Hi (Rowan Here) - I didn't mean to be invisible, a very nice co-worker took a pic of me and I thought I loaded it onto Treeleaf. I will email Jundo and see if I can fix this.
with palms together,
rowan
Originally Posted by roky
Hi (Rowan Here) - I didn't mean to be invisible, a very nice co-worker took a pic of me and I thought I loaded it onto Treeleaf. I will email Jundo and see if I can fix this.
with palms together,
rowan
Welcome, Wu-wei and Rowan. Glad you're here.
Bill
Welcome everyone,
from KellyRokHello Al, congratulations on completing your dissertation! I bet there is a tremendous sense of peace in the completion of it.
yes and no. It is good to be done, but there really is no being done. Life and work and research and everything goes on. I don't think of it as an endpoint, an outcome, but rather a pause in the process. That outcome thinking gets me stuck and in trouble, but process thinking (ZEN) keeps me flowing.
Hello and welcome Rowan and Wu-Wei! It is so good to have you both.
Al,yes and no. It is good to be done, but there really is no being done. Life and work and research and everything goes on. I don't think of it as an endpoint, an outcome, but rather a pause in the process. That outcome thinking gets me stuck and in trouble, but process thinking (ZEN) keeps me flowing.
How very, VERY true. I like the way you think! In the past I guess I have thought way too much about "outcomes". That's why I am here, finally in the now and will continue to be...in this process we all call our life, our practice. So on to our next step, right :wink: ?
Thank you for your reply,
Kelly Rok
Welcome to Rowan and Wu-Wei, good to have you with us> Gassho Kent
Yep, life as kinhin.yes and no. It is good to be done, but there really is no being done. Life and work and research and everything goes on. I don't think of it as an endpoint, an outcome, but rather a pause in the process. That outcome thinking gets me stuck and in trouble, but process thinking (ZEN) keeps me flowing.
Al,
How very, VERY true. I like the way you think! In the past I guess I have thought way too much about "outcomes". That's why I am here, finally in the now and will continue to be...in this process we all call our life, our practice. So on to our next step, right ?
Time to come out of my little corner and show myself ... aikoku tora ( mourning tiger)
there is a story to the nickname I'll get into if asked.
To start on the generics, Im 28 and a father of two.. I'm a freelance animator, though right now most of my free time is dedicated to working on a " western" Manga series, though I have a long history in working in the comic book industry..Im also a trained anthropologist, focused more on the cultural aspects of it.
I come from a more traditional western family by large..one side was a mix of Irish catholic and Christan, the other half was actually old world Celt pagen,( not to be confused with wicca-new age celt) ) so very very strict about the flow of nature and it's energy.
My first introductions to any form of Buddhism came when I was younger, through the grandmother of my friend, who would visit from japan every year " and she made the best multi layered jello snacks " This led to an interest that became a study of mine for years, though locations I lived made it nearly impossible to find a place to sit that fell more in line with what I felt. ( though I did gain some wonderful insight into other sects )
Hello everyone,
I am new to Treeleaf. My nane is Jim Carney from Middletown, New Jersey.
Back some 30 yrs. I studied yoga and started teaching it at an adult education class, for the Intergal Yoga Institute, I dabbled with medition on an off over these yearsnot as serious I wanted. Over this period I was attracted to the word Zen,reading a few books along the away but that was about it. The word Zen alone had a great magnatism to it, and a great pull to me.
Anyway about 3.5 yrs ago I found a little group, started to sit. From there,it was read, study and sit daily. I saw an ad in "Tricycle " magazine for Treeleaf, and I was moved to let the daily,Sit- Alongs be a guide for my daily sitting. So, here I am ready to take the next step, to receive the Precepts and Jukai, entering ever deeper into the stream of Zen Buddahism.
Gassho
Jim
Welcome!
welcome, jim and mourning tiger
gassho, bob
Hi new folks,
Aikoku, what part of Washington are you in?
Gassho,
Jordan
Hello, I am new.
I'm from Central Texas, US. I'm a Christian and also am a newbish Zen practitioner. I try to practice zazen pretty regularly. I am also learning to play the shakuhachi and try also to practice suizen. I'm am a beginner to everything it seems but making mistakes, which I've been practicing regularly for almost 40 years. And I have many opportunities, being a father, husband, and computer programmer.
It's nice to meet everyone.
Gassho,
Arthur
Hi Arthur - welcome to Treeleaf!
rowan
who REALLY wishes she could play shakuhachi but she has too much chin
Arthur, ten minuets of ro a day and you will be a master, or so said Watazumi Dozo.
Good to have more Shakuhachi players around!
Gassho,
Jordan
I am fortunate in that I have almost no chin at all.
Well it's no wonder, the flutes he used were as big as telephone poles
I wish I could find more of him on recordings.
Hi everyone,
have finally gotten myself signed up and wanted to introduce myself.
My name is Lee, I am 30 and currently live in Northern Ireland having retreated back here from London. I was in London for 7 years and in the end my spirit grew very weary with the place.
I am at a crossroads in my life, waiting to see what opportunities present themselves and which direction I will take. I've done a lot of studying in criminology, political philosophy, and trained as a psychotherapist. I've become disillusioned by the mental health system I've been a part of and now want to do something more creative.
Growing up in Northern Ireland showed me how dogmatic religious belief can create serious problems, and yet I've always been fascinated by and in search of spirituality. I believe in zen I've found exactly what I am looking for.
For the past year or so now I have been working to make zen a central part of my life. I practice zazen everyday now, and being interested in chi kung, yoga and martial arts along with zen, decided to stop drinking from seeing the impact it was having on my brain after the good I was doing with these practices.
I am very much looking forward to being part of a sangha and getting to know everyone.
All the best,
Lee
PS I have an average sized chin
I think its a little squarish too.
Spokane
Hi all,
It's great to see all these new faces. Welcome and jump right in.
Gassho,
Linda
Ok, I'm in Vancouver (USA) If you ever need a hand down south, let me know.
Take care,
Jordan
Hi Lee! I hope you find some interesting chat here.
rowan
Thanks for the welcome
Hi Lee,
Welcome aboard!
Gassho,
Jordan
Hello aikoku tora, Jim, Arthur and Lee,
Welcome. It's good to meet so many people from so many interesting places!
take care all,
Kelly R
welcome, arthur and godzilla(makes me think of the blue oyster cult song -- "history shows again and again how nature points out the folly of man - godzilla!)
gassho, bob
Welcome to all the new folks! Ann
Howdy and welcome to all the new faces!
Gassho
Dirk
Hello everyone-
What an interesting and excellent concept this is! Although I've been dipping my toe into Buddhist practice for about ten years it was until now I've really grasped the importance of just sitting. And now that I've found this community I feel like I'll have the support I need to keep the practice of sitting up. No slouching! But seriously, without a community near by and with a one-year old daughter, Treeleaf seems a good fit.
What else is part of my daily life? I work for the American Hospital Assoication on books that will hopefully help those in power at hospitals understand how to make their hospitals better places for those connected with them. Which, if you think about it, is all of us.
As I mentioned before, I am a father of a one-year old girl and the husband of a vivacious woman who is an excellent mother and excellent photographer and mixed media artist.
My professional training, if you can call it that, is in poetry. I am a graduate of the MFA program at the U of Iowa. I also am into music, but who isn't? My particular keen is for 70s-80s punk and post-punk, whatever is noisey and "experimental" these days in the rock wolrd, and jazz.
I look forward to learning from and learning with all of you!
Chris
Hello, Hi, Salutations, Greetings and Welcome!
lora
Chris,
From one Dad (of a just turned 3 year old son) to another...welcome!
Gassho,
Scott
Lora and Scott and everyone-
Thanks for the welcomes! I hope I can be as useful to everyone as a beginner as you are all already being useful to me with your posts. I don't want to cause accidents while on a learner's permit.
Chris
Hello, everyone!
Thanks to Jundo for the welcoming email and to everyone for the wonderful posts and discussions that convinced me to join you all here at the Treeleaf Zendo.
A little about me....
I was raised as a Catholic but "converted" to Athiesm in my teens. I would occasionally seek for deeper meaning - lightly brushing against eastern religions/philosophies - but never any more than reading an article here or there. In January of last year, I quit smoking and in an attempt to keep my mind off the smokes and lose a few pounds I started running. Well, even with all the hacking and wheezing and panting I was doing - some wouldn't call it running and as difficult as it was for me physically, I sort of liked it. I kept at it week in and week out and then ran a couple marathons and even a little farther than that a time or two. It did a lot for me physically, but even more powerful were the mental changes. I started referring to my Sunday morning long runs as "my church".
So what does all that have to do with Buddhism and why I'm here? Who knows? Just felt like sharing. Or perhaps there are parallels between running and meditation that I don't yet understand.
Fast forward to two months ago. I got another urge to "seek" and was already trying some "think of nothing" meditation. Started looking into Buddhism again, and read a few books and quite a few articles on the internet regarding the basics/introduction to Buddhism, meditation techniques, etc. I finally got up the nerve to visit a local temple - but found it too "churchy" for my taste. This got me looking into the different traditions and felt like Zen was a lot closer to my style. This search got me here and I really liked the sense of community I found.
Besides my interest in practicing Zen, I am a 42 year old husband, dad ( 11 and 8 ), scout leader, and long distance runner who writes software for a living.
I look forward to learning from and with you all and am particularly looking forward to the upcoming Jukai.
Gassho,
Mike
Hi Mike,
Welcome again.
Ya might find this recent thread on "Zen & Running" of interest. We have enough runners around here to mount our own "Treeleaf Olympic Team".
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=761&p=10391&hilit=nishijima+ra s+a+runner#p10385
Gassho, Jundo (I ride a bike with a toddler on the back for exercise)
Chris and Mike,
Welcome to Treeleaf!
Gassho,
Alex
Thanks Jundo and Alex!
I appreciated the thread on running. Interesting to see. On some of the running boards I frequent - the topic is usually not discussed - but you can sense some undertones.
Welcome, Godzilla, Chris, & Mike. Good to have you here.
Gassho,
Keith
welcome, chris and mike --
i think it was running where i first started "meditating" -- that is, it was when i first experienced not being controlled by my thoughts -- you know, like "i just can't finish today, stayed up too late, maybe just cut the run just a little short.... ", but instead of giving in, i learned that i could keep going, and the thoughts left on their own -- exactly the same as when i sit, say a long, difficult one, having soreness, running thoughts, and yet, just keep going
only thing is, after 37 yrs of it, i'm a bit addicted, i guess -- i run first thing, or after sitting, early, before my breakfast, and if i don't, i don't feel "quite right" -- had "septic bursitis" of the knee a few years ago, the surgeon said i couldn't run anymore -- i just slowed it down, a lot, and began alternating with biking
just a suggestion: watch your self running, don't "bounce" too much, like i did, as this seems to be what destroys the joints -- consciously develop as smooth a pace as possible, flowing -- the best shoes(which i never did), maybe inserts
i also enjoy hiking, mountain climbing, but its the running that always pushed me past my "breaking point"(its important to know the difference between the real b.p., when you need to stop, and the psychological one, which occurs way earlier) -- that is where you experience going beyond your thoughts, gaining a trust in what's beyond the self
off to run, gassho, bob
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks