Member Comments

[Jundo]

Hi All,

I want to thank everyone who provided ideas. I am going to get around to summarizing them, and putting many of them into action.

Gassho. Jundo

[Keishin]

members comments

Hellos everyone
I'm late to joining the disucssion here.
I've just had the comical-error of thrice (3 x) deleting the whole of my comments while I was thoughtlessly trying to edit them in preview mode
so....I've learned my lesson and I won't edit this one--

I like things here at Treeleaf as they are and as they are evolving.
I have a pretty strong practice going already: I sit with a group twice a week--one mid-week with a group I assist in setting up, and on Saturdays for Brad's weekly sit and monthly zazenkai; I sit daily on my own morning and evening except for Saturdays and Fridays when I sit only once (and often on Friday I don't sit at all).

Because of this I don't think it likely I would add on participating in a group sit on line. I infrequently view the daily sit-a-long, but I will periodically 'catch up' and watch several of the talks at once. As far as being a 'guest sitter' on a sit-a-long, my 'druthers' are no, but I also know that 365 talks a year is a huge commitment--no place I've sat with has ever had anyone do this--if help is needed, I am willing to help.

Rather than have our pictures appear over and over with each of our comments, I'd rather have a 'yearbook' kind of a place where I can periodically update my photo as I add on more wrinkles, more folds in the neck, and more chins! I'm more interested in following the 'what' being said than the 'who' saying it.

I only recently began spending time on blogs and contributing to comments. I have Brad to thank for that. His blog: Hardcorezen.blogspot.com led me to Gudo Nishijima Roshi's Dogen Sanga Blog and Treeleaf is linked there.
I'm still learning about what this new activity is for me. It certainly takes a considerable amount of time. I'm healing from an injury at this time and have more time available than I normally would...
When time constraints change, my participation may also change.
Precepts study/discussion is something I would commit to--I'd rather it be like the book club where I could come and participate when I was able to. I think I would find that more workable than a real-time/on-line discussion/chat kind of thing.

Jundo, I do think you are pioneering here, and I'm glad to be part of it.

gassho,
Keishin

[Jundo]

Re: members comments

I also know that 365 talks a year is a huge commitment--no place I've sat with has ever had anyone do this--

Hi Keishin,

But, if you think about it, my little daily talks total maybe 40 minutes a week, about the length of one good Zen talk, maybe two smaller one. And that is typical for most Zen groups. So, please don't credit me with more.

Anyway, the great risk in Zen talking is saying too much ... and not knowing the value of silence.

Gassho, Jundo

[Jundo]

Hi Harry,

Once we move through Fukanzazengi on the Blog (I think I will pick up the pace a bit on that), we will start on some sections of Shobogenzo ... probably Genjo Koan first, then lots more. I will move a bit faster there too, and I can present the Dogen worldview in that way. We can tie that in with the discussion group you mention. Maybe it would be a hybrid of the way we do the book club (assigning section by section), plus I can talk about key sections or line-by-line on the Blog.

The whole focus around here is centered on Dogen and Shobogenzoi. However, we are not limited to Dogen and Shobogenzo. The wonderful thing about Shobogenzo is that it includes mention of a million and one other works of Buddhist philosophy, Sutras, classic Koans, etc ... so we can talk about all that too.

Let's see.

Gassho, Jundo

PS- Yes, I could see my travels sometime in the future to lead a Sesshin here or there. One thing is that we will have an online, 24hr, multi-day retreat sometime in the coming months ... online of course.