Jan 3rd-4th, 2020 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour Treeleaf ZAZENKAI - Welcome the New Year!

[Jundo]

COME SIT WITH US TO WELCOME THE NEW YEAR and EVERY NEW MOMENT!

Today's Talk will reflect on"The Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds" Chapter (25) of the Lotus Sutra.
(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 6pm to 10pm, Los Angeles 3pm to 7pm (Friday night), London 11pm to 3am and Paris midnight to 4am (early Saturday morning)) ... and visible at the following link during those times ...

... and to be visible on the following screen during those times and sit-a-long-able any time thereafter ...

LIVE ZAZENKAI NETCAST IS HERE:

ZAZENKAI BEGINS 6 MINUTES FROM START OF THE VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZqds_8YVA8

Dharma Talk Audio / Podcast Episode:
LINK TO BE POSTED HERE IN THE COMING DAYS

FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO JOIN TO SIT LIVE WITH A CAMERA, A LINK TO JOIN WILL BE POSTED BELOW IN THIS THREAD. JUST CLICK AND JOIN BEFORE START TIME. 'TWO WAY' REQUIRES INDIVIDUALS WITH CAMERAS, BUT ANYONE 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) ...

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]

To begin the year, we will reflect on a text that may be a bit unexpected in some folks' image of Zen Buddhism, yet a Sutra section that has been chanted each day in both Soto and Rinzai Zen monasteries in Japan. It is the Verse at the end of the 25th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra known as "The Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds [Avalokiteshvara/Kannon Bodhisattva]" or "Kannongyo" (妙法蓮華経観世音菩薩普門品偈).

The first sections of that Chapter contain many wondrous claims for calling on the name and power of Kannon Bodhisattva. Here is a sample:

If someone, holding fast to the name of Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, should enter a great fire, the fire could not burn him. This would come about because of this bodhisattva’s authority and supernatural power. If one were washed away by a great flood and called upon his name, one would immediately find oneself in a shallow place. ... If a person who faces imminent threat of attack should call the name of Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, then the swords and staves wielded by his attackers would instantly shatter into so many pieces and he would be delivered. ...

The poetic verse in the latter part of the Chapter continues such theme, and we will reflect on this today. Is it something just to take on faith? Should it be cast aside as so much superstition? Or is there some Truth and Wisdom beyond what meets the eye?

Fellow wonky folks who would like to read a bit more about the importance and use of this Chant in Soto Zen ritual can read pages 178 to 181 here, by Soto Zen Priest and Historian Taigen Dan Leighton:

https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=qowUg6Nj82gC&dq=inauthor%3A%22Taigen+Dan+Leighton%22&q=the+lotus+sutra+kanzeon+chapter#v=snippet&q=the%20lotus%20sutra%20kanzeon%20chapter&f=false

and

https://books.google.co.jp/books?redir_esc=y&id=zUM6AwAAQBAJ&q=the+lotus+sutra+kanzeon+chapter#v=snippet&q=the%20lotus%20sutra%20kanzeon%20chapter&f=false

The following is from the official "Soto School Scriptures For Daily Services And Practice":

=============

Bodhisattva Akshayamati asked a question in verse：

“Oh World-honored One,of wondrous form,
I inquire again of that buddha-child:
what are the causes of his name,
‘Regarding the Cries of the World’?”

The Honored One, of wondrous form, replied in verse to Akshayamati：

“Listen to the deeds of Avalokiteshvara,
who aptly responds in every quarter.
With vast pledge as deep as oceans,
throughout kalpas beyond reckoning,
he served many thousands of millions of buddhas,
bringing forth this great pure vow.

For you I explain it briefly:
hearing the name or seeing the form of
Avalokiteshvara with mindful remembrance is not in vain,
for the woes of existence can thus be relieved.

Even if someone with harmful intent
should push you into a fieiy pit,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
the pit of fire will tum into a pool.
If floating on a vast sea,
menaced by dragons, fish, or demons,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
the billowing waves cannot drown you.

If from Mount Sumeru's lofty peak,
someone were to throw you down,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
like the sun you would stand firm in the sky.

If pursued by wicked men,
down from Diamond Mountain,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara,s power
they could not harm a single hair.

If surrounded by vicious bandits,
each with a sword drawn to strike,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
at once their hearts will tum to compassion.

If, persecuted by rulers,
you face torture and execution,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
their weapons will thereby shatter to pieces.

If imprisoned in shackles and chains,
hands and feet bound in restraints,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
suddenly you shall be released.

If by curses or poisonous herbs
someone wishes to hurt your body,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
the harmful intent will return to its source.

If you meet evil creatures,
poison dragons, or various demons,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
none will dare to harm you.

If surrounded by raging beasts
with sharp fangs and dreadful claws,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
they will quickly scatter in all directions.

If venomous snakes or scorpions
threaten with deadly breath of fire,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
at the sound of your voice they will turn and depart.

If clouds thunder and lightning strikes,
hailstones fall, and it rains in torrents,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
instantly they will dissipate.

When living beings suffer hardships,
burdened by immeasurable woes,
the power of Avalokiteshvara's wondrous wisdom
can relieve the suffering of the world.

Fully endowed with miraculous powers,
widely practicing wisdom and skillful means,
in every land in all directions,
in no realm does Avalokiteshvara not appear.

In all the various evil destinies
of hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals,
the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death
are gradually relieved by Avalokiteshvara.

Oh you of the true gaze, of the pure gaze,
of the gaze of broad and great wisdom,
of the compassionate gaze and the gaze of good will,
ever longed for,ever revered.

Unblemished, serene radiance,
benevolent sun, dispelling all gloom,
Avalokiteshvara can subdue the wind and fire of woes,
clearly illuminating all the world.

The precepts of compassion roar like thunder,
the kind heart is wondrous as great clouds,
pouring dharma rain of sweet dew,
quenching all flames of troubling passion.

In disputes before judges,
or fearful in the midst of battle,
by mindfully invoking Avalokiteshvara's power
all hostilities will be dispersed.

The wondrous voice of Avalokiteshvara,
Brahma-voice, voice of the rolling tides,
surpasses all sounds within the world;
therefore ever keep it in mind.

In each thought, with never a doubt,
Avalokiteshvara, the pure sage,
in pain, agony, or death's distress,
can provide a sure support.

Fully endowed with all virtues,
his eyes of compassion behold all beings,
assembling a boundless ocean of happiness；
thus, with reverence, you should make prostrations."

Then Bodhisattva Dharanimdharo arose from his seat,
went before the Buddha and said:

"Oh World-honored One, if there are living beings who
hear this chapter of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, the
benefits will not be slight for those people who come to
know his deeds, his manifestation of a universal gateway,
and his supernatural powers."

When the Buddha had preached this "Universal
Gateway" chapter, the eighty-four thousand beings in
the assembly all aroused the thought of unsurpassed,
complete, perfect enlightenment.

[Kyonin]

Hi Jundo!

After spending the holidays with my dad where there is no Internet, I'm happy to say that I'll be live 2 ways

Gassho,

Kyonin

[Shonin Risa Bear]

2 way intention _()_

gassho
doyu sat today

[Sekishi]

Hi everyone,

You can join the Zazenkai two-way in the Scheduled Sitting Room using Zoom any one of the following ways:

- Use this direct link: https://zoom.us/j/4834831244
- Open Zoom and join with this meeting id: 483 483 1244
- Go to Treeleaf NOW and select the Scheduled Sitting Room: treeleaf.org/ssr

Notes:

- When you first join, you'll need to choose an audio source (usually you can simply select "Join with Computer Audio" on desktop or "Call using Internet Audio" on mobile).

- You can switch between the "speaker view" (the default view) and "gallery view" (a grid / Hollywood Squares / Brady Bunch style view):
-- On desktop, click the "gallery view" / "speaker view" toggle button on the top right
-- On mobile, swipe right for "gallery views" -- only 4 participants are shown at a time on mobile, so keep swiping right to go through different groups, swipe left to go back to the "gallery view"

- You can mute, unmute, etc. with the control bar on the bottom of the screen
-- On desktop, hover the mouse over the window and the control bar should pop up
-- On mobile, tap the screen and the control bar should pop up
-- On mobile, so that your own picture does not take up one of the four slots you see, you can tap for the control bar, then tap "... menu" and select "Remove myself from gallery view"

- If you are on a slow Internet connection and are experiencing drop-outs, try turning off video (you can always turn it on for a bit at the beginning and end to say hi and bow to everyone)

Gassho,
Sekishi #sat

[Meian]

Thank you, Jundo -- really appreciated your talk tonight.

(participated off/on 1-way -- family stuff going on again)

Deep Bows


kim
st lh

[Shokai]

Thank you Jundo, Sekishi and all who sat or will sit. Happy New year and Have an awesome week.

gassho, Shokai 🙏🙏🙏
stlah

[Science Abbot]

Happy New Year, Kannon and Treeleaf!

Thank you, Jundo and all for the refreshing Zazenkai, a great start to a new morning and a new year.

Looking forward to many more.

Gassho,
Mui
Sat/LAH

[Sekishi]

(participated off/on 1-way -- family stuff going on again)

When with your family, please just fully be with your family. Jundo did this today too during kinhin.

Thank you all for coming together to practice. This year, let us be like Kannon and put our whole bodies in. Thats what its all about!

Deep bows to all,
Sekishi #sat

[Onkai]

Thank you, Jundo, Sekishi, and everyone. The talk was helpful. My mother joined the Hokey Pokey (although not on the camera). Have a great weekend!

Gassho,
Onkai
Sat/LAH

[Jundo]

Lovely sitting with everyone today.

If you go to pages 46 thru 49/142 of Vol. 3 of the Dogen Manga here, you will see Kannon come to Dogen's rescue at sea ...

https://global.sotozen-net.or.jp/eng/library/comics/dogen3/html5forpc.html

Gassho, J

STLah

[Shonin Risa Bear]

Thank you, Jundo, Sekishi, all. The talk was accompanied here by an amazing sunset.

gassho
doyu sat/lah today

[Onka]

I will sit this in bits over the next few days. Other forms of Zazen practice are taking precedence over Shikantaza beyond my early morning 30 minutes at the moment I'm afraid.
Gassho
Anna
stlah

[Hokin]

Hello Kannon Bodhisattvas everywhere!

Thank you for all this!
I couldn't join live, but I then just finished sitting through this all just now on demand...Wonderful!
Thanks for the talk Jundo...very touching and wakening...inspiring....and thank you Kyonin and Sekishi as well for the reflections you shared...very appreciated for sure!
So....let us make Kannon happen in our hearts and bodies through words, thoughts and deeds....whether sitting, walking, standing or lying down....may we all keep up with the practice and share it all around....also may we not forget to share the Hokey Pokey all around as well....I think that too could save the world! (At least it made my day!)

Gassho.
Arya.
ST&LAH.

[Kotei]

Thank you Jundo, thank you everyone.
Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.