• February 2nd, 2013 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI!

    by
    Jundo
    Published on 02-02-2013 04:56 AM  Number of Views: 393  
    3 Comments Comments
    Dear All,

    OUR SUBJECTLESS TALK SUBJECT WILL BE RECENT KOANS FROM 'THE BOOK OF SERENITY'.

    Please 'sit-a-long' with our MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI, netcast LIVE 8am to noon Japan time Saturday morning (that is New York 6pm to 10pm, Los Angeles 3pm to 7pm (Friday night), London 11pm to 3am and Paris midnight to 4am (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/eZqE7-7YKGM

    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 / 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: February 2nd, 2013 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI! started by Jundo View original post
    Comments 36 Comments
    1. Daizan's Avatar
      Daizan - 02-01-2013, 09:49 AM
      I'll be here.

      Gassho, Daizan
    1. Kyonin's Avatar
      Kyonin - 02-01-2013, 10:02 AM
      I'll be there live

      Gassho,

      Kyonin
    1. Jundo's Avatar
      Jundo - 02-01-2013, 11:47 AM
      our subjectless talk subject will be recent koans from 'the book of serenity'.
    1. Yugen's Avatar
      Yugen - 02-01-2013, 02:21 PM
      Dear all,
      I will have to sit the zazenkai Saturday night US time. Sorry not to join you live tonight. I will be thinking of you.

      Gassho
      Yugen
    1. Shingen's Avatar
      Shingen - 02-01-2013, 02:32 PM
      I will be there.

      Gassho
      Shingen
    1. Koshin's Avatar
      Koshin - 02-01-2013, 02:56 PM
      I'm in too

      Gassho
    1. jeff_u's Avatar
      jeff_u - 02-01-2013, 03:46 PM
      I'll be there. Looking forward to my first Monthly Zazenkai.

      Gassho,

      Jeff
    1. LimoLama's Avatar
      LimoLama - 02-01-2013, 04:39 PM
      Four hours in one go is not possible for me at the mo, I'm afraid (family reasons), so I will have to split it into two parts...

      Gassho,

      Timo
    1. Jakudo's Avatar
      Jakudo - 02-01-2013, 04:42 PM
      I will hopefully get done on time, if not, there is always tomorrow.
      Gassho, Jakudo Hinton
    1. Dosho's Avatar
      Dosho - 02-01-2013, 06:43 PM
      I'll have to miss this one and sit at a later date.

      Gassho,
      Dosho
    1. Koshin's Avatar
      Koshin - 02-02-2013, 02:02 AM
      Thank you guys, have a great weekend. Sorry for my dogs showing up, thanks it is a pet-friendly Zendo

      Gassho
    1. Shingen's Avatar
      Shingen - 02-02-2013, 02:09 AM
      Thank you Jundo and everyone and yes Koshin, my dog wanted to get into the Zazen action as well. Have a great weekend everyone.

      Gassho
      Shingen
    1. jeff_u's Avatar
      jeff_u - 02-02-2013, 02:28 AM
      Thank you everyone and Jundo for the great talk.

      Gassho,

      Jeff
    1. catfish's Avatar
      catfish - 02-02-2013, 02:55 AM
      I hope I didn't disturb anyone with my ill fated attempt to jump in live after everything had already started. I thought I had successfully distracted the toddler, but I was discovered after only a few minutes. He sat with me for a brief few seconds then went on a rampage blowing out candles, turning off lights, dumping out incense, and re-arranging the alter (he was driving Buddha around like a car) He was also being so loud that I was irrationally worried that he would disturb everyone (I checked that the mic was muted like three times, but he is so very loud) Anyway, I decided to bail and will try to sit again tomorrow morning.

      Gassho,
      Nengyo
    1. Jundo's Avatar
      Jundo - 02-02-2013, 03:18 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by catfish View Post
      I hope I didn't disturb anyone with my ill fated attempt to jump in live after everything had already started. I thought I had successfully distracted the toddler, but I was discovered after only a few minutes. He sat with me for a brief few seconds then went on a rampage blowing out candles, turning off lights, dumping out incense, and re-arranging the alter (he was driving Buddha around like a car) He was also being so loud that I was irrationally worried that he would disturb everyone (I checked that the mic was muted like three times, but he is so very loud) Anyway, I decided to bail and will try to sit again tomorrow morning.

      Gassho,
      Nengyo
      I did not notice a thing at all.

      I was reading about the monk's hall for Zazen (the Sodo) at Sojiji head temple. Actually, I have sat Sesshin there myself several times when I sat with the Lay group there, so can verify. They built the delivery road right next to the Sodo, so several times each sitting, some motorcycle delivery guy or truck passes by quite noisely. Everyone just keeps sitting.

      I tell people when they come to Treeleaf Tsukuba ... and the birds are tweeting, the breeze is blowing, and trucks pass (sometimes a chopper from the military base) ...

      ... bird is just bird, breeze is just breeze, truck is just truck, copter is just copter. Same with dogs and toddlers.

      Gassho, J
    1. jeff_u's Avatar
      jeff_u - 02-02-2013, 03:31 AM
      Hearing those birds half a world away is a charming aspect of these Zazenkais (plus it's a good indicator that my internet is working )
    1. Kyonin's Avatar
      Kyonin - 02-02-2013, 03:34 AM
      Thank you all who sat/will sit.

      I really liked the talk... and the birds

      Gassho,

      Kyonin
    1. Jundo's Avatar
      Jundo - 02-02-2013, 03:36 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by jeff_u View Post
      Hearing those birds half a world away is a charming aspect of these Zazenkais (plus it's a good indicator that my internet is working )
      Usually it is the oil heater which likes to play "Twinkle Twinkle" or "Love me Tender" when the oil gets low. I can't find the button to switch that off.

      In Dogen's day, they used live fire wood and coal for heat ... which explains why Eiheiji and Sojiji both kept burning down.

      By the way, another things about the Sojiji Zazenkai ... They had (if can you believe it) a PA system that used to make loud announcements during Zazen, like "YAMAMOTO ROSHI, YOU HAVE A CALL ON LINE 2". At Taisoji temple, it was traffic sounds and the train passing every few minutes. At Nishijima Roshi's Dojo, it was the crowded children's playground right outside the open window as we sat on Saturday mornings.

      Gassho, J
    1. MattW's Avatar
      MattW - 02-02-2013, 09:10 AM
      Will try and sit Sunday evening as I'm traveling to see family this weekend.

      Gassho
      Matt
    1. Daizan's Avatar
      Daizan - 02-02-2013, 09:51 AM
      Thank you all for this practice.

      Gassho, Daizan
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