Nov 6-7 2020 OUR MONTHLY 4-hour Treeleaf ZAZENKAI- Book Tour Kickoff/DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

**Jundo** · 11-06-2020, 01:31 AM

For Today's Talk:

We will look today at one passage of Master Dogen's Shobogenzo Uji (Being-Time), rapping and riffing on a famous Koan:

Once, the great master Yaoshan Weiyan asked Mazu Daoyi, “I have digested all the teachings of the three vehicles of Buddhism and the twelve divisions of the scriptures, but what was the ancestral master Bodhidharma’s intention in coming to China from India in the West?

Thus questioned, Mazu responded, “Sometimes I make him raise an eyebrow or wink an eye, and sometimes I do not make him raise an eyebrow or wink an eye. Sometimes to make him raise an eyebrow or wink an eye is what’s right, sometimes to make him raise an eyebrow or wink an eye is not right.” ...

[Dōgen comments:] What Mazu says is not the same as other people’s words. His “eyebrows” and “eyes” are the mountains and oceans, because the mountains and oceans are his “eyebrows” and “eyes.” In his “make him raise an eyebrow” he is to see the mountains, and “make him wink” is to understand the seas. The “right” answer truly is his, and he is actualized by having him raise the eyebrows and wink. But neither does “not right” mean not having him raise the eyebrows and wink, and to not have him raise the eyebrows and wink does not mean “not right.” All are equally the being-time. The mountains are time, and the oceans are time. Without time, the mountains and oceans could never exist, so we should not deny that time is existing in the mountains and oceans right here and now. If time were annihilated, the mountains and oceans would be annihilated, but as time is not annihilated, thus are the mountains and oceans preserved. This being so, the morning star appears, the Buddha Tathāgata appears, the eye appears and raising up a flower appears. Each is time and, were there no time, it could not be thus.”

... Dogen's Jazzy Sound ...

Coltrane riffs on "My Favorite Things," that lovely tune from The Sound of Music ...

https://youtu.be/JEAYIJfTJ3U

Like Coltrane, Dogen is improvising on some classic teachings all found in his words too ...

... The Profound Identity of All Things

... And of All Times, which is All Being ...

... That's Right, and Right Here, yet no Right or Wrong ...

... All as the Buddha's Enlightenment ...

As strange as it all sounds, it is powerful medicine for our lives today, here, in this mess of a 21st century world.

From my book, The Zen Master's Dance ...

Dōgen plays on a cherished kōan about a Zen master who inquires into the real meaning of Zen, which somehow eluded him in all his studies of texts and theory. He asks why Bodhidharma bothered to come to China; in other words, what is Zen all about? The traditional response about eyebrows and such can have a direct meaning: Bodhidharma did nothing special. Traveling to China was the most natural of things, like winking. If he had not done it, something else would have taken place. On the other hand, our own simple acts of winking and looking can also be known as the Buddha looking and winking, Bodhidharma looking and winking, the whole universe looking and winking. Not doing so is still the ancient master’s eyes and eyebrows not doing so, the whole universe not doing so. It is not a matter of our having to be aware of such fact all the time. Our face is still shared with the ancient master although we do not feel so in a particular moment. Even then, it is still Bodhidharma’s eyes and eyebrows as our eyes and eyebrows.

Dōgen plays his “Zen jazz” to take this one step further. His eyes and eyebrows are the mountains and seas (and the whole world and all within it). Winking the eye is an ocean winking, and raising an eyebrow is raising a mountain. There may be right and wrong times to do or not do an action, but ultimately there are no “wrong times,” for each time is its own time, and even “not doing” is the right doing of “not doing,” and “wrong doing” is the right doing of a “wrong doing.” (Nonetheless, Dōgen would often remind us to do what’s right and avoid doing wrong, for doing so helps clarify the heart and mind.)

Dōgen says that eye and eyebrow, mountains, and sea are all time. It is obvious that, without time, none of these could have evolved or come to be. Thus, he states, “Without time, the mountains and oceans could never exist.” But equally, without the motion of their (and our) evolving, time would have been frozen and never flowed. Thus, time needs us and is us, as much as we need time and are time. Dōgen says, “So we should not deny that time is existing in the mountains and oceans right here and now.” It is existing as you and me too, here and now.

And so it is for all moments in time, such as when the Buddha, sitting under the bodhi tree, saw the morning star and realized the
truth. It is said that after many long years of striving and pushing himself to the extremes of body and mind, the Buddha finally eased
his heart under that tree. Seeing the clear light of the morning star in the sky, he said: “I and all sentient beings on earth, together, are enlightened at once.” All are enlightened at once, for all are one in this being-time.

Years later, when the Buddha held up a flower and winked, Mahākāśyapa saw and understood with a smile. In that famous story, the Buddha silently held up a single flower as the wordless expression of the truth, and his disciple Mahākāśyapa understood and also expressed this silently. ...

**Jundo** · 11-06-2020, 01:39 AM

For today, a Jazzy Joyful Boogie Woogie Swinging Improvy Hokey Pokey ...

https://youtu.be/ounanrwfKX8

Gassho, J

STLah

**Inshin** · 11-06-2020, 11:23 AM

Thankful for the time change. If everything goes well I'll be joining live today.

Gassho
Sat

**Kyonin** · 11-06-2020, 09:43 PM

Hi everyone!

I'll be there live with instruments ready!

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

**Seikan** · 11-06-2020, 10:15 PM

See you all very soon!

Gassho,
Rob

-stlah-

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

**Geika** · 11-06-2020, 10:26 PM

I will be joining one-way today.

Gassho
Sat, lah

**Bokugan** · 11-06-2020, 11:41 PM

Still at work -- forgot about what the time change would do to the timing so I will be joining you all later. Have a lovely Zazenkai all!

Gassho,

Ryan
Sat Today

**Naiko** · 11-06-2020, 11:51 PM

Apologies to all. I am not feeling well and I left during Kinhin. I hope it wasn't disruptive. I will be sitting with you all later this weekend.
Gassho,
Krista
st

**Hoshi** · 11-07-2020, 03:04 AM

Always thank you for the youtube netcast too

Gassho
SaT

**Sekishi** · 11-07-2020, 03:05 AM

Thank you all for coming together to practice and manifest Sangha - dancing together.

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat

**Onkai** · 11-07-2020, 03:06 AM

Hope you feel better, Krista. Thank you, Jundo, Kyonin, Sekishi, and everyone for a lovely zazenkai. The talk was wonderful, from a part of the book that is helpful for me to reflect on.

Gassho,
Onkai
sat/lah

**BriJolieG** · 11-07-2020, 03:06 AM

I appreciate dancing with you all.
Fully gratefull for this opportunitiy.

Gassho,
Brianna
Sat Today

**Sekishi** · 11-07-2020, 03:08 AM

Originally posted by KristaB

Apologies to all. I am not feeling well and I left during Kinhin. I hope it wasn't disruptive. I will be sitting with you all later this weekend.

I hope you feel better soon Krista.

No need to worry about "disruption" - we sit with what arises.

Deep bows,
Sekishi
#sat

**gaurdianaq** · 11-07-2020, 03:09 AM

Was a lovely dance.

Evan,
Sat today, lah

Nov 6-7 2020 OUR MONTHLY 4-hour Treeleaf ZAZENKAI- Book Tour Kickoff/DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

Nov 6-7 2020 OUR MONTHLY 4-hour Treeleaf ZAZENKAI- Book Tour Kickoff/DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

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