March 25-26th Treeleaf Weekly Zazenkai - Waiting (And Remember DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!!)

[Jakuden]

Thanks for the good wishes all! There's only the reflection of the moon on the water

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday

[Jundo]

Can we see it this way?
We wait because we plan. We plan because we want certainty. We need certainty to have control. We need to be in control to feel secure. We need to feel secure to face uncertainty. We cannot face uncertainty because it could mean death. We cannot face death because we don't understand life.

Does the chain continue?

We need to plan in life, from what we will have for breakfast in the morning, to where we hope our life and our family is 20 years from now. Yes, it is the human being's great tool to survive, which let us plan hot to get a rocket to the moon! Yes, we want to reduce the chances of disaster and death! We fear failure and sickness, and do our best to stay healthy and alive!

But the Zen fellow says that we can only go so far in getting control, even with our best planning. So, while we try out best, we do not cling to outcomes. We flow with events too, even when they go against out plan, even when resulting in disaster and death. We flow, with whatever comes.

The Zen fellow learns to do both of the above paragraphs AT THE SAME TIME, AT ONCE!

But we also have a third view, which is this Radical Non-Waiting, Radical "Nothing to Plan, Nothing to Achieve." It sees right through all opposites, so that there is no other place to go, no separate thing to attain, no win vs. lose, NOTHING LACKING, NOTHING TO CHANGE. There is not even birth and death, even as there is birth and there is death. Yes, "no old age and death, no cessation of old age and death." This is Radical Non-Waiting, even as we dive right in to whatever life and death bring.

The Zen fellow learns to know all of the above AT ONCE, AS ONCE!

Gassho, J

Sorry to run long.

STlah

[Shokai]

Prashanth; May I suggest a book for you to read: Uchiyama roshi"s "Opening the Hand of Thought"

As Jisho Warner writes in her preface, Opening the Hand of Thought "goes directly to the heart of Zen practice... showing how Zen Buddhism can be a deep and life-sustaining activity."

gassho, Shokai
stlah

[Prashanth]

Thank you, Jundo. I look forward to getting know the Zen Fellow better. Gassho.

Thank you, Shokai. Yes, it's high-time that I read that book. My father's passing last November changed all reading plans, including starting to read Uchiyama Roshi's book.

Gassho.

Prashanth.

Sat.


Sent from my Lenovo TB-7305F using Tapatalk

[Seishin]

Haven't done one of these for a while but could resist

Prashanth are you waiting while you plan or just planning ?
As all things in life, is it not down to perspective.
Good to see you Kyonin.
And I hope your back has now recovered Jakuden.


Thank you all.

Sat for peace (and waiting for the next Zazenkai )

[Tairin]

I read this blog post today by Koun Franz and it reminded me of Jundo’s talk from this Zazenkai. I thought I’d share

https://dharmacrafts.com/blogs/news/what-are-you-waiting-for-koun-franz

Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Onkai]

Thank you, Tairin. That is a helpful article.

Gassho,
Onkai
Sat/lah

[Tomás ESP]

I waited to sit this Zazenkai for a few weeks. Glad I didn't wait any longer

Gassho, Tomás
Sat