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Gassho, Shawn Jakudo Hinton
It all begins when we say, “I”. Everything that follows is illusion.
"Even to speak the word Buddha is dragging in the mud soaking wet; Even to say the word Zen is a total embarrassment."
寂道 -
I like gentle, soft and kind (and feminine)....and I've found that can be in any tradition/religion, because it's all from the heart.
Gassho,
Joyo
sat todayComment
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I will say this about Zen Practice ... it comes in many flavors depending on the Teacher, and even the same Teacher can be hard or soft depending on the setting and times. (In fact, I just chewed out pretty good a couple of our Novice Priests in the Training Forum for some lack of care to something). Dogen often spoke of how a Teacher needs "Grandmotherly Mind" toward students. Of course, as part of that, Dogen is often heard to be "one tough old grandmother" in some of his talks to his monks to spur them on, and other Zen Teachers had an interesting idea of what "grandma" entails ...
If one goes to Sojiji or Eiheiji, one will often find that the place resembles a marine bootcamp in attitude, with sargeants yellowing at the raw recruits at the top of their lungs (and even more ... Muho hinted in his recent that a Zen novice is injured or even killed from time to time in Japan by beating, and I fear it is so although rare ... Sometimes Zen Monasteries, Sumo and Martial Arts Dojo in Japan can get out of hand) ...
Here is a diary written by a Japanese fellow on his year at Eiheiji ...
In the west ... and in this Sangha ... most Zen folks I know these days tend for a softer touch, non-violent, gentle. Sugar over the whip (or Kyosaku stick). However, to be a Zen Teacher is not unlike being a football coach or piano teacher. Gentle is fine, but there must be balance ... a time for both positive and negative reinforcement. As Taigu once said, even a pussy cat must sometimes show the tiger's claws (although mostly we keep them well hidden).
Gassho, JLast edited by Jundo; 02-04-2015, 03:37 AM.ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLEComment
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This answers another one of my "Priest interview" questions.
YES, and where.
Ouch, boys, y'r brave!
Go, unsuis, go!
Deep bows.
Danny
#sattoday治 Ji
花 KaComment
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Part of the militaristic precision is just Japanese culture, not "Zen." They tend to run their little league summer camps and girl scout cookie drives like that, with Samurai spirit. It is said to be even more so for the Rinzai folks than the Soto, said to be relative "wimps" in their training in Japan by comparison.
I, like most (not all) Zen Teachers in the West tend to go for the soft and gentle approach. I think it works just as well and, frankly, brings a little more warm heart and gentleness into the process. Without wishing to be sexist, be bring a bit more of the "feminine" and round into our Practice, and it is good ... where grandmothers truly are just cuddly grandmothers.
Here is a video of a college cheerleading squad training and performing. Yes, the cheerleaders at the university sports matches. You can see (even without understanding the language) what they go through, and it has nothing to do with "Zen" ... (by the way, this is a story about the first girl they let on their team) ...
part 2
and here is such a team in action ...
Gassho, J
PS - I don't want to give the impression that Japanese folks do this everyday. However, they do it enough, everybody sometimes ... if not at the Zen monastery or sports squad, then at the company recruit hiring camp, the Karate dojo, the high school entrance exam study camp and the like. Most days, one does not encounter Japanese folks yelling in the streets and marching in precision.
Last edited by Jundo; 02-04-2015, 07:48 AM.ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLEComment
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Yes this points to the reason a friend gave for not being interested in Zen, that macho stereotype. I've never encountered anything remotely like that in any sesshin. But I was shocked to hear Muho say that there are still injuries/deaths. Even one. Where I grew up boys were often beaten on the football field for poor performance. Of course now that would occasion a visit from Child Protective Services.
Pardon the rant. I hear stories of child abuse daily in my work.
Gassho
Meishin
Sat todayComment
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I too was surprised to hear of Muho saying this. I work in the schools and see many heartbreaking things so I feel the same rant inside of me...frequently.
I am very thankful for this little part of the world, Treeleaf. Sitting and being kind.....is there anything else
Gassho,
Joyo
sat todayComment
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Hi Tony and friends,
I think the characteristic you say was exactly which attracted to me to this practice. I remember that I was practicing kendo/iaido (samurai´s sword art) in the Cultural Japanese Association of my city when I saw an ad of a Buddhism Introduction Course. In the course I could learn about different Buddhist schools and flavors and logically I was captivated by stories relating samurais and Zen masters. It was in that course too where I learn that there was a Soto Zen group in my city. Time after I noticed that even though the temple and sangha was directed by a woman, the group was quite orthodox in their structure and practice. In some extent I think it was similar to the description of Jundo about Japanise monasteries (at the end, the reverend who lead that Temple was formed there). Anyway, time after I went to a zazen session there (40 minutes each with a 10 minutes kinhin in the middle) and when I felt my legs in an unbearable pain and the kyosaku impacted my shoulder relieving my suffering for some seconds, I understood that my searching was finished. As you can see for the key points of my story: kendo->Samurais-Zen masters stories->zazen-kyosaku, I definitely was atracted for that Zen´s side. But obviously that´s my case, probably there are some people attracted for these Zen features, and other that are rejected for them.
By the way, IMHO is a bit exaggerated to send a Dharma friend who is reflecting about this topic to sit (especially because he put Sat today in his post). I think even in Shikantaza there is a time to practice and there is a time to ponder it.
Gassho
#Sat Today
MiguelComment
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Hello Miguel,
A time to practice and a time to ponder? Agreed. I don't think the intention was that we can't have little chatty things, especially if we've done our sitting.
There seems to be a bit of a previous discussion seeping in from the start though, I feel, and it's from that case that sitting with things may be something worth bringing up. Or I think so.
Just a beginner though. Always a beginner.
Gassho,
Stacy
#SatTodayLast edited by Stacy; 02-06-2015, 05:43 AM.Comment
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Oh my, I thought I was joining some place where they are sitting on cushions.
Then I thought I have checked into a holo-deck episode.
Now I'm as good as in the army (who's??)?
My flute teacher lately taught himself to play a traditional shakuhachi piece within a very short time (lovers of this instrument, don't criticize him, please).
And now he is reading some background information.
"Did you know there are monks in Japan who use the Shakuhachi?"
- "The ones with the strange hats? Yes, I've seen photos."
- "But, imagine, if they have a Shakuhachi, and it is badly tuned and does not work well, that does not mean the instrument does not work well! You and me, we'd take our flutes to repair or cry we want a new and better one, wouldn't we? But for those monks, it means, not the Shakuhachi is bad, they themselves are too bad. They have to practice until they are able to play on that flute. They are really hardcore!!"
I nodded, because I know nothing about sui-zen, and something in that rings right.
You and me, we'd want the flute repaired, a better one, sure...
But what strikes me is the "They are too bad."
I could accept "Their practice is lacking."
But "They are bad." sounded like a self-punishment to me.
I was bad in a former life, and now I have a really difficult Shakuhachi of all the ones one could have as my personal practice.
But accepting the one as it is, yes, that's hardcore.
No refund, no repair, just this
Gassho,
Danny
#sattoday
Ah, good, Shokai, thanks, I'll take out my fan again.Last edited by Jika; 02-06-2015, 06:58 PM.治 Ji
花 KaComment
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I would think that Zen is the softer of the traditions. It leads you on a path to knowing the self more than knowing the world. By learning the self you can understand the fascimile the self is and begin to learn your true-self (Kensho). I think that by understanding the kensho one can be much softer and fluid than by understanding the kensho via understanding the world around one. These are just the opinions of a student trying to learn, however, so I may be very off the mark.
Gassho.Comment
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