July 9th-10th Treeleaf Weekly Zazenkai - "Free to Roam Again!" Zazenkai

[Jundo]

Please celebrate with me my RELEASE FROM QUARANTINE!
There is no place to go ... but I can finally get out of the house after 2 weeks!

Let's party by dancing Gary Dyson's club version Heart Sutra today (details below)

Dear All,

Please sit our Treeleaf Zazenkai for 90 minutes with Zazen, Heart Sutra and more:

10am Japan Saturday morning, NY 9pm, LA 6pm Friday night, London 2am and Paris 3am Saturday morning, or any time thereafter here:

We start a few minutes in today, so just sit quietly at the start for a bit ...

https://youtu.be/3nJkw3dibZw

However, "one way" live sitters are encouraged to come into the Zoom sitting, and just leave the camera and microphone turned off: Join live (with or without a camera & microphone) on Zoom at: TREELEAF Now OR at DIRECT ZOOM LINK, password (if needed): dogen

00:00 – 00:15 CEREMONY (HEART SUTRA in English) and Dedication
00:15 – 00:45 ZAZEN
00:45 – 00:55 KINHIN
00:55 – 01:25 ZAZEN
01:25 – 01:30 VERSE OF ATONEMENT & FOUR VOWS
01:30 - 01:45(?) Informal Tea Time (All Welcome)

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) ...

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

I also recommend a little Talk on why small rituals and procedures are so cherished in the Zendo:

SIT-A-LONG with Jundo: Small Things in the Zendo
https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...s-in-the-Zendo

[Jundo]

We will be dancing the Heart Sutra by Gary Dyson, a Tibetan Practitioner who is a student of Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, the movie director. When I wrote him to ask, Gary said it was okay to "use the recording in any way that is beneficial. Share, play, give away, what ever. It is for the benefit of all."

So, we will be playing the recording during our Zazenkai, as our Heart Sutra Recitation. Everyone, please come dance! Dance of Emptiness!

https://youtu.be/bwmmCsICoj8

It happens to have all those extra passages at the start and end that we discussed during the first installment of our "Heart Sutra" series of talks a few months ago ...

https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?18530-February-5th-6th-OUR-MONTHLY-4-hour-Treeleaf-ZAZENKAI-The-Missing-Heart-Sutra

Tibetan Practitioners and some others tend to use this somewhat longer version of the Heart Sutra, with a little more at the startless start and endless end. I highlight that. I also include link to Mr. Dyson's page below for those interested. .

The Sutra of the Heart of Transcendent Knowledge

Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One was dwelling in Rajagriha at Vulture Peak mountain, together with a great gathering of the sangha of monks and a great gathering of the sangha of bodhisattvas. At that time the Blessed One entered the samadhi that expresses the dharma called "profound illumination," and at the same time noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, while practicing the profound prajnaparamita, saw in this way: he saw the five skandhas to be empty of nature. Then, through the power of the Buddha, venerable Shariputra said to noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, "How should a son or daughter of noble family train, who wishes to practice the profound prajnaparamita?" Addressed in this way, noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, said to venerable Shariputra, "O Shariputra, a son or daughter of noble family who wishes to practice the profound prajnaparamita should see in this way: seeing the five skandhas to be empty of nature. Form is emptiness; emptiness also is form. Emptiness is no other than form; form is no other than emptiness. In the same way, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are emptiness. Thus, Shariputra, all dharmas are emptiness. There are no characteristics. There is no birth and no cessation. There is no impurity and no purity. There is no decrease and no increase. Therefore, Shariputra, in emptiness,
there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no formation, no consciousness; no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind; no appearance, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no dharmas, no eye dhatu up to no mind dhatu, no dhatu of dharmas, no mind consciousness dhatu; no ignorance, no end of ignorance up to no old age and death, no end of old age and death; no suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation of suffering, no path, no wisdom, no attainment, and no non-attainment. Therefore, Shariputra, since the bodhisattvas have no attainment, they abide by means of prajnaparamita. Since there is no obscuration of mind, there is no fear. They transcend falsity and attain complete nirvana. All the buddhas of the three times, by means of prajnaparamita, fully awaken to unsurpassable, true, complete enlightenment. Therefore, the great mantra of prajnaparamita, the mantra of great insight, the unsurpassed mantra, the unequalled mantra, the mantra that calms all suffering, should be known as truth, since there no deception. The prajnaparamita mantra is said in this way:
TADYATHA OM GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA
Thus, Shariputra, the bodhisattva mahasattva should train in the profound prajnaparamita. Then the Blessed One arose from that samadhi and praised noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, saying, "Good, good, O son of noble family; thus it is, O son of noble family, thus it is. One should practice the profound prajnaparamita just as you have taught and all the tathagatas will rejoice." When the Blessed One had said this, venerable Shariputra and noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, that whole assembly and the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced and praised the words of the Blessed One.

Thus concludes the Sutra of the Heart of Transcendent Knowledge

https://garyazukx.bandcamp.com/track/heart-sutra

Gassho, J

STLah

[Bion]

Polishing my dancing getas [emoji1] See you all for a quick dance later!

[emoji1374] SatToday lah

[Bokugan]

I will be sitting on demand this time around, looking forward to joining you all later on [emoji120]

Gassho,

Ryan
SatToday + LAH

[Sekishi]

Youtube and Zoom duct tape is go!

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat #lah

[Yokai]

Thank you Jundo, Sekishi and all. Great share with our wonderful global family.

Happy Birthday Alberto!

Gassho, Yokai sta/lah

[Onkai]

Thank you, Jundo, Sekishi and everyone. The zazenkai was enjoyable from dancing the Heart Sutra to reclining zazen, to a lovely talk, to tea house chat. Have a great weekend!

Gassho,
Onkai
Sat/lah

[Anchi]

Great Zazenkai and lovely talk.
Thank you everyone.

Gassho

[Tairin]

Thank you everyone. I sat and danced with you this morning.

Jundo, have we played Gary Dyson’s Heart Sutra before? It sounded familiar.



Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Sekishi]

Jundo, have we played Gary Dyson’s Heart Sutra before? It sounded familiar.

We've done this one a few times over years.

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat #lah

[Tairin]

We've done this one a few times over years.

That explains why it felt familiar.


Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Jundo]

We've done this one a few times over years.

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat #lah

Yes, as a matter of fact, I have discovered a couple of new danceable "Heart Sutra" covers recently, and we will give them a try too ...

Gassho, J

STLah

[Jundo]

Here is one of my favorites, just for how heartfelt it is by this fellow ... ("Hotoke" is one way to say "Buddha" in Japanese. His shirt says "Love" in Japanese and English, and "Tohoku" which is the northern part of the Japanese mainland.) ...

https://youtu.be/BGNkISwcgpM

Gassho, J

STLah

[Jundo]

Here is another rap version that has some energy ... He does a modern language translation that is very funny and interesting, and really barely has anything to do with the Heart Sutra, I wish I could translate it all ... but it's like "Just live, it's okay, don't look back. Money going up or down ain't important, how something tastes or looks or sounds ain't real ... living dying, getting old or sick, it's ok don't get in the way ... "

https://youtu.be/H8ROEMSLA-s

[Jundo]

Then there is this version of the Miku Hatsune (artificial vocaloid) Hannya Shingyo ... with Ghanian pallbearers ... in a mashup with Astronomia 2K19 by Stephan F ... that, well, is great ...

https://youtu.be/BrR0ZWWC1Bg

I want these guys for my funeral!