September 2nd-3rd, 2017 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI!

[Jundo]

Today's Talk is based on some pages of Master Dogen's Diary of his Travels in China "HOKYOKI" (text below)

Please 'sit-a-long' with our MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI, netcast LIVE 8am to noon Japan time Saturday morning (that is New York 7pm to 11pm, Los Angeles 4pm to 8pm (Friday night), London midnight to 4am and Paris 1am to 5am (early Saturday morning)) ... and visible at the following link during those times ...

... to be visible on the below screen during those times and any time thereafter ...

LIVE ZAZENKAI NETCAST at YOUTUBE HANGOUT IS HERE:
CLICK ON THE TAB ON LOWER RIGHT FOR 'FULL SCREEN

Dharma Talk Audio / Podcast Episode:

https://treeleaf.podbean.com/e/september-2017-zazenkai-talk-dogens-hokyoki

FOR THOSE NOT ALREADY MEMBERS OF THE CIRCLE WHO WISH TO JOIN TO SIT LIVE WITH A CAMERA, INSTRUCTIONS are posted AT THIS LINK. WE ARE NOW LIMITED TO 10 INDIVIDUALS WITH CAMERAS, BUT ANY NUMBER CAN WATCH LIVE 'ONE WAY' AND SIT-A-LONG VIA THE ABOVE SCREEN. IF JOINING WITH CAMERA, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR MICROPHONE IS MUTED:

The Sitting Schedule is as follows:

00:00 - 00:50 CEREMONY (HEART SUTRA IN JAPANESE / SANDOKAI IN ENGLISH) & ZAZEN
00:50 - 01:00 KINHIN
01:00 - 01:30 ZAZEN
01:30 - 01:50 KINHIN

01:50 - 02:30 DHARMA TALK & ZAZEN
02:30 - 02:40 KINHIN

02:40 - 03:15 ZAZEN
03:15 - 03:30 KINHIN
03:30 - 04:00 METTA CHANT & ZAZEN, VERSE OF ATONEMENT, FOUR VOWS, & CLOSING


Our Zazenkai consists of our chanting the 'Heart Sutra' in Japanese and the 'Identity of Relative and Absolute (Sandokai)' in English (please download our Chant Book at the link below), some full floor prostrations (please follow along with me ... or a simple Gassho can be substituted if you wish), a little talk by me ... and we close with the 'Metta Chant', followed at the end with the 'Verse of Atonement' and 'The Four Vows'. Oh, and lots and lots of Zazen and walkin' Kinhin in between!

Please download and print out the Chants we will recite at the following link (PDF):

Chant Book (PDF)

or

Chant Book (SHORT VERSION HTML)

Not everyone realizes that they can join in the Chanting of the Heart Sutra, Identity of Relative & Absolute, Metta Verses, Verse of Atonement and Four Vows (although we ask that you keep your microphone down). Please follow along with the Chant Book, and let your voice ring!

I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU POSITION YOUR ZAFU ON THE FLOOR IN A PLACE WHERE YOU ARE NOT STARING DIRECTLY AT THE COMPUTER SCREEN, BUT CAN GLANCE OVER AND SEE THE SCREEN WHEN NECESSARY. YOUR ZAFU SHOULD ALSO BE IN A POSITION WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE COMPUTER SCREEN WHILE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE ZAFU FOR THE CEREMONIES, AND HAVE ROOM FOR BOWING AND KINHIN.

ALSO, REMEMBER TO SET YOUR COMPUTER (& SCREEN SAVER) SO THAT IT DOES NOT SHUT OFF DURING THE 4 HOURS.

I hope you will join us ... an open Zafu is waiting. When we drop all thought of 'here' 'there' 'now' 'then' ... we are sitting all together!


Gassho, Jundo

[Jundo]

Our Reading Text for Today's Talk: Hokyoki (Journal of My Study In China) by Master Eihei Dogen - Part I (Page 3 to 7)

Having returned from my own travels by plane, car and train, I thought to begin a series of talks on a text by Dogen which is not so commonly the topic of Dharma Talks, but which contains a detailed record of Dogen's own lessons and interactions with his Teacher in China, Master Tiāntóng Rújìng (天童如淨; Japanese: Tendō Nyōjo). Dogen was then a young student who went to travel (by boat, across deadly seas, not airliner) seeking an answer to many questions. This is the record of Dogen's remembrances of much of the advice and guidance he received on those questions from his own Teacher.

I thought that we might spend a few months with the text, taking it a few pages at a time. Not all the advice is something one need agree with in modern times, maybe (based on his own later Teachings) some of it even Dogen did not take to heart. However, let us see what we can find.

The most readable version is Tanhashi Sensei's translation in his book "Enlightenment Unfolds", a collection of various writings by Dogen. If you do not have the book, I created a PDF file (about 13 pages) with the entire Hokyoki, which can be used for this limited purpose.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HU_8x679myk5bd4hDpUoWnVXvqYPuW8C/view?usp=sharing

I am going to read from page 3 through 7 today if there is time.

Gassho, Jundo

SatToday(LAH) (Recovering from Jetlag, one small discomfort that Dogen need not deal with on his trip! )

[Mp]

Thank you Jundo, I will be there live with bells ready. =)

Gassho
Shingen

SatToday/LAH

[Sekishi]

Looking forward to sitting with you.

Deep bows,
Sekishi #sat

[Amelia]

I was looking forward to joining in with this first zazenkai since your return home, but I'm afraid I will be out of town and on the road. Many bows to all who will sit, and catch you next week!

Gassho, sat today, lah

[Kyonin]

Hi Jundo,

I'll be there live... if hurricane Lidia permits.

Gassho,

Kyonin

[Jundo]

For those who do not have the book, I created a PDF file (about 13 pages) with the entire Hokyoki, which can be used for this limited purpose.

https://sites.google.com/site/jundotreeleaf/Hokyoki.pdf?attredirects=0&d=1

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

[Doshin]

Jundo,

You have enviable stamina. After a month sitting across the country with your students, miles and miles by trains and planes, and now within the shadow of jetlag you prepare for the long Zazenkai....this humbled old student "sits" amazed.

Gassho
Doshin
St/lah

[Jundo]

Jundo,

You have enviable stamina. After a month sitting across the country with your students, miles and miles by trains and planes, and now within the shadow of jetlag you prepare for the long Zazenkai....this humbled old student "sits" amazed.

Gassho
Doshin
St/lah

Ah, sitting ain't so hard. I'll be up early with the jetlag anyway.

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

[Onkai]

Thank you, Jundo. I will join tonight, tech permitting.

Gassho,
Onkai
SatToday/LAH

[Seishin]

Will be sitting on demand over the next few mornings.

STMIZ

[Jakuden]

Will have to join late as I am still at work, but will eventually make it there I think.
Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Shoka]

I will be joining late as I'm just leaving work now. I'm hoping to join two-way, but the heatwave might drive me out of my sitting area as it doesn't have AC. And it was 110 today .

Gassho,

Shoka
sattoday

[Mp]

Hello folks,

Here is the event link for the Monthly Zazenkai: https://hangouts.google.com/hangouts...k4gkg7curjfsue

Gassho
Shingen

SatToday/LAH

[Sekishi]

I cannot get in, but I suspect it is just my poor internet connection. Sitting with you one way.

Gassho,
Sekishi #sitting