October 18-19 Weekly Zazenkai - Zen of Monastery, Zen of Home, Not 1 Not 2

[Jundo]

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Dear All,
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Please sit our Treeleaf Zazenkai for 90 minutes with Zazen, Heart Sutra and more. We meet virtually in our Zoom Scheduled Sitting Room here:
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JOIN ZOOM >>
The password (if needed): << dogen >>

For local times, please check the Practice Calendar here: TREELEAF NOW >> ( 10am Japan Saturday morning, NY 9pm, LA 6pm Friday night, London 2am and Paris 3am Saturday morning) or sit this Zazenkai any time thereafter here:
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However, "one way" live sitters are encouraged to come into the Zoom sitting, and just leave the camera and microphone turned off.
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00:00 – 00:15 CEREMONY (HEART SUTRA in English) and Dedication
00:15 – 00:45 ZAZEN
00:45 – 00:55 KINHIN
00:55 – 01:25 ZAZEN
01:25 – 01:30 VERSE OF ATONEMENT & FOUR VOWS
01:30 - 01:45(?) Informal Tea Time (All Welcome)
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ATTENTION: Everyone, when rising for Kinhin or Ceremonies after Zazen, get up slowly, don't rush, hold something stable, you won't be "late", so TAKE YOUR TIME! Make sure you are careful getting up!
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Gassho, Jundo
SatTodayLah
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PS - There is no "wrong" or "right" in Zazen ... yet here is a little explanation of the "right" times to Bow (A Koan) ...
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Chant Book is here for those who wish to join in: CHANT BOOK LINK

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The other video I mention on Zendo decorum is this one, from our "Always Beginners" video Series:
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Sit-a-Long with Jundo: Zazen for Beginners (12) - Basic Zendo Decorum At Home
(LINK)

I also recommend a little Talk on why small rituals and procedures are so cherished in the Zendo:
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SIT-A-LONG with Jundo: Small Things in the Zendo
(LINK)

[Kotei]

Thank you everyone!
Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Bion]

Thank you, friends, for coming to practice together and to those of you who will join later!

Gassho
sat lah

[ZenJay]

Thank you to all for sharing Zazenkai with me! Just sat with you, and now heading from the home monastery to the work monastery. Have a great weekend everyone!

Gassho,
Jay

Sat/lah today

[Ramine]

Sat with you this morning. Thank you for your inspiring words regarding home practice, Jundo. They came just at the right time - getting my practice and Ango commitments in this week was a bit challenging.
Ramine
Sat (Lah later!)

[Houzan]

Sat with you all just now.
Thank you, Juno, for this talk. Such a lovely and inspiring message. With approx 2-3 week until my second daughter arrives, the timing couldn’t have been better. I feel so lucky to be part of Treeleaf, practice with you all, and receive your guidance on this practice

Gassho, Hōzan
Satlah

[Tairin]

Thank you everyone. I sat with you this morning.

wonderful talk that very much touches on why you are my teacher and this is my Sangha.

Jundo, how much of Nishijima’s attitude towards monasticism vs life as a lay practitioner do you think was influenced by Kodo Sawaki? If I remember correctly Nishijima studied with Sawaki for many years prior to receiving Dharma Transmission.


Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Shujin]

Wonderful to sit with y'all this morning. Thank you for your practice.

Gassho,
Shujin
st/lah

[Jundo]

Jundo, how much of Nishijima’s attitude towards monasticism vs life as a lay practitioner do you think was influenced by Kodo Sawaki? If I remember correctly Nishijima studied with Sawaki for many years prior to receiving Dharma Transmission.

Oh, much of it, I feel. Kodo Sawaki Roshi was a great champion of lay practice. But Nishijima Roshi was even more radical on that point, I feel.

Gassho, J
stlah

[johns]

This week's teaching really touched me. It was something I needed to hear. Thank you Teacher

Gassho
John
SatTodayLAH

[Matt Johnson]

So Jundo had presented the dichotomy of lay practise and monastic practise.

There is a venerated yet relatively underappreciated practise in addition to these which could be argued to underpin much of Zen and Buddhism. That is hermit practice.

Now understand that none of these are things that we necessarily have to choose to do for the entirety of our life, but Buddhists at different times in their life may choose these different practises.

Here is a very short list of Zen Masters who spent time as hermits. Which just means people who spent a good chunk of time practising by themselves, not in a monastery and not in regular lay life.

Bodhidharma
Hanshan
Shitou Xiqian
Zhaozhou Congshen
Hongzhi Zhengjue
Ryokan
Bankei Yotaku
Hakuin Ekaku
Dogen Zenji

These are just the notables Chan and Zen Masters. We just don't seem to talk much about this. Probably because if you are called to do this nobody hears much from you after that or that it is so ridiculously challenging for social creatures that most people would never attempt it. But I think it is worth bringing up and investigating.

Jundo kind of brushed this off and suggested that if you want to go meditate in a cave go ahead. But in the spirit of Ango, I think it's worth mentioning that where this came from was essentially monks who were off practising by themselves who would come together every once in awhile to practise together for 3 months. Then they would return to their hermitages/kutis/caves etc.

_/\_
sat/ah
matt

[Jundo]

Jundo kind of brushed this off and suggested that if you want to go meditate in a cave go ahead. But in the spirit of Ango, I think it's worth mentioning that where this came from was essentially monks who were off practising by themselves who would come together every once in awhile to practise together for 3 months. Then they would return to their hermitages/kutis/caves etc.

Oh, I always say that Dogen and most of us could do with a little solitude sometimes, we should have our hut or yurt in the woods. Some might spend most of there time off the grid, others only a little. For some of us, the only "hut" we have as busy parents, spouses and workers is the Zafu for a few minutes but, if we can, we should go off to the quiet of nature.

And I also say always that to each their own ...

There are folks better suited to Practice inside walls, some outside, some as hermits naked in a cave. Different medicines for different patients, and Buddhism thrives for having all kinds. All good, so long as we drop all thought of "walls". For most of us, I believe that there is a time to Practice in Retreat, sitting long and hard ..., and there is a time to find our sacred space in each inch of this world. We find that Buddha’s Truths may be practiced any place, without divisions of “inside” walls or “outside”. For some of us, the family kitchen, children’s nursery, office or factory where we work diligently and hard, the hospital bed, volunteer activity or town hall are all our “monastery” and place of training. Some monks act self-lessly, while on the other hand, I have seen monks as concerned about "getting ahead" shining and competitive inside monasteries as in any Fortune 500 company ... depends on the person.

Even the hermits in China in Red Pine's books and films about them are not always content in such life, and some are quite driven or even angry, like some haunted homeless folks in the big cities. There is no one road to peace, yet peace can be on every road to the wise.

I also say that Buddhism needs ALL of us ... for if it were ONLY monastics, ONLY hermits, ONLY Buddhist traditionalists, ONLY Buddhist modernists or ONLY Treeleaf "in the world" types, Buddhism would be weakened. All of us together make it strong.

Gassho, J
Stlah

PS - None of the hermits you mention completely cut themselves off. It is not only that we would not have heard from them, but that they would then be selfish pratyekabuddhas, breaking their Bodhisattva Vows, practicing only for their own benefit.

[Matt Johnson]

Oh, I always say that Dogen and most of us could do with a little solitude sometimes, we should have our hut or yurt in the woods. Some might spend most of there time off the grid, others only a little. For some of us, the only "hut" we have as busy parents, spouses and workers is the Zafu for a few minutes but, if we can, we should go off to the quiet of nature.

And I also say always that to each their own ...

Yes, but what that brings up for me is the fact that even people who find themselves alone in a room like Hikikamori, or people who are incarcerated, or being held against their will may be able to find some amount of peace.

Even the hermits in China in Red Pine's books and films about them are not always content in such life, and some are quite driven or even angry, like some haunted homeless folks in the big cities. There is no one road to peace, yet peace can be on every road to the wise.

Yes I read that book. But It's not just about living in the Blue mountains of China. there are many modern examples of Hermits.... some Hermits are living in the middle of cities. Again, these types of practise are really just states of mind.

In Tibet, Hermits (Sometimes called yogis) are those who did not fit in to the monastic situation and the monastics are often those who did not fit into or had to leave lay life. moreover, this tradition is more ancient than Buddhism and it likely Gautama himself spent long periods in solitude. As well as many pre-buddhist sages.

I also say that Buddhism needs ALL of us ... for if it were ONLY monastics, ONLY hermits, ONLY Buddhist traditionalists, ONLY Buddhist modernists or ONLY Treeleaf "in the world" types, Buddhism would be weakened. All of us together make it strong.

Complete and unequivocal agreement!

PS - None of the hermits you mention completely cut themselves off. It is not only that we would not have heard from them, but that they would then be selfish pratyekabuddhas, breaking their Bodhisattva Vows, practicing only for their own benefit.

1. Completely cutting oneself off is not even possible. The idea that it is even possible to practice solely for one's own benefit comes from a place of separation. Gautama Buddha (who was purportedly "alone" at the time of his enlightenment) Said "I and the whole great earth and all beings have simultaneously attained the Way"

2. A Pretyekabuddha has taken no such vows (or they have and are therefore no longer pretyekabuddha) and really there is nothing wrong with changing your mind (go back and forth if you want to).

3. Whats more likely, that a person would go into solitude for an extended period of time to be selfish or that it is very difficult to extricate oneself from society and culture and karma? If the fear really was that people would go off and be blissful by themselves then there would be more hermits than there are monastics (and likewise more monastics than lay people). It is not a popular path (nor will it ever be) there is no need to try to dissuade people from it... I think thou doth protesteth too much....

4. It is good to experiment with sitting in the midst of chaos of life, during sesshin or zazenkai, or by oneself. To me these are microcosms of the different callings to Lay life, Monasticism and Hermit life. Much has been said in Zen circles of lay life and monasticism ..... very little has been said about being a Hermit ....Is it the same? Is it different? Only you can find out.

_/\_
sat/ah
matt

[Tokan]

Just....thankyou

Gassho, Tokan (satlah)

[Tai Shi]

Yes, I am called an Ubasoku, which means grandmotherly. I must be kind and understanding, for after all my Dharma name is Tai Shi which means Calm Poetry, and I must be kind to all even myself. At one time Jundo asked me to limit my posts to two or three lines, and I realize always to benefit of everyone. Though many live opposing others, it is not likely that if I am practicing Zazen, I set out to harm, so it is I say that we bought our home in good faith, and at one time our land was swamp land, not suited to Native Americans.
Gassho
lah/sat