Introductions

[Gregor]

Hello Treeleaf Sangha

My name is Greg. I'm 27, single and live in Vermont. I work in health-care, and keep myself busy with a variety of activities including music (guitar & fiddle), yoga, fencing, golf, blogging and reading.

I've been studying Buddhism for the last two years. Last year I took the plunge and decided to become a Buddhist. Most of my work has been on my own. I have not been able to squeeze a Sangha into my work schedule. The options in my immediate area are a little limited. Fortunately I have found a home here at Treeleaf and am very happy to be practicing with all of you.

Up to this point I have not approached Buddhism from a purely Zen approach, but have found a great deal of value in it. In fact Zazen has been the meditative approach that has been the best fit for me. However, from a theological approach I have taken a lot of inspiration from Theravada Buddhism. The Pali Cannon has been a rich source for me in understanding the Dharma, and applying a Buddhist approach to my life.

Beginning in January of this year I began a blog to assist me in journaling my thoughts and applying the Eightfold Path to my life. . .In case any one is interested in seeing more about my path, or discussing yours please drop in and see me at http://enteringthepath.wordpress.com ---- I'm not trying to plug anything, only offering to share the experience, the internet has been a useful tool for me in overcoming the lack of a brick and mortar Sangha in my life.

I'm looking forward to practicing Zazen daily here and learning from everybody involved.

May You be Happy,

-Greg

[Ryumon]

Hi, I'm Kirk, a 47-year-old lapsed New Yorker living in a village in the French Alps. I'm very interested in this sangha, since I'm far from any dharma centers, and need some motivation to get back to regular practice. While I'm not a Zen Buddhist, I have studied other forms of Buddhism over the years, and have long been interested in Soto Zen, because of it's being the least "religious" of the Buddhist traditions, at least from what I have understood.

Personally, I'm looking for what Stephen Batchelor calls "Buddhism without beliefs"; I find the whole theological thing to be a distraction, and am far more interested in seeing within, than imagining what is without.

Thank you, Jundo, for starting this up. I'm hoping that I will be able to practice more regularly because of this.

Kirk

[Bansho]

Introductions

Hi,

My name is Kenneth, I'm 39 and I live in Frankfurt, Germany, although I originally come from the USA. I became interested in the Buddhadharma about 4 years ago and have been striving to integrate more practice into my daily life since then. I have great respect for Nishijima Roshi and his approach to Dogen Zenji's teachings, and look forward to the opportunity to get to know Jundo as one of his Dharma heirs, as well as all other Soto Zen practitioners or interested persons here. As a lay Buddhist with a family life and without a suitable zendo in the area, my contact with other Buddhists has been primarily via the Internet, with the exception of a few 'real-life' local events and a trip to China last year. I've recently been admitted to Dogen Sangha International and am grateful for being born in an age in which it's possible to overcome geographical boundaries to establish such contacts.

Many thanks to Jundo and all others involved in getting Treeleaf set up. I hope it will flourish and that I may contribute a posting from time to time.

Gasshô
Kenneth

[Imperatrix]

Re: Introductions

Hi there---my name's Anastasia, and I'm learning about Soto Zen very slowly. I don't know much about it, but what I know, I like.

Thanks, Jundo, for providing people with this place. It is good to be here!

[Dharmamong]

Hi everyone,

I'm Gareth, I'm a 27 year old from Wallasey (near Liverpool) in England. I'm currently a Paratrooper in the British army, however I may be moving on soon. I've been a practicing Buddhist for about five years. I didn't really convert or anything lol, I just started reading about world religions and realised Zen Buddhism was what I thought anyway. After that I started taking my practice seriously (but not too seriously, what's the point?).
I believe in stripping away what isn't helpful or what may be a barrier to understanding so I think Master Dogen got it right and that's why this is my practice.
I hope to speak to everyone in due course.

Gareth

[zenslack]

Hi I'm Beau.

I'm 22 and I live in Rancho Cucamonga, California. I've been studying religion for several years now. I've always had a soft spot for Buddhism, especially Soto Zen. I've made a commitment to sit zazen every day. The ZenTV netcasts have been a wonderful help in keeping this promise.

[Jundo]

Hello Everyone,

Sorry about the netcast, the bulletin board, the this, the that. The netcast should be up and running, and running well, in the next few days ... next week for sure. They are still in Beta, and are upgrading their servers. I received a nice message from someone, and I would like to post my answer.

Gassho, Jundo at the Dials

Dear Jundo,

In light of the recent technical difficulties with [the netcast], perhaps it
would help if the videos were uploaded to youtube for viewing when the
blogger site falls short. Also, this would allow more people to gain
access to the them. It's just a thought...

The daily zazen has helped me to become more disciplined in my
practice. Thank you for offering a Sangha for those of us who can't
make the trek to a zendo.


I wrote back....

Please keep sitting even without the daily broadcast (they tell me the problems will be solved over the weekend). It will be back shortly. You can sit with it, you can sit without it ... you can sit with whatever comes.



You Tube is what I am considering for a backup. In fact, you have inspired me. I will do a recorded sitting tonight and put it up on YouTube or Google Video tonight. At least, I will try. One reason I do not use them is that they do not handle daily, long (20 or 30 minutes) sittings very well, and the upload is not smooth. Also, the service I am using ... once they fix their problems ... should allow us to do live broadcasts of retreats and such, that can be watched and joined in in real time.


Anyway, this is all new and an experiment. I do not wish to compare myself or these endevours to Dogen when he built Eiheiji, but we are building a kind of temple here too ... one made of new technology, not wood. However, maybe old Dogen had problems too those first few weeks ("Hey, when you gonna put a roof on this place???" etc.)



Keep sitting. Keep sitting. Keep sitting.



Gassho, Jundo.

[zenlotus]

Hello everyone.

My name is Kellen. I am 17 years old and I live in Kansas City in the United States. There is a Soto Zen center about 2 1/2 hours from where I live but, needless to say, I've never made it out there. So it's great to be at a place like this.

So interesting to meet people here from all over the country (and world). Thanks to everyone involved for the oppurtunity.

May you be well and happy,

zenlotus

[Hans]

Hello Everyone!

Nice to see so many people from different countries here. I happen to be a 28 year old man from Germany, who, due to having married a woman from the Netherlands last year, currently resides in a lovely town a few minutes outside Rotterdam. As a 16 year old I spent one year in Japan as an exchange student (and if I had been a bit more disciplined back then, I wouldn't have to re-learn the whole accursed language NOW. ), definitely the most important year of my life. Finally my karma, or whatever, caught up with me in 2006 and after years of meditating outside of established formal systems I found my home in Zen. No question marks anymore, no bullshit.

However, unlike a rather famous Zen practitioner, I would never dare to cut a cat in half, just in order to make a point. The stick my wife would hit me with after such a display (we have three cats - btw) would surely be much more painful than whatever else I could imagine.


Gassho,

Hans

[Gregor]

Very nice to meet everyone.

I am so glad the Sangha is growing!!

[Somnilocus]

Hello all,

I'm 18 years old and from Canada. I became interested in Buddhism around the age of 13. I do not belong to a Sangha or strictly practice the teachings of only one sect. I find they all have something to offer. I am mostly drawn to Zen. It's nice to meet you all.

Jundo,

I very much appreciate your effort in providing a Sangha-like atmosphere for those unable to attend a Sangha in real life. I have Social Anxiety Disorder which has prevented me from going to school, working, etc... and, of course, joining a local Sangha, despite how much I want to. Thank you for doing this.

Namaste _/|_

[Murah]

Well this seems to be the "hip" place to introduce yourself, so I believe I'll partake in it....

Hello everyone, I'm 17 years old from Florida USA.

I started becoming interested in Buddhism about a year ago when I first learned of it, but haven't really meditated or studied dharma until only a few months ago.
There aren't many places to learn the Dharma or meditate since I live in a highly Jewish/Christian area, so online sanghas like this one are a blessing.

At first I studied some of the Thervada Buddhist texts ( tripitaka) and built my foundations from there. I have never really read up on zen, but I would be more then happy to learn from Jundo and everyone else here online.



-Murah

[daisetsu]

Hello!

I'm 25 from Orlando, FL, USA. I have studied Buddhism academically and have been dabbling in Buddhism as a personal practice for a while now but had never established a daily practice until a few months ago. I haven't been able to join any sitting groups, because I am a graduate student; if we're not at school, we're expected to be either heading towards school or in the hospital.

I'm a bit sketchy when it comes to shikantaza, so I always begin sitting with a period of counting the breaths; I figure if I'm just spinning my wheels in the latter half, at least I'm gaining some concentration in the former. I look forward to learning more about the Zen form of meditation through this online sangha.

Thank you.

[Jundo]

Welcome from Jundo

Hi,

I just want to say to some of the folks who recently posted for the first time that, please feel free to drop me a private email at any time if you have some question. I will do my best to try to answer.

jundo@treeleaf.org

We have many experienced sitters in the group too, and we help each other in this group. So, lots of folks here with good advise.

In a 'nutshell'" just sitting means to sit without any goal or purpose. We let the mind become quiet, not actively thinking about anything. When thoughts come, we just let them drift out of mind like clouds in a blue sky ... we return again and again to the blue, open sky. We are just looking at a beautiful blue sky, and the scenery around us, without particularly thinking anything about it. We return again and again to an openly aware, calm and quiet mind. We do not judge the experience as 'good' or bad.' There is no 'bad' Zazen sitting ... even the bad ones!

Basically, we are practicing how to approach all of life in the same open and non-judgmental way.

'Just sitting' is also a foundation for many other new perspectives (on the nature of our selves, the world, life, time and many, many other things) that are at the heart of Buddhism.

See you for a sitting together on the blog!

Gassho, Jundo (or "Jim" if somebody prefers)

[FeMonky]

Hi

Hello,
My name is Xander and I'm 29 in Kansas City.
I was originally interested in Zen through my martial arts studies and attended a couple of practice sessions at the Kansas Zen Center in Lawrence (home of KU). But I was totally frustrated by the whole experience. Several years down the road I've read books (Hagen & Brad Warner) and surfed the 'net and I'm finally starting to get what was trying to happen at college. LOL. Anyhoo. I enjoy the Soto Zen approach so here I am!