Jan 31-Feb 2, 2020 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour Treeleaf ZAZENKAI - A Touch of the Flu!

[Shokai]

Sat One-way, Congrats to Jakuden on first 4 hr Ino duties,and Sekishi for an awesome Talk and, thanks to all who sat or will sit. Jundo be well! Y'all have a great week.

gassho, Shokai
stlah

[Sekishi]

A few followup notes from tonight's talk...

Someone asked me for a list of terms:

- Ontology: branch of philosophy concerned with "what exists"
- "What can be said to exist?"

- Epistemology: branch of philosophy concerned with the theory of knowledge.
- "How do we know that we know?"

- Cataphatic tradition: spiritual truth approached via positive understanding – what IS.
- Example: Sarvastivadan / Abhidharma school - while no ATMAN exists, all dharmas (phenomena), past present and future, do EXIST.

- Apophatic tradition: spiritual truth approached via negation understanding – what is NOT.
- Example: Source Buddhism - "not-self" - "This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self."
- Example: Mahayana Buddhism - no dharmas exist in and of themselves or have a self-nature - "NO eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind. No sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, nor object of mind."

Also, I promised some source texts... But first, neglected to ask Jakuden to chant the verse to open and close the sutras tonight (ENTIRELY my fault). I offer them here instead:

The Dharma, incomparably profound and infinitely subtle, Is always encountered, yet rarely perceived.
Now we see, hear, receive and maintain this.
May we all realize the Tathagatha 's true meaning.


The Sutta about Sati (the fisherman's son) is the Maha Tanhasankhaya Sutta. There is a version here: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN/MN38.html

This translation uses the term "consciousness" instead of "bare consciousness" or "the observer". I could swear I read a translation that used the term "bare consciousness", but I may be mistaken. Make of that what you will.

I also mentioned the sticky "I am" / Manas / consciousness-of-self as being referred to as "the residual 'I am' conceit". One example of this is the Khemaka Sutta:

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.089.than.html

May the merits of these Teachings penetrate into each thing in all places so that we and every sentient being together may realize the Buddha’s Way.


Gassho,
Sekishi #sat

[Ippo]

Nice Talk Sekishi. I respect the rawness of it. I can relate man, probably a lot of others can too. This practice certainly isn't all sunshine and roses, although, even on stormy days the sunshine is just behind the clouds and never really gone and roses are in blossom still, or waiting.......

Thanks again Jakuden.

Was great o sit with Koyu, Onkai, Onka. Best wishes.

Gassho,

Ippo

SatToday

[Shonin Risa Bear]

Outstanding followup, Sekishi.

gassho
doyu sat today

[Jakuden]

Thank you for the followup teaching, big brother!

Regarding self-harm: It is really super-difficult habit energy to break. With the current prevalence of self-harm in our young people, I would say that at least in the U.S. there are more people than not who can relate and identify. I wonder if it is similar in other countries?

Part of what has helped me leave my own self-hatred behind is my experience as a parent. My daughters both have severely self-harmed, physically. Where does the desperate self-hatred come from in a precious young being who is so loved and cherished? Yet we are all someone's son or daughter. We are all precious, unique and vital manifestations of the universe and all other beings, given this gift of looking out of a wondrous, miraculous set of senses and becoming awake to it all. If I hate myself, then I have to hate the whole interconnected universe, and I am taking this gift for granted. I do stupid and silly things sometimes, falling prey to greed, anger and ignorance, but if I would not hate or wish harm on my babies for making these human mistakes, then why would I hate myself? It makes more sense to have a little chat with myself about how I will continue to try to be more skillful, although I will surely continue to fail. Or is there really failure?

Book of Serenity (Shoyoroku, Congrong Lu) #21
Yunyan Sweeps The Ground

Main Case
When Yunyan was sweeping the ground, Daowu said, "You are having a hard time!"
Yunyan said, "You should know there is one who doesn't have a hard time."
Daowu said, "If that's true, you mean there is a second moon?"
Yunyan held up his broom and said, "What number of moon is this?"
Daowu was silent.
Xuansha said, "That is precisely the second moon."
Yunmen said, "the butler greets the maid politely."

Wansong's Preface
Although you are freed of delusion and enlightenment, and have exhausted holiness and ordinariness, a particular capability is still needed to establish holiness and ordinariness, a particular capability is still needed to establish who is host and guest and distinguish between noble and base. It is not that there is no measuring of character or assigning of work. How do you understand the kndred spirit of the same branch?


Shishin Wick's Comment
When we practice we are continually sweeping the ground of our mind. We sweep it clean, and then the dust settles again, and then we sweep again. Sometimes we're like kids. You tell you kid, "Clean your room." He'll say, "What for? It's just going to get dirty again!" Keep sweeping your mind clean. Since all is emptiness, who is the one who's hard at it? "You should know there's one who isn't hard at it." It's not a question of hard or easy. It's just a question of totally putting yourself into it, so that the self completely disappears, and all there is, is "hard at it." When there's no place to rest, you will now there's one who isn't hard at it. Daowu said,
"So, is there a second moon?" Who are you -- the one hard at it or the one not hard at it? If you say one, then there's two. So, is there a second moon? The one who's hard at it and the one who isn't hard at it: Are they the same or are they different? To see the one who's not hard at it, we have to penetrate through the barriers set up by the Zen teachers. To be the puppet master, you have to see that one who's not hard at it.
But we don't see it because we are fascinated and attached to two moons: good and bad,; man and woman; the one hard at it and the one not hard at it.
When we look into our own mind there's all kinds of places where we stick, like Velcro. There's even places we stick that we don't see.
Don't think that Daowu didn't know what to say when he desisted. That was the way he answered Yunyan. It's just a second moon as soon as he says something.
The one who isn't hard at it, that's the same as not-knowing. If you come from that place, if you tap into that place, each one of us is not-knowing. Each one of us is the one who isn't hard at it. But the one who's hard at it is obscuring that view. We work so hard trying to be something else other than just being who we are. If you're nervous, just be nervous. There is no second moon in that.

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH

[Washin]

I will be sitting this Zazenkai on coming days by small bits as long as my current
health situation allows.

Gassho
Washin
ST

[Kotei]

Thank you Sekishi and Jakuden and all.
Metta to all who are sick.

Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Hokin]

Hello everybody!
I just finished sitting this some moments ago (in two parts, anyway...)
Thank you for the practice...and special thanks to Sekishi for the more than interesting talk and to Jakuden for guiding the chants! Regarding the talk, as also Ippo beaitifully did, I too would like to quote another Genjokoan very related (in my opinion) reflection:

"To carry yourself forward and experience the myriad things is delusion;
That the myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening".

I hope, Jundo, you are already feeling better!
Metta for you and all that now are suffering all around the world.

Gassho.
Hôkin. (Arya)
Sat Today With You All.

[Seishin]

Thank you everyone.

Metta to those suffering ill health and to those that care for them.

std

[Kokuu]

Thank you all. That was very lovely!

Deep bows
Kokuu