August 12th-13th, 2016 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI!

[Jundo]

Today's Talk will bump into recent Koans from the Book of Serenity, POSTED BELOW.

Please 'sit-a-long' with our MONTHLY 4-hour 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 visible at the following link during those times ...

... to be visible on the below screen during those times and any time thereafter ...

LIVE ZAZENKAI NETCAST at GOOGLE+ IS HERE:
CLICK ON THE TAB ON LOWER RIGHT FOR 'FULL SCREEN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDm1OVjl_ok

EVENT PAGE:

https://plus.google.com/events/cf66jsu8grv2krbu515scfvpfa4

Dharma talk audio / podcast episode:

http://treeleaf.podbean.com/e/august-2016-zazenkai-talk-cases-from-the-book-of-serenity-part-2/

FOR THOSE NOT ALREADY MEMBERS OF THE CIRCLE WHO WISH TO JOIN TO SIT LIVE WITH A CAMERA, INSTRUCTIONS are posted AT THIS LINK. WE ARE NOW LIMITED TO 10 INDIVIDUALS WITH CAMERAS, BUT ANY NUMBER CAN WATCH LIVE 'ONE WAY' AND SIT-A-LONG VIA THE ABOVE SCREEN. IF JOINING WITH CAMERA, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR MICROPHONE IS MUTED:

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

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


Our Zazenkai consists of our chanting the 'Heart Sutra' in Japanese and the 'Identity of Relative and Absolute (Sandokai)' in English (please download our Chant Book at the link below), some full floor prostrations (please follow along with me ... or a simple Gassho can be substituted if you wish), a little talk by me ... and we close with the 'Metta Chant', followed at the end with the 'Verse of Atonement' and 'The Four Vows'. Oh, and lots and lots of Zazen and walkin' Kinhin in between!

Please download and print out the Chants we will recite at the following link (PDF):

Chant Book (PDF)

or

Chant Book (SHORT VERSION HTML)

I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU POSITION YOUR ZAFU ON THE FLOOR IN A PLACE WHERE YOU ARE NOT STARING DIRECTLY AT THE COMPUTER SCREEN, BUT CAN GLANCE OVER AND SEE THE SCREEN WHEN NECESSARY. YOUR ZAFU SHOULD ALSO BE IN A POSITION WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE COMPUTER SCREEN WHILE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE ZAFU FOR THE CEREMONIES, AND HAVE ROOM FOR BOWING AND KINHIN.

ALSO, REMEMBER TO SET YOUR COMPUTER (& SCREEN SAVER) SO THAT IT DOES NOT SHUT OFF DURING THE 4 HOURS.

I hope you will join us ... an open Zafu is waiting. When we drop all thought of 'here' 'there' 'now' 'then' ... we are sitting all together!


Gassho, Jundo

[Jundo]

Cases from the Book of Serenity

~~~~~~~~~~

CASE 58
The Diamond Sutra's Reviling

MAIN CASE
Attention!
The Diamond Sutra says if someone is reviled by others,
It is because that person had acquired negative karma in a previous existence.
Because of this past falling into evil ways he is reviled by people in this life,
And in being reviled, the karma of the past will be exhausted.

APPRECIATORY VERSE
Success and failure bound together;
cause and effect glued together. ...

The Diamond Sutra Teaches two seemingly contradictory (but are they?) messages on Karma. One, that Karma (our volitional actions and their effects in this life and, perhaps, lives to come) are empty to the eye of Wisdom that can so perceive ...

"All conditioned Dharmas
are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows,
Like dew drops and a lightning flash,
Contemplate them thus."

~~~~~~~~~~

CASE 59
Seirin's Deadly Snake

PREFACE To THE ASSEMBLY
Leaving, yet staying,- dwelling, yet departing. Not leaving, not dwelling; he is without a country. Where can he be met? Anywhere. Everywhere. Tell me: What thing is it that can be so marvelous?

MAIN CASE
Attention! A monk asked Master Seirin, "How about when a student proceeds on the trail?" Seirin replied, "The dead snake hits the great road. I advise you not to bump into it." The monk said, "When it's bumped into, then what?" Seirin answered, "You lose your life!" The monk continued, "When it's not bumped into, then what?" And Seirin said, "There's no place to dodge to." The monk said, "At that very moment, then what?" Seirin replied, "It has been lost." The monk then said, "I wonder where it's gone." And Seirin responded, "The grass is so deep there's nowhere to seek." The monk replied, "Shield yourself, Osho! Then you'll be alright!" Finally Seirin clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Your poison is equal to mine!"

~~~~~~~~~~

CASE 60
Ryutetsuma's Old Cow

Main Case
Attention! Ryutetsuma arrive at Isan's place, and Isan said, "Old cow, you've come!" Rtutetsuma said, "There's a big feast on Mount Tai tomorrow, Osho. Are you going?" Isan lay himself down. At that, Ryutestsuma left.

~~~~~~~~~~

CASE 61
Kempo's One Stroke

PREFACE TO THE ASSEMBLY
A roundabout explanation is easy to understand but imparts only the one hand; Straight-forward talk is hard to understand but opens every direction. I advise you not to speak too clearly. Speak too clearly, and it will be all the more difficult for you to come forth. If you don't believe so, let's have a look at this and see.



MAIN CASE
Attention!
A monk asked Kempo, "The exalted saints of the ten directions have one road to the nirvana gate: I wonder where the one road is."
Kempo made a stroke with his staff, saying, "Here it is!"
The monk later told Master Ummon about this.
Ummon remarked, "The fan jumps up to the thirty-third heaven, and whacks Indra's nose. When the carp of the Eastern Sea is clubbed once, the rain is like water from a tipped-over tray.　Understand? Understand?"

[Mp]

Thank you Jundo,

I will be there live with bell and mokugyo ready. =)

Gassho
Shingen

s@today

[Kyotai]

Hello. I will try and join for the last hour, after work.

Gassho, Kyotai
ST

[RichardH]

I will be here/there live.

Gassho
Daizan

Sat today

[Joyo]

I will try to be there live, if not I'll be sitting with the recording this week.

Gassho,
Joyo
sat today

[Kyonin]

Hi Jundo!

I'll be there live

Gassho,

Kyonin

[Cyd]

I will be either way

Gassho
Cyd

Sat2day

[Amelia]

I will join live, but not with a camera, in case I have to duck out early or join in late.

Gassho, sat today

[Onkai]

Thank you, Jundo. I will join, live, two-way.

Gassho,
Onkai

[Mp]

Hello everyone,

Here is the event link if needed: https://hangouts.google.com/hangouts...-GB&authuser=0

Gassho
Shingen

s@today

[Jakuden]

Joining one-way! Excited to make the whole 4 hour Zazenkai, since I have today off, a rarity.

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday

[Jyukatsu]

I am visiting my daughter this weekend and will sit with the recording of this next week.
Gassho,
Marina sat today

[RichardH]

So sorry about the crumby out-of-tune bell...

It is late here after a long day with an early start, and I am slipping into sleep.

Deep bows and goodnight, will catch up the last part of Zazenkai on Sunday.

Daizan

sat today

[Onkai]

I had connectivity issues, so I'll do the Zazenkai sometime over the weekend. I was enjoying the Dharma talk, and look forward to hearing it through. It was also lovely hearing the chants, sitting and walking with everyone.

Gassho,
Onkai
SatToday