• October 6th, 2012- OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI!

    DUE TO TECHNICAL 'NON-PROBLEMS', OUR CHANTING SERVICE IS AFTER FIRST ZAZEN SITTING TODAY.

    THE THEME OF TODAY'S ZAZENKAI TALK WILL BE BASED ON MASTER DOGEN'S SHOBOGENZO-SHOJI (LIFE-&-DEATH), TEXT BELOW IN THIS THREAD.

    Dear All,

    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))

    ... to be visible at the following link 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://youtu.be/ILCL6pSzFbk

    WATCH LIVE 'ONE WAY' AND SIT-A-LONG. IF JOINING WITH CAMERA, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR MICROPHONE IS MUTED:

    The Sitting Schedule is as follows;

    00:00 - 00:50 CEREMONY (HEART SUTRA / 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' 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!
    This article was originally published in forum thread: October 6th, 2012- OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI! started by Jundo View original post
    Comments 38 Comments
    1. RichardH's Avatar
      RichardH -
      I'll be here.

      Gassho, kojip.
    1. Kyonin's Avatar
      Kyonin -
      I'll be there live

      Gassho,

      Kyonin
    1. Dosho's Avatar
      Dosho -
      Count me in.

      Gassho,
      Dosho
    1. Myozan Kodo's Avatar
      Myozan Kodo -
      Another month already? Time REALLY does go swiftly by!
      As usual, will sit the recorded version.
      Happy live sitting everyone.
      Gassho
      Myozan
    1. Mp's Avatar
      Mp -
      I will be there live.

      Gassho
      Michael
    1. Nindo's Avatar
      Nindo -
      I'll try to join later live. I'm still at work at 5pm Friday.
    1. Jundo's Avatar
      Jundo -
      THE THEME OF TODAY'S ZAZENKAI TALK WILL BE BASED ON MASTER DOGEN'S SHOBOGENZO-SHOJI (LIFE-&-DEATH).

      [Shobogenzo Ninety-two]
      Shōji
      Life and Death


      (Translation by Gudo Wafu Nishijima and Chodo Cross)

      Because in life and death there is buddha, there is no life and death.
      Again, we can say: Because in life and death there is no “buddha,” we are
      not deluded in life and death. [This] meaning was expressed by Masters Kassan and
      Jōzan.** [These] are the words of the two Zen masters; they are the words of
      people who had got the truth, and so they were decidedly not laid down in
      vain. A person who wishes to get free from life and death should just illuminate
      this truth. If a person looks for buddha outside of life and death, that
      is like pointing a cart north and making for [the south country of] Etsu, or
      like facing south and hoping to see the North Star. It is to be amassing more
      and more causes of life and death, and to have utterly lost the way of liberation.
      When we understand that only life and death itself is nirvana, there is
      nothing to hate as life and death and nothing to aspire to as nirvana. Then,
      for the first time, the means exist to get free from life and death. To understand
      that we move from birth to death is a mistake. Birth is a state at one
      moment; it already has a past and will have a future. For this reason, it is said
      in the Buddha-Dharma that appearance is just nonappearance. Extinction
      also is a state at one moment; it too has a past and a future. This is why it is
      said that disappearance is just non-disappearance. In the time called “life,”
      there is nothing besides life. In the time called “death,” there is nothing besides
      death. Thus, when life comes it is just life, and when death comes it is just
      death; do not say, confronting them, that you will serve [be a slave to] them, and do not
      wish for them.

      This life and death is just the sacred life of buddha. If we hate it
      and want to get rid of it, that is just wanting to lose the sacred life of buddha.
      If we stick in it, if we attach to life and death, this also is to lose the sacred
      life of buddha. We confine ourselves to the condition of buddha. When we
      are without dislike and without longing, then for the first time we enter the
      mind of buddha. But do not consider it with mind and do not say it with
      words! When we just let go of our own body and our own mind and throw
      them into the house of buddha, they are set into action from the side of
      buddha; then when we continue to obey this, without exerting any force and
      without expending any mind, we get free from life and death and become
      buddha. Who would wish to linger in mind?

      There is a very easy way to become buddha. Not committing wrongs;
      being without attachment to life and death; showing deep compassion for
      all living beings, venerating those above and pitying those below; being free
      of the mind that dislikes the ten thousand things and free of the mind that
      desires them; the mind being without thought and without grief: this is called
      buddha. Look for nothing else.


      Shōbōgenzō Shōji
      Year not recorded.
    1. Koshin's Avatar
      Koshin -
      I'm in

      Gassho
    1. richss's Avatar
      richss -
      I will have to sit later and in chunks. Celebrating the wife's birthday this weekend and will be out and about.
    1. Jundo's Avatar
      Jundo -
      I have accidently locked myself out of hangout!
    1. Seimyo's Avatar
      Seimyo -
      Will be sitting this tomorrow. Thank you all.

      Gassho,
      Chris
    1. RichardH's Avatar
      RichardH -
      Thank you.

      Gassho, kojip.
    1. Yugen's Avatar
      Yugen -
      Thank you all for a marvelous Zazenkai! Thank you to all who practice.

      Deep bows,
      Yugen
    1. Dosho's Avatar
      Dosho -
      Thanks everyone!

      Gassho,
      Dosho
    1. Mp's Avatar
      Mp -
      Thank you everyone, it was wonderful. Have a great weekend.

      Gassho
      Michael
    1. Koshin's Avatar
      Koshin -
      Got kicked twice and my webcam crashed, anyway, great Zazenkai

      Gassho
    1. Nindo's Avatar
      Nindo -
      Thanks and bows to all. Sound did not come on for me after the first sit - was waiting for Dosho's bell! Since I sat right through half of the service, I went and did my own chanting, from the start!
    1. Mp's Avatar
      Mp -
      Quote Originally Posted by Nindo View Post
      Thanks and bows to all. Sound did not come on for me after the first sit - was waiting for Dosho's bell! Since I sat right through half of the service, I went and did my own chanting, from the start!
      Its all good Nindo, it was great to have you there.

      Gassho
      Michael
    1. Rich's Avatar
      Rich -
      Due to recent illness and now a flareup of back problem, will have to do this in pieces. Am with you and thank you.
    1. Kyonin's Avatar
      Kyonin -
      Thank you to all who sat/will sit.

      Gassho,

      Kyonin