Sept 4th-5th, 2020 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour Treeleaf ZAZENKAI - Commencing Jukai & Ango!

[Jundo]

Our Zazenkai is in Special Celebration and Welcome of the
Commencement of our 2020 ANGO & JUKAI Season

Today's Talk will reflect on
our "Dedication of Merit" Recital
(text below in this thread)

Please sit our Monthly 4-Hour Treeleaf 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 also sitable any time thereafter:

https://youtu.be/-Z12ike0Gs8

Join live (with or without a camera & microphone) on Zoom at: https://www.treeleaf.org/now/go.php?l=ssr
OR at https://zoom.us/j/4834831244, password (if needed): dogen

Dharma Talk Audio / Podcast Episode:
https://treeleaf.podbean.com/e/septe...ng-jukai-ango/

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 RITUAL

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

Gassho, Jundo

STLah


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

Chant Book is here for those who wish to join in: CHANT BOOK LINK

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]

Todays talk will look closely and reflect on the "Dedication of Merit" (Eko 廻向, with the Kanji meaning "Go Around" and "Face Beyond") which we recite in our weekly Ceremonies ...

Buddha Nature pervades the whole universe, Reality, existing right here now:
In reciting THE HEART OF THE PERFECTION OF GREAT WISDOM SUTRA (and THE IDENTITY OF RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE) we dedicate our sincere efforts to:

•Shakyamuni Buddha Honored One; the Historical Buddha and Teacher …
and to those ancestral teachers:
Eihei Dogen Honored One
Soji Keizan Honored One,

All successive Honored Ones up until

Zuigaku Rempo Honored One and
Gudo Wafu Honored One

and to all other Honored Ones throughout history, Male and Female Honored Ones, whose names have been forgotten or left unsaid.
We also dedicate these efforts to the Three Treasures,

Buddha, Dharma, Sangha,

To all Awakened Ones and Teachers in all places and times.

We especially seek tranquility & well being for all creatures now suffering or ill in health.
May they be serene through all their ills.
May their lives be at peace and Wisdom pervade the darkness of ignorance.

We dedicate our hopes and aspirations:
To all victims of war and violence and natural events
To the injured and to all families touched by these tragedies
To the healing of hatred in all countries and among all peoples
To the wisdom and compassion of our world leaders
To the peace of the world and harmony of all beings.

Thus, let the harmful effects of words, thoughts and actions be dispelled
and Compassion bloom in perpetual spring.
May we all realize and live the Enlightened Way together:

EVERYONE CHANTS:

ø All Buddhas throughout space and time
ø All Bodhisattvas-Mahasattvas
ø Maha • Prajna • Paramita ••••••• (followed 3x PROSTRATIONS by EVERYONE) • • •

I will also touch briefly on our annual theme, to commence this Ango and Jukai season ...

Ango: NOW & THEN ...

What is Ango in our day and time, for householders in the modern West? Is it Ango as the Buddha, Dogen and all the Ancestors Practiced?

The meaning of the Japanese word Ango [安居] (Skt : varsha or varshika; Pali: vassa ) is “tranquil dwelling”. The origin is the “rainy-season retreat” , the period when Buddhist monks in India stopped their travels and outdoor activities for the duration of the rainy season and gathered at some sheltered location to devote themselves to Practice, study and discipline. One practical reason was because the heavy rainfall made traveling and outdoor activities impractical. But it was also a time when the individual monks in Buddha’s time, spending most of the year scattered here and there in small groups or individually, could gather and unite as a community and Practice together. During the rainy season in India, monks traditionally dwelt in a cave or a monastery for three months—from the sixteenth day of the fourth month to the fifteenth day of the seventh month. During this period the monks learned the Buddha's teachings, engaged in meditation and other practices, and repented their harmful behavior and weaknesses. The tradition is said to have begun during the time of Shakyamuni, was brought to China, and in Japan the three-month retreat was first observed in 683. Now it comes to us.

In the time of Master Dogen, Ango was a period of intense Practice mostly (but not exclusively) for monks living in a monastery. In his early years, Dogen’s Teachings emphasized that Zazen and Enlightenment are open to all, monks or householders, male or female, everyone. Later in life however, Dogen found himself chased out of the cosmopolitan capital city by other religious groups, turning to live in a remote and isolated monastery in the snowy mountains of Japan. Although in other writings to his lay students, Dogen continued to emphasize how this Way is open to all, his writings like Shobogenzo were meant to be talks heard primarily by his monks, meant to encourage monks in their monastic life and “keep up morale”, and thus, quite naturally, centered on the importance of Practice in a monastic setting.

But does that mean that Ango is not for householders as well? How has the Practice of Ango evolved as Zen has come to the West, to modern times, and again become open to all, monks or householders, male or female, the physically able and the physically challenged, everyone without distinction?

Gassho, J

STLah

[Junkyo]

Unfortunately I may not be able to make the beginning of zazenkai live. It will be 6pm here and I will just be getting home from work.

Would it be ok for me to quietly sneak in mid way through once the kids are to bed?

Gassho,

Junkyo
SAT

Sent from my SM-G981W using Tapatalk

[Jundo]

Unfortunately I may not be able to make the beginning of zazenkai live. It will be 6pm here and I will just be getting home from work.

Would it be ok for me to quietly sneak in mid way through once the kids are to bed?

Gassho,

Junkyo
SAT

Sent from my SM-G981W using Tapatalk

Hi Junkyo,

You can "sneak in" midway (just remember to close the door behind you ), sit in bits over several days, sit backwards (we should do that sometime, in which we play the whole Zazenkai backwards and see what happens! ), bring your kids, sit in the nursery ... anything like that is fine at our place.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Tosei]

I’ll be deep in some 6thC Christian cave monasteries on Friday and Saturday but will sit with you all on Monday. Sorry to miss you live.

Gassho,

Peter

SatT

[Eva]

I feel joy for this upcoming Ango and looking forward to first Zazenkai, which I won't make it live, since working both Friday and Saturday .
I will join you all sometime in Sunday .

Gassho, eva
sattoday

[Doshin]

I will be there until I fall asleep. I need somebody to swat my shoulders.

Doshin
St

[Victor]

I unfortunately won't be able to make the live as I'll be feeding the kids and getting them to bed, but I will view afterwards. I missed last season because my son was born two days before we began. I've never experienced a more profound exhaustion!

That said, I will be taking part this season to the best of my ability. My children are very demanding of my time and energy. As we have discussed, this is a crucial part of my practice as well!

Gassho,
Victor
ST

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[Onka]

I'll be there live but offline.
Gassho
Onka
ST

[Tosei]

I’ll be deep in some 6thC Christian cave monasteries on Friday and Saturday but will sit with you all on Monday. Sorry to miss you live.

Gassho,

Peter

SatT

Turns out THOSE monks are expecting me next weekend, so I’ll be here tomorrow morning.

[Kyonin]

Hi Jundo,

I'll be there live

Gassho,

Kyonin

[Inshin]

I would love to join live, as it is the best time for me to fit 4 hrs without any worldly disturbances. However I have never before sat through the night and I am a bit anxious that after all day at work and then looking after family, my body will give up at some point. Is it allowed to leave the live zazenkai during Kinhin and "finish up" the rest at some other time? Or would it be considered disrespectful?

Gassho
Sat

[Jundo]

I would love to join live, as it is the best time for me to fit 4 hrs without any worldly disturbances. However I have never before sat through the night and I am a bit anxious that after all day at work and then looking after family, my body will give up at some point. Is it allowed to leave the live zazenkai during Kinhin and "finish up" the rest at some other time? Or would it be considered disrespectful?

Gassho
Sat

You can leave early, late, break it into bits. However, no need to sit into the night! The "real time" recording can be sat at any time in any time zone!

See you there, if you dare!

Gassho, J

STLah

[Jundo]

This month, we visit 'lousiana ... with Buckweat Zydeco and Bayou Boogie Hokey Pokey ...

https://youtu.be/xy1Lhw6b80A

Gassho nuff, you'all.

STLah

PS - I was darn close to going with the only know recording of American singing legend Tom Waits doing the Pokey ... but he changed the words quite a bit, and its pretty, well, you know ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzJ5l3AqSQk

[Seishin]

I'll will be there not there On Demand as usual. Thank you Jundo.

sat/lah