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Dear All.
THE DAY HAS ARRIVED to begin our DHARMA WHISTLE STOP & SIT ACROSS AMERICA! I will be posting UPDATES IN THIS THREAD, as well as links to GOOGLE+ NETCASTS OF ZAZENKAI (EVERY 3 or 4 DAYS, SEE SCHEDULE BELOW) with the Sangha friends I am visiting. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE PLAN TO CLOSE MOST OF THE TREELEAF FORUM DURING THE DAYS OF THE WASHINGTON RETREAT with TAIGU (Aug 9-14) as all our attention and Practice will be focused there.
Please come sit along! I am heading today for the Airport here in Japan to commence our first "DHARMA TRACKS Across AMERICA 2014". From July 16th to August 26th, as we (Jundo and his 11 year old son, Leon) follow the Amtrak far and wide from Maine to New York to Niagara Falls Canada to Washington D.C. to the Deep South then up to Chicago and points between ... getting to know and bringing a little Retreat to our members. Of course, August 9th through 14th, Taigu will be guiding a SESSHIN in WASHINGTON D.C. attended by many in our Sangha. DETAILS HERE. It is now planned that most of the Washington Sesshin will be NETCAST LIVE, MORNING TO NIGHT (as well as available for viewing later), so please do all you can to attend portions of this special event online from home.
This is all part of our mission, for folks who due to health, work or family need cannot join in a Zazenkai or Retreat so easily, to bring a little Retreat to you!
HERE IS THE SCHEDULE SO FAR, AND WHO WE WILL BE VISITING. I will be announcing exact retreat times in this thread, and updating the schedule below. Most Zazenkai will be 90 Minutes, much as our weekly Treeleaf Zazenkai. However, such times may be subject to change due circumstances. Will will also be having shorter informal sits from time to time. I will try to vary times so that our folks in Europe might join in live sometimes.
+ July 16 to early July 21 - with YUGEN in BRUNSWICK, MAINE
+ July 21 to July 22 - Boston
+ July 23 - with RICH in RHODE ISLAND
+ July 24 to July 26 - New York City
+ July 27 to July 28 (and part of July 30) - with DOSHO in ROCHESTER, NEW YORK
+ July 29 and early July 30 - with DAIZAN and SHOKAI in NIAGARA FALLS, CANADA (details here)
+ July 31 to Aug 2 - New York City
+ Aug 3 - with DAIJO in NEW JERSEY (hiking part of Appalachian Trail!)
+ Aug 4 to Aug 6 - Williamsburg and Richmond Virginia (featuring a non-netcast Zazen with Sekishi)
+ Aug 7 - with RISHO in TAMPA, FLORIDA (and Grace too)
+ Aug 8 - Orlando
+ Aug 9 to Aug 14 - WASHINGTON DC RETREAT with TAIGU (Jundo will attend last day) DETAILS HERE
+ Aug 15 - Priests Powwow on the Potomac
+ Aug 16 - Baltimore, Maryland
+ Aug 17 to Aug 18 - with CLARK in NORTHEAST GEORGIA
+ Aug 19 - with ALAN.R in SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA
+ Aug 20 to Aug 21 - with SYDNEY in MISSISSIPPI
NEXT ZAZEN SITTING with Sydney:
THURSDAY August 21st: 90 MINUTE ZAZENKAI - New York 10:30am, Los Angeles 7:30am, London 3:30pm and Paris 4:30pm
+ Aug 22 - with NENKA in CHICAGO ILLINOIS
+ Aug 23 to Aug 26 - CHICAGO AREA
[SIZE=1]I sincerely apologize to the several people who were very kind to extend an invitation I could not meet this time due to the routing.
(Here are the general Amtrak route maps to give an idea where we are heading)
Our Zazenkai will follow our usual schedule, as here:
00:00 – 00:15 CEREMONY (HEART SUTRA in English) and Dedication
00:15 – 00:45 ZAZEN
00:45 – 00:55 KINHIN
00:55 – 01:25 ZAZEN
01:25 – 01:30 FOUR VOWS & VERSE OF ATONEMENT
Please download and print out the Chants we will recite at the following link (PDF):[/FONT]
Chant Book (PDF)
or
Chant Book (SHORT VERSION HTML)
Other than that, the only plan is to "hang out", nothing fancy, sit on the porch and get to know each other, share some time. We welcome a place to sleep on a fold out bed or the floor.
The Buddha walked barefoot hundreds of miles across northern India. In the old days, Zen folks wandered from temple to temple looking like this ...
My boy and I will pretty much be a t-shirt clad father and son with a couple of backpacks and a tired look from 15 hour train trips!
(One other reason I am making this trip with my son is that Leon does not know America very much, so this is a chance to show him some of that part of his culture at the same time. I am hoping to show him some American history, life and nature along the way ... especially as he is going to have to be stuck tagging along with his dad for 6 weeks! I am hoping that, on the way to visit our Treeleaf members, I can show him some of that.)
This is another great experiment for this "Sangha beyond here or there" with many people who due to health concerns, living in remote areas, or work, childcare and family needs, cannot attend a Sitting easily, as we see if the Sangha & Sittings can come to them!
My son and I would very much look forward to meeting so many of you, sharing some time and sitting Zazen together!
"WHISTLE STOP & SIT" Gassho, Jundo
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