Tosho-ji

[Jundo]

A lovely television feature on Tosho-ji Shuritsu Senmon Sodo, the Sotoshu International Training Monastery in Okayama Prefecture, Japan ...

https://youtu.be/4v36Gkr1Cxs

Gassho, J

stlah

[Tokan]

Thanks Jundo

Tokan (satlah)

[Washin]

Gassho
Washin
stlah

[Kotei]

Gassho, Kotei.

[Ankai]

STLAH

[Onki]

On

Sat today

[Mokuso]

Gassho sat today.
Mokuso

[Naiko]

Naiko
st

[paulashby]

Thank you for this deep breath of quiet vastness amid activity. I am guessing the New Year's Blessing
event was turning a sutra into a prayer flag to send good wishes? I have not experienced that in zen temples
in the U.S.

Gassho,peace, Paul sat lah

[Houzan]

Thank you for sharing [emoji120]

Gassho, Michael
Satlah

[Onkai]

Gassho, Onkai
Sat lah

[Jundo]

Thank you for this deep breath of quiet vastness amid activity. I am guessing the New Year's Blessing
event was turning a sutra into a prayer flag to send good wishes? I have not experienced that in zen temples
in the U.S.

Gassho,peace, Paul sat lah

This is "Tendoku" (転読, literally, "revolving reading") of the Dai Hannya, the 600-fascicle Large Prajña Paramita Sutra, and is done for many ceremonies including the Choka Morning Service at Eiheiji and Sojiji Head Temples in Japan. It would not be possible to read the entirety during a single ceremony. So, Tendoku ritual reading involves shouting the title and volume number of the sutra, then quickly flipping through the sutra book itself, which is much like the Tibetan practice of spinning a "prayer wheel" wherein each flip of the book and saying of the volume name equals in Karmic merit a reading of the whole Sutra. Several sects of Buddhism do so in Japan, not just the Zen folks.

Here is a video of Tendoku during a Morning Service at Sojiji. Notice the lovely fancy-footwork ballet of the books being returned (the same happens as they are first brought out) at the 2:10 mark.

https://youtu.be/pvB3V9PL3Hc

Here is also a nice video, from the 20 second mark, of some young monks rehearsing that footwork ballet ...

https://youtu.be/ZCeZAQycFWc

Gassho, J

stlah

[Guest]

Thanks Jundo, If I didn't have responsibilities I'd be there like a shot. Is it just me or is the narrators Japanese particularly hard to understand? Perhaps it was just the vocabulary used, or perhaps my ear tuning in to it more as I listened?

Sattday

Dan

[Jundo]

Thanks Jundo, If I didn't have responsibilities I'd be there like a shot. Is it just me or is the narrators Japanese particularly hard to understand?

Sattday

Dan

Oh, when he is reading the quotes from Master Dogen at various parts, such as the very start and end, he is speaking 13th Century classical Japanese. That's probably the reason that it is a bit tricky.

There are many things to experience and much to realize in a place like Tosho-ji.

But there are also many things to experience, and the very same realization to have, right where you are.

Master Dogen said that too.

Why leave behind the seat that exists in your home and go aimlessly off to the dusty realms of other lands? If you make one misstep you go astray from the way directly before you.

Gassho, J

stlah

[Shujin]

After watching the Toshoji video, I came across this short film. It doesn't cover anything new, but I feel that it fits well with our style of practice.

Gassho,
Shujin

-sat today-