June 26th-27th Treeleaf Weekly Zazenkai - BYOB (Bring Your Own Buddha)

[Doshin]

A fun story to share. My BYOB was an aluminum can to represent litter. As do many, I pick up litter at campsites and along the roads. Well I placed it on my altar the day before our Zazenkai. You may have noticed that I jumped up at the beginning of our Zazenkai and disappeared for a minute. Well my wife saw the litter on my altar and recycled it (she was not aware of the BYOB) so I had to go look for that can!

My only surprise is that my wife assumed I had littered my altar and needed to clean up after me

Doshin
St

[Kokuu]

A fun story to share. My BYOB was an aluminum can to represent litter. As do many, I pick up litter at campsites and along the roads. Well I placed it on my altar the day before our Zazenkai. You may have noticed that I jumped up at the beginning of our Zazenkai and disappeared for a minute. Well my wife saw the litter on my altar and recycled it (she was not aware of the BYOB) so I had to go look for that can!

That is really funny, Doshin!


Thank you all for sitting with me.

Gassho
Kokuu

[Jundo]

My only surprise is that my wife assumed I had littered my altar and needed to clean up after me

Doshin
St

Buddha recycling Buddha. The law of Karma and Rebirth is kind of a great "recycling," is it not?

Gassho, J

STLah

[Matt]

Going to sit this one now. Gassho, Matt

[Heiso]

I started this zazenkai this morning. As it, I believe, Treeleaf tradition, my Buddha was a used diaper (not intentional but hey!) and I was joined by my windy mini-bodhisattva.

Gassho.

Heiso

StLah

[Jundo]

I told folks, at the end of our Zazenkai this week where my "Buddha" was a piece of rusty tin roof from our collapsed pig house ...

... that they do not need to keep the "ugly" on the Altar all the time. They can keep beautiful and peaceful things because an Altar is to serve as a reminder (re-MIND-er) of the beauty, peace and goodness which is the Buddhist ideal. That is why we usually put a peaceful statue, flowers and sweet smelling incense, not a plastic ketchup bottle, broken glass and gasoline.

However ...

... they should keep in their hearts always and recall from today's lesson that Buddha is all things, even if buried in ugliness and hard to see. There is beauty shining through the rusty tin can at the side of the road, but let us clean it up. There is Buddha Nature even within the person who acts with greed, anger, violence and jealousy ... but it is not manifest until we stop acting so. A shining precious jewel still shines and is precious even when buried in the mud, yet let us constantly polish away the mud as best we can.

So, no need to keep the ugly things on the Altar if you don't wish, but don't expect a Buddha's Beauty to always look beautiful to the human eye.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Kotei]

Thank you for sitting this Zazenkai together.
My Buddha was a died plant.
Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Koki]

Gassho... just catching up this week. Thank you Jundo for your teaching on BYOB.
I placed my dog (Bear) ashes on the altar. She was a good girl who now waits for me after 17 years together. Death is looked at by many as sad, emotional.
I was with Bear when she died. Even in her death she was peaceful, and teaching me to let go of worldly things. She brought peace to my life, and now shows me peace in her transition.
Unconditional love always.

Gassho
Koki
Satoday

[Tai Shi]

20 minutes is what I can muster at this time, and in a few I'll be at one hour, and then to THE DHARMA TALK, and then at 3 hours, and just maybe at 4 hours, and my ugly thing, for in this room is the beautiful alabaster Buddha Marjorie gave me, and the beautiful clay Buddha Laurel gave me, and the books of international fame, some from Hokkaido and some from the Middle East, and some from Tokyo, and the books of poetry all of which Laurel and Marjorie gave me, and the ugly thing is an old razor I shall never use again because Marjorie gave me a beautiful electric, my skin is fragile because I am 68, and we have been together since January 7, 1980, the day I was awarded my first Teaching assignment which lead to beauty and heartache so maybe I should throw that old razor away today, I plan to be here until I die, but things come and go. May we live in interesting times. I walk, walking meditation now tword breakfast. Walking meditation, and at 8:30 I'll be at scheduled sit, and with my friends we will sit 1/2 hour.
Tai Shi
sat/lah
Gassho