Hello, friends.
I am not much of a thread starter, really and I am very much one of the "stick to the 3 sentence rule" folks, which is why I will be as brief as possible here
Treeleaf is, like any other Zen Sangha, Center or Dojo, a place of practice and study, which means the main reason we come is to join in the core practice of Soto Zen Buddhism, Shikantaza Zazen, to learn about the Dharma and to do that in company of likeminded practitioners. Sangha is one of the three jewels the Buddha mentioned, at the same level as Buddha and Dharma and it is one of the refuges available to us as well. That is not a small thing and our practice is maintained and supported by Sangha and in turn our practice builds and maintains Sangha! Given that Treeleaf is an open digital space and that the tides of practitioners rise and fall continuously, I figured this is a good as time as any for a little reminder of what we offer at Treeleaf to support community practice!
Our core events are the Weekly and Monthly Zazenkai, where the sangha gathers for two or more periods of Zazen, kinhin (walking meditation), a short ceremony in the Soto Zen tradition, and for a Dharma talk. Afterwards, those who wish can stay and enjoy a brief period of friendly and informal conversation with Jundo and other members. The Zazenkai is the perfect place to plant roots in the Sangha and to create a bond through practice with other members and our teacher. If we can manage to attend live, we can be actively taking the lead, setting the tone for the event. A warm smile offered sincerely crosses space and time and can brighten someone else's day. A bow given wholeheartedly can be responded from a different corner of the world. The way we sit, move and act can be a valuable encouragement for someone else watching or participating.
Zazen being why we are all here, Treeleaf offers daily opportunities to join the Sangha for zazen over Zoom in our SCHEDULED SITTING ROOM >>; These sessions are hosted by our lay practitioners and unsui. Some groups have been sitting together for many years. A complete list of our daily offerings is continuously available on the Practice Calendar >>;
Sometimes though, because everyone's life circumstances are different, our schedules don't match the offerings in the Sangha. For that reason, we also have an always open FREE SITTING ROOM >> . Think of the FSR as the Zendo always open outside of scheduled events. Joining the FSR for zazen is in part an act of generosity, as we actively offer our practice to others by being present. Most of the time, probably no one is the FSR, but someone might pop in and find us sitting there, and feel encouraged by that, or we might join the room and find someone in there and we can join them, supporting their practice and being precisely what they needed at that moment. Joining the FSR is also a good reminder that we practice in a Sangha and that we should always remain open towards what is offered and what we can offer to others, making no distinction in our mind about here, there, in person or online, effectively transcending space and time, practicing in a boundless space.
Many of our scheduled events are also recorded for later participation and are all available immediately through our YouTube Channel >>; and this way, there is no reason for anyone to miss any talk, event, ceremony or gathering.
Once a week, on Sundays, we offer opportunities to gather as friends and get to know each other, at our Tea Houses. These are valuable opportunities to form bonds and feel more integrated in the Sangha. The Tea Houses happen in our Zoom MEETING ROOM >> . The times for these events can be found, again, in our Practice Calendar
I hope this little description is of use to anyone new or old in the Sangha, still trying to figure out what Treeleaf is all about and how to engage with the Sangha in a more meaningful way. I would like to encourage everyone to use these wonderful tools we have available. Let us all practice together generously supporting each other.
gassho
sat and lah
I am not much of a thread starter, really and I am very much one of the "stick to the 3 sentence rule" folks, which is why I will be as brief as possible here
Treeleaf is, like any other Zen Sangha, Center or Dojo, a place of practice and study, which means the main reason we come is to join in the core practice of Soto Zen Buddhism, Shikantaza Zazen, to learn about the Dharma and to do that in company of likeminded practitioners. Sangha is one of the three jewels the Buddha mentioned, at the same level as Buddha and Dharma and it is one of the refuges available to us as well. That is not a small thing and our practice is maintained and supported by Sangha and in turn our practice builds and maintains Sangha! Given that Treeleaf is an open digital space and that the tides of practitioners rise and fall continuously, I figured this is a good as time as any for a little reminder of what we offer at Treeleaf to support community practice!
Our core events are the Weekly and Monthly Zazenkai, where the sangha gathers for two or more periods of Zazen, kinhin (walking meditation), a short ceremony in the Soto Zen tradition, and for a Dharma talk. Afterwards, those who wish can stay and enjoy a brief period of friendly and informal conversation with Jundo and other members. The Zazenkai is the perfect place to plant roots in the Sangha and to create a bond through practice with other members and our teacher. If we can manage to attend live, we can be actively taking the lead, setting the tone for the event. A warm smile offered sincerely crosses space and time and can brighten someone else's day. A bow given wholeheartedly can be responded from a different corner of the world. The way we sit, move and act can be a valuable encouragement for someone else watching or participating.
Zazen being why we are all here, Treeleaf offers daily opportunities to join the Sangha for zazen over Zoom in our SCHEDULED SITTING ROOM >>; These sessions are hosted by our lay practitioners and unsui. Some groups have been sitting together for many years. A complete list of our daily offerings is continuously available on the Practice Calendar >>;
Sometimes though, because everyone's life circumstances are different, our schedules don't match the offerings in the Sangha. For that reason, we also have an always open FREE SITTING ROOM >> . Think of the FSR as the Zendo always open outside of scheduled events. Joining the FSR for zazen is in part an act of generosity, as we actively offer our practice to others by being present. Most of the time, probably no one is the FSR, but someone might pop in and find us sitting there, and feel encouraged by that, or we might join the room and find someone in there and we can join them, supporting their practice and being precisely what they needed at that moment. Joining the FSR is also a good reminder that we practice in a Sangha and that we should always remain open towards what is offered and what we can offer to others, making no distinction in our mind about here, there, in person or online, effectively transcending space and time, practicing in a boundless space.
Many of our scheduled events are also recorded for later participation and are all available immediately through our YouTube Channel >>; and this way, there is no reason for anyone to miss any talk, event, ceremony or gathering.
Once a week, on Sundays, we offer opportunities to gather as friends and get to know each other, at our Tea Houses. These are valuable opportunities to form bonds and feel more integrated in the Sangha. The Tea Houses happen in our Zoom MEETING ROOM >> . The times for these events can be found, again, in our Practice Calendar
I hope this little description is of use to anyone new or old in the Sangha, still trying to figure out what Treeleaf is all about and how to engage with the Sangha in a more meaningful way. I would like to encourage everyone to use these wonderful tools we have available. Let us all practice together generously supporting each other.
gassho
sat and lah
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