April 6th, 2013 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI! CELEBRATING BUDDHA's BIRTHDAY!

Jundo

Published on 04-06-2013 04:30 AM Number of Views: 6655

40 Comments

Dear All,

Our Zazenkai Celebrates BUDDHA's BIRTHDAY ... traditionally marked this time of year in Japan ... as well as the endless end of our latest Global Service Period ...

DUE TO TECHNICAL "NON-DIFFICULTIES", WE DID NOT FOLLOW THE SCHEDULE EXACTLY, AND THE RECORDING IS IN TWO PARTS, BELOW. PLEASE GO WITH THE FLOW!

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 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

(PART 1: First 90 Minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBotUuBMjn8

(PART 2: TALK and All the Rest)
http://youtu.be/66Kth9x47nE

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 (HEARTlem SHAKE / 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:

April 6th, 2013 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI! CELEBRATING BUDDHA's BIRTHDAY!
started by
Jundo} _{View original post}

40 Comments

jus - 04-06-2013, 12:50 AM
- Reply
thank you..

arnold - 04-06-2013, 12:56 AM
- Reply
Thanks everyone. I will be unable to sit tonight but intend to sit with the recorded version on Sunday morning (NY Time). I don't have a baby buddha statue for the kids so maybe we'll just share the story of the Buddha's birth.

Daizan, very sorry to hear about your wife's aunt. Best wishes to her, you and your family.

Yugen - 04-06-2013, 01:40 AM
- Reply
Google Hangout is dropping me - will try to rejoin. Sitting Zazen alongside you.

Deep bows
Yugen

Mp - 04-06-2013, 03:02 AM
- Reply
Thank you everyone and Happy Birthday. Have a great weekend.

Gassho
Shingen

Yugen - 04-06-2013, 03:03 AM
- Reply
Thank you all - Have a great weekend.

Deep bows
Yugen

Dosho - 04-06-2013, 03:21 AM
- Reply
Thank you for your practice everyone!

Gassho,
Dosho

Jundo - 04-06-2013, 09:38 AM
- Reply
WHEN I WAS READING SELECTIONS FROM THE OLD SUTTAS ON THE MIRACULOUS EVENTS SURROUNDING THE BIRTH OF BUDDHA, I MENTIONED THAT SOME ASTRO-PHYSICISTS POSIT THE SO-CALLED "MULTI-VERSE" WHICH IS SO INFINITE IN POSSIBILITY AND VARIATION THAT ANYTHING PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE IS LIKELY SOMEWHERE ... EVEN REALMS WHERE THE LAWS OF PHYSICS ARE DIFFERENT FROM HERE ... THAT THERE MAY BE COUNTLESS WORLDS WHERE DRAGONS AND UNICORNS ACTUALLY LIVE, OTHERS WHERE SOMEONE NAMED "LUKE SKYWALKER" IS CHASING THE DEATH STAR OF "DARTH VADAR", STILL OTHERS WHERE COUNTLESS VARIATIONS OF --YOU-- LIVE.

IN CASE YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS, IT IS NOT MY IDEA ... BUT THAT OF NOTED SCIENTISTS AND REAL UNIVERSITIES. HERE IS A PODCAST INTERVIEW FROM THE PUBLIC RADIO WITH DR. BRIAN GREENE IN WHICH HE EXPLAINS ABOUT THE BUBBLE "MULTI-VERSES" ...

The universe we live in may not be the only one out there. In fact, our universe could be just one of an infinite number of universes making up a "multiverse."

Though the concept may stretch credulity, there's good physics behind it. And there's not just one way to get to a multiverse — numerous physics theories independently point to such a conclusion. In fact, some experts think the existence of hidden universes is more likely than not.

Have you wondered if there is another you out there? Somewhere? Sitting in the same chair, reading the same blog post, wearing the same clothes and thinking the same thoughts? Well, Brian Greene says there must be one. Or two. Or lots and lots and lots and lots and... Why? You ask, well listen to Greene's argument in this week's podcast.

http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiol...lti-universes/

Kyonin - 04-06-2013, 11:28 AM
- Reply
Thank you all who sat/will sit.

The multiverse theory bends the mind and expands imagination! It certainly makes me think I am no so unique after after all.

Gassho,

Kyonin

Genshin - 04-06-2013, 02:53 PM
- Reply
Thanks to all that have sat/will sit.

Gassho
Matt

Hans - 04-06-2013, 02:56 PM
- Reply
Hello folks,

I will sit a bit later today and just wanted to send you all a Gassho for your practise.

All the best and Gassho,

Hans Chudo Mongen

Heisoku - 04-06-2013, 07:09 PM
- Reply
Thank you Jundo and everyone sitting. Gassho.
Maybe in another multiverse version my children can do their own essays and my car doesn't breakdown unexpectedly: but that must be the boring version of my life. : )

Sent from my BlackBerry 9790 using Tapatalk

Juki - 04-06-2013, 07:40 PM
- Reply
Just finished sitting the recorded Zazenkai. Thank you to all who sat live and who will sit later.

I actually have a Baby Buddha. I would happily give him a bath (and probably will). But, since my only family is the kitties, and since they would likely take delight in chewing on the Baby Buddha, I will have to keep this experience to myself. Ah, bachelorhood.

Gassho,

William

Myoku - 04-07-2013, 07:04 AM
- Reply
Thank you everyone for your practice and Jundo for the crazy version,
Gassho
Myoku (crazy too)

pinoybuddhist - 04-07-2013, 04:48 PM
- Reply
Note to self: Never ever attempt to sit a recorded zazenkai so late at night. Though it was interesting for me to notice the way my mind would move into that gray area between dreaming and waking and back into wakefulness. Rarely happens to me in the morning, and even then, not to that degree.

Rafael

Daitetsu - 04-08-2013, 12:59 PM
- Reply
Will sit this in the last week of April.
Brian Greene rules! Can't wait to listen to the talk.

If this was already mentioned, I apologize for any duplicate - however, if not, the Multiverse Theory by Max Tegmark is highly interesting.
Here a direct link to one of his articles published a while ago in the Scientific American:
http://mukto-mona.net/science/physic...iverse2003.pdf

Gassho,

Timo

Jundo - 04-08-2013, 02:29 PM
- Reply
Originally Posted by LimoLama

Will sit this in the last week of April.
Brian Greene rules! Can't wait to listen to the talk.

If this was already mentioned, I apologize for any duplicate - however, if not, the Multiverse Theory by Max Tegmark is highly interesting.
Here a direct link to one of his articles published a while ago in the Scientific American:
http://mukto-mona.net/science/physic...iverse2003.pdf

Gassho,

Timo

In my understanding, there are actually quite a few different ways in which a "multiverse" could arise ... and, interesting enough, all are rather different ways.

http://www.space.com/18811-multiple-...-theories.html

However, like multiple lives ... and multiple wives ... I am happy to live with the one right here, one at a time!

Gassho, Jundo

Myozan Kodo - 04-10-2013, 12:29 PM
- Reply
Hi all,
Thanks for the sitting. Was able to finish it this morning ... and the technical problems weren't a bother at all.
Gassho
Myozan

Shujin - 04-16-2013, 12:19 AM
- Reply
Thanks to all who sat, and will sit. The dharma talk was a great reminder of the power of our thoughts. I sympathize with the late night sits, Rafael - it's the only time I'm able to do the 4hr zazenkais

Gassho,
Shujin

Daitetsu - 04-28-2013, 11:45 PM
- Reply
Finally managed to find 4 hours to sit with the recording - thanks a lot for your practice, guys!

Gassho,

Timo

Marla567 - 05-03-2013, 10:08 AM
- Reply
Now I also found 4 hours to celebrate Buddhas birthday. I enjoyed it very much and I don't think it was more or less crazy than the life all around. All the craziness seems to be very well ordered and normal now and that's a great feeling. So thank you all for sitting :-)

Gassho,
Shinka