The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

**chessie** · 12-10-2010, 09:44 AM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

i think this is a great idea, and I may join you in the endeavor. Gassho, Ann

**Engyo** · 12-10-2010, 02:01 PM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

Hello Dosho,
I can answer you here, having rejected the many excuses that came to my mind throughout.

In the end, I just did all I was able to do; according to the time available, my limited understanding, lack of skills and priorities as those changed and evolved over the course of this Ango. Some things took more from me than I originally expected. I did what I was able to do without forgetting to participate in the unplanned flow of friends and life around me,as well as struggling a bit with my own devils (as those arose) quickly filled my time and I was grateful. There was a rhythm to this much which evolved and to which I eventually bowed.

At this juncture, feeling gently challenged (as I need to be occasionally) to account why I did not do something more, I wonder, “Was the sum of what I did half empty or half full?” The conclusion I arrived at was this, “I don’t know” and I am OK with that. So while I have every respect for both the individuals involved and for you in your support of their good work, I can only say I am sorry I was unable to do more and (as I remarked elsewhere) one of the lessons of this 100 days of special practice or me was I didn’t really accomplish anything except (perhaps) for this: I am better prepared for the next time and the time in between.

Many thanks; many blessings.
Gassho,
Don

**murasaki** · 12-11-2010, 11:07 PM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

I, too, am sorry I did not accomplish more, but I am planning to go back and review them when my final exams are done.

Although I did not participate nearly as consistently and frequently as I would have liked, the exercises were a good opportunity for me to reflect on things a little differently -- they took me back closer to beginner's mind.

I would like to see what you have to share, Dosho (and others).

gassho
Julia

**Dosho** · 12-12-2010, 01:15 AM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

Don and Julia,

Thank you for your words. I certainly was not trying to make anyone feel guilty about having not done more, but I do share many of the sentiments you both expressed. My post was mainly aimed at myself and anyone who felt like going along for the ride. And speaking only for myself, I just wanted to do what I can do now to honor their efforts without dwelling on why didn't do so before.

So, I'll begin tomorrow...any and all are free to join in the experience!

Gassho,
Dosho

Tb · 12-12-2010, 12:33 PM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

Hi.

Great initiative!

I'd like to put in some thoughts/ disclaimers around the practice partner excercises, as im partly behind those (and so are you...

) and i don't regard me as an an authority in these matters, so make of them what you will....

Firstly they were a part in the Angopractice for those that wanted to do them, but it is also so that they are available for everyone all the time.

Second, they don't have to be done with a practicepartner, although that is somewhat encouraged sometimes, but you can do them all by yourselves.
As something to ponder if nothing else

Thirdly, the practice partner excercises, as the well as the Ango, is not a race, it's a practice. If you feel them to heavy or unable to complete them, thats ok.
Take what you've learned and move on, but don't give or quit, because there is no such thing in these things...

Fourthly, if i may i would greatly see the development of these things as they have been a good practice for me, and if i may i will be in on this thread to, with your blessing of course.

Fifthly, its all good practice.
Thank you for your practice.
Really.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

**Dosho** · 12-12-2010, 07:44 PM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

Originally posted by Fugen

...if i may i would greatly see the development of these things as they have been a good practice for me, and if i may i will be in on this thread to, with your blessing of course.

I don't know if you are asking my permission, but if so I certainly give it with the understanding that asking for such was not required. Feel free to cut into my dance any time you want.

**Dosho** · 12-12-2010, 10:32 PM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

On the first day of practice partner exercises, our priests in training gave to us...

Here's a link to practice partner exercise #1:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2804

Gassho,
Dosho

**Engyo** · 12-13-2010, 06:22 AM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

Originally posted by Fugen

Hi.

Great initiative!

I'd like to put in some thoughts/ disclaimers around the practice partner excercises, as im partly behind those (and so are you...

) and i don't regard me as an an authority in these matters, so make of them what you will....

Firstly they were a part in the Angopractice for those that wanted to do them, but it is also so that they are available for everyone all the time.

Second, they don't have to be done with a practicepartner, although that is somewhat encouraged sometimes, but you can do them all by yourselves.
As something to ponder if nothing else

Thirdly, the practice partner excercises, as the well as the Ango, is not a race, it's a practice. If you feel them to heavy or unable to complete them, thats ok.
Take what you've learned and move on, but don't give or quit, because there is no such thing in these things...

Fourthly, if i may i would greatly see the development of these things as they have been a good practice for me, and if i may i will be in on this thread to, with your blessing of course.

Fifthly, its all good practice.
Thank you for your practice.
Really.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

Exercise I:

* Introduce yourself briefly including where you’re living and your main interest in online practice:
I live in the largely rural central highland area of Nova Scotia. Ocean, rivers, mountains, lots of forest; a quiet place.
My interest in online practice stems from the fact it is my only opportunity for relative proximity to both teachers and other people engaged in exploring the buddha ways.

* How will you communicate your practice (zazen, study, teacher-student, skillful practice, practice partner) to your practice partner? :
As suggested, I will post answers and thoughts regarding the exercise’s questions here in this thread. Sometimes amending or combining the questions; other times disregarding those which may be redundant in this format.

* What's your starting position in your practice this coming week; sitting, studying, working and communicating? :
Sitting is always my starting position. Some of the best things I’ve learned is on the cushion; about my thoughts, their impermanence and the gaps in between. Sitting is more like a tune-up to me, though.
I sit three times a day. I have that opportunity. I seldom sit more than 20 minutes at a time. At this stage I use the whole day for zazen; whether sitting or standing, walking of lying down.
I read a fair amount, listen to teachings on my mp3 player throughout the day. My samu is cooking meals, doing chores and repairs for others.

* What's your edge? :
My edge in my practice starts with the fact I have “time” and “inclination”. Shantideva wrote (in Way of the Bodhisattva), “So hard to find the ease and wealth whereby the aims of beings may be gained. If now I fail to turn it to my profit, how could such a chance be mine again?” So here I am a widower, retired, near to all this nature with a deep and abiding interest in this path and finding my own.

* What's working well for you so far, what's not working as well as you'd like?
The chance to participate at Treeleaf is working for me. There have been a few times I found communication in this format challenging but that’s the nature of this media. Easy to misunderstand the nature of words (sometimes) without expressions and body language, or ever-present mindfulness, or finely tuned awareness.

* Anything new you are going to put into your practice this week? :
Just these exercises.

* After your daily practice, send a quick message with the bare details:
Perhaps. I am offering this start out of respect. I guess I am interested to see if others intend to participate in this and what shape that participation takes.

Gassho,
Don

**Dosho** · 12-13-2010, 03:41 PM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

I posted this in the Practice Partner Exercise 1 thread, but was requested to post it here as well:

Originally posted by Dosho

Hi all,

I'll start with the disclaimer that these are merely my experiences and I do not mean to imply that anyone else shares them. I can only speculate as to others' feelings on the exercises and hope they will share them too. And of course any suggestions I make to Fugen and Shohei are only from the outside looking in and may be in direct opposition to something they felt was integral to the exercise. This is just me brainstorming out loud and throwing out impressions from my scattered brain, thinking maybe one or two might stick during the course of the 12 days. And I am in no way saying "this is how it should have been"...only "this is how I took them in...this is what I took away".

When the idea of practice partners began, I must admit that I was very intimidated. I got a partner quite soon in the process (BrianW) and knew him from the forums, but it still felt a bit awkward to engage with someone so quickly on such an intimate subject. I don't know if easing into it with less to discuss would have made it any, well, easier....probably not in my case. I know I felt a bit of pressure (self inflicted) to use Skype and be face to face with my practice partner, but as Brian and I would discuss later we both felt a bit uneasy with the medium. As I remember (and correct me if I'm wrong Brian!) we sent a PM to each other with questions discussed in the exercise but also some basic pleasantries about ourselves and our families. Both of us seemed more comfortable with that method of communication, since scheduling a specific Skype time would have certainly been less convenient...although the thought does cross my mind at the moment that perhaps being convenient wasn't the point!

Looking back, any "problems" I had with this exercise were really based in my fear of opening myself up to another person, even one I knew, since it often takes me awhile to warm up to someone. I can see advantages to making Skype mandatory for those who have access to it, one being to push us past our comfort level, but I do think at the start it is better to let people get to know each other in the method they find most comfortable. That's how Treeleaf itself works through the forum (at least for me) as people can decide how much they want to engage the topics and, in a certain sense, take it or leave it. But the exercise really didn't ask anything of us that isn't asked for in the forums...honesty, courtesy, and dedication (if we so choose to undertake them). Looking at them now, the exercise seems so simple and straightforward, but at the time it seemed anything but simple.

That's it for today...hope to see some folks on day 2! And if you have any questions or comments Fugen or Shohei, fire away.

Gassho,
Dosho

P.S. By the way, I should just mention that with most of the exercises I will probably just be doing them rather than commenting on the process. This just seemed like a good way to start

**Dosho** · 12-13-2010, 04:48 PM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

Great idea Don! Here goes mine:

Exercise I:

* Introduce yourself briefly including where you’re living and your main interest in online practice:

I am a stay at home dad to two young boys while my wife works, all living near Rochester, NY, USA. My SAHD gig makes traveling to a zen center quite difficult and, despite the numerous buddhist centers in the vicinity, there are no soto centers less than a day's drive away. Besides, Treeleaf is my home!

* How will you communicate your practice (zazen, study, teacher-student, skillful practice, practice partner) to your practice partner? :

As suggested, I will post answers and thoughts regarding the exercise’s questions here in this thread. Sometimes amending or combining the questions; other times disregarding those which may be redundant in this format. (I stole Don's response...couldn't have said it any better!)

* What's your starting position in your practice this coming week; sitting, studying, working and communicating? :

I plan to sit up to 2 sessions of zazen a day, usually about 25-30 minutes each. I nearly always get the first sitting in, but my schedule with the boys usually dictates whether I can include a second session. I read whenever I can, usually while the boys are sleeping. Housework is much of my life and I try to do it with a samu mindset, but that doesn't always happen. I also post on the forum whenever I can and attend the tea party most Sundays.

* What's your edge? :

I honestly have no idea what this means since I think of edgy as "cool", which I am typically not. I'll just say that I have few edges as a person who is not as his peak physical shape and leave it at that.

* What's working well for you so far, what's not working as well as you'd like?

It only occured to me to keep track of this after reading Don's message, so I'll leave this one open. If anything my practice has gotten deeper since Ango ended, probably meaning I put too much pressure on myself during it.

* Anything new you are going to put into your practice this week? :

Just these exercises. (Stole this one again Don!)

* After your daily practice, send a quick message with the bare details:

Let's see where this goes!

Gassho,
Dosho

**Engyo** · 12-13-2010, 09:18 PM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

Thank you for your words and your practice.
Gassho,
Don

**Dosho** · 12-13-2010, 10:16 PM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

On the second day of practice partner exercises, our priests in training gave to us...a meal!

Here's a link to practice partner exercise #2:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2855

PLESE NOTE: One reason I know I got off track with these exercises was because I felt "behind" in doing the past ones, so when new ones came up I didn't do them. Please feel free to jump in on any of these whenever the mood strikes. If you want to go back and do #1, please do so as I really hope some more folks will join us!

Gassho,
Dosho

**Dosho** · 12-14-2010, 07:13 PM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

Hi all,

Share a meal together, recite the Gatha together, eat in silence for 5 minutes. After that, talk is encouraged on the general subject of "gratitude", as is the theme of the Gatha, for the food before and other aspects of life.

It is recommend that folks cook something they will probably find tasty, and something they know they usually do not like
(as well, using not spoiled foods but foods that are not peak/pristine condition), and to eat both without judgment.

I think one of the most difficult things I found with some the exercises, particularly the first few, was adpating them to my circumstances. So, when it came to this one...making a meal...that was a bit difficult since I rarely if ever make a meal that isn't for my kids. Even now stealing a few moments to type this is difficult, with my younest here eating Cheerios while I get ready to shovel a foot of snow so my oldest can get up the driveway from school. I am sure there are many lessons in this, but when your life isn't entirely your own you do have to make compromises. I pledged to give most of my time to the needs of my children, did so willingly, and wouldn't change it. But when I'm confronted with a simple task...make a meal..."taste the sweet and sour"...it seems near to impossible! I'm sure it is not impossible...but you do tend to lose track of yourself and your practice. I shall endeavor to do a better job of that.

So, I can't say I have any criticism of this exercise...merely criticism of my ability or desire to do things I resist. What else can I do?

Gassho,
Dosho

**Engyo** · 12-15-2010, 10:23 AM

Re: The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

Exercise 2

*Share a meal together, recite the Gatha together, eat in silence for 5 minutes.

Mixing A Metaphorical Meal: A recipe just waiting to happen...

From Dogen’s “Instructions for the Zen Cook” comes Uchiyama’s book “How to Cook Your Life” . In part it talks about how to prepare a meal; not just any meal but one we prepare to share with others. The “meal” it is speaking of is our practice. Why share it with others? It is part of the Mahayana practice of a Bodhisattva; how to save the many beings.
Everything we experience is our life. We receive it all raw. Then we cook it in the "pot" called our head, but there is danger in this. This pot contains poisons, three in fact; greed; hatred and delusion. These, in turn, are fed by our six sense organs eye, ear, nose, tongue, skin, and mind; Bodhidharma’s “six thieves”. How do we deal with these things which can poison our meal? How do we handle the six thieves which would steal its flavour? What are the antidotes? What spices do we use? If our goal is to “cook” our life in this “pot” for the benefit of others, we best figure out how we do this, passing on the nourishment and neutralizing the poisons. It takes a skilful cook. Kind of like the cooks that prepare the poisonous Japanese delicacy of puffer fish. Good to know, then, in both cases there is an ancient recipe.
In the case of our meal, one (of many) such ancient recipe is found in the Zen Teachings of Bodhidharma (Breakthrough Sermon). We defeat the three poisons practicing with the three sets of precepts (as in the three sets of precepts we receive here in Jukai), summarized by the Three Pure Precepts; to renounce all evil, practice all good, save the many beings. We neutralize the six thieves by spicing our meal liberally with the six paramitas: generousity, ethics, patience, joyous effort, concentration and wisdom; committing these to practice. All this has value added, as Dogen said, “Because there is practice on the other shore, when you practice the other shore arrives”.
This is the meal I would learn to offer; to share. I used to aspire to being a Zen monk, nowadays I think to myself, "If I could only learn to be a Zen Cook". In the meantime though (not being much of a cook of any tradition) I also offer this gatha, verse, song or prayer; an intention that all will turn out well:

This food comes from the efforts
of all sentient beings past and present,
and is medicine for nourishment of our Practice.
We offer this meal of many virtues and tastes
to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha,
and to all life in every realm of existence.
May all sentient beings in the universe
be sufficiently nourished.

*After that, talk is encouraged on the general subject of "gratitude", as is the theme of the Gatha, for the food before and other aspects of life.

This is the dessert. Heh, if we got that far after my cooking in the presence of poisons, let’s just be grateful we are still alive!

I should quit now. A loose tongue spoils the broth, then no one would touch it with a hundred foot pole!

Gassho,
Don

The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

The 12 Days of Practice Partner Exercises!

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