Gudo Wafu

[Chishou]

Hello, sentient beans!

I felt inclined today to write a little about my practice in general, mainly for myself but I wanted to share my experiences.

Having sat semi-regularly with a local group from the OBC/Jiyu Kennett lineage, I felt pulled towards becoming a monk/priest/banger of bells, I stumbled upon TL in Aug '17 in time to join Ango and took Jukai last month, since I have felt strangely at home in the home-less sangha. Jukai was a gentle push into a more dedicated practice, and slowly I have started to sit twice a day, every day, and it is now not separate from daily life. I had also decided to study some literature starting with Brad Warner and moving onto Nishijima Roshi's "To meet the real dragon" (which is a phenomenal read), to work towards Dogen's Shobogenzo. I feel that everything I read seems to come back to something Nishijima has said and I think more like he has become my teacher. Two of the most beautiful teachings by him is his explanation of the autonomic nervous system and the book cover of him wearing his regular clothing and o-kesa.

As I have settled into practice/life, pain has come and gone, as have a lot of thoughts, but time and time again I return to the image of Nishijima in his o-kesa.

Now, my original purpose of this post was to ask if anyone had a picture of Nishijima in normal clothes and an o-kesa I could print to add to my altar.

My Kesa
of sweat and blood
a green shirt

Deep bows to all, ,
Chishou.
Sat.

[Jishin]

Hi Chishou,

I am sure Jundo will drop by and give you his thoughts on the autonomic system as theorized by his teacher. Listen to him.

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_ , LAH

[Jundo]

Hi Chisou,

I am glad you digg Gudo.

Here are a few photos, feel free to use them freely ...

https://www.google.co.jp/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FGYsajIRu9vU%2Fhqdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DGYsajIRu9vU&docid=sxeUYLUoVoHF3M&tbnid=2VbfmOIALz_K8M%3A&vet=10ahUKEwikpaO3z8jZAhWJwLwKHeuKDjoQMwg5KAQwBA..i&w=480&h=360&bih=510&biw=1093&q=gudo%20nishijima&ved=0ahUKEwikpaO3z8jZAhWJwLwKHeuKDjoQMwg5KAQwBA&iact=mrc&uact=8

https://www.google.co.jp/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F_P8Wv8pEaNzo%2FSOxnv5imt8I%2FAAAAAAAAAFg%2FjjK7LM9rzXc%2Fs320%2FGudo%2BNishijima.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fthestupidway.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fgudo-nishijima-on-buddhism-realism.html&docid=D6qRtVuDTmqK9M&tbnid=t0HBUCQo2FiLYM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwikpaO3z8jZAhWJwLwKHeuKDjoQMwhhKCIwIg..i&w=159&h=320&itg=1&bih=510&biw=1093&q=gudo%20nishijima&ved=0ahUKEwikpaO3z8jZAhWJwLwKHeuKDjoQMwhhKCIwIg&iact=mrc&uact=8

https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349090465l/6774156.jpg

https://www.google.co.jp/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsweepingzen.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F03%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsweepingzen.com%2Feight-ways-gudo-wafu-nishijima-will-help-change-zen-buddhism%2F&docid=7cIn2TM6ufFB0M&tbnid=sG2Gzq87X7LHKM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwikpaO3z8jZAhWJwLwKHeuKDjoQMwiRAShSMFI..i&w=1920&h=1080&bih=510&biw=1093&q=gudo%20nishijima&ved=0ahUKEwikpaO3z8jZAhWJwLwKHeuKDjoQMwiRAShSMFI&iact=mrc&uact=8

You may also appreciate his other book which I translated ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heart-Chat-Buddhism-Master-Expanded/dp/0692374337

... also, there is the documentary, free to watch here. I have a cameo or two in the movie. I am the bearded fellow (considerably more hair and less grey) seen about 7:30 of 'Part II' carrying a blackboard saying "REALITY/REALISM" with my other Dharma Brother Peter Rocca. That was during a retreat at our root temple in Japan, the Tokei-in (more on the Tokei-in here ... lovely photos) ...

http://www.treeleaf.org/about-tokei-in/tokei-in-1.html

Brad wrote about it ...

The synopsis on that Dutch film festival's website says:

"I live my Buddhist life from day to day, from moment to moment sometimes in my office, sometimes in my home, sometimes in a temple. In every situation there was just my Buddhist life." Gudo Wafu Nishijima was born in Yokohama, Japan. With a new and fresh approach to the Buddhist view of reality and the sense of balance to the philosophical and scientific investigations from last decades, Master Nishijima gives us the coordinates to start to understand Buddhism with our own method of thinking. He wants to pass the teachings of Buddhism to people all over the world who are searching for "Truth". "We have to say that we live in a succession of moments rather like the frames of a film." In these frames, from the present moment, the documentary is about Master Nishijima´s daily life that is all ready a Buddhist life.

... Watching it again I'd forgotten how good it was. It gives you a very honest look at who Nishijima Roshi was when the film was made. It shows him leading one of his annual retreats in Shizuoka for foreigners. It shows him in Europe giving talks and running a sesshin. It shows him talking to students of his from Israel and Ireland. There's also a wonderful scene of him dragging his suitcase through Tokyo Station. He always insisted on carrying his own stuff when he went on retreats. If you wanted to help him out with his bags you'd have to kind of trick him by grabbing them before he noticed. But he was always very quick.

... The opening scenes were shot one morning at Nishijima's dojo in Chiba prefecture. ...

PART I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G0Pdq1ESf0

PART II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_W-dmbE3po

PART III

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy9ll4d_JLo

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

[Jundo]

Hi Chishou,

I am sure Jundo will drop by and give you his thoughts on the autonomic system as theorized by his teacher. Listen to him.

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_ , LAH

Yes, a bit too much of a good thing perhaps. Here is what I usually say:

My late, dear Teacher (recently departed, yet always with us) was not a scientist, but he was a former runner (long ago) who found a great stability and balance of body-&-mind in Zazen. He often compared this to the peace and balance he found in his running. In those days, almost nobody in Japan tried to explain Zazen in terms of neurology and physiology, and Roshi was on the cutting edge of doing so. Now, we put monks and meditators in MRI machines, and all this is accepted. Nishijima was way ahead of the curve in speaking in such terms.

However, Nishijima himself was not a scientist, just a Zazen fellow, so developed some rather personal and a bit simple scientific layman's ideas about what was happening in the body and brain. Nishijima Roshi was very influenced by some of the research on meditation by Dr. Herbert Benson and, earlier, by Karl Menninger. Nishijima came to compare the experience of balance and oneness experienced in running to the sense of peace/balance/wholeness/oneness that is often experienced in Zazen. Nishijima Roshi came to attribute this in significant part to the physiological effect of the sitting posture itself. Here is a sample of Roshi's writing on the subject:

In Zazen we sit on a cushion on the floor with both legs crossed, and with our lower spine, upper spine, and head held straight vertically. Keeping the spine straight has a direct and immediate effect on the autonomic nervous system that controls many of our body’s functions. Its effects include control of heart rate and force of contraction, constriction and dilatation of blood vessels, contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle in various organs, the ability to focus the eyes and the size of the pupils, and the secretion of hormones from various glands directly into the blood stream.

The autonomic nervous system is composed of two subsystems: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems. When the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated, our heart rate increases, arteries and veins constrict, the lungs relax, and our pupils dilate; in short, we become tense and alert. When the parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated, the opposite happens; our heart rate decreases, arteries and veins dilate, the lungs contract, and the pupils constrict. You can see that the two systems prepare the body for an active or passive response sometimes known as the “fight or flight” syndrome. When the effect of the two systems on the organs is in balance, we are neither ready to fight, nor ready to run away; we are in a normal state.

The parasympathetic nerves emerge from the spinal chord at the base of the spine (the second, third and fourth sacral vertebrae) and through the cranial vertebrae in the neck, whereas the sympathetic nerves emerge from the spinal chord through the middle vertebrae in the back (the T1 to L2 vertebrae). Keeping the spine normally upright, with the head sitting squarely on the top of the vertebral column minimizes the compression of the nerves of these two systems at the points where the nerves emerge through the vertebrae, and ensures an uninterrupted supply of blood, allowing them to function normally. When the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems are both working normally, they function in opposition to give us a state of balance of body-and-mind; not too tense, and not too relaxed, not overly optimistic or pessimistic; not too aggressive and not too passive. It is this physical state of balance in the autonomic nervous system that give rise to what we call a balanced body-and-mind.
https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/upl

...

Personally I, as do about all Zen folks, believe that a balanced and stable posture does aid in allowing a balanced and stable mind ... as body-mind are intimately connected and whole. I also feel that Nishijima Roshi was decades ahead in realizing that Zazen does have a neuro-physiological component which science is just coming to recognize. However, I believe that Nishijima Roshi's theories on the marvelous effects of sitting in Lotus Posture itself with a straight spine, and attributing too much to "balance of the autonomic nervous system" ... while having some such basis, and while a balanced posture is certainly important ...were perhaps stretched by him rather too far into areas where there is really no scientific backing, or where scientific data is directly contradicting some of what he says.

Yes, Roshi may have gone a little hog wild with some of his views sometimes. I miss him.

Gassho, Jundo

SatTodayLAH

PS - As I said, Nishijima was very much influenced by the work of Harvard Professor Herbert Benson ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Benson

Here is a bit of an interview with Benson, but note that Benson does not particularly attribute the effect to sitting posture or the spine) ...

[INTERVIEW with Herbert Benson]:

What we found was that when people practiced Transcendental Meditation (TM), there were a set of profound physiologic changes that were opposite to those of stress. Namely, decreased metabolism, decreased blood pressure, decreased heart rate, decreased rate of breathing, and also slower brain waves. These findings were performed at Harvard Medical School in the late 1960s, in the very laboratory in which Walter B. Cannon had defined the fight-orflight response back in the early 20th century, where he found increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, increased rate of breathing, increased blood flow to the muscles, and called it “fight-or-flight,” or emergency response. ...

... It is elicited by using two steps. The first is a repetition, which could be a word, a sound, a prayer, a phrase or even a repetitive movement. The second step is, when other thoughts came to mind, you disregard them and come back to the repetition. This would bring forth the same physiologic changes that were brought about by the practice of Transcendental Meditation. The importance of this was that, again, for millennia people have been bringing forth a response opposite to the stress response, that has therapeutic value in disorders caused or exacerbated by stress.

We recognized the importance of this immediately. We recognized that what we were doing was putting numbers on what people had been doing for thousands of years, be it through yoga, meditation, repetitive prayer, tai chi, qigong, jogging, knitting, crocheting. it didn’t matter. There was one response brought forth by scores of techniques that have a scientific definition for the first time

https://www.utne.com/mind-and-body/meditation-not-meds-relaxation-response-interview-herbert-benson

[Chishou]

Thank you Jishin and Jundo.

This is my favourite picture, I have seen this it before in a previous search:

GWN.jpg

It is quite a low-resolution image, I was hoping for one with suitable for printing. I am sure I can photoshop it a little to make it better.

As for the ANS, as a medical professional taking a degree with a focus on practice in primary care, I am well familiarised with it and can attest that Nishijima Roshi's analogy is pretty solid, having sat with it and observed it in action. For me, it was an eye-opening teaching which I hold dear to my myocardium (heart :P) which receives most of its stimulus from the 10th Cranial Nerve (nervus vagus) which is of the parasympathetic nervous system.

The book you translated is already on my wish-list, and I will get to it eventually.

Chishou,
Sat.

[Kakunen]

Thank you and Gassho.

I am grad to see video.

Nine bows
Sat Sesshin
Kakunen


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Jakuden]

Oh I love this. I wish so much that I could have met Nishijima Roshi. I am so grateful to him... and Chishou, I agree that so many things we learn seem to point back to his teachings. I can see the Dharma resemblance in Jundo Roshi now, too, after getting more familiar with Nishijima Roshi’s writings.

I think the low resolution image is good enough, after all—no realm of sight and all that [emoji6] I might just print it out and put it on my altar too!!
Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Shinshi]

Thank you Jishin and Jundo.

This is my favourite picture, I have seen this it before in a previous search:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4963[/ATTACH]

It is quite a low-resolution image, I was hoping for one with suitable for printing. I am sure I can photoshop it a little to make it better.

As for the ANS, as a medical professional taking a degree with a focus on practice in primary care, I am well familiarised with it and can attest that Nishijima Roshi's analogy is pretty solid, having sat with it and observed it in action. For me, it was an eye-opening teaching which I hold dear to my myocardium (heart :P) which receives most of its stimulus from the 10th Cranial Nerve (nervus vagus) which is of the parasympathetic nervous system.

The book you translated is already on my wish-list, and I will get to it eventually.

Chishou,
Sat.

Here is a slightly better version.



I pulled it from the original video.

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Eishuu]

Lovely haiku Chishou. This nervous system-posture thing is really interesting. I've noticed that Zazen feels really different sitting up than it does lying down, and lying on my back feels different still to lying on my side.

Great photo Shinshi, have pinched that for my shrine. Thank you.

Gassho
Eishuu
ST/LAH

[Geika]

On days when I don't much desire the bells and whistles, I think of Nishijima Roshi. I admire his very practical manner.

Gassho, sat today, lah

[Seishin]

Slightly off piste but the comments Nishijima made regards the similarities in balance found in zazen and running struck a chord with me (that's the musical reference out the way) when first reading that passage a few months of joining Treeleaf late 2016. So much so and as I try and run every other day, I found myself thinking of this one day out running. Since 1981 I had run with the recognized two pace inhale two exhale for steady state running but in early '17 I started adopting what I call Shikantaza breathing, just letting the breath be the breath. One pace, three, four, five, two just let the breath do its own thing. Its made a world of difference to my running, reducing effort/heart rate and a better feeling of balance.. Not sure if any of our other runners or joggers have experienced this or similar.

As I type this I have a feeling of deja vu so apologies if I've mentioned this before but thought I'd share another way in which Nishijima, Jundo and Treeleaf has helped improve my well being.

Cue The Spencer Davis Group ........ Oldies will get the reference

[Kakunen]

Hi Chisou,

I am glad you digg Gudo.

Here are a few photos, feel free to use them freely ...

https://www.google.co.jp/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FGYsajIRu9vU%2Fhqdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DGYsajIRu9vU&docid=sxeUYLUoVoHF3M&tbnid=2VbfmOIALz_K8M%3A&vet=10ahUKEwikpaO3z8jZAhWJwLwKHeuKDjoQMwg5KAQwBA..i&w=480&h=360&bih=510&biw=1093&q=gudo%20nishijima&ved=0ahUKEwikpaO3z8jZAhWJwLwKHeuKDjoQMwg5KAQwBA&iact=mrc&uact=8

https://www.google.co.jp/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F_P8Wv8pEaNzo%2FSOxnv5imt8I%2FAAAAAAAAAFg%2FjjK7LM9rzXc%2Fs320%2FGudo%2BNishijima.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fthestupidway.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fgudo-nishijima-on-buddhism-realism.html&docid=D6qRtVuDTmqK9M&tbnid=t0HBUCQo2FiLYM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwikpaO3z8jZAhWJwLwKHeuKDjoQMwhhKCIwIg..i&w=159&h=320&itg=1&bih=510&biw=1093&q=gudo%20nishijima&ved=0ahUKEwikpaO3z8jZAhWJwLwKHeuKDjoQMwhhKCIwIg&iact=mrc&uact=8

https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1349090465l/6774156.jpg

https://www.google.co.jp/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsweepingzen.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F03%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsweepingzen.com%2Feight-ways-gudo-wafu-nishijima-will-help-change-zen-buddhism%2F&docid=7cIn2TM6ufFB0M&tbnid=sG2Gzq87X7LHKM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwikpaO3z8jZAhWJwLwKHeuKDjoQMwiRAShSMFI..i&w=1920&h=1080&bih=510&biw=1093&q=gudo%20nishijima&ved=0ahUKEwikpaO3z8jZAhWJwLwKHeuKDjoQMwiRAShSMFI&iact=mrc&uact=8

You may also appreciate his other book which I translated ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heart-Chat-Buddhism-Master-Expanded/dp/0692374337

... also, there is the documentary, free to watch here. I have a cameo or two in the movie. I am the bearded fellow (considerably more hair and less grey) seen about 7:30 of 'Part II' carrying a blackboard saying "REALITY/REALISM" with my other Dharma Brother Peter Rocca. That was during a retreat at our root temple in Japan, the Tokei-in (more on the Tokei-in here ... lovely photos) ...

http://www.treeleaf.org/about-tokei-in/tokei-in-1.html

Brad wrote about it ...

PART I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G0Pdq1ESf0

PART II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_W-dmbE3po

PART III

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy9ll4d_JLo

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

Jundo

Does this Sangh by Nishijima Roshi still exist?

I heard from my friend who work at Ida Ryogokudo company,lots of worker at there practice under Nishijima Roshi.

Fact lots of people don’t have positive image?

Let me know this Sangha now.

I search Sangha at Tokyo,I heard that this Sangha was at Ichika city at Chiba pref.

Nine bows
Gassho
Sat Sesshin
Kakunen


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jundo]

Jundo

Does this Sangh by Nishijima Roshi still exist?

I heard from my friend who work at Ida Ryogokudo company,lots of worker at there practice under Nishijima Roshi.

Fact lots of people don’t have positive image?

Let me know this Sangha now.

I search Sangha at Tokyo,I heard that this Sangha was at Ichika city at Chiba pref.

Nine bows
Gassho
Sat Sesshin
Kakunen


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi Kakunen,

I am afraid that Gudo's residential community in Ichikawa closed years ago when he became ill, and Ida Ryogokudo, the sponsor, sold the property.

I think that many people have a positive image, but most people have no image. In Japan, he was a critic of the "funeral Buddhism" culture around modern Soto-shu. However, very few people in Soto-shu cared, like a mosquito on an iron ox. Other people did not like his way of making Zazen and the Priesthood open to lay people.

Please read my Obituary, which tells why he was so unique.

Eight Ways GUDO WAFU NISHIJIMA Will Help Change ZEN BUDDHISM

http://sweepingzen.com/eight-ways-gudo-wafu-nishijima-will-help-change-zen-buddhism/

Gassho, Jundo

SatTodayLAH

PS - I thought that you were supposed to be in Sesshin?

[Kakunen]

Gudo Wafu

Hi Kakunen,

I am afraid that Gudo's residential community in Ichikawa closed years ago when he became ill, and Ida Ryogokudo, the sponsor, sold the property.

I think that many people have a positive image, but most people have no image. In Japan, he was a critic of the "funeral Buddhism" culture around modern Soto-shu. However, very few people in Soto-shu cared, like a mosquito on an iron ox. Other people did not like his way of making Zazen and the Priesthood open to lay people.

Please read my Obituary, which tells why he was so unique.

Eight Ways GUDO WAFU NISHIJIMA Will Help Change ZEN BUDDHISM

http://sweepingzen.com/eight-ways-gudo-wafu-nishijima-will-help-change-zen-buddhism/

Gassho, Jundo

SatTodayLAH

PS - I thought that you were supposed to be in Sesshin?

Jundo

I read detail after.Thank you very much.

I need to search Sangha because after Sesshin,head monk will go to Tokyo,I need to go outside of temple.I just obay this sujest.

I found Sangha group,at Rinzai sect at Tokyo,but I can not find Soto sect Sangha.

Gassho
Sat Sesshin
Kakunen


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jundo]

Jundo

I read detail after.Thank you very much.

I need to search Sangha because after Sesshin,head monk will go to Tokyo,I need to go outside of temple.I just obay this sujest.

I found Sangha group,at Rinzai sect at Tokyo,but I can not find Soto sect Sangha.

Gassho
Sat Sesshin
Kakunen


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is a mixed Soto-Rinzai place in Tokyo, but I do not know much about the details now ...

http://www.toshoji.com/

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH