Aug 31st-Sept 1st, 2018 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI! - COMMENCING JUKAI & ANGO!

[Jundo]

Our Zazenkai is in Special Celebration and Welcome of the
Commencement of our 2018 ANGO & JUKAI Season

Today's Talk will honor a portion of Master Dogen's "Shobogenzo-Jukai" (text below in this thread)

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-2018-zazenkai-talk-ango-kickoff-dogens-shobogenzo-jukai/

FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO JOIN TO SIT LIVE WITH A CAMERA, A LINK TO JOIN WILL BE POSTED BELOW IN THIS THREAD ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE START TIME. JUST CLICK AND JOIN. 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 & HOKEY-POKEY

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

SatTodayLAH

PS - There is no "wrong" or "right" in Zazen ... yet here is a little explanation of the "right" times to Bow (A Koan) ...

https://youtu.be/GR6POpsXh9Q

The other video I mention on Zendo decorum is this one, from our "Always Beginners" video Series:

Sit-a-Long with Jundo: Zazen for Beginners (12) - Basic Zendo Decorum At Home
https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...093#post189093

[Jundo]

Today's Talk will reflect on a portion of Master Dogen's 'Shobogenzo-Jukai' as we commence our Jukai and Ango Season for this year.

---

In the Western Heavens and the Eastern Lands, wherever the transmission has passed between Buddhist patriarchs, at the beginning of entering the Dharma there is inevitably the receiving of the precepts. Without receiving the precepts we are never the disciples of the buddhas and never the descendants of the ancestral masters—because they have seen “departing from excess and guarding against wrong” as “practicing [za]zen and inquiring into the truth.” The words “the precepts are foremost” already are the right Dharma-eye treasury itself. To “realize buddha and become a patriarch” inevitably is to receive and maintain the right Dharma-eye treasury; therefore, ancestral masters who receive the authentic transmission of the right Dharma-eye treasury inevitably receive and maintain the Buddhist precepts. There cannot be a Buddhist patriarch who does not receive and maintain the Buddhist precepts. Some receive and maintain them under the Tathāgata, which in every instance is to have received the lifeblood. The Buddhist precepts now authentically transmitted from buddha to buddha and from patriarch to patriarch were exactly transmitted only by the ancestral patriarch of Sūgaku [Master Bodhidharma] and, transmitted five times in China, they reached the founding patriarch of Sōkei [Master Hui-Neng].The authentic transmissions from Seigen, Nangaku, and so on have been conveyed to the present day, but there are unreliable old veterans and the like who do not know it at all. They are most pitiful.

That “we should receive the bodhisattva precepts; this is the beginning of entering the Dharma” is just what practitioners should know. The observance in which “we should receive the bodhisattva precepts” is authentically transmitted, in every case, by those who have long learned in practice in the inner sanctum of the Buddhist patriarchs; it is not accomplished by negligent and lazy people. In that observance, in every case, we burn incense and perform prostrations before the patriarch master, and ask “to receive the bodhisattva precepts.” Once granted permission, we bathe and purify ourselves, and put on new and clean clothes. Or we may wash [existing] clothes, then scatter flowers, burn incense, perform prostrations and show reverence, and then put them on. Widely we perform prostrations to the statues and images, perform prostrations to the Three Treasures, and perform prostrations to venerable patriarchs; we get rid of miscellaneous hindrances; and [thus] we are able to make body and mind pure. Those observances have long been authentically transmitted in the inner sanctum of the Buddhist patriarchs. After that, at the practice place, the presiding ācārya duly instructs the receiver to do prostrations, to kneel upright, and, with palms together, to speak these words:

“I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha."

...

No.1: To seek as you can, in this body and life, to avoid doing harm

No.2: To seek as you can, in this body and life, to live in a healthful and helping way, doing good

No.3: To seek as you can, in this body and life, to live for the benefit of all Sentient Beings

[Meitou]

Thank you Jundo. I intend to sit as much of this as I can, I may not last till 5.00am, but hope to at least arrive at the Hokey Cokey
Gassho
Meitou
Satwithyoualltoday

[Jundo]

Thank you Jundo. I intend to sit as much of this as I can, I may not last till 5.00am, but hope to at least arrive at the Hokey Cokey
Gassho
Meitou
Satwithyoualltoday

Hi Meitou,

The wonderful aspect of our Zazenkai (one of many!) is that it is available 24/7/365 anywhere on the planet or in the universe, now or in the future or past (or, at least, where there is a good internet connect anytime after Saturday).

So, no need to be awake in the middle of the night. We will sit with you in Sardinia any time (with either the "Live now" or "Live later" versions), putting aside thoughts of here or there, now and then.

Gassho, Jundo

SatTodayLAH

[Kyonin]

Hi Jundo,

I'll be there live with my instruments ready

Happy to be part of Ango and Jukai 2018.

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

[Meitou]

Hi Meitou,

The wonderful aspect of our Zazenkai (one of many!) is that it is available 24/7/365 anywhere on the planet or in the universe, now or in the future or past (or, at least, where there is a good internet connect anytime after Saturday).

So, no need to be awake in the middle of the night. We will sit with you in Sardinia any time (with either the "Live now" or "Live later" versions), putting aside thoughts of here or there, now and then.

Gassho, Jundo

SatTodayLAH

Thank you for the get out clause! Seriously, it's wonderful that we have this facility which transcends borders, space and time and I take advantage of it every week. However there are also times when it's beautiful to sit in the still of a Mediterranean night and listen to the birds singing in Japan, feel that connection in the timeless now
Gassho
Meitou
Satwithyoualltoday lah

[Mp]

Thank you Jundo, I will be there live two way to kick off Ango & Jukai 2018! =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[Shinshi]

Thank you Jundo, I'll be time warping to Sunday.

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT

[Jakuden]

I hope I don't get hung up at work this week, I am hoping to sit this two way with you all now that my daughter's back at school and I have my temporary Zendo back.

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH

[Jundo]

Let's dedicate today's sitting to Dani who is a bit under the weather today. (Dani has also requested that we share the dedication with her friends, including a small child. who are also not so well today). We sit for them and anyone else who is so today.

Dani also sent this photo of how she looked in the big "Tsukuba Festival" parade last week. Behind her is "nebuta," a kind of famous parade float here in northern Japan.


Dani parade.jpg

Some more images of our parade (I am trying to spot Dani)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abBAl9xvgWM

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Mp]

Thank you for sharing Jundo and sending much metta to Dani and friends, I hope they feel better soon.

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[sjlabat]

will make it, if not this evening, then tomorrow.
gassho

sjl
sat,lah

[Meitou]

Wonderful video, I wouldn't want to be one of the people under those floats though! Metta to Dani and her friends, hope they all make a quick recovery.

I'm in the midst of my first Ango challenge and just wanted it to be known in case I appear to disappear. The on/off switch on my router/modem has just packed up; we've managed to cobble together a solution by holding it in the ON position with electrical tape and a cable tie, I'm hoping this will do for next week until I can buy another one. I did manage to meet this challenge with a modicum of equanimity, in that I didn't resort to 'wrong speech' or shed any tears. It does mean that I'll watch one way tonight rather than risk taking a two way place and then losing the connection.

Gassho
Meitou
satwithyoualltoday/lah

[Koki]

Meitou,

You hang in there! Your intent carries volumes...and thus wonderful opportunity will be waiting for you to watch at a later date....go with the flow

Gassho
Frank


Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[Mp]

Wonderful video, I wouldn't want to be one of the people under those floats though! Metta to Dani and her friends, hope they all make a quick recovery.

I'm in the midst of my first Ango challenge and just wanted it to be known in case I appear to disappear. The on/off switch on my router/modem has just packed up; we've managed to cobble together a solution by holding it in the ON position with electrical tape and a cable tie, I'm hoping this will do for next week until I can buy another one. I did manage to meet this challenge with a modicum of equanimity, in that I didn't resort to 'wrong speech' or shed any tears. It does mean that I'll watch one way tonight rather than risk taking a two way place and then losing the connection.

Gassho
Meitou
satwithyoualltoday/lah

No worries Meitou,

Whether coming or going, you are here. Whether spotty tech or internet connection, you are here. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH