March 3rd, 2012- OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI!

Dear All,

DUE TO 'TECHNICAL NON-PROBLEMS' WITH THE VIDEO PORTION, THERE IS ONLY SOUND IN ONE PORTION (and a partial 're-sit' of February too). HOWEVER, WE CAN STILL 'SEE' EACH OTHER WITHOUT NEED FOR EYES ... STILL HEAR EACH OTHER AND HAVE EACH OTHER TOO.

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)) ... and visible at the following link during those times ...

LIVE ZAZENKAI NETCAST at JUSTIN.TV:
CLICK ON THE TAB ON LOWER RIGHT FOR 'FULL SCREEN

http://www.justin.tv/treeleafzen

But FEAR NOT if not possible for you to join 'live' in your location at those times, as the entire sitting is recorded in 'REAL TIME' and available for full participation 'ON DEMAND' at ANY TIME after that, no different from the 'live' sitting . Just click then on the links below:

THE 'REAL TIME, ANY TIME' recorded version is divided into 3 parts as follows (click on the links) :

Quote:

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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
ZAZENKAI PART I LINK:


01:50 - 02:30 DHARMA TALK & ZAZEN
02:30 - 02:40 KINHIN
TALK & ZAZEN PART 2 LINK:


02:40 - 03:15 ZAZEN
03:15 - 03:30 KINHIN
03:30 - 04:00 METTA CHANT & ZAZEN, VERSE OF ATONEMENT, FOUR VOWS, & CLOSING

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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 Chant Book (PDF) at the following link:

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2231

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!

Gassho, Jundo

The subject (subjectless) of the Talk this time(less) will center on the closing(opening) passages of the Xin Xin Ming ...

Quote:

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???? Consider movement stationary and the stationary in motion,
???? both movement and rest disappear.
???? When such dualities cease to exist
???? Oneness itself cannot exist.
???? To this ultimate finality
???? no law or description applies.

???? For the unified mind in accord with the Way
???? all self-centered straining ceases.
???? Doubts and irresolution's vanish
???? and life in true faith is possible.
???? With a single stroke we are freed from bondage;
???? nothing clings to us and we hold to nothing.
???? All is empty , clear, self-illuminating,
???? with no exertion of the mind's power.
???? Here thought, feeling, knowledge, and imagination
???? are of no value.
???? In this world of Suchness
???? there is neither self nor other-than-self

???? To come directly into harmony with this reality
???? just simply say when doubt arises, 'Not two.'
???? In this 'no two' nothing is separate,
???? nothing excluded.
???? No matter when or where,
???? enlightenment means entering this truth.
???? And this truth is beyond extension or diminution in time or space;
???? in it a single thought is ten thousand years.

???? Emptiness here, Emptiness there,
???? but the infinite universe stands always before your eyes.
???? Infinitely large and infinitely small;
???? no difference, for definitions have vanished
????
???? and no boundaries are seen.
???? So too with Being
???? and non-Being.
???? Don't waste time in doubts and arguments
???? that have nothing to do with this.

???? One thing, all things:
???? move among and intermingle, without distinction.
???? To live in this realization
???? is to be without anxiety about non-perfection.
???? To live in this faith is the road to non-duality,
???? Because the non-dual is one with the trusting mind.

???? Words! The Way is beyond language,
???? for in it there is
.......................... no yesterday
.......................... no tomorrow
.......................... no today.

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I'll be sitting with the recorded version on Tuesday. I must admit I'm a bit nervous. My first 4-hour zazenkai! Last time I sat a 90-minute zazenkai my mind looked something like this: :| :| :| (Ring the bell! Ring the bell!) :x :evil: :shock: :lol: :twisted: :x :| (Ring the bell! Ring the f@#*^&g BELL!) :x :x :| *bell rings* YES! Oh, I mean, gassho... :oops:

Oh well... first time for everything. :mrgreen:

will be there....


Gassho, Kojip

I'll be there.

Gassho,
Dosho

We are have some video non-problems with the live netcast ... but we still have sound ... and we still have each other.

Gassho, Jundo

I still am not able to participate in the zazenkais because of poor internet connection and lack of daily privacy. However, on Fridays, I have longer sits if I can, and I also chant the required chants. So, in essence, I still want you guys to know that I am sitting with you.

Thank you Jundo. Thank´s for the soup recipe :wink:

Gassho

And we are with you Amelia :) Have a great weekend :)

Thanks to Jundo and all who sat, are sitting, or will sit. Deep bows.

I must confess that I did a couple rounds of "horizontal" zazen this evening as my sinuses are not being kind to me. ;)

But all is zazen.

And I thought that was you Amelia I saw in the corner! ;)

Gassho,
Dosho

Thanks so much to everyone,
Gassho
Myoku

Hi everyone! :D

I just had the pleasure to sit the zazenkai!

I did it without the video, didn't seem to work on my old PC, I spent a lovely Saturday morning!
I can't wait for my new computer to be able to sit live with you guys and also to share on the google+ thing.

Have a very nice day everyone!

deep gassho,
Jinyu

As we had some video "non-difficulties" today, this is a good place to mention and publicly thank the benefactor (who requests to be anonymous) who has donated a state-of-the-art 'hi-def' web cam and laptop for use in our Zazenkai netcasts! Those should arrive here and be up and running in the coming weeks.

We bent the rules on donations to Treeleaf because of this very necessary offer of equipment so central to this place (as today shows) and some special circumstances I cannot mention. Hopefully, I will have the skills to run it all correctly when it comes.

Nine Bows.

Jundo

A deep bow of gratitude to our anonymous benefactor. Thank you.

Gassho,
Yugen

thank you Jundo thank you all. Beautiful speech . Gassho George.

IN THE DARKNESS, THERE IS LIGHT!
Sat last night.
Gassho and thanks
Myozan

Since we were discussing folks sitting/not sitting zazenkai & posting/not-posting, I realized that I hadn't said thank you for the monthly. I sat last week, and am grateful for all your efforts. :)

gassho,
Shujin