Zazen for Beginners Series: THREAD for QUESTIONS, COMMENTS

[Seibu]

The 6th video has been a real mind-opener because it was something I didn't quite understand. In my mind and daily life both sides of the same coin clashed sometimes because I didn't know how to unify them. Your insightful video also reminded me of a part of Mumon's verse found below the koan Pai Chang's Fox:


Not falling, not evading--

two faces of the same die.

Not evading, not falling--

a thousand mistakes, ten thousand mistakes.

Quoted from The Gateless Barrier (Robert Aitken)



Thank you for sharing.

Gassho

Kakedashi


SatToday

[Beakon]

I found this thread this morning after yoga class. There has been difficulties with my practice in zazen. I am attending a kundalini yoga class that's run by my friend Jitendradas. The aim is to help me not master yoga, but to help me be determined to wake up in the morning and exercise. I am hoping I will learn in Shikantaza what do do about falling asleep all the time this year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jundo]

Please forgive me if I post in the wrong place ...

You are in JUST the right place. Always so.

If you need some help to find your way around the halls and closets of our little electric monastery ...

FEELING LOST AROUND THE COMMUNITY? Contact our "SANGHA BUDDHIES"

https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?15768-FEELING-LOST-AROUND-THE-COMMUNITY-Contact-our-SANGHA-BUDDHIES

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

[MMorr]

Still having a heck of a time navigating this forum- still, like a blind squirrel, I am occasionally finding the nut! Please forgive me if I post in the wrong place until I get this figured out.

I am up to video 6 of the Intro series. Must stop to comment! These are truly wonderful lessons!!!!! Uniquely so for me. I was one of Fr. Pat Hawk's students in the Zen Desert Sangha in AZ for several years before he passed. I entered that relationship and training on an inner calling but no experience with zen at all. And Roshi's style was indescribably hands-off and yet laser clear in dokusan as I discovered the challenges of zazen. I read many many books, but it was two years in, when in utter frustration, I brought them all in a paper sack to the zendo and donated them. He said, "Good! Now we can begin." Not because I had read enough, but because I saw the futility of intellectualizing and was ready to experience.

All that frustration, and giving up on habitual intellectualizing were for me, a necessary part of the learning how to just sit. Obviously not for everyone, but yes, for me. Your clear and generously well prepared videos complete the picture and clarify the soto tradition more fully. I believe the Diamond Sangha lineage in which I began is somewhat different, though not greatly.

I believe I have stepped in to a manageable new kind of practice here- doing this online. I have not been able to find a "compatible" zen master. I was trained out of all the ideological stuff, the guided meditations, the concepts, the dogmas, and I never found another teacher who could teach with so few words as my skillful first zen master. Perhaps many of us have a hard time finding another teacher if we lose our first one.

I am old enough now that travels and retreat/sesshins are difficult. So I thank you for these wonderful lessons, in which I have learned much already in just 6 video lessons, even after several years of active practice. Once I figure out to navigate this complex forum and website, I'll be up and running and trying to find out how to do a live sit. Now I will proceed with the beginners lessons. And beginning my daily sits at home. My goodness, I have lived long enough to be able to do this! Imagine that.

Gassho
MMorr

[Jundo]

Jundo, have you considered creating some playlists on YouTube? Would make going from talk to talk a whole lot easer. Other than that nitpicking, this has been fantastic, thank you so much!

edit: Here is a playlist in the meantime if anyone would like it https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...dOg9CsUuYSCtDZ

Thank you for the suggestion.

I would like folks to read the accompanying text explanations for each video, however, and I think that the playlist by itself only gives the video talk without the accompanying written explanation. So, we have this list ...

https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?14896-Sit-a-Long-with-Jundo-Zazen-for-Beginners-%28INTRODUCTION%29-Begin-Here%21

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Vanayr]

Jundo, have you considered creating some playlists on YouTube? Would make going from talk to talk a whole lot easer. Other than that nitpicking, this has been fantastic, thank you so much!

edit: Here is a playlist in the meantime if anyone would like it https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...dOg9CsUuYSCtDZ

Hoya Shingen,
Unfortunately I was called in a bit early to work that time. I am absolutely going to keep making attempts until it works out. I thought that too, but I ended up sitting for about an hour with no bells.

Called into work? Geezzzz ... don't they know zazen always comes first? LOL =)

No worries, keep at it and let me know what happens. If you and I need to do a test run to make sure all the bells are working, we can do that too. Keep me posted. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[dialectbird]

Cool, thank you. I have added you to my sitting group just in case ...

Also, did yah get a chance to sit today online and what was the outcome? Are you getting into a room and it is just that no one is there?

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

Hoya Shingen,
Unfortunately I was called in a bit early to work that time. I am absolutely going to keep making attempts until it works out. I thought that too, but I ended up sitting for about an hour with no bells.

Shingen,
My name is Dale, and here’s the link.

https://plus.google.com/113895207268648791993

Cool, thank you. I have added you to my sitting group just in case ...

Also, did yah get a chance to sit today online and what was the outcome? Are you getting into a room and it is just that no one is there?

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[dialectbird]

Shingen,
My name is Dale, and here’s the link.

https://plus.google.com/113895207268648791993

DB may need to be added to the Google Circle if he is not already. I remember I could not see your links until I was part of the circle.


Sat2day

Hey DB .... can you give me your real name and Google+ profile url please. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[Troy]

Sounds good ... I see you are in the PST time zone. I sit at 7pm PST, maybe you can try then as well? But do let me know what happens today and with what sitting time and host please. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

DB may need to be added to the Google Circle if he is not already. I remember I could not see your links until I was part of the circle.


Sat2day

Hiya Shingen,
I have tried sitting with groups from that link as well as the other one that has a green heading, but each to no avail. I’ll try again today at four, and if that doesn’t work I’ll let you know.
Thank you very much.
Gassho
合掌
DB

Sounds good ... I see you are in the PST time zone. I sit at 7pm PST, maybe you can try then as well? But do let me know what happens today and with what sitting time and host please. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[dialectbird]

Hiya Troy,
Yeah, I’ve been trying to sit with any group sitting really for some time, but neither my phone nor computer are working. I don’t think I’ve tried using Chrome on my computer, but I’ll give that a shot first today, and see what happens.
Gassho
合掌
DB

[dialectbird]

Hiya Shingen,
I have tried sitting with groups from that link as well as the other one that has a green heading, but each to no avail. I’ll try again today at four, and if that doesn’t work I’ll let you know.
Thank you very much.
Gassho
合掌
DB