Dear All,
As you know, we Zen folks regularly recite the Four Bodhisattva Vows. At Treeleaf, our wording is:
Our Treeleaf Priests hold a monthly tea meeting to catch up with each other, and about everyone always has some struggle or hard personal story to relate from their own recent lives, or about their friends and family. It confirms that Zen priests do not escape life. During the week, Sangha members write me almost daily about things they are facing too. Often, these are problems that cannot be easily solved, or are simply unsolvable. These are my friends and people I care deeply about, or nice people I have just met, and it always breaks my heart, each time, that they are facing such things. There is often so little that I can say to bring even a touch of comfort, although I so wish I could. Some stories are beyond anything that could ever be said ...
We Zen folks cannot solve all life's pains and problems. Far from it. We will always grow sick, older, lose love ones, suffer threats and fears to our well-being, business and job worries, see our family members struggle although we wish they knew peace. I know folks gravely ill, folks who do not know where their next meal is coming from, folks in war zones. Zen Practice allows us to see through these sufferings, to a realm where there is no suffering, where all is light and whole, where nobody grows sick, nobody dies, nothing can be lost ...
... and yet, alas, so long as we are alive in this world, the hardships, illnesses, loss and times of grief will remain. That is just to be human and alive in this world.
Our Teachings let us know freedom from all such things, yet all such things remain ... like two sides of a no sided coin.
We also know that, even a small effort, a single hand offered in friendship, a shoulder to rest on, is overflowing in its power, even if it can only give a little extra strength and comfort to others.
So, I thought to expand the Bodhisattva Vows a bit, to express our wishes that we could all help our friends and loved ones in their times of pain, although we also know that it is often impossible to help as much as we would desire. We can include ourselves too. We keep on hoping and making the effort, sending Metta and a Helping Hand, working for things to be a little better, even when the mountain of troubles seems insurmountable.
Would you do me a favor? Would you think up, and post below, some additional verses like these, to reflect your own difficulties or the battles of friends and loved ones in your life that you wish you could somehow improve, though it seems so hard right now?
I will somehow organize the verses into something that we will recite at our Sangha's weekly Zazenkai next Friday (I may not be able to recite all, and may combine some, but I will recite as many as I can.) It may not cure anything, but the wishes and mutual feelings which we will share, as a group, will certainly help each other. It will help cure our feeling alone in all this. None of us is alone in this.
Those are just some about a whole bunch of folks I know. Please add more. It can be about you or those you know.
And it's okay to be serious, but also okay to put a little humor into your verses too if you want: Sometimes a little wry humor is the best medicine for something not so funny really.
Gassho, J
stlah
As you know, we Zen folks regularly recite the Four Bodhisattva Vows. At Treeleaf, our wording is:
To save all sentient beings, though beings numberless
To transform all delusions, though delusions inexhaustible
To perceive Reality, though Reality is boundless
To attain the Enlightened Way, a Way non-attainable
To transform all delusions, though delusions inexhaustible
To perceive Reality, though Reality is boundless
To attain the Enlightened Way, a Way non-attainable
Our Treeleaf Priests hold a monthly tea meeting to catch up with each other, and about everyone always has some struggle or hard personal story to relate from their own recent lives, or about their friends and family. It confirms that Zen priests do not escape life. During the week, Sangha members write me almost daily about things they are facing too. Often, these are problems that cannot be easily solved, or are simply unsolvable. These are my friends and people I care deeply about, or nice people I have just met, and it always breaks my heart, each time, that they are facing such things. There is often so little that I can say to bring even a touch of comfort, although I so wish I could. Some stories are beyond anything that could ever be said ...
We Zen folks cannot solve all life's pains and problems. Far from it. We will always grow sick, older, lose love ones, suffer threats and fears to our well-being, business and job worries, see our family members struggle although we wish they knew peace. I know folks gravely ill, folks who do not know where their next meal is coming from, folks in war zones. Zen Practice allows us to see through these sufferings, to a realm where there is no suffering, where all is light and whole, where nobody grows sick, nobody dies, nothing can be lost ...
... and yet, alas, so long as we are alive in this world, the hardships, illnesses, loss and times of grief will remain. That is just to be human and alive in this world.
Our Teachings let us know freedom from all such things, yet all such things remain ... like two sides of a no sided coin.
We also know that, even a small effort, a single hand offered in friendship, a shoulder to rest on, is overflowing in its power, even if it can only give a little extra strength and comfort to others.
So, I thought to expand the Bodhisattva Vows a bit, to express our wishes that we could all help our friends and loved ones in their times of pain, although we also know that it is often impossible to help as much as we would desire. We can include ourselves too. We keep on hoping and making the effort, sending Metta and a Helping Hand, working for things to be a little better, even when the mountain of troubles seems insurmountable.
Would you do me a favor? Would you think up, and post below, some additional verses like these, to reflect your own difficulties or the battles of friends and loved ones in your life that you wish you could somehow improve, though it seems so hard right now?
I will somehow organize the verses into something that we will recite at our Sangha's weekly Zazenkai next Friday (I may not be able to recite all, and may combine some, but I will recite as many as I can.) It may not cure anything, but the wishes and mutual feelings which we will share, as a group, will certainly help each other. It will help cure our feeling alone in all this. None of us is alone in this.
To cure all cancers, though cancers ever cancering ...
To keep all workers, though workers unemployable ...
To lose no loved one, though loved ones sometimes losing ...
To keep our relatives sober, though relatives just keep drinking ...
* * *
To strain no back, though backs we're often straining ...
To heal all broken marriages, though marriages are sometimes breaking ...
To keep all cats healthy, though the vet is always busy ...
To solve all kid's problem, though parent's new grey hairs are endless ...
To keep all workers, though workers unemployable ...
To lose no loved one, though loved ones sometimes losing ...
To keep our relatives sober, though relatives just keep drinking ...
* * *
To strain no back, though backs we're often straining ...
To heal all broken marriages, though marriages are sometimes breaking ...
To keep all cats healthy, though the vet is always busy ...
To solve all kid's problem, though parent's new grey hairs are endless ...

Those are just some about a whole bunch of folks I know. Please add more. It can be about you or those you know.
And it's okay to be serious, but also okay to put a little humor into your verses too if you want: Sometimes a little wry humor is the best medicine for something not so funny really.

Gassho, J
stlah
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