Treeleaf Zendo - TREELEAF COMMUNITY: Topics about Zazen, Zen, Buddhism & MORE ZAZEN!

No need to do zazen, therefore must do zazen

Andrea1974 — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:06:29 GMT

Lately I have been thinking quite a bit about why we practice. Is it because we want to find balance, calm our minds, get closer to who we really are, get enlightened? Aren't these all ways to replace a dwlusion with another? If we are all Buddhas already, then why do we go through the pain of sitting every day...to gain what? Nothing! Yet the question remains....for me at least. I just read a small article that tried to provide an answer to this question:
http://www.prairiezen.org/Readings/t..._do_zazen.html
I am sure this topic has been discussed before, but I would appreciate if you could share you views on this important aspect of practice.

Gassho, A

Where The Rubber Meets The Road

Jigetsu — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:54:17 GMT

Friends, Family,

As many of you know from my earlier posts, my mother was recently diagnosed with cancer. Another statement I'd made during my written tirade was about 'losing my practice'. I was very firm in that belief until I found my way back to my zafu for a few days in a row. There was a clarity that I had afterward that wasn't amazing, or wonderful, it just was. I'd like to share that with you.

During the beginning of my mother's diagnosis, my Dad was understandably upset. There were decisions that needed to be made that he was uncomfortable with, he was worried for his wife, and after losing one of his brothers to cancer mom's diagnosis terrified him.

Once my mother started chemo, she spiked a terrible fever of 106. We had to take her to the ER where she stayed hospitalized for 2 days. They lowered her dose (it's a oral medication) and that seemed to take care of the situation.

My brother, during this time, hid behind me, unsure whether to come down from Dallas or to wait for someone to tell him too. My wife played an almost over protective but loving daughter-in-law to Mom and was at the same time very high strung about the situation at hand.

My mother was a range of emotions. First she was happy there was a positive diagnosis of an illness that explained her previously unexplainable symptoms. This of course was followed by a persistant fear of death where she would oscillate between sad, scared, and accepting.

"So what about you, Jigetsu? How did you feel?"

At first, I had thought to myself that I was just numb from the news. I neither reacted positively, nor negatively. I just asked questions. After my time on the zafu however, I understood things to be different. I wasn't numb, I just new deep inside that wanting her to not have cancer would not change reality. Wishing things to be other then what they were would only cause me to suffer, which in turn guiding my actions and words could cause others to suffer. Ripples in the water.

I had been there for my Dad, giving him facts about the illness and correcting some of my mother's statements that made her condition seem worse then it was. (I love hear dearly, but she exaggerates a lot, often on purpose.) I had been the one that touched her, and knew she was hot. With out asking, I went and bought a thermometer and took her temperature. I had been the one to call her doctor to see what the orders were, and I had been the one to talk gently to her during her fever delirium. (In retrospect, she was saying silly things. We laugh about it now.)

I spoke to my brother, assuring him everything was under control. Talking to him the way he needed so he could find peace. I commended my wife for taking such good care of my mother, and I would talk to Mom for an hour at a time just so she could tell me the same stories she'd been telling me because she needed to say them. They were about death and dying, and I was unshaken.

I was, and have been deep in practice. I didn't lose it, I was living it.

I'm not saying anything to gain any merit, please understand, I'm just trying to illustrate that everything was done automatically with out trying to add anything, nor take anything away. In doing so, I promoted calm and acceptance in myself and others. Ripples in the water.

Of course, if you'd like to toss a little Metta our way, I wouldn't turn that down either. :)

Verse from the Diamond Sutra

jlpendall — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:09:33 GMT

Although sudden and gradual are different,
Upon completion they are the same.
Why make divisions of North and South?
Sagely and common are parts of the one;
The basic nature is absolutely the same.
Do not discuss east and west.

This was a poem that Dhyana Master Hsuan Hua included in the Diamond Sutra. I found it very interesting so I thought I'd share it with you. What is your take on it? I won't state my right off the bat because Hua already pounded into my brain what he was trying to communicate. I actually just finished reading the Diamond Sutra this morning. I immediately went on to type it all out, minus the commentary so that I could absorb it as it is, though the commentary was very helpful. I posted this poem in a Zen group on Facebook and one of the members said, "It would probably be a bad idea to drive with Hua on the New Jersey Turnpike." :D

Gassho,
John

String Zazen

AlanLa — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:29:52 GMT

To me, the string string in this video represents what my mind looks like first during zazen and then later as it gets agitated by the events that occur throughout the day.

At the doorstep

LimoLama — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:39:08 GMT

When you enter the zendo
leave the Buddha at the doorstep
and become the Buddha
you've always been

Gassho,

Timo

Talk on Sandokai

Karasu — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:53:04 GMT

I just enjoyed this talk by Jakusho Kwong Roshi of Sonoma Mountain Zen Centre on the Sandokai (The Identity of Relative and Absolute).
Posting in case others might find it helpful to understand this liturgy too.

http://smzc.podbean.com/2012/10/31/s...its-about-you/

Gassho
Andy

What's wrong with Spacing out?

shikantazen — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:42:47 GMT

What I found is that most types of meditation practices (including some styles of shikantaza) teach you to focus on an object giving the reason that without an object you might space out (get lost in thoughts). I have been pondering this question for quite sometime. What�s wrong with spacing out? Who knows that you are not �still progressing� (I understand progress is a banned word but you get what I mean) when you are spaced out during your meditation?

I find that having an object or any kind of toys goes against the basic principles of shikantaza: Just Sitting. No manipulation. Sitting with whatever arises, however it is, letting it all be. Wanting to be nowhere else other than here. Letting go of the meditator, the one who is trying to do it right, the one who is trying to control the experience. Trust that there is nowhere to go, nothing needs change.

When I just sit doing nothing, all these aspects can easily be manifested. I�m adding nothing. But when I try to take on an object or add anything else, I feel it is no more shikantaza. The addition can be something as concrete as following breath to something subtle like posture/open awareness/sitting-with-faith etc�

If I add anything else (my favourite being open awareness to nothing and everything as Jundo suggests) I am definitely more aware, more present. But I no longer feel I am not manipulating anymore. I no longer feel there is nowhere to go or nothing needs change. I no longer can let go of the meditator (the meditator is very active). I no longer feel Zazen is useless. lol. To really feel Zazen is useless, I have to sit doing nothing. Just Sit and add nothing. No toys. Then definitely it feels useless. I�m not doing anything. How can I expect it to add anything to me? A Perfectly hopeless practice.

Thoughts Welcome

- Sam

Toss it in the Bag

jlpendall — Tue, 14 May 2013 09:21:40 GMT

To forget oneself is to not lose oneself, but to truly become oneself. In letting go, you attain without gaining, you arrive without leaving.

So who are you? We aren't who we think we are. Imagine this: There's a giant clear plastic bag. In this bag place all the things that you think you might be. First goes your physical body, then your name, your color, race and religion. The place where you live, your country of allegiance, your sexual orientation and all your clothes. Your beliefs, opinions and your judgments and so on until everything is included. Everything you think you are is contained in this bag. Your mind is even there because it's a very crucial part of who you think you are, throw it in the bag.

Now, let's look at the bag. Visualize it. If there's anything else that you think you are, put it in the bag. Now observe it....

So who is that observing the bag? Who is that observing the totality of what you call your life? That nameless, placeless, timeless observer? It's the one and only real you. You are not the content of your life, you are the observer of it. You contain all that's in the bag, but it's not you. It's merely within you. You are the context of life. The understanding of this truth, is merely an object itself and can be placed in the bag. To experience this truth, that is beyond the bag. To experience that, is to be fully, completely and beautifully alive.

Gassho,
John

Where I am/Where am I

William Anderson — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:15:50 GMT

So, I have been sitting with this entire Zen and Catholicism thread and my misunderstanding of Zen practice for the past three days now, and I am currently struggling with the following question: "am I ignorant, or merely stupid?"

Those two words are used synonymously nowadays, although I would suggest for the sake of argument they do not actually mean the same thing. Stupid people either cannot learn at all, or if they can learn, they learn things more slowly, or less fully than others. The root word of ignorance, on the other hand, is "ignore." Ignorant people can learn just fine. But they choose to ignore some of the things they are taught because those teachings conflict with their beliefs. So, stupidity is a medical condition, while ignorance is a willful choice. (At this point, I extend an invitation to all to point out that this distinction is probably the result of my mind being clouded by the delusions of dualistic thinking.)

I would like to remind everyone at this juncture that my offending post did not "bash" Catholics (the religion in which I was raised), or members of any other faith. It merely pointed out that it appeared to my undiscerning mind that at least two elements of the Dharma (interdependence and impermanence) seem to conflict with the notion of a creator god. My intention in the post was to ask how this conflict, if indeed it was a conflict, should be reconciled. I now take it that the answer is that it does not matter, and that we just sit with things the way that they are. Or, perhaps the answer is that there is no answer and we sit with that too, because that is the way things are.

But, I am still confused, and I will return to my sitting now. Any insights would be appreciated.

[confused]

You can't leave THIS

Risho — Sun, 12 May 2013 16:22:22 GMT

When I was sitting zazenkai today, I kept resonating on what Taigu said in the "Zen and Catholicism" thread that you can't leave THIS.

It's impossible; you are THIS. THIS is you. I don't know, I do have a habit of stating the obvious so bear with me :)

I started thinking about the Heart Sutra, that Sangha and Individual could be substituted for Form and Emptiness, and that illustrates our basic nature of suffering between groups and individuals. Groups threaten the self because we feel we'll lose something of ourselves. But that's impossible too. We are who we are. Fight or flight. Sometimes we want to run. I want to run from this practice, I want to quit it because it's getting too close for comfort sometimes. But fortunately I realize that that is just continuing the same cycle which brought me here. Trying to do the impossible with expectations of peace is going to lead to more suffering.

Sangha is the Individual,
The Individual is the Sangha.
Sangha is Sangha.
Individual is Individual.

I am Treeleaf, Treeleaf is me. I can't leave what I am. But just because Treeleaf is me does not mean that I can wear by badge of a Zen practitioner (e.g. the Rakusu) and sit like a zombie on a pillow. That Rakusu is the Buddha but I have to realize that by taking what I learn here, chewing on it and practicing it day in and day out. THen I realize that I am Treeleaf.

Like Dogen said in Genjokoan, "Just because the nature of wind is ever present does not mean you don't need to fan yourself". Likewise, just because this Sangha is me and Iam this Sangha, it doesn't mean diddly if I'm not doing my homework.

Anyway, just some post zazenkai things.

Thank you Sangha and Teachers for your constant teaching :)

Gassho,

Risho

The distracted brain

Onken — Sat, 11 May 2013 14:54:34 GMT

All,

I've always thought that training in Zen could help with the compulsion to check email, Facebook, Twitter et al, while doing a specific task. For myself, I've felt that i wasn't fully present. I would have the desire/attachment to check my iPhone constantly while being notified or not that there was something for me to distract myself from whatever I was or should be doing. Shikentaza has definitely helped; While sitting with no-gain in mind, It has helped my be aware and more full present, but I still have hiccups. I have become less compulsive, yet it has taken a lot of work. I thought this article I just read would be interesting to us and our society. Do distractions sap our mind power?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/brain-...173621758.html

Can we truly be free from our technological dependence?

the Garlic and Onions blues

chuck13 — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:43:45 GMT

*cue bongos
I'm going to sit, Zazen
I'm going to eat garlic and onions
I'm not going to think about why I'm not supposed to eat garlic and onions
I'm just going to sit, Zazen
*stop bongos

Thank you, I'll be here all weekend.

SPLIT THREAD: Zen & Catholicism

LimoLama — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:56:42 GMT

NOTE FROM JUNDO: I MOVED THIS TO ITS OWN THREAD.

I am sorry to be the party pooper here, but IMHO Zen and Catholicism are not compatible – at all!
In order to make them compatible, you’d have to modify them so much that you couldn’t call it Zen or Catholicism anymore…

I used to be a Catholic, read the Bible completely and studied Christian Theology intensively for years. I talked with priests and other people in that system.
Catholicism is based on dogmas – when you don’t believe in these dogmas then you are not a Catholic per definitionem.

Catholicism is based on some dogmas that define it, e.g.:
- The belief in a God who created the world and still actively intervenes in his creation – we are talking about a theistic belief (i.e. God who is still active) as opposed to a deistic belief (i.e. a God who does not intervene and is completely passive).
- The belief in the original sin that is inherited by every new born child. Because of Adam’s and Eve’s original sin (you have to believe in them as well as a Catholic) every new born human is automatically a sinner as well (so much for fairness).
- The belief that Jesus Christ was the actual son of God (and whose mother was a virgin) who died on the cross to reconcile God with humankind.
- The belief in a real heaven/hell (as opposed to a mere metaphoric one) and the devil
- The ethical basis of the Christian belief is completely different from Zen: as a Christian you follow the commandments because they come directly from God, the highest authority. This is a hierarchical structure – not just within the church.
- And let’s not forget those little weird things like the belief that during the Holy Mass the wafer and wine are actually turned into the real flesh and blood of Jesus Christ (for Protestants this is only symbolic, but according to the Vatican, the head of the Catholic Church, this is not just symbolic, but real!)
I could go on and on…

You might be able to combine Zen with the belief in a deistic god and maybe with some types of theistic beliefs (but this already gets quite difficult if you don’t want to believe totally contradictory things), but Catholicism? No way, sorry folks, you can’t do that without twisting the Catholic tenets – and if you do that it’s not Catholicism anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to do a "Catholic bashing" here, but the differences are vast and it is always easy to find a few common denominators with any philosophy.
IMHO Zen is not something that can be combined indiscriminately with everything - there is no use to say otherwise just out of fear to get on the wrong side of somebody...

Gassho,

Timo

Chuck Genkaku Johnzen Roshi

Jundo — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:01:47 GMT

I actually asked around other Zen folks if they had heard of this guy before realizing it is a farce. A so so ... sadly, sometimes too close to home ... bitingly funny satire.

The words of Master Tutteji, the "Ayn Rand of Consciousness" ...

http://tuttejiorg.wordpress.com/the-big-bucks-process/

aka Chuck Genkaku Johnzen Roshi, Biker Zen Guy ...

http://tuttejiorg.wordpress.com/new-...johnzen-roshi/

Oh, I am sorry I missed the recent online "Event" ...

So true ...

Gassho, J

Conversation with a flower

Enkyo — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:08:58 GMT

Hi everyone[wave]

Sitting in my garden and enjoying nature come to life again, I decided to do an experiment. In the garden there are some radiant yellow flowers (I don�t know the English name for them) that grow in the grass and are considered to be a weed. An unassuming and humble plant, soon to disappear in the mowing machine. Today I decided to place my zafu opposite to this flower, sit and focus my attention. Try to really see the flower for what it is and not just what I think it is. A few thoughts I�d like to share with you guys.

A flower blooms because that is what it does. It�s sole purpose during short existence is being attractive and beautiful. Sometimes. when we are in the right mood and break away from our daily troubles, by chance we stop and see it. Really see it for what it is. This beauty, we must understand, exists because of us or rather because of the Buddha that we truly are. A flower or a weed for that matter, may be conscious on some level but not self-conscious like you and me. This self consciousness in itself makes us or is Buddha. By looking at the flower we ad meaning and there is appreciation. By fully seeing it, in a way, we make it exist. The flower will not get brighter or more dull because of this, but because we are consciously looking, beauty comes to be. For that short and wondrous moment, beauty speaks to beauty in a language we cannot consciously understand. It is ungraspable and beyond us. We can however catch a glimpse and this glimpse alone, when experienced with our full attention, is the magic of life.

The flower blooms and burns itself up just to fully be a beautiful flower. It does not have a plan or an agenda. It�s life is short but it does not hold back and gives it all it has. No right or wrong. No better or worse. No holding reservations or judgment. You and me are the same as flowers, in a way we are flowers. We seem to resist this fact and aim to be more beautiful or work to rival another flower never realizing we already are what we are supposed to be, complete and flawlessly beautiful.

Sitting in my garden, I realized everything that we see and perceive, is the same as the flower that sparked these thoughts. The world, the flower and you and me are all one single thing. It all exists for a short while, a temporary manifestation of something truly amazing. Like a light far away on a storm tossed sea. First it is there, then it�s gone only to quickly or later on reappear somewhere else again.
By seeing it, we make the flower beautiful and existent, and in turn the flower makes us beautiful and existent because we see it. So what is essentially you and what is essentially the flower?

First sitting to admire the flower then sitting and letting it all go. Leaving the beauty to be just what it is. Magnificent, radiant. Nothing to add, nothing to change and nothing to find or realize. Deep bow to the flower and so to all existence.

Gassho

Enkyo