"Simple Living" - Chapters 25 and 26

[Jundo]

Just jump in if joining, no "catch up" ... just today is today ...

Chapter 25 - Get In Touch With Nature - Make a little miniature garden in a shoe box with just some dirt, pebbles, twigs and fallen leaves. Or take a minute or two to just make one in one's mind. Or just encounter a single stone, or leaf or flower this week, really stop to hold it, smell it, look for a moment. Nothing to think about it, nothing to change, a jewel as it is.

Chapter 26 - Create A Small Garden - Sit a little Zazen on a big rock or under a tree, or next to your shoe box garden, or in your mind garden, or next to that single stone, leaf or flower.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Mp]

Thank you Jundo. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[Kotei]

Thank you.
This basic, everyday things (small as #25 or large as #26) are indeed so wonderful and special. Good to pay some attention from time to time.
Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Junkyo]

Thank you Jundo!

Gassho,

Junkyo
SAT

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[Ishin]

Today.. I'm joining..
Thank you

Gassho
Ishin
Sat Today/lah

[Shōnin Risa Bear]

_()_

gassho
doyu sattoday

[Kokuu]

I imagine it is no problem, but these exercises are #27 and #28 in my book.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

[Jundo]

I imagine it is no problem, but these exercises are #27 and #28 in my book.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-

Ha, Oh yes. I will adjust them. It is actually 25 and 27.

New 26 is : - Sit a little Zazen on a big rock or under a tree, or next to your shoe box garden, or in your mind garden, or next to that single stone, leaf or flower.

Gassho, Jundo

[Nengei]

gassho2

Gassho,
然芸 Nengei
Sat today. LAH.

You deserve to be happy.
You deserve to be loved.

[Tairin]

gassho2

Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Tokan]

:TL: [gassholook]

Tokan, sattdy

[krissydear]

gassho2


thank you
krissy
st

[Ishin]

Sat today next to a little bamboo plant in my office that is actually not very pretty,not growing well, not well liked by me. That is why I chose it.
Gassho
Ishin
Sat/lah

[Shōnin Risa Bear]

"Every plant is the good plant"

said doyu, looking nervously over at the poison oak

gassho
doyu sat/lah today

[Sekishi]

"Every plant is the good plant"

said doyu, looking nervously over at the poison oak


Indeed! :D

I don’t want to go too far off on a tangent, but this really struck me.

“Good” and “evil” can be such sticky concepts with lots of baggage attached. Can we remember the “innocence” of so many conditions that may harm us?

When I find myself yet again chasing thoughts of worry or sadness, I find it helpful not to get frustrated with them as “bad”. They arise in innocence- gifts of culture and ancestors and evolution.

The poison oak is indeed a good plant. It is innocently utilizing the gift of its ancestors to protect itself. Let us leave it be!

Thank you for this Doyu.

Deep bows,
Sekishi
#sat #itchy



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[Getchi]

#25 ; today as I was overcome with grief, I realised I was staring off into space.

I relaxed, closed my eyes and a small garden apeared in my minds-eye. IT was stones, shade and a simply bamboo.

Now this image is helping me again, as I #26 sit under this pine tree that reminds me of so much both kind and sad.

The garden sits with me, and im grateful for its company :)



GAssho,
-geoff.

SatToday
LaH

[Kyotai]

Jumping ahead a little, thank you for this lesson.

Gassho, Kyotai
ST

[Tairin]

I’ve been thinking about how to go about a little garden then I realized today that I have a big garden to spend time with. Although it is still Summer there is a very definite feeling that Autumn is near. It is time to start tearing down the gardens etc. I spent time with my garden today. I also talked to my wife about bringing in some of the garden to the indoors. Specially lemon grass which we use to make tea. I’ve no idea how well it will do inside but we’ll give it a shot.

My wife is participating with us and has made a little garden using fallen leaves and a sprig of a pine tree.

I like the idea of hugging a rock. I don’t have a Buddha and so I have used a stone in the place of the Buddha when a Buddha is required such as the Jukai ceremony. After all the stone is Buddha [monk]

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Geika]

Lately, I have been sitting zazen outside to take advantage of the last of the good weather.

Gassho

Sat today, lah

[Onka]

I do most of my reading and at least 20 minutes zazen every day looking at a big Eucalypt tree with shade provided by a huge bunch of Clumping Bamboo which is home to Fairy Wrens and Finches. Bamboo rustling and birds chirping are a perfect backdrop to anything I reckon and where we live I can do this all year round.
Gassho

[Kiri]

There is a beautiful pine forest near my house where I like to walk sometimes. Yesterday, while passing by a pine tree I like, I figured it's a nice place to sit for zazen. And so I did!

Gassho
Sat

[Getchi]

My wife is in hospital. Today she found a small peartree branch, in bloom.

She now has a small garden that smiles with her.


Gassho,Geoff.

SaToday,
LaH.


Hugged a rock.

[Jundo]

My wife is in hospital. Today she found a small peartree branch, in bloom.

She now has a small garden that smiles with her.


Gassho,Geoff.

SaToday,
LaH.


Hugged a rock.

l will be sitting for your wife's health, Geoff, and you too.

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Jundo]

My wife is in hospital. Today she found a small peartree branch, in bloom.

She now has a small garden that smiles with her.


Gassho,Geoff.

SaToday,
LaH.


Hugged a rock.

l will be sitting for your wife's health, Geoff, and you too.

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Washin]

These two are wonderful practices. Thank you Jundo.

Metta to your wife and you, Getchi [gassholook]

Gassho
Washin
st-lah

[Seibu]

#25 done in my mind.
#26 I sat on a rock at the shore, I could hear the sound of the sea because it was quite windy.

Metta to your wife Getchi, I hope all is well.


Gassho,
Jack
Sattoday/lah

[Tai Do]

Use my flower of the desert (sorry, don't know the real English name, only translated the Portuguese one) as my personal garden and sat beside her this Sunday. A different zazen, outdoors, with a flower and a lot of sweat.
Thought about buying a bonsai in the small producers fair this Saturday, but the price was too high for me right now. Also planted a sweet potato in my garden.
Metta to you and your wife, Getchi. May she be healthy soon.
Gassho,
Mateus
Sat today/LAH

[Kendrick]

25 + 26: I spent a lot of time doing work outside with my plants and yard over the weekend. It was nice being outside for an extended period of time that I don't normally get during my workweek at my desk with no windows to even look out of. I had plenty of time to slow down and enjoy the work. More of a working meditation but it was quiet, slow paced, and focused while I trimmed/pruned, pulled weeds, cleaned up sidewalks, and watered newly planted trees and took care of one I am trying to bring back to health. Caring for the plants I'm reminded that they too are living things and I try to treat them right, even if sometimes it might be tough love or necessary (trimming down to prevent it from breaking under weight, or uprooting weeds).

Gassho
Kendrick
Sat/LAH

[Nenka]

I filled a very small dish with cactus soil and stuck in a few leaves that had fallen off one of my succulents. Hopefully new baby plants will emerge in the coming weeks. I'll put it in the window near where I sit.

Gassho

Nenka

ST

[Meian]

I am happy to see this, and glad I can just "jump in" on this. For a while I have wanted to set up a simple home altar or shrine in my home. I have a small space set aside for this purpose, facing East, but have not made much progress, as I've been thinking for some time on what i wanted to have on it.

I've been putting some items on as I've thought of them. A dear friend gave me some things to include (a shell, incense, stones, feathers), and I've added some items from my ancestors that I've saved that just feel right to me. Some old glass dishes, some things of my mother's, a few stones, and some candles.

The idea of a small garden is perfect. I wanted something of the elements, but the usual way of "representing" just never felt right to me (having a dish for each one felt too separate). For some reason, putting all together in a garden never occurred to me. I have a few small glass dishes that I put on the table, but did not know what I could use them for. This will go well, and I can change things by the season, and return all to the Earth.

This is just what was needed, and all the great ideas in this thread. Very simple.

Gassho
kim
st