Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

[Jundo]

Hi All,

I had mentioned previously that we would be having a two day intensive "Retreat" as part of our JUKAI preparations, and I would like to combine this with the upcoming traditional ROHATSU (Buddha's Enlightenment Day, December 8th) Sesshin period that is celebrated in Zen monasteries around the world ...

So, I am hereby giving notice that we will be having our intensive retreat over the weekend of:

DECEMBER 6 and 7, 2008!

I have yet to work out the exact schedule and content, as I have to cover several continents and multiple time zones as effectively as possible. However, it will likely encompass all of Saturday and Sunday in most of Europe and North America. You will have the option of joining live or (as I will record each segment for Ustream) following the recorded segments with a few hours (or even days) lag time. However, you should plan on two solid, unbroken days of sitting ... beginning before the sun rises and continuing well after it sets each day.

Although the retreat will be online, it will be done in the traditional manner (as close as I can make it), featuring Oryoki, Samu, Chanting, Kinhin and lots & lots of Zazen! For a taste of what it may be like, please try our half-day retreat here:

http://treeleafzen.blogspot.com/2007/11 ... t-day.html

Okay, more details later ... as the date grows closer.

By the way, the Jukai ceremony itself will be on a day (or perhaps days to suit different people) around the end of the year, probably shortly after the New Year.

Gassho, Jundo

[Shohei]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

Marked! And Thank you!
I Might take a day before and after off just to be safe and allow the time for preparation around home too.
I was going to do a 2 day solitary retreat this weekend or next but I may hold off for this instead.

Gassho, Dirk

[Al]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

Marked on my calendar, thanks Jundo.

[aikoku tora]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

* gets the Velcro wall ready to stick the kids to.. no baby sitter or family? try the acme nanny wall *

marked it, may be tough to be uninterrupted with the kids having no place to go, but it's something I'm still looking forward to.

[Shugen]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

Weekends from Thanksgiving to New Year's are a no go for me. I'll have to do it in parts if that's okay.

Ron

[Jundo]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

Hi Ron,

You should, as much as possible, try to do it all at once. When you can.

Sesshin, long retreats and such should not be broken up. Sit when you can find a couple of days.

Gassho, Jundo

[Shugen]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

Ok. I'll just have to do it some time after the new year.

Ron

[Jen]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

Unfortunately, after pricing nanny walls (tm), I have realized they are out of our budget. My new plan is for Aikoku to have his two days while I watch the kids, then switch. I am sure there will be one or two distractions, but at least I won't be trying to pick the lint out of the velcro suits

[Tb]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

Hi.

Jen, we here (me and emma) have the same "problem" with childcare, we can't get any who can have him for two days. But we tried the last to "chop it up" we did almost everything but the oryoki, and the samu (we did our own version of that one... ) but did it over a period of a couple of days, and it worked fine. Doing it just a couple of hours at a time. I think we actually went on for a longer time, than a "whole day" altogether, but we thought we try it and it worked with everything else...
and we were thinking of doing something of the the same this time, it's more fun doing it together.
those who zazen together stay together...

May the force be with you
Tb

[KellyRok]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

I have marked my calendar too! I may have to do this over two days during the week. This is important to me because this will be my first intensive retreat and right in time too (for Jukai that is)!

I will have to reserve my husband for kid duty...and the house may just fall apart for those two days...but all will survive. :lol:

Gassho,
Kelly

[Jundo]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

Hi Guys,

Let's give this some creative thought, and see if there is some way to work kids into the Retreat. I think there is. For example, husband and wife take turns, sitting cluster by sitting cluster (a cluster is, for example, 2 or 3 sittings of Zazen and Kinhin, or some activity like a talk or Samu) before a break. So, husband takes first shift while wife sits, wife takes next shift while husband sits, etc. etc.

Since it will be recorded as we go, joinable "on demand", husband and wife can even do the same sittings and activities (like Oryoki) at different times sequentially. Got my point? So, husband sits and does Oryoki while wife watches the kids, then wife does the same Oryoki while husband watches the kids.

MOST IMPORTANT: So long as husband and wife, when watching the kids, stays in mental "retreat mode" ... not turning on the tv or crusing the internet ... all while thinking of watching the kids as "Samu" practice (and "non-doing" the caretaking in the same mindful, achieving without achieving way) ... then I think it is just fine. One hour of "kid sitting" can be equal to one hour of "zafu sitting".

How does that sound?

When I design the sitting schedule, I can try to make it suitable for what I describe.

However, the retreat should still be done all at once over two days, not broken up in bits and pieces over many days.

Gassho, Jundo (a dad ... mom will be watching Leon that weekend at my mother-in-law's house)

[Dosho]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

I think it should work fine for me to do it live (or after its been freshly recorded) but it does happen to fall on my wife's birthday (the 7th). Happy b-day honey; can you watch the boy all weekend? Actually my wife is fine with it and we're celebrating her brithday the previous weekend anyway since we'll have babysitters (my parents) over Thanksgiving.

When do you think you'll have the actual schedule Jundo? It would especially help to know how late we'd be going the second day, but I understand if that's something that will take awhile to get settled.

Looking forward to it!

Gassho,
Scott

[Bansho]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

Hi,

I'll be (non-)doing the recorded version as well, since I'll be away from home that weekend for a golden anniversary celebration. (I don't think my wife's aunt & uncle would be willing to postpone it for me. :roll: )

Gassho
Ken

[Damian]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

I am going to try my best! I am looking forward to a 2 day sit!

Gassho,
Damian

[roky]

Re: Mark Your Calendar: ROHATSU/JUKAI RETREAT in DECEMBER!!

sound good -- fortunately, i fly back to why from oakland, ca, on 12/3, just in time -- i envision taking the camper van out to a deserted area (not difficult, since its deserted for at least 100 miles in all directions) -- but for that reason i expect no internet, so no live webcam -- hope thats ok

gassho, bob