attention at this point in time. In traditional practice, you might actually choose a group of people with the same challenges as yourself in order to work with that at both a personal and transpersonal level. You can also choose any kind of sentient being to work with, though, they don't have to be human. Animals, hungry ghosts and demigods are all available! Those affected by coronavirus is jsut the current suggestion.

So anyway, I determined that as deserving of the ten minutes as a way to focus the practice rather than assign arbitrary levels of deservedness or importance.

In traditional metta practice, we start with focus on the self, then widen out to other groups and end with the totality of all sentient beings. I am doing the same here. But it is a totally arbitrary allocation of time based on keeping it to 30 minutes. If we did it for forty, and that is totally possible but might be less accessible to newer folks and folks with family schedules, then you could divvy up each stage into ten minute slots.

So that is the rationale, whether it makes sense or not!

Gassho
Kokuu

[Sekishi]

Recording of today's practice:

https://youtu.be/bZ3pwQHoCQk

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat

[Yokai]

Hi Kokuu, sorry I missed this.
Will Tonglen be a regular weekly session? I was unsure if it was continuing.

Gassho, Chris satLAH

[Kokuu]

Hi Chris

I think Washin missed a week but otherwise we plan on continuing as usual.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Tai Shi]

Pleas Kokuu, when is the next one?
Tai Shi
sat
Gasshu

[Kokuu]

Hi Tai Shi

It should be this coming Sunday. We are generally doing them weekly now.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Tai Shi]

Jundo before you delete this entry, please read my words indicating that I have chosen to undergo brain tumor surgery rather than allow the tumor to diminish my intellect even more. As of last Saturday morning on a scale of 100 points, I scored 88. This is 2 points below average cognition. In high school I was scoring 98 and 99 even 100. Admittedly, accounting for age, I would be lower than my excellent scores. My tumor creates serious cognitive impairments, and I do not want to live like this. In addition, disease has created impairments of pain and health conditions. I have opted to undergo Speech Therapies, Physical Therapies, and Occupational Therapies. My body has become weak, and my mind is slowing. My wife and I will also create needed exercise routines starting sometime next week. I must undergo two periods of convalesces. Now because of imaging my brain tumor, and after surgery. Yet, I will hit the deck running to regain my body and my mind. I already read, poetry, and prose, and after surgery and starting tomorrow, I will resume on my book For Patty Brown... Two months ago I had given up. I ask that you include me in your Tonglen practice, and those of you with Christian and religious leanings please pray for me. I know this will rank up there with my decision walking away from alcoholic beverages and street drugs July 22nd 1987. Thank you my dearest Sangha. Oh Jundo please allow these very important words which took me 67 minutes to write A year ago this would have taken only 30 minutes.
Lovingly
Gassho
sat/ lah

[Jundo]

Jundo before you delete this entry, please read my words indicating that I have chosen to undergo brain tumor surgery rather than allow the tumor to diminish my intellect even more. As of last Saturday morning on a scale of 100 points, I scored 88. This is 2 points below average cognition. In high school I was scoring 98 and 99 even 100. Admittedly, accounting for age, I would be lower than my excellent scores. My tumor creates serious cognitive impairments, and I do not want to live like this. In addition, disease has created impairments of pain and health conditions. I have opted to undergo Speech Therapies, Physical Therapies, and Occupational Therapies. My body has become weak, and my mind is slowing. My wife and I will also create needed exercise routines starting sometime next week. I must undergo two periods of convalesces. Now because of imaging my brain tumor, and after surgery. Yet, I will hit the deck running to regain my body and my mind. I already read, poetry, and prose, and after surgery and starting tomorrow, I will resume on my book For Patty Brown... Two months ago I had given up. I ask that you include me in your Tonglen practice, and those of you with Christian and religious leanings please pray for me. I know this will rank up there with my decision walking away from alcoholic beverages and street drugs July 22nd 1987. Thank you my dearest Sangha. Oh Jundo please allow these very important words which took me 67 minutes to write A year ago this would have taken only 30 minutes.
Lovingly
Gassho
sat/ lah

We are all with you in the operating room, TS. It will be crowded in there.

I look forward to your book. I will be chatting with you by email and pm too.

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Troy]

Jundo before you delete this entry, please read my words indicating that I have chosen to undergo brain tumor surgery rather than allow the tumor to diminish my intellect even more. As of last Saturday morning on a scale of 100 points, I scored 88. This is 2 points below average cognition. In high school I was scoring 98 and 99 even 100. Admittedly, accounting for age, I would be lower than my excellent scores. My tumor creates serious cognitive impairments, and I do not want to live like this. In addition, disease has created impairments of pain and health conditions. I have opted to undergo Speech Therapies, Physical Therapies, and Occupational Therapies. My body has become weak, and my mind is slowing. My wife and I will also create needed exercise routines starting sometime next week. I must undergo two periods of convalesces. Now because of imaging my brain tumor, and after surgery. Yet, I will hit the deck running to regain my body and my mind. I already read, poetry, and prose, and after surgery and starting tomorrow, I will resume on my book For Patty Brown... Two months ago I had given up. I ask that you include me in your Tonglen practice, and those of you with Christian and religious leanings please pray for me. I know this will rank up there with my decision walking away from alcoholic beverages and street drugs July 22nd 1987. Thank you my dearest Sangha. Oh Jundo please allow these very important words which took me 67 minutes to write A year ago this would have taken only 30 minutes.
Lovingly
Gassho
sat/ lah

Praying and sitting with you [emoji1374]


ST