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Jundo
09-19-2015, 05:48 PM
Hey Guys,

We are reading Chapter 23, "Buddhism is Meditation and Kindness".

Anything resonate from this week's chapter? What of the interconnection of Zazen and Kindness?

Gassho, J

PS -

You will note that most Soto teachers hesitate to call "Zazen" as "meditation", so this chapter is unusual. The reason is that "meditation" is usually seen as some form of sitting to attain some state of concentration or relaxation, while the emphasis of Zazen is sitting without some "seeking to attain" (which, as you have heard me say countless times, --does not-- mean that one fails to attain something wondrous because of this giving up of the hunger of seeking ... for one find such which can only be found in abandoning all human need to hunt and pursue.)

Jika
09-19-2015, 08:35 PM
The chapter must be wrong.
Only lousy, unkind folks around here ;)

But a strong correlation does not mean cause...
Sorry.

Gassho,
Danny
#receivedmuchkindnesstoday_()_

Jeremy
09-21-2015, 09:54 AM
The chapter must be wrong.
Only lousy, unkind folks around here ;)

Thank you Danny. Very nice of you to say so :)

step lightly... stay free...
Jeremy
st

Myosha
09-21-2015, 12:50 PM
Hello,

"Me . . . Me . . . Mine."

Meditation is, apparently, good for something. Zazen simply returns the source; therefore, good for nothing.^^


Gassho
Myosha sat today

Risho
09-24-2015, 06:08 PM
I love this line of the poem. Sometimes during meditation I feel anger, anxiety, boredom, etc. I really like just sitting there with it, not pushing it away. It's very powerful. This practice helps me realize how attached I am to distraction; it's like I have this inner fear of being bored. But if I "shikantaza" that feeling (lol), it's kind of neat to just observe and feel it and then let it float off instead of being pulled and controlled by it.

Gassho,

Risho
-sattoday

Jundo
09-25-2015, 01:52 AM
I love this line of the poem. Sometimes during meditation I feel anger, anxiety, boredom, etc. I really like just sitting there with it, not pushing it away. It's very powerful. This practice helps me realize how attached I am to distraction; it's like I have this inner fear of being bored. But if I "shikantaza" that feeling (lol), it's kind of neat to just observe and feel it and then let it float off instead of being pulled and controlled by it.

Gassho,

Risho
-sattoday

Lisa offered a lovely Bernie Glassman quote today on another thread, part of our Jukai readings ...




"A symptom of separation, a symptom of duality is found in the word 'why'. Many koans start with that. ...Eliminate the word 'why' and again we come back to bearing witness."

...

Recently I thought of Shakyamuni’s life and I thought of his father trying to isolate him from suffering, from old age and death, from renunciates. And for me that became a metaphor for the denial of, or separation from, those aspects of ourselves or of society that we are afraid of or not ready to deal with. These are all those things that lead to the aspects of myself that I’ve been in denial about and am afraid of and those aspects of society that I’m afraid of or deny.

http://zenpeacemakers.org/zen-peacemakers/who-we-are/zen-peacemakers-sangha/dharma-talks/bernie-pure-precepts/

He also takes this in the essay as a call for action!

Gassho, J

SatToday

Risho
09-26-2015, 06:11 PM
Thank you!

Gassho,

Risho
-sattoday

Mp
09-26-2015, 10:18 PM
Thank you Jundo. =)

Gassho
Shingen

#sattoday

Jundo
09-27-2015, 01:23 AM
Hey All Hutters,

I am going to wait a week before posting the next Chapter, which is one of my absolute (and relative) favorites in the whole book (beyond liking and disliking, of course), worth the whole price of admission (for that which can neither be entered nor departed).

We are a little busy this week with the Precept readings on Avoiding Killing and Ango, let folks catch up, so I want the next chapter after this one to have the attention of the whole Sangha when I post it.

Anyway, we are in no rush to learn about timelessness, are we? :p

Gassho, J

SatToday

Mp
09-27-2015, 01:38 AM
timelessness, are we? :p

Oh timeless time is so timely. =)

Gassho
Shingen

#sattoday

Joyo
09-27-2015, 02:55 PM
Thank you, Jundo. I am needing a catch-up week.

Gassho,
Joyo
sat today

Byokan
09-27-2015, 04:37 PM
Add my thanks as well, with all the ango activity it's nice to slow down a little. :reading:

Gassho
Lisa
sat today

Risho
09-27-2015, 05:19 PM
Ditto to that lol

Gassho

Risho
-sattoday

Shinzan
10-03-2015, 03:06 AM
For me, meditation, as in alert choiceless awareness, is the root of kindness. How to explain it? Kindness to self, kindness to other, kindness to self-other not two, kindness arising from the soup of awareness.
_/\_ Shinzan

AlanLa
10-03-2015, 09:41 PM
A beautiful chapter on how turning within ourselves can lead us to turning kindness out towards others :cool:

But being a contrarian, I could not help but think about all those old gruff and seemingly unkind Zen masters in our lineage.

A whack on the head to you all [evilgrin]

Jeremy
10-04-2015, 12:59 PM
A A whack on the head to you all [evilgrin]
Ouch!

Jeremy
st