Today our window cleaner began his rather squeaky work, during zazen with Onkai. I paid him and returned to my zafu, smiling. Thank you for continuing without me Onkai. Al. Stlah
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Gandō Seiko
頑道清光
(Stubborn Way of Pure Light)
My street name is 'Al'.
Any words I write here are merely the thoughts of an apprentice priest, just my opinions, that's all. -
Window cleaner is our teacher, Allister.
I like to tell people who want quiet during Zazen, that the greatest noise is silent within. "Disturbance" is not outside us alone, but exists in our reaction between the ears. Sometimes a beautiful bird sings during Zazen, sometimes a noisy military helicopter from the nearby base flies overhead ... each just flying and singing its way.
Gassho, J
STLah
PS Welcome again, Al.ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE -
My home zendo window is right above 2 of my neighbors’ patios, where they hang out, get together with family, friends.. The other side of my house (which is not very big) has a church in front and they LOVE to vigorously ring that bell, which gets all the dogs in the neighborhood going. My zafu is always entertained [emoji1]
[emoji1374] SatToday lah"Stepping back with open hands, is thoroughly comprehending life and death. Immediately you can sparkle and respond to the world." - HongzhiComment
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I have a new cricket friend that has been sitting with me most nights on the other side of my basement, and they love to "chant" during the entire sitting period!
Gassho,
Rob
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Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk聖簡 Seikan (Sacred Simplicity)Comment
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Reminds of the couple of pigeons that come to heat up on my window pane everyday in winter. Boy do they have A LOT to talk about!
[emoji1374] SatToday lah"Stepping back with open hands, is thoroughly comprehending life and death. Immediately you can sparkle and respond to the world." - HongzhiComment
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Rob I sometimes play a loop on my Google Home of Woodland Sounds at night. Crickets are the featured choir. They help me go to sleep.
Doshin
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I live half a block away from the local firehall so sirens are a frequent part of the scenery during my Zazen.
Tairin
Sat today and lah泰林 - Tai Rin - Peaceful WoodsComment
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Old timers around here have seen the following posted 100 times, about "distractions" and the difference between "sound" and "noise."
I apologize for the distracting length of the post.
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If you have never listened to Suzuki Roshi's wonderful talk on the difference between "sound" and "noise," please do. (Spoiler Alert: basically, this difference is our judgment and reaction between one's ears).
Except in extreme situations where excess noise can actually be harmful to the ears, sleep cycle and the like, we just sit in equanimity and acceptance.
On the other hand, Zazen sitting time also is a partial sensory deprivation experience when we can. Master Dogen recommended this in Fukanzazengi ...
For practicing Zen, a quiet room is suitable. Eat and drink moderately. Put aside all involvements and suspend all affairs.
The reason is that, while there is absolutely no difference between silence and noise/stillness and motion/peace and disturbance apart from the human heart and our human measures, sitting as we can in a quiet and still way helps us better realize so. Ultimately, however, the real "Peace and Stillness" is in our heart, between our ears, and not a matter of the outside environment.
So, in our "always beginners" series of talks, I recommended this ...
On the other hand, if usually sitting in noisy places, sometimes seek out quieter places. Mix it up.Most days, we’d best sit Zazen in a quiet room, with little noise and few distractions. The reason is simply that a peaceful, still, quiet environment helps us allow the mind to become peaceful, still and quiet, with thoughts and emotions drifting away as the mind settles down.
But once in awhile, maybe every couple of weeks or so, I recommend that you sit Zazen in a truly disturbing place.
https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...nners-%2821%29
Thus, in our Zen Way, there were times to sit in the city, times to head to the mountains and a quiet hut.
However, in fact, there is no perfectly quiet place. At our Zendo in Tsukuba, for our Saturday morning Zazenkai, birds can usually be heard chirping prettily in the surrounding trees ... but also, a truck or cars will frequently be heard rushing down the nearby road, carpenters banging fixing a neighbors roof, or a military helicopter passing overhead (I do not know why, but our house must be on some route they use to one of the nearby bases). It has become one of the most powerful teaching tools I have for new students. I tell them that it is not to think "Oh, the birds are very lovely and peaceful ... but the trucks and helicopters disturb my nice Zazen". Rather, "the birds are singing as birds ... the trucks are trucks ... the copter just copters. Do not think one pleasant but the other ugly or detracting from the atmosphere. Then, there is a certain quiet and stillness that one can come hear behind and sounding right through all the sounds and noise."
I learned this sitting many a morning at Nishijima Roshi's old Zendo ... located right next to a NOISY child's playground and a highway. At Taisoji temple, it was traffic sounds from the street outside and the train passing every few minutes. There are really no quiet Zendos or monasteries. Oh, sure, there are the moments of bird tweets and breezes, but then there are stomach rumbles, shuffling feet in the hall, kyosaku stick strikes. When I was sitting at Sojiji Head Monastery, the loudspeaker pages during Zazen ... "Yamamoto Roshi, Call on Line 3." Trucks outside, not to mention my tinnitus which is always there.
CONCLUSION: There has never been perfect quiet until the heart is quiet amid any noise. Thus, we sit "as what is," in equanimity and non-resistance even in "noisy" places (absent some extreme, harmful noise that can be avoided, and even with such noise if it cannot be avoided!). At other times, please seek out still and quiet places to sit (although know that, even then, there is not true silence unless the heart is still and silent). Mix it up, sitting in all kinds of places.ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLEComment
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PS - By the way, here is the kind of blue jay call that Suzuki Roshi probably means ...
ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLEComment
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Blessings Jundo,
Toshi taught me to simply be.
Right now imivong to n my car, the background is un-choodable, the reality is ecavy what shikantaza helps me make it.
Car horns, barking dogs and combative neighbours Are all part of "the nameless".
I'm honestly gratef to have this lesson.
LaH
Sattoy
Gassho,
Geoff.Nothing to do? Why not Sit?
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Auto correct is not my my friend, if U need correction just msg.Nothing to do? Why not Sit?
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When I am camping or in the mountains, the sound of the blue jays remind me of this teaching every time.
(...even if sometimes I break down and listen to some white noise to ease my anxiety...)
Gassho
Sat today, lah求道芸化 Kyūdō Geika
I am just a priest-in-training, please do not take anything I say as a teaching.Comment
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Yes... I have two very active dogs who for the most part nap while I zazen, but today they felt the need to lick the back of my neck for a moment.
I bowed, waved them off, and kept on sitting.
-Sara
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