Sept. 2nd-3rd, 2022 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour Treeleaf ZAZENKAI - Commencing JUKAI & ANGO!

[Jundo]

Our Zazenkai is in Special Celebration and Welcome of the
Commencement of our 2022 ANGO & JUKAI Season!

Today's Talk will reflect on
Redemption, Icchantikas and 'Broken Ladles'
(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/QzX_3_GjDfg

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

Dharma Talk Audio / Podcast Episode:

https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?20232-Treeleaf-Podcast&p=311119&viewfull=1#post311119

Tags: None

[Jundo]

For Today's Talk, to Commence our Jukai & Ango Season .... Redemption, Icchantikas and 'Broken Ladles'

A Soto Teacher in Australia, Hogen Daido Yamahata, has a little book with some very wise, often truly astonishing quotes (https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/hogen.html) :

We are born anew only when we accept this actual world which is so miserable, imperfect, and rotten as the most perfect, irreplaceable, and infinite one.
...

I find infinite meaning in hunger and thirst, the shedding of blood and tears, sorrow and joy, birth and death, disease and old age. A world without any problems or suffering or contradictions is as dead as a world made of vinyl and plastics which neither change their forms nor decompose in the ground.
...

As the inevitable product of our ego, we now have wars, tragedies, precision instruments, political strategies, pollutions, multi-national corporations, and so on. This is the human world as it is.

In such a world we shed our blood and tears, often against our will. In such a world our life is unfolding itself perfectly. Thus we practice the Great Way.
...

I am sure that falling down into the karmic way is also meaningful for our lives. In order to wake up to our ultimate reality, we need first to lose our awareness of it. In order to find our true home, we must first travel the world. If we had continued to live in paradise forever, we would never have recognized the miracle of our life.
...

You attempt to be better. In fact, there is no such thing as "better".
...

I maintain that your present imperfect state is much much better and more full of grace than the perfect state you intend to achieve in the future. Our lives, as we are practising now, are better than anything we will gain in the future. Therefore, you should switch the centre of your being and your whole attention from your dreams of the future, and instead have your awareness on Here Now.
...

I wonder why we are always avoiding and running away from the real purpose of life. I think is because of our anticipatory nature, a dream of something else, something better, than what one already is. This dream arises from our attachment to the ego. So we continue to roam about, motivated by our unconscious fixed idea that we dislike ourselves as we are.
...

Rain or shine, good or bad, hopeful or hopeless, satisfying or unsatisfying; we must give up such poor judgements of ourselves. Please, just sit and sit and sit. Do not have any satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Just do it without any consideration for the effect.

In traditional Mahayana Buddhism, a great debate occurred about whether there existed human beings who are Icchantika, lacking Buddha Nature, never to become Buddhas, without possibility of redemption. Master Dogen seems not to have subscribed to the idea Dogen, and in fact, may have celebrated our imperfection and the impossibility of redemption as the very place of our perfect liberation and ultimate redemption.

In Genjo Koan, Dogen writes:

Those who have great realization of delusion are buddhas; those who are greatly deluded about realization are sentient beings. Further, there are those who continue realizing beyond realization, who are in delusion throughout delusion. ... When dharma does not fill your whole body and mind, you think it is already sufficient. When dharma fills your body and mind, you understand that something is missing. [Tanahashi]

In a section of Shobogenzo entitled Butsukojoji (Continuous development beyond Buddha)

Master Koboku [] once said to an assembly of monks, “ ... O good Zen students! What is continuous development beyond Buddha? A single family has one child but he is lacking the six sense organs and missing the seven forms of consciousness. Such persons are called icchantika, beings who lack the seed of Buddha-nature. When they meet Buddha, they kill Buddha; when they meet an Ancestor they kill that Ancestor. Heaven refuses to accept them and even hell provides no gate for them to enter. Do any of you here have any idea of such people?” He went on, “That kind of person is dull-witted, always in a daze, and babbles foolishly in his sleep.”

[But Dogen comments:] “Lacking six sense organs” means exchanging the pupils with the fruit of the Bodhi tree, the nostrils with hollow bamboo, and the skull with an excrement spatula. What is the principle of “exchanging”? It means a lack of the six sense organs. Since there is a lack of the six sense organs, we can pass through the blacksmith’s furnace as a metal Buddha, emerge from the ocean as a clay Buddha, and rise from the flames as a wooden Buddha.

[This references a poem by Master Joshu:

A wood Buddha does not pass through fire

A golden Buddha does not pass through the furnace

A clay Buddha does not pass through water

A true Buddha sits in silence. ]

What is “missing the seven kinds of consciousness” like? It is like a broken ladle. They kill Buddha when they meet Buddha, because when they meet Buddha they kill Buddha. If they try to enter heaven, heaven will be broken; if they move toward hell, hell is shattered. Whenever they meet someone they smile foolishly; they do nothing but walk around in a [dreamy] daze and talk foolishly in their sleep. This is the principle of “mountains and rivers are unique in themselves, and [the whole body of jewels and stone is smashed into a hundred bits and pieces.]” Reflect quietly on this saying of Zen Master Koboku and do not take it lightly.[NISHIYAMA, adjusted for Tanahashi and Nishijima-Cross]

Finally, a poem by Dogen on Shakyamuni Buddha's moment of Enlightenment, under the Bodhi Tree, after years of hard practice, torturing the body, seeking extreme meditative states:

After six years of bitter ascetic practice, He attained awakening in one sitting.

Glimpsing the ground and arising, how laughable! What is this broken wooden ladle?

Gassho, J

STLah

[Jundo]

In honor of all our "broken ladles," our dance today celebrates the healing power of the Hokey Pokey ...

https://youtu.be/fBa58HQ7ZkA

The nursing staff at an excellent children's hospital uses the Hokey Pokey for its patients, including Madison (who, from what I find online, is still dancing today and keeping up the good fight today) ...

https://youtu.be/DCgFCyJPnjY

HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital announced six-year-old Madison Austin as its 2019 Children’s Miracle Network local champion child on Friday, March 15, 2019, at a hokey pokey party in her honor.

Madison was born with a birth defect that requires her to use a tracheal tube to breathe. This leaves her prone to infections that frequently land her in the hospital, sometimes for a few days, but occasionally up to a month. She knows the nursing staff well. When they found her watching hokey pokey videos on her tablet while in bed, they decided to boost morale and bring it to her bedside. Since then, several videos of the parties have ended up on YouTube and gone viral on social media.

“It was just this fun simple idea that really took off,” said pediatric nurse Natalie Serra. “Madison really thrives on the positive attention. It boosted morale among the staff, and everyone is happy to do it.”

In 2017, Madison, who is fondly known around the hall of the hospital as “The Hokey Pokey Queen,” was named the HSHS St. John’s Patient of the Year because she had become very special to many of the caregivers and reminded everyone to smile, and even dance, through the tough times.

As the local 2019 champion child, Madison and her family will represent St. John’s at a variety of CMN events and in marketing materials throughout the course of the year.

St. John’s Children’s Hospital is one of more than 170 hospitals affiliated with CMN. Since 1986, CMN has helped raise more than $8.3 million for children in central Illinois. These donations have gone to support research and training, purchase equipment and much more. One hundred percent of the money raised here goes directly to programs for children in our area.
https://www.hshs.org/StJohnsChildren...ames-Hokey-Pok

Gassho, J

STlah

[Uran]

[emoji1374]

[Jundo]

I have posted above the texts for the Talk during Zazenkai, three posts up.

https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showthread.php?20710-Sept-2nd-3rd-2022-OUR-MONTHLY-4-hour-Treeleaf-ZAZENKAI-Commencing-JUKAI-ANGO%21&p=310861&viewfull=1#post310861

It would be helpful if folks can print them out or read along then.

The Theme for this Ango is "Redemption, Icchantikas and 'Broken Ladles'" ...



Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Tosei]

Of course, last night, a raging storm took out my internet connection. Despite replacing the modem, it’s dead at least through the weekend. I’ll be there with y’all in spirit. Happy commencement to all.

Gassho.

SatLah

[Koriki]

"I maintain that your present imperfect state is much much better and more full of grace than the perfect state you intend to achieve in the future. Our lives, as we are practising now, are better than anything we will gain in the future. Therefore, you should switch the centre of your being and your whole attention from your dreams of the future, and instead have your awareness on Here Now." Well stated. A good slap upside the head for me.



Mark
sat lah

[Nengyoku]

What a lovely thing to be able to sit with all of you.
Thank you for your practice.
Let's go Ango!

Gassho,
Nengyoku
Sat

[Bion]

Thank you everyone! What a joy to see so many faces and to kick off Ango together. Thanks Jundo for a great talk and a hopeful and encouraging Hokey Pokey!
Much love to you all and let’s do our best!

[emoji1374] Sat Today

[Koriki]

Ok, to be honest Jundo, when you asked if we've ever done the Metta verse chant I thought you meant "metaverse chant." I guess I was getting a little brain foggy by then and was thinking of some sort of alternate universe thing (and was a little disappointed that it wasn't the case). Although you came close with the UFOs.

Gassho,

Mark
sat a lot today

[Tokan]

Thank you everyone

Gassho, Tokan (satlah)

[Tokan]

Ok, to be honest Jundo, when you asked if we've ever done the Metta verse chant I thought you meant "metaverse chant." I guess I was getting a little brain foggy by then and was thinking of some sort of alternate universe thing (and was a little disappointed that it wasn't the case). Although you came close with the UFOs.

Gassho,

Mark
sat a lot today

Maybe we need to change the meal gatha - may all beings in the meta-verse (or multi-verse) be sufficiently nourished!

gassho, Tokan (satlah)

[Soka]

I finally made the start of Zazenkai, for the first time in a long while.

I had to duck out early, as I had a client this morning and I wanted to make sure I would still be alert and focused on them during their session. But it was lovely to sit with you all "live" again. I look forward to sitting the second half of the recording.

Gassho,
Sōka
sat

[Kiri]

Thank you everyone for practicing together! Jundo your talk was really helpful today. Thank you very much
Happy Ango!

Gassho, Kiri
Sat/Lah

[Kantai]

Thank you every-one!
Beautiful chanting Bion

Gassho
Kantai

SatLah