LIVING by VOW: The Four Bodhisattva Vows - PP 42 to 52 (End of Chap. 1)

[Jundo]

Dear Sangha,

I very much cherish the image of the entire Sangha fanning the Buddha Nature of each of us, making our Practice stronger.

I also appreciate the comments that a Sangha does not require fancy buildings, but is just the place one sits (especially true for our Sangha, which is mostly without buildings).

There is nothing to attain in this Practice, yet we are bound to become stronger with time ... like water drops wearing away rocks or a great mountain.

We are our small, individual Practice and also universal truth and life manifested.

I also resonate with Katagiri Roshi's response that our Practice entails a vow of responsibility to our self, other people and our whole society.

The moon is a traditional symbol of enlightenment, and illuminates all the separate things of the whole world. If you are wondering about the image of the "rabbit in the moon", I first learned to see it after moving to Japan. Can you make it out? The ears are coming out to the right of the head at the top (the head is the eye on the right of the man in the moon(, and the long neck of the rabbit (approx. the nose of the man) ends in a rounded body at the bottom (the man's mouth) ...



The chapter closes with a comment that "the reality of our life is not so simple for us human beings" and we have to practice recognizing our delusion.

Perhaps some of the above points, or other comments by Okumura Roshi resonated with you?

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

[Mp]

Thank you Jundo ... This has been a lovely read and actually has helped me see things differently then when I first read it. =)

Gassho
Shingen

SatToday/LAH

[Jishin]

IMG_0067.JPGIMG_0069.JPG

I don't see no rabbit.

Gasho, Jishin, _/st\_

[Jakuden]

These phrases resonate with me:

"Vow is kind of a long-range project or plan. We don't need to be in a hurry. Just practice and recharge our energy in the Sangha. Practice, sit, keep the seed alive, and when conditions ripen, it will grow."

"...like the raindrops, we sit moment by moment, day after day, year after year, and this sitting generates the power to erode a rock."

Our Western culture is so goal-driven and "hurry-up-and-wait" that we can't be reminded often enough how complete and whole each fleeting moment of our little life-ember is.

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH

[Tairin]

I really liked this section. So much resonated with me. Jakuden, I almost quoted the same phrases you did. I think we took away something similar. Instead I'll quote this

We don’t need to worry about what we should do today or tomorrow. Of course, we have a schedules, goals, and projects. But we just sit, right now, right here. We try to see that this is the only reality and everything else is the scenery of our life. We don’t consider this practice as a step to something else. This practice right now, right here, brings about the next step. We don’t need to worry about the next step. We should be fully right here, right now, in this situation, and awake to the reality of this self. That is an essential point.

I recently lost my job of 20 years. It was a highly stressful job in an environment that was very results oriented. I am only 50 and not yet ready for retirement so it is back into the job pool. It has been 3 weeks and I have had a lot of time to contemplate a lot of what is important. I've had a chance to do a lot of little things around the house that I never had time for. I haven't had to think about the next business trip or big presentation. I have the luxury to have the time and resources to decide what's next. In the mean time I have the luxury to slow down and appreciate now.

Btw. Re the job loss. I am fine. Actually I think it may have been a blessing.

Gassho
Warren
Sat today & LAH

[Jakuden]

I really liked this section. So much resonated with me. Jakuden, I almost quoted the same phrases you did. I think we took away something similar. Instead I'll quote this



I recently lost my job of 20 years. It was a highly stressful job in an environment that was very results oriented. I am only 50 and not yet ready for retirement so it is back into the job pool. It has been 3 weeks and I have had a lot of time to contemplate a lot of what is important. I've had a chance to do a lot of little things around the house that I never had time for. I haven't had to think about the next business trip or big presentation. I have the luxury to have the time and resources to decide what's next. In the mean time I have the luxury to slow down and appreciate now.

Btw. Re the job loss. I am fine. Actually I think it may have been a blessing.

Gassho
Warren
Sat today & LAH

Deep bows Warren, it sounds like you are facing your challenge with equanimity. Thank you for your practice!

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH

[Mp]

I really liked this section. So much resonated with me. Jakuden, I almost quoted the same phrases you did. I think we took away something similar. Instead I'll quote this



I recently lost my job of 20 years. It was a highly stressful job in an environment that was very results oriented. I am only 50 and not yet ready for retirement so it is back into the job pool. It has been 3 weeks and I have had a lot of time to contemplate a lot of what is important. I've had a chance to do a lot of little things around the house that I never had time for. I haven't had to think about the next business trip or big presentation. I have the luxury to have the time and resources to decide what's next. In the mean time I have the luxury to slow down and appreciate now.

Btw. Re the job loss. I am fine. Actually I think it may have been a blessing.

Gassho
Warren
Sat today & LAH

Yes thank you Warren ... I know where you are at, I too am almost 50 and having a tuff time with work where I live. I do have to say I am thankful for this practice, as it always me to be present and accepting with these conditions, and yet at the same time keep plugging away, plugging forward. =)

Gassho
Shingen

SatToday/LAH

[AlanLa]

When I was a child the man in the moon was easy to see, but now as an adult I look at the moon and wonder where he went

I see the rabbit in the moon a little easier, but it's a stretch of the imagination
On the one hand, I seem to have lost some of that childhood magic. But on the other hand, I now look at the moon and see buddha

I love the zazen as rain drops analogy. I like to sit when it's raining, sometimes waiting to start until the rain joins me. I've never sat in the rain, unless you count those moments of bliss when I tilt my head back to feel the drops touch my face. Anyway, it is sunny today, and I will go sit with it now.

[Onkai]

I loved the stories about Guishan, both the story of his enlightenment, of the small ember being fire, and how he established a zendo by sitting alone in the mountains.

Gassho,
Onkai
SatToday/LAH

[Hoko]

I really liked this section. So much resonated with me. Jakuden, I almost quoted the same phrases you did. I think we took away something similar. Instead I'll quote this



I recently lost my job of 20 years. It was a highly stressful job in an environment that was very results oriented. I am only 50 and not yet ready for retirement so it is back into the job pool. It has been 3 weeks and I have had a lot of time to contemplate a lot of what is important. I've had a chance to do a lot of little things around the house that I never had time for. I haven't had to think about the next business trip or big presentation. I have the luxury to have the time and resources to decide what's next. In the mean time I have the luxury to slow down and appreciate now.

Btw. Re the job loss. I am fine. Actually I think it may have been a blessing.

Gassho
Warren
Sat today & LAH

Hey Warren,

I'm 48 this year and still paying student loans and watching my industry struggle with its future. Orthodontics is decentralizing and people are seeking treatment from many different places. Advances in automation may make it possible for you to stop at a booth in the mall someday and have your teeth scanned and aligners sent to you. Those of us who worked for decades to become skilled craftsmen are standing at the sidelines with our heirloom furniture while people line up around the block at IKEA. We can cry about it (and many of my colleagues do so bitterly) but my practice supports me as I step back and recognize that (a) I am not 100% in control and (b) what I do is not who I am. This brings me back to vow and repentance. We deal with what's in front of us now, cognizant of where the future is heading and doing our best to deal with it while simultaneously acknowledging that this very moment is complete in and of itself. Right now we're firewood. There may be a time when we are ash.

I like what you wrote out your job situation and you seem fully committed to where you are right now. You repent that you are unable to completely control what happens next but you vow to contend with present circumstances. I wish you the best of luck in your job search and I hope this opens up all sorts of doors for you. ������

Gassho,
Hōkō
#SatToday
LAH

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[Shoka]

This section left me with much to think about. Okumura tells us that sangha can be a hindrance.

“This human sentiment isn’t necessarily bad, but when we practice Buddha Dharma with others it is a hindrance”

“If we practice with other people on the basis of human sentiment, it may work for a while, but eventually it will fail. So our practice should be based not on human sentiment but on an aspiration for the continuous practice of Buddha Dharma.”

I think the main point here is that there are times when we can reply on others to keep out practice going, and this can cause a problem over time. We won’t have developed our own determination to practice. The story about Guishan tends to confirm this. He had to have a solid foundation in himself to be able to practice in harass conditions while waiting for others to join him. (Kinda like some crazy guy on the internet who decided to sit online everyday for however long it was).

Then Okumura turns that on its head with this,

"Vow is kind of a long-range project or plan. We don’t need to be in a hurry. Just practice and recharge our energy in the sangha. Practice, sit, keep the seed alive, and when conditions ripen, it will grow.”

Recharging your batteries is an important thing to be able to do, and it is nice to hear that this can and does come from the Sangha because I often retreat here to recharge. My little corner in my house is a favor place when stuff goes really wrong in life. Sitting facing a wall, turning on insight timer and seeing others leafers also sitting gives me support.

But the dichotomy of these two statements is interesting. At one point, he is saying rely and get strength from the sangha, and then in another he is saying it can be a hindrance. I will think over this more, but I believe perhaps the problem becomes your commitment. If you are only committed because of the people there then it will be a hindrance because they may come and go. If you can find strength from the group in general then it is a help.

I’m not sure and I still have to think about this.

Gassho,

Shoka
sattoday

[Myogan]

Shoka, I don't think Okumura is going against participating in a Sangha, just how one does it.

Consider if I rearrange the grammar;

This human sentiment, the human tendency to undertake things that we see as good, useful, or beneficial for ourselves alone,isn’t necessarily bad, but when we practice Buddha Dharma with others it is a hindrance. So our practice should be based not on human sentiment but on an aspiration for the continuous practice of Buddha Dharma.

Now just practice without that sentiment and the strength of the Sangha will show through.

This is not to say that there is a possibility for some types of Sanghas could be detrimental to your practice. Extending the ember in the firepot analogy, you could have a group of many embers, however with there is no connection of them all, the flame can't grow. Or you can have a group dominated by a strong member or teacher and have the ember extinguished by a piece of charcoal too large to let air feed the flame.

Gassho,
Sat

[Jakuden]

It's so interesting how we can all read the same thing and get different things from it. I love that aspect of the book club, it's Dharma in itself!

At any rate, I seem to have read this with the assumption that a "hindrance " and a "help" were the same thing. The obstacles we encounter in dealing with our fellow humans are fodder for practice, whether within the Sangha or out in the greater Sangha of the world. Although they make practice difficult, we can't "get anywhere" in our practice without them.

Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH


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[Mp]

It's so interesting how we can all read the same thing and get different things from it. I love that aspect of the book club, it's Dharma in itself!

At any rate, I seem to have read this with the assumption that a "hindrance " and a "help" were the same thing. The obstacles we encounter in dealing with our fellow humans are fodder for practice, whether within the Sangha or out in the greater Sangha of the world. Although they make practice difficult, we can't "get anywhere" in our practice without them.

Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH


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So true Jakuden, so true. =)

I was talking with my neighbour the other day and she was discussing how her neighbour was/is a controlling and very unhappy person. Through the course of the conversation I mentioned that people help us in many ways, even the ones that are difficult. They teach us patience, but they also teach us how to engage in difficult situations, to set boundaries, and to do it from a place of equanimity. =)

Gassho
Shingen

SatToday/LAH

[Hoseki]

Gassho
Hoseki

Sattoday


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[Gokai]

Hello everyone

I intended to participate with you all in reading the book "Living By Vow" from the beginning, but the book took almost a month to arrive and so I started to read it later than the rest of you. I am still in the part that refers to "Shakyamuni Buddha's Vow". I'm really enjoying the book, not a very complicated reading even for those who do not speak English in their daily lives.
I am very fond of the connection that is always made between the Four Vows and our everyday life (and our meditative practice).
I hope to be in time to participate in this reading with all of you despite doing so with a delay.
I do not know if there will be any problem because of this?

Gassho, Gokai

SatToday/LAH

[Jundo]

Hello everyone

I intended to participate with you all in reading the book "Living By Vow" from the beginning, but the book took almost a month to arrive and so I started to read it later than the rest of you. I am still in the part that refers to "Shakyamuni Buddha's Vow". I'm really enjoying the book, not a very complicated reading even for those who do not speak English in their daily lives.
I am very fond of the connection that is always made between the Four Vows and our everyday life (and our meditative practice).
I hope to be in time to participate in this reading with all of you despite doing so with a delay.
I do not know if there will be any problem because of this?

Gassho, Gokai

SatToday/LAH

Jump in any place, the ocean is wet all over.

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

[Gokai]

Thank You very much Jundo.
Gassho, Gokai
Sattoday/LAH

[Meitou]

Sorry for my late contribution, I've had family staying and not been online so much. Looking back over my notes, I know that what stood out for me in this section was the affirmation that we need nothing fancy to sit, just a small space, a cushion and a mat - I feel too that this is symbolic of the simplicity of 'just sitting' in itself, that paring down to the absolute essentials. I like this and it's mostly what has drawn me to Soto Zen - and simplicity not in the sense of being easy in some way, but truthful, cutting, powerful.
In my past practice I've often read very precise instructions about setting up a home shrine and have found myself with elaborate set ups of bowls of water, texts, candles, incense, pictures of teachers ( a Tibetan tradition), and then thought about those buddhist monks fleeing Tibet over the Himalaya - what did they have? Some beads maybe? A text? And their faith. Simple. Non-distracting.
I also loved this paradox of how ultimately we sit alone, yet are connected to everything and every living being around us.

And this 'Without our practice, there is no Buddha's teaching.'

Gassho
Frankie

Satwithyoualltoday and LAH ( if saving a bird from the cat counts!)

[Jundo]

Satwithyoualltoday and LAH ( if saving a bird from the cat counts!)

Counts! Ask the bird!

[Risho]

Finally read this yesterday. Not much to add at this point other than I've been reading a lot of other books, and after coming back to this book and reading this section, I realize how brilliant Dogen is, how much his teachings resonate and drive my practice.

gassho

Risho
-sattoday

[Jakuden]

I was listening to a Dharma talk by Ron Hogen Green today called "perfection is the enemy of enlightenment," and it reminded me of this chapter. How can we practice if there is perfection? We acknowledge the absolute, but in the relative world there is just repentance, because we are humans with mental formations and egos. We repent because we cannot be anything more.
Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH and waiting for my #%^* imperfect Ambien to kick in!


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[Jakuden]

I was listening to a Dharma talk by Ron Hogen Green today called "perfection is the enemy of enlightenment," and it reminded me of this chapter. How can we practice if there is perfection? We acknowledge the absolute, but in the relative world there is just repentance, because we are humans with mental formations and egos. We repent because we cannot be anything more.
Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH and waiting for my #%^* imperfect Ambien to kick in!


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Oops maybe it did kick in, I meant to post this in the "repentance" chapter


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[Risho]

Ha! Very good point and post nonetheless - and you proved your point about perfection - it's a triple threat!

Gassho,

Risho
-sattoday

[Meishin]

Hi,

Joining the reading if not too late. Joining even if too late.

Gassho
Meishin
sat today

[M.C. Easton]

Welcome, Meishin! Glad you're joining in, too!

I just finished reading this chapter over the weekend and scrolling through all your posts, and I'm so looking forward to continuing this read with everyone here! I definitely agree with Jishin on an important point: There is no rabbit in the moon. Done. Settled. ;-)

I especially appreciated the point Jundo brought up--that life is complicated for human beings, and we have to keep going back to our vows and to reality. As Okumura put it, "We are living out our as-it-is-ness, yet we are always blind to it... We have to go back to the reality of life through the practice of this reality." I thought this was the most beautiful definition of both vow and zazen.

Gassho,
Melanie
SatToday/LAH