GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (DECEMBER)

[Shohei]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Howdy and Welcome!

Gassho, Dirk

[Yugen]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Justin,
Welcome to Treeleaf!

Gassho,
Alex

[BrianP]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Hi All.
I`ve been hanging around in the background since July so I thought it was about time I came out of hiding and introduced myself ops: . I am 68 and moved from London to Cardiff 23 years ago. I have been married to my wife Barbarafor 46 years(last Monday), we have three surviving daughters (my eldest daughter died suddenly five years ago) and six grandchildren. I have been practicing Buddhist meditation for over 20 years. I briefly explored a couple of different traditions at first but soon came across Soto Zen. It was however about 3 years before I called myself a Buddhist. I took lay ordination with a master in the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives.
Nine years ago I was asked to join Angulimala the Buddhist prison chaplaincy organisation. I became the Buddhist Chaplain to three prisons but for the last two years I have only served in one. I am also Chairperson Elect of The Buddhist Council of Wales.

As most of you are from the US I just thought I would mention something. I have never been to the US myself (although I have relatives there), but my great grandfather came from SD. He was a Sioux who came to London with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. I think my grandmother was born there but not sure. Just thought I would mention it - I`ve been telling everyone I meet since I found out seven years ago!
I think Treeleaf is great. It is such a good place for those of us who can`t get to a group regularly. I look forward to training with you all.

Gassho
Brian

[Dosho]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Welcome to Treeleaf Brian!

My ancestors (at least the ones who provided my surname) came from just outside Cardiff, so it's nice to encounter someone from there even if it is a transplant.

Gassho,
Scott

[SwordSoul]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Howdy ever'body!

Been swinging by the website every once in awhile, and I want to participate in a Zen sangha, so here I am!

I've been sitting off and on for over 5 years, and as far as 'sects' are concerned I've settled on Zen for quite some time. I'm looking forward to practicing/discussing the practice with everyone!

Gassho and whatnot,
Matt

[Shohei]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Hi and welcome Brian and Matt!

Gassho, Dirk

[KellyRok]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Hello to all ...

...and welcome to Zachariah, Justin, Brian and Matt! Thank you for sharing your stories with us and I look forward to talking with you all here at Treeleaf .

Gassho,
Kelly Rok

[jamieguinn]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Hi, my name is Jamie G., and I live in Oklahoma. I've been married to my high school sweetheart for six years. We have a wonderful baby girl is just over a year old. My wife is a teacher and I am a police detective for our small town of 20,000.

I've only recently began to study Buddhism in the past few months. Since I live in the Bible Belt, there aren't many opportunities to study with a Zen teacher locally. I have had to do most of my studies from the internet, so you can imagine the kinds of flakes, fruits, and nuts I have come across to find something authentic. By authentic I mean that I am not looking for something to blindly believe in. I came to Buddhism because two years ago I deconverted from Christianity because I got tired of having to sacrifice logic and reason to justify my faith. Christianity in any form doesn't seem to line up with reality very well. I have a passion for truth and to know the world as it truely is. I place a lot of stock in science and reason, and I love philosophy and physics. I went from abandoning Christianity to reading the latest books by New Atheists like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens. One website on philosophy and atheism brought up enlightenment and introduced me to several eastern philosophical concepts that I had never even considered. I began to research the words of the Buddha and came across the About Buddhism website and the Kalam Sutra. The four Noble Truths just make sense to me, and the eight-fold path as well. I also have no problem with Karma as cause and effect and the idea of Rebirth (I've heard our bodies atomic collection changes every eleven years in that I don't have the same atoms in me as I did then, and they will go on to be a part of other things in the universe). I also have to admit that, and maybe irrationally, I dream of the monastic life in a zen monastary in the hills of Japan. I appreciate the less dogmatic traditions of Theravada and Zen, and admit I could never be a Pure Land-er. Anyways, I am looking for a teacher and found this site through the Progressive Buddhism blog (I comment there as "cpd314").

Oh... and I currently sit zazen about three times a week for about 15 minutes. I haven't yet been able to adjust my schedule for daily sitting.

[chicanobudista]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Bienvenido Jamie!

[Jundo]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

I dream of the monastic life in a zen monastary in the hills of Japan. .

Hi Jamie,

Welcome again.

Be at home and at peace with your life in Chikasha Oklahoma, married to your high school sweetheart and a police detective, and the monastery in the quiet hills is where you are ... all the monastery walls tumbling down.

Go to Japan and wish you were somewhere else, that life was something else, that the hot days were colder and the cold days hotter ... and the monastery walls are a prison.

So, please practice that way.

As to questions of being an atheist and such, I sometimes write the below. It is just my personal understanding, and you need to find your own.

Gassho, Jundo

I consider myself, personally, an "agnostic" on all such issues. That does mean I "don't believe" or that I "do believe". It simply means that my practice is free from the need. I am left in awe at the mystery which is life and this wondrous universe ... so I just get on with that life in this universe amid that feeling of awe and wonder (for that reason, I sometimes describe myself as an "agnosti-mystic"). As I often say ...


Is there a "Universal Consciousness/Divine Spirit/God/Jesus/Cosmic Buddha"? If so, live human life, fetch wood and carry water.

Is there not some "Universal Consciousness/God/Jesus/Cosmic Buddha"? If not, live human life, fetch wood and carry water.

I suppose that if the "creator" went to all the trouble of creating our lives we can honor Her in no better way ... than by just living life! If She had wanted to fill us in better on what is "going on", she would not keep it so hidden and open for debate.

Don't get me wrong, I have various "suspicions" about what makes the universe tick, but I am content to keep them as "suspicions" and to not have all the details ... I am even content to be wrong in my "suspicions". I think something wonderful is afoot, and I believe that we did not just happen to pop up alive in the middle of time and space by naked happenstance alone. I actually taste that what is "going on" is far far beyond any human words that we small creatures try to impose upon reality such as "Divine" "Spirit" "Eternal" "Finite" "God" "Devil" "Brahma" "Being" "Not Being" "Just" "Good" and all the other anthropomorphic descriptions our small human minds cook up. How dare we impose our ignorance! We may have as much chance of truly understanding the mechanism of these things as an ant to grasp the programming of a super-computer!

Thus, our Zen Practice advices us to drop all words like "Divine" "Mundane" "Eternal" "Finite" and all the rest ... and just TRUST, just "GO WITH THE FLOW", just "ALLOW", just "LIVE" ... I do not know if God is "JUST" (and I do not see a lot in this often tragic world that indicates "Justice" in human terms ... I was just reading about all the small children killed in the Spanish airliner today), but I can be in harmony with a reality that is JUST what it is, and a vision of reality beyond small human ideas of "life" and "death". That much I can do.

[Shui_Di]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Hi...

For all new Folks.. Welcome to Treeleaf....

Gassho, Shui di

[socrates]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Thanks Jundo! I looked everywhere to post my intro on this site and could not find it. When i stopped looking it appeared. Aaah! If i'm in the wrong place, i welcome correction. My name is socrates and live in eastern NC. As for the name i am not wise as the philosopher, i am Greek, having all my grandparents immigrating from Greece to the USA in the early 1900's. I read a book 10-15 years ago that introduced me to "living in the moment" which led me to investigating what eventually is the dharma. I practiced ( at least what i thought was practice ) for a couple years, learned there was wrong effort involved and stopped practicing, had a life changing experience, realized my mind controlled my life, returned 2 1/2 years ago and have practiced since. Have not had the opportunity to attend a zendo so have learned through extensive reading of numerous Buddhist, Zen Buddhist teachers. I am happy to have found this Zendo!

[Yugen]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Socrates,
Welcome to Treeleaf from another Greek! This is a great community, jump right in - OPA!

Gassho,
Alex

[socrates]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Thanks for the welcome Alex. I look forward to learning. I'm very good at "I dont know mind" or beginner's mind. Really keeps life simple. Look forward to your posts and the entire communitys' posts. :wink:

[egbrooks]

Re: GREETINGS BY NEW FOLKS (OCTOBER)

Hi All!,
I originally joined this group last June, however, with the countless things that life brings to one's plate, I haven't logged on in quite a while. So I wanted to reintroduce myself to the Sangha.

I was first introduced to Zen through martial arts practice and since then I've studied many different forms of Buddhism. I've come back to Soto Zen because it feels a lot like home.

I sat briefly with a Soto group in Pittsburgh before moving to Northern VA. Now I sit on my own and I'm looking forward to recommitting to practice with all of you.

It's very inspiring to read the posts on this forum and get a sense of the energy here in this wonderful community.

Gassho,
Eric