Merged: Inside Japanese Zen Temples and Kakunen's Anju Wanderings

[Kakunen]

<----- *busily learning Japanese as fast as possible in order to read it the moment it comes out*

Get writing, Kakunen! You have a fan club building.

Gassho,
Nengei
Sat today. LAH.

Hi Arigato-Gozaimasu.

But Japanese is also English is difficult.

But sometimes kind of passion like him,is important.

And maybe if I will write book,first I publish in English,if Jundo and Treeleaf member help me.
Because for Japanese,easy to accept my kind of strange experience.

Gassho
Sat today
LAH
Kakunen

[Showan]

Thank you, I'm reading and watching now!

Gassho
Showan
Sat today lent a hand

[Kakunen]

My short pilgrimage(I go with pain in my heart)

Hi

Dear Sangha.

I will go my short pilgrimage from today,with my pain of my heart)

I take video.

I will share later,after arriving next temple.

I can walk step by step.

Gassho
Sat today
LAH
Kakunen

[Bion]

My short pilgrimage(I go with pain in my heart)

Dear friend, go peacefully, go at ease and do your best! Thank you for updating us always and for you efforts to explain your practice!
Your words about the difficulty of monastery practice reminded me of Uchiyama roshi’s words, where he said that as a monk “you must follow the teaching of the master and the rules of the place of practice that you have decided for loyally, without stating your own preferences or judgements of good and bad. It is important to first sit through silently in one place for at least ten years…” [emoji3526]

Be well my friend and come update us when you get to the new monastery!

[emoji1374] Sat Today

[Jundo]

Kakunen, can you explain to everyone about the "trouble" at the temple, that there is the current abbot who is strict, and retired abbot who is even stricter, about morning wake up time, etc., and they cannot agree ...

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Kakunen]

My short pilgrimage(I go with pain in my heart)

Dear friend, go peacefully, go at ease and do your best! Thank you for updating us always and for you efforts to explain your practice!
Your words about the difficulty of monastery practice reminded me of Uchiyama roshi’s words, where he said that as a monk “you must follow the teaching of the master and the rules of the place of practice that you have decided for loyally, without stating your own preferences or judgements of good and bad. It is important to first sit through silently in one place for at least ten years…” [emoji3526]

Be well my friend and come update us when you get to the new monastery!

[emoji1374] Sat Today

I am so sorry,but Uchiyama did not sit so much.My teacher of teacher Sakai always said at old Dharma talk.This is kind of gossip but not gossip.When I watched him at TV at NHK,he keep on talking ,and get angry for neighbors.

You need check by yourself.

So I leave Antai-ji.

Gassho
Sat
Lah
Kakunen


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[Kakunen]

Kakunen, can you explain to everyone about the "trouble" at the temple, that there is the current abbot who is strict, and retired abbot who is even stricter, about morning wake up time, etc., and they cannot agree ...

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

Hmm.

I sat Zazen and morning ceremony as chant leader.

I try to scribe later. I share my video,when I leaved temple.I want to express my mind in this video.

https://youtu.be/GKHiXdldoWY

Anyway I leaved temple at this morning and on the way to next temple.

I am so sad,I am so tired.
But I always suffered such like situations.After that ,I am sure that I will be good attitude as monk.Step by step.

Gassho
Sat
Lah
Kakunen


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jundo]

I am so sorry,but Uchiyama did not sit so much.My teacher of teacher Sakai always said at old Dharma talk.This is kind of gossip but not gossip.When I watched him at TV at NHK,he keep on talking ,and get angry for neighbors.

Hah! When Antaiji people say that "Uchiyama did not sit so much," it means usually that he did not sit as much as CRAZY long sitting of 15 hours a day that many Antaiji people sit! Einstein and Dogen said that sitting time is relative. Compared to Antaiji people, maybe few people "sit so much."

By the way, Rev. Okumura has a nice recent lecture on Uchiyama's view of Zazen. Lovely. It is the "sky and clouds" poetic description that is heard from me so often around here (there are fairly good subtitles if hard to hear):

https://youtu.be/_Jt_GrMkL5o

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Ippo]

Good luck brother,

I think practice reveals to us who we really are (and are not) and as our practice grows, so do we. What was once good, may no longer be. Not every teacher, not every path, not every style is good for us even if it once was. Ultimately, we still are "us" and still very human so, following our intuition on what our path is (without holding on to ideas/delusions of that path and trying to keep beginner's mind) is normal. I have also made transitions like you and they were always for the best to deepen my practice, and serve others better. I just speak from my own experience but following your heart is important. I have also seen this with many current monks I know (monastic life is great for them) and many former monks that I know (monastic life was not their calling, they do/be much better in the "lay world"), Although I beleive strongly as Jundo that "All Life is Our Temple".

Be well my friend,

Gassho,

Ippo

SatLah

[Kakunen]

Hah! When Antaiji people say that "Uchiyama did not sit so much," it means usually that he did not sit as much as CRAZY long sitting of 15 hours a day that many Antaiji people sit! Einstein and Dogen said that sitting time is relative. Compared to Antaiji people, maybe few people "sit so much."

By the way, Rev. Okumura has a nice recent lecture on Uchiyama's view of Zazen. Lovely. It is the "sky and clouds" poetic description that is heard from me so often around here (there are fairly good subtitles if hard to hear):

https://youtu.be/_Jt_GrMkL5o

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

I do not believe gossip.
Possibility,my information is gossip,your information is gossip.
We do not know.

And I do not know,Okumura.
I just know,Muho.I practice with him is real life.

Real is real.I do not know,internet Sangha will be real or not.
But I know internet Sangha help lots of people.I respect you and Treeleaf.
I can feel here is very good Sangha.I realize I will walk with here.

With respect.

Gassho
sat lah
kakunen

[Kakunen]

Hi

I can remember,when I decided to apart from family.
At that time,I met Jundo,and decided to go to Antai-ji.

I always sing this song of Aimee Mann.Wise up.

She said in this song So just give up ,to seek success at society.I heard.

So impressve,at that time.

Gassho
sat lah
kakunen

[houst0n]

それで入院することが少なくとも４回はありました。私はもうここを出なくてはならない。

This doesn't sound like a good place, and the people running it sure don't sound like they're buddhists.

Take care friend. If anyone beats you -- beat them back (within reason)!

Gassho,
./sat
Neil

[Tomás ESP]

May the pain in your heart heal Kakunen and may you find a place that treats you well

Gassho, Tomás
Sat&LaH

[Shonin Risa Bear]

Like "bad monk" Ryokan, or "bad monk" Tosui Unkei, maybe even in early years "bad monk" Bassui. Homeless like Kodo. There are tigers beside the path, and someone has to go pet them.

gassho and bows,
ds satlah

[Jundo]

Sorry that I deleted Kakunen's message until I had a chance to confirm with him. Apparently, one of the temples where he sits (he can explain more) is experiencing something very common in Japanese Buddhism (not to mention in companies and families where there is a dispute on management): The former abbot (semi-retired but still influential) and the current abbot cannot agree on how the temple, named Tenryu-ji, is to be run. Apparently, the current abbot is very strict, the former abbot is even stricter, and (according to Kakunen), they are even "old school" on the slapping, hitting, hazing, verbal harassment and other "boot camp" approaches to training.

This kind of very violent (verbally, often physically violent) training is found not only in Zen, but in many corners of traditional Japanese "training camps" from sumo wrestling to high school baseball(!), martial arts to even Japanese kabuki theatre schools! In Zen, of course, some "old school" folks believe in a monastic atmosphere to rival marine boot camp or the army, very aggressive if not downright abusive and sadistic when overdone.

Kakunen, correct me if am wrong. It has caused several monks there to run away.

I don't care for this style of training at all, but it is still common in Japan in some corners. Apparently, at Tenryu-ji, it is combined with some kind of civil war between the former abbot and the current abbot about the course of training and running of the temple. Kakunen has trained at quite a few monasteries, so this must be an extreme case for him to say this.

Frankly (and I think Kakunen will allow me to say this, as he often talks about it himself), Kakunen has been through a lot of violence in his own life, it has left him with PTSD, leaving him especially fragile and sensitive to any violent behavior, and this kind of conflict and aggressive training is especially hard on him for that reason. It is very sad to me.

Here is Kakunen's original message, and my translation below:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

まずは日本語で書きます。

これは東堂と住職の自業自得です。そして第一番手のリーダーも同じです。
彼らは私を置いて逃げました。アメリカ人の参禅者と私が最後に残りました。

彼らはあまりにハードな形だけの接心で、いつも怒り、競っています。

これが起きることは時間の問題でした。私はいつも標的になり、殴られ、理不尽に怒られました。

それで入院することが少なくとも４回はありました。私はもうここを出なくてはならない。

誰が正しい、何が正しい、聞き飽きました。

坐禅なのか、座禅なのかと聞かれ、坐禅が正しいと言われたとき、私は言いました。
Zazenですと。

彼らの場所に行くことになったのは、同じく城満寺の争いからでした。しかし今は彼は
謝りました。懺悔しました。そして今私をサポートします。

もう私は疲れました。しかしこれだけははっきりと言えます。悩んできてよかったと思います。

私は父の失踪により１億円以上の借金を背負ったとき、この歌がいつも私をサポートしてくれまし た。
もう２０年以上前の話です。

さあ、今から坐ります。

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translation:

[Regarding the problem at Tenryuji temple:] This is a matter of "reap what you sew, getting your own just desserts] between the retired abbot and the [current] abbot. And the same is true for the first leader [senior monk under the abbot]. They left me and ran away. The American who came for Zen practice and I were the people last to remain.

They are always angry and competing, with always doing only too hard sesshins.

It was only a matter of time before this was bound to happen. I was always targeted, beaten, and subject to anger that was unreasonable. [JUNDO: Kakunen, they beat you???? Can you describe how and how much??? ]

So I was hospitalized at least four times. I also have to leave here and can't stay.

I'm tired of hearing arguments about who is right and what is right.

When I was asked if it was zazen [spelled one way with this first Kanji meaning to sit Zen 坐禅] or zazen written another way [also meaning to sit Zen 座禅], I answered that it is best just to say "zazen" [in English.]

I decided to go to their place [Tenryuji] because of the conflict I previously faced at Jomanji Temple. But now he apologizes. He repented. And now he supports me.

I'm tired already. But this is something that I wish to say clearly: I'm glad I was worried.

This song always supported me when I was in debt of over 100 million yen due to my father's disappearance. It's been over 20 years since then.

https://youtu.be/cZe2sVQugbk

Now I will sit.