• May 3rd/4th, 2013 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI!

    NOTE: Our Dharma Talk this time will dive into the opening passages of the Genjo Koan (text below in this thread) ...

    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


    http://youtu.be/wH-05quaI9U

    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: May 3rd/4th, 2013 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI! started by Jundo View original post
    Comments 38 Comments
    1. Mp's Avatar
      Mp -
      I will be there live.

      Gassho
      Shingen
    1. Dosho's Avatar
      Dosho -
      I'll be there.

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

      Gassho,

      Kyonin
    1. Juki's Avatar
      Juki -
      I will be there as well.

      Gassho,
      William
    1. Daijo's Avatar
      Daijo -
      We will be sitting on Sunday morning 8:30 to 12:30 EST (US and Canada) if anyone would care to join us for the resit.
    1. Hans's Avatar
      Hans -
      hello guys,

      I'll be sitting the Zazenkai in Sunday. Thank you all for your practise! Keep up the great work.

      Gassho,

      Hans Chudo Mongen
    1. Daitetsu's Avatar
      Daitetsu -
      As with the last monthly Zazenkai, I won't be able to attend live, but will surely find a day to sit with the recording.

      Gassho,

      Timo
    1. Koshin's Avatar
      Koshin -
      I will try to join you in the Dharma Talk, finish with you and then sit the first two hours rigth after that, kind of a backwards Zazenkai

      Gassho
    1. McGettigan's Avatar
      McGettigan -
      I know there's mention of watching/participating without being on the main screen during the event. But I haven't used google+ before for a hangout. Is that an option when I click the link? Or can I only watch the video after the fact? I want to participate live, but as this is my first, I honestly admit I would prefer to not be live on the screen. Sorry if this was covered elsewhere.

      Gassho,
      Mc.
    1. Juki's Avatar
      Juki -
      Hi, Mc: my understanding is that only the first ten people to join the hangout can be seen live on screen. One of those ten is obviously, Jundo. So, if you join in after nine others, you will see/hear the Zazenkai but not be seen. Some weeks, there are less than ten of us, however, so you would probably be seen in that event. I may be wrong, and Kyonin is one of our Engineers, so he can probably advise you better than I can.

      Gassho,
      William
    1. Jundo's Avatar
      Jundo -
      Hi,

      Also, further instructions for getting set up with Google+ are here.

      http://www.treeleaf.org/forums/showt...E-for-Zazenkai

      However, joining "one way" by simply clicking on the screen (which will appear in the top post a few minutes before the Zazenkai starts) is fine, and we can still sit together and "see each other" in our hearts.

      Gassho, J
    1. Jundo's Avatar
      Jundo -
      For our talk today, let's dive into the opening passages of the Genjo Koan ...

      -----------------------

      As all things are buddha-dharma, there is delusion and realization, practice, and birth and death, and there are buddhas and sentient beings.

      As the myriad things are without an abiding self, there is no delusion, no realization, no buddha, no sentient being, no birth and death.

      The buddha way is, basically, leaping clear of the many of the one; thus there are birth and death, delusion and realization, sentient beings and buddhas.

      Yet in attachment blossoms fall, and in aversion weeds spread.

      To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening.

      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 buddhas are truly buddhas they do not necessarily notice that they are buddhas. However, they are actualized buddhas, who go on actualizing buddhas.
    1. McGettigan's Avatar
      McGettigan -
      Thank you Jundo and William. This is my first longer zazenkai. I've also never sat with others live, so I'm more than a little insecure, ha. But I will engage with my sincerest effort. I very much appreciate the responses. And I look forward to sitting with you.

      Gassho,
      Mc.
    1. Genshin's Avatar
      Genshin -
      I'll sit over the bank holiday weekend. I would love to sit live but it's just to early in the morning for me.

      Thanks & Gassho,
      Matt
    1. Kokuu's Avatar
      Kokuu -
      Have a good sit tonight/tomorrow. Like Hans, I will be joining in on Sunday.
    1. Geika's Avatar
      Geika -
      I joined in late, and then had many technical difficulties trying to get my camera to work. Still sitting with you guys now, may have to leave early. I enjoyed the question and answer portion. Excellent idea.

      Now returning to sitting.
    1. Yugen's Avatar
      Yugen -
      Dear all,
      I apologize to all of you for missing the start of the Zazenkai. I am really embarrassed to miss my Doan commitment. I showed up an hour late, neglecting to note that the four hour Zazenkai starts an hour earlier. I'm really sorry - I failed to support you in your practice tonight. And being Doan is just plain fun - I enjoy it.

      I also apologize to you Jundo, I told you I'd be there.

      Deep bows
      Yugen
    1. Geika's Avatar
      Geika -
      All sitters:
    1. Mp's Avatar
      Mp -
      Thank you Jundo and everyone who sat ... have a great weekend.

      No worries Yugen and Amelia ... you were are always there with us.

      Gassho
      Shingen
    1. Juki's Avatar
      Juki -
      Thank you, Jundo for the wonderful talk on the Genjo Koan. Thanks to all who sat and who will sit later. And, Yugen, don't beat yourself up. Gassho, William