An Essay on Shikantaza that 'Get's Sit Right!' by Lou Richmond Roshi

[Jundo]

Dear All,

PLEASE READ THIS!

Someone posted in a Zen group on Facebook an essay on Shikantaza Zazen by Chikudo Lewis Richmond, a great teacher in the Suzuki Lineage. LOVELY! Simply, it gets Shikantaza right ... "Gets Sit Right!"

So much less and more than all the mere "sit up straight, follow the breath, let thoughts go, be in the moment" tepid or misleading descriptions that are out there. WONDERFUL WONDERFUL! I believe that I first read it a couple of years ago, and recommended it as much then too.

============

Lion's Roar
Just Sitting, Going Nowhere

Most people new to zazen think that it’s a skill that can be learned, like tai chi. We come to zazen instruction and are told to sit a certain way, hold the hands just so, keep the eyes open, and pay attention to the breath. It seems rather easy; we look forward to becoming more accomplished in it. But Dogen admonishes us, “Zazen is not learning to do concentration.” He seems to be implying that our ambitions to improve are not quite on the mark. ...

... Dogen [] means that we’re not trying to stop our thinking, but we’re also not paying particular attention to it or trying to do anything with it. Instead there’s a kind of deep acceptance or tolerance about everything. Thus we come to rest not in the track of our thinking, but in that which thinks. But who or what is that? We are back to some deep ineffable question at the root of our existence, our just-awareness. This means that in the midst of our childlike ease and joy, there is also some unusual and subtle effort—an inquiry that is beyond ratiocination or cogitation.

More here ...

https://www-lionsroar-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.lionsroar.com/going-nowhere/amp/?fbclid=IwAR0wVWcO1hY8JqT93A2tVMlp6Ku_3-98AdeLRJUSon--oT0mqiPp-d9YTz4&amp_js_v=0.1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lionsroar.com%2Fgoing-nowhere%2F

Gassho, J

STLah

[Shokai]

Thank you Jundo

gassho, Shokai
stlah

[Yokai]

Thank you

Gassho, C stlah

[Kotei]

Thank you.
Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today

[Meitou]

Great essay, and now I remember reading it when it was issued!
Thank you
Gassho
Meitou
Sattoday lah

[Martpr72]

Thank you so much for this. A truly inspiration read. I particularly liked the following...


Buddhist life is sometimes thought of as rather passive: sitting quietly, not saying or expressing anything, not celebrating things, not dancing, not playing music, not going to the movies. That understanding is a little too much back-of-the-hand. Zazen is not to reject one side of the hand or the other, but to equalize both sides so that the basis of our life has some deep compassionate support, some backdrop. We’re not trying to suck the joy out of our experience and live a drab, black-robed life, but to round out our life so it can become deeply and authentically compassionate and joyous. This includes everything—joy, sorrow, birth, death, delusion, enlightenment.

The quote about who's putting the garbage it also hit home. How is it that zazen always knows when it is Tuesday morning in order to prod that thought forward! [emoji1787]

Gassho
Martyn
st[emoji120][emoji120][emoji120]


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[Onka]

Thank you Jundo.
I wonder though, in your experience of living in Japan for 30 odd years yet teaching many Westerners, is it a particularly Western trait to chase things or seek more than what just is? I ask this because many in the West are brought up in societies where they're chasing access to some kind of incredible afterlife.
Gassho
Onka
ST

[Martpr72]

Thank you Jundo.
I wonder though, in your experience of living in Japan for 30 odd years yet teaching many Westerners, is it a particularly Western trait to chase things or seek more than what just is? I ask this because many in the West are brought up in societies where they're chasing access to some kind of incredible afterlife.
Gassho
Onka
ST

Or they're/we're chasing some incredible 'this-life'!

Gassho
Martyn
st[emoji120][emoji120][emoji120]


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[Jundo]

Thank you Jundo.
I wonder though, in your experience of living in Japan for 30 odd years yet teaching many Westerners, is it a particularly Western trait to chase things or seek more than what just is? I ask this because many in the West are brought up in societies where they're chasing access to some kind of incredible afterlife.
Gassho
Onka
ST

I think it is a universal human trait to seek attainments and more more more, though probably made extreme by modern opportunities of capitalist/consumer culture as now found in all the western countries, as well Japan, China etc. today.

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Onka]

I must have missed this memo lol.
Thank you Jundo.
Gassho
Onka
ST

[vanbui]

Wonderful prose. I agree that the phase just-awareness as opposed to just sitting is able to capture the essence of Shikantaza more fully.

Gassho _/\_
Van
Sat (too early for lah but will do so later [emoji847])

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[Shinshi]

Yes, thank you Jundo.

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Bokucho]

Thank you Jundo, what a well written article. I feel like zazen is one of those things where one word of explanation is too much, but a million words are nowhere near enough. My favorite line is basically "zazen is simple, it's the human mind that's complicated" or something close to that (I accidentally closed the window before I could quote it!)

Gassho,

Joshua
SatToday/lah

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[Tairin]

That’s a wonderful essay. Thank you for posting it here Jundo. I have bookmarked it for future reference.

the essence practice of Buddhism—which is what zazen is—really is simple. It is we human beings who are complicated.

I like this quote too Joshua


Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Guest]

Thank you Jundo. Wonderful.



Ghasso
Bobby
ST