Sharing Helpful and Insightful Tips (was The Tea Party)

[Shohei]

Dear Leafers,

We invite you to join in a short ceremony and a casual discussion on practice and life (and anything really) every Sunday 21:00 swedish time (click on the link to figure out when that is :-) ) at the "Treeleaf Tea Party" via Google+, for Treeleaf Sangha members like you!

SWEDEN TIME: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc....html?n=239url (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url)

If you want to join, Simply contact Fugen (you will see him around the Forum) with your google+ name.

Relax, chat with friends, have some tea. Here is a little video by Fugen talking about the Tea Party ... and below is the typical content of the weekly Tea Party:

(NOTE: THE MEETING IS ON GOOGLE+ EVEN THOUGH FUGEN MENTIONS SKYPE IN THE VIDEO)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67JEHV-hSLg

[Stephanie]

It's unfortunate that you all are calling your gathering 'the tea party,' as there is currently a hate-filled, racist, conservative American political movement that goes by the same moniker... :evil:

That said, I hope to eventually figure out how to join in on things like this, to get more deeply involved with Treeleaf. Skype definitely sounds like something I should get--do I understand correctly it's of minimal cost?

[Shohei]

Oh these things are all free!!! skype cost you just your Time to setup and use :) its brilliant really. AS for setting it up, I could help ya out if you wanted, instructions are straight forward enought so it could be easily done over msn or what not.

Its really just downloading the program and installing it. Then you launch it, create your account, check your settings (if you have a webcam plugged in, head phones and microphone your rocking already skype will chose them for you most times) and you just add another person to your call list like you would for msn or other chat type programs.

As for the name...I was, until now, unaware of these(most for that matter) political bandits in any country! that said its just a title for the thread the actual meeting could be called ... Sharing Helpful and Insightful Tips fwiw :D
Actually... .LOL good idea :)

Just let me know if you need some assistance ill do what ever I can.

Gassho
Shohei

[Hans]

Hello Stephanie,

I guess since Canada, Sweden and Germany don't have a Tea Party movement, we are trying to do our own part to give these innocent two words a positive meaning :) Iam more thinking about Alice in Wonderland!

Skype is free when it comes to one computer calling another computer btw, although with conference calls one can only use audio. All you need is a headset!

Just give it a try. It takes less than ten minutes to set it all up.

Come join the REAL Tea Party movement!

Gassho,

Hans

[Hans]

Hey Shohei,

how dare you post faster than me???? WE SHALL MEET AGAIN,MY NEMESIS!!!!! ...possibly tonight at eight actually :)


Gassho,

Hans

[Stephanie]

Thanks, Shohei, I will. Might take me a few weeks to get organized enough to do this, or maybe I'll catch a fire and do it in the next few days... who knows.

And I think 'The Tea Party' was a great name--connotations of hospitality, alertness, the Mad Hatter :lol: --but unfortunately now my primary association with the phrase 'The Tea Party' is that political movement. I'm sure I'm not the only American who would have read the thread title and initially assumed it was a political thread, so it probably was a good call to change it, so as to divert potential rant energy away from the thread :wink:

[disastermouse]

I have skype and I've video chatted with no feedback. Is there a particular problem with multiple people or something?

I have headphones - that should work just fine?

I was going to sleep today, but I'm wired. I'll PM Fugen my skype name and maybe you'll see (hear?) me at 3PM today.

Chet

[Hans]

Hi Chet,

as far as I know multiple user conferences are audio-only...though Skype will shortly introduce a video-call option for up to five people simultaneously (which will ultimately cost something).

See ya later, Gassho,

Hans

[Shohei]

Well today I think we will try the videoconference.com link up top. Ill hit the site before tea-time and post the url to join. supports up to six. Skype is our fail safe. if all else fails we can goto skype and have an audio only chat :)

yeah Chet, sometimes its okay to get away with speakers and mic, however, multiple people means multiple sound level settings so some on may have their mic cranked along with their speaker and so every word everyone says loops back into the room...ala the first jukai ceremony :D (awesome effect there though!)

See yas in a couple hours.

Gassho
Shohei

[Shohei]

Alrighty... coffee is brewing here.
lets give this a try :)
http://www.videoconference.com/?v=ylohVuqL6xpRF9FHkQSVnA

Gassho
Shohei

[disastermouse]

First it wouldn't let me get video because it said I have no webcam.

Then I tried to go back in Safari and now there's no room for me. Why do I bother with this shit?

Chet

[Shohei]

Hey Sorry was worth a try. Skype it is!

Gassho

[sittingzen]

I will try and join the next one, this is a great idea. Have you tried http://www.tokbox.com? We use that for work.

Gassho,

SZ

[Shohei]

Great conversations! Thanks to you all!
Sorry bout my quietness...probably a good thing anyway :) Ill get that mic fixed asap


Gassho
Shohei

[Hogo]

Great and stimulating topics today all of you, thank you so much for the talk. See ya all next week. Hope to meet more new people as well so don't hestitate to join us!
Gassho ~ Dave.

[Jen]

That's noon my time, so I should be able to make it next week. Just need to reinstall Skype on this computer and figure out where I put my head set...

[disastermouse]

Hey guys,

I'm sorry if I was a bit 'out of control' last night - the worse the sleep deprivation gets, the less focused and worse my ADHD gets. If I offended anyone or ran anyone over in the conversation, I'm very sorry.

Chet

[Hans]

Hey Chet,

I can only speak for myself, yesterday was good clean fun. :) Pebbles polishing one another. The heart of all we're doing here is and should be Zazen IMHO, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy playing around with idea-flowers in space once in while!

I'll tell you how the sesshin went on Friday

Gassho,

Hans

P.S. Just don't forget the walnut tree :) shell or no shell...

[disastermouse]

Hey Chet,

I can only speak for myself, yesterday was good clean fun. :) Pebbles polishing one another. The heart of all we're doing here is and should be Zazen IMHO, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy playing around with idea-flowers in space once in while!

I'll tell you how the sesshin went on Friday

Gassho,

Hans

P.S. Just don't forget the walnut tree :) shell or no shell...

Something that you should be aware of that just doesn't come across in my communication style is that I'm often hyperbolic - so when I say things like 'So what?' and 'Who cares?' about the shell of the walnut, I'm not really daft enough to think they aren't important. In fact, they are so important that I DO want to do Jukai, sew a Rakusu, learn Oryoki, and the other 'rituals' of Zen. I just hope that they don't get so much screen-time that the real heart of the practice gets lost...and so sometimes I'm hyperbolic in defense of what, to me, is the heart of the practice.

*gassho*

Chet

[Hans]

Heyho,

don't worry so much Chet. If you step on anybody's toes too much, I'm sure that person would dare to say "ouch"....or others might say "ouch" for him/her.

"Don't worry, be happy."
-Bobby McFerrin


Gassho,

Hans

[Rob_Heathen]

Are we on again for this Sunday? I could use for some colorful language interspersed with intelligent thought, and I am sure I will be drinking tea around that time anyhow...

~Rob

[Tb]

Are we on again for this Sunday? I could use for some colorful language interspersed with intelligent thought, and I am sure I will be drinking tea around that time anyhow...

~Rob

Hi.

Yes.
Always here (or at skype...) (and not two by the way...).

And if you reading this want to join and i don't have your skype, please pm me beforehand and i'll add you to the list.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Shohei]

Tea is being served in 1 min, all welcome :)

Gassho
Shohei

[Tb]

Hi.

Tea is up in 10 minutes.
If you want to join, we'll meet on skype as usual.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[disastermouse]

Did I miss it?

It's 5:30 Eastern.

[Dosho]

Hey Chet,

Yeah, you did...as far as I know it's always been at 3pm.

Gassho,
Dosho

[Shohei]

Hi Chet yeah sorry we missed ya :C. Thanks for joining in Dosho! Very nice afternoon chat all. See you all next Sunday.

Gassho
Shohei

[Dosho]

Hi Shohei,

Yes, it was a very good conversation and I'm glad I worked through my nervousness! Thanks to all and hopefully I'll get to join in again soon. :)

Gassho,
Dosho

[KellyRok]

I hope to be joining you all again very soon. I won't be able to participate this Sunday, but I'm hoping to make it in a couple weeks. I don't have a headset, so I guess I'll have to try getting one. We are moving very soon and will be staying in a hotel for quite some time until we find a new house to live in. We will be refugees for some time.

take care all,
Kelly-Jinmei

[Tb]

Hi.

Just a post to say that we're on as usual. :D
And a reminder that if you want to get in and we've already started, please send me (or shohei) a line so we can let you in on the action.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Shohei]

Hiyas
Icant make it today as ther have been thunder storms all afternoon here and it's taken out my Internet for the time being. Im posting this from my "3G enabled tablet device" literally balancing on the edge of the bathroom sink facing the wall ( techno-pretzel zazen?)to get a bar of cell service.

If things come back up in the mean time I will be right there!!

Gassho
Shohei

Wow what an elaborate plan just to avoid having to do the meal chant ;P

[Tb]

Hi.

Since shohei is out swinging a stick at some innocent ball, i'm reminding everyone that if you want, there's teaparty.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[em]

Hello,
I'll try to join you today.

All the best,
em

[Stephanie]

Was going to join you all this weekend but realized I needed a headset and/or mic. D'oh! :mrgreen:

Next weekend, my folks are coming in for a visit. Maybe by the weekend after, I'll have my shit together... :lol:

[em]

Hi,
I enjoyed talking to you last time. I'll most likely be joining you this weekend too.

All the best.
em

[Tb]

Hi.

THe thought came up that we could have an specific "theme", some sort of ground on which to base our talks on sundays.
Whats your thoughts on that?
If you do have any such "themes" you'd like to put forth please do so, either here in the thread or pm me or shohei.
And of course, these are just for the "frame" of things, things will still be more or less as normal on sundays...

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Rob_Heathen]

I think this is a fantastic idea. Being that this Sunday is American Independence Day, maybe we should discuss the delusion of freedom and what it means to Americans, socially, politically and spiritually.

Just a thought...

Rob

[disastermouse]

I think this is a fantastic idea. Being that this Sunday is American Independence Day, maybe we should discuss the delusion of freedom and what it means to Americans, socially, politically and spiritually.

Just a thought...

Rob

Counterpoint:

The Myth of Freedom (http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Meditation-Shambhala-Pocket-Classics/dp/1590302893/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278103132&sr=8-1)

Chet

[Rob_Heathen]

Counterpoint:

The Myth of Freedom (http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Meditation-Shambhala-Pocket-Classics/dp/1590302893/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278103132&sr=8-1)

Chet

Exactly. ;)

Rob

[Tb]

Hi.

This is the mad hatter, reminding of the teaparty.

We're going to try this topicsidea...
And we'll start with the delusion of freedom and what it means to You, socially, politically and spiritually...

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Jen]

Sorry to have missed the party this week :( Was out enjoying the holiday with family :)

Next week I should have all my ducks in a row to join back in with the fun!

[Tb]

Sorry to have missed the party this week :( Was out enjoying the holiday with family :)

Next week I should have all my ducks in a row to join back in with the fun!

Hi.

No problem, its all good practice.
we're always here, if you need us.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Tb]

Hi.

For those who want to, there's an skype 5 betaversion out.
It features a five-way videoconference for instance.
Link for download (doesn't work mac though, so...)
http://www.skype.com/intl/en/get-skype/ ... dows/beta/ (http://http://www.skype.com/intl/en/get-skype/on-your-computer/windows/beta/)

It would be nice if some of you who participate at the teaparty would download this, and that we could try it out for future use...

Thanks for your practice.
Mtfbwy
Fugen

[disastermouse]

Does it work for Mac?

[Tb]

Does it work for Mac?

Hi.

No, apparently the Beta doesn't work for mac, but it should not be any problem hooking up with macusers that have the old version when someone runs the Betaversion.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Dosho]

Fugen,

Interesting development! If I get some time I'll try donwloading it and see how it goes. Won't be there for this Sunday (my son's birthday) but am planning to join the following weekend.

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

This is the mad hatter reminding about the teaparty.
And a warning for those who join, you might be guinea pigs for some stuff...

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Stephanie]

I'm setting up my headset and joining Skype right now... Skype name ZenStephanie... So how do I get on / where do I call when it starts?

[RyanM]

Hi guys,

Good luck with the tea party. I'm afriad, I can't join this evening but hope to make future sessions.

We have the small manner of the World Cup Final tonight :D

Gassho,

Ryan

[Hogo]

Stephanie:
I usually jump online just before the scheduled time and send Fugen a message, (on skype or PM) I think he usually sets up the calls, then just wait for the call and awnser. pretty easy, though Fugen can correct this if I am wrong, or perhaps changed.
See ya there! have a great day.
Gassho ~ Dave.

[Tb]

Hi.

Stephanie, i've added you to the list.

Since i'm apparently the mad hatter of the teaparty this is what usually happens...
I check who's online at the time and phone them up, if by some circumstance your not in, please give me a call.
That goes for everyone who's not in the initial call by the way.

Then there's some commotion and a short ceremony and PLAY BALL!!

ANd on a side note, since my son ate my teapartypapers, I don't know what tonight's topic is... :oops:
but last week we talked about rebirth and such so maybe we'll rebirth that topic...

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[disastermouse]

This whole thing has become a source of stress for me. I dread Sundays now because I know you'll be experimenting with yet another program I won't be able to get to work correctly.

Is that your intention?

Chet

[Stephanie]

Was a wonderful experience getting to share in live conversation with fellow Treeleafers today.

And the Alice in Wonderland metaphor is no joke, Fugen even turns down the lights and fires up the hookah if you stay on long enough :lol:

The ooVoo thing was cool--made me wish I had a webcam, because it was so cool seeing everyone else's facial expressions and reactions.

That said, I tried to see if we could get ooVoo working for Chet after the "Tea Party" was over, and was able to see him (he couldn't see me of course, as I have no cam) but neither one of us could hear each other on audio. I don't know if there was some really simple fix we didn't think of, or if ooVoo is broken for Macs (I noticed nearly all the posts on the official ooVoo forum were Windows-oriented).

As cool as ooVoo was, I think we should stick to Skype if being on ooVoo means some folks are excluded. Skype seems easy-peasy for all involved.

Either way, I plan to be on next weekend too. I appreciate the efforts to set this up, it helps me feel more connected to my sangha-mates (as Walt Whitman would say, my "comrades") and was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

[Shohei]

Was a wonderful experience getting to share in live conversation with fellow Treeleafers today.

And the Alice in Wonderland metaphor is no joke, Fugen even turns down the lights and fires up the hookah if you stay on long enough :lol:

The ooVoo thing was cool--made me wish I had a webcam, because it was so cool seeing everyone else's facial expressions and reactions.

That said, I tried to see if we could get ooVoo working for Chet after the "Tea Party" was over, and was able to see him (he couldn't see me of course, as I have no cam) but neither one of us could hear each other on audio. I don't know if there was some really simple fix we didn't think of, or if ooVoo is broken for Macs (I noticed nearly all the posts on the official ooVoo forum were Windows-oriented).

As cool as ooVoo was, I think we should stick to Skype if being on ooVoo means some folks are excluded. Skype seems easy-peasy for all involved.

Either way, I plan to be on next weekend too. I appreciate the efforts to set this up, it helps me feel more connected to my sangha-mates (as Walt Whitman would say, my "comrades") and was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.


Yes, I agree... what ever works best for all and with the least amount of intervention. This oovoo experiment was, as said a test to see how it would stand up. Test was a success :D. Sorry it was buggered for you Chet!** My only issues were caused by the storm thats just now settling. wifi and satellite went down so I lost all connect. Anywho, nice to see some faces real or Lego-like :D Glad ya made it Stephanie!



This whole thing has become a source of stress for me. I dread Sundays now because I know you'll be experimenting with yet another program I won't be able to get to work correctly.

Is that your intention?

Chet
**Yeah sorry bout that Chet, Next week we will be testing a unknown windows free ware called Vidz-4-All-Extra-Ad-laiden-Lite, it boasts IRC based chat engine hosted somewhere in Iceland and a Realplayer video codec! Unfortunately the link to the updated codec is broken and ironically the update is needed in order to see OR Hear :D... oh and its windows NT only - so...
:twisted: :D :roll:

KITTING!!

Gassho
Shohei

[Stephanie]

**Yeah sorry bout that Chet, Next week we will be testing a unknown windows free ware called Vidz-4-All-Extra-Ad-laiden-Lite, it boasts IRC based chat engine hosted somewhere in Iceland and a Realplayer video codec! Unfortunately the link to the updated codec is broken and ironically the update is needed in order to see OR Hear :D... oh and its windows NT only - so...
:twisted: :D :roll:

:lol: If you want to see the closest real-life approximation of the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Toons that is possible to be seen, tell that to Chet when you've got him on the other end of a webcam :lol:

[Tb]

Hi.

As always, we're supposed to say something on saturday, but due to life and other such things, we missed (not!)..
but we're still on, same place, same time.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Shohei]

see yas soon!

[Tb]

Hi.

In due order, we're late on reminding of the teaparty, but still the same time, same place.
See you there.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Tb]

Hi.

Just a remeberance, if you want to join in on the teaparty, please pm shohei (or me) yopur skypename (as it usually is on skype) and be on skype at 21:00 (swedish time) or @ 3pm (New York).

See you there!

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Rob_Heathen]

I plan on being there, even though it will be 11:30 at night. My mind is buzzing with all sorts of things to discuss...

Rob

[Tb]

Hi.

Just a rememberance about the teaparty.
Same time, same place!
Everyone welcome.

And hopefully we can get some more swedes in now... :roll:

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Shohei]

Be there with bells on!**


**Note:bells may not actually be on however the enthusiasm will still be on :)


Gassho
Shohei

[Stephanie]

I definitely plan to be there!!!

[Rob_Heathen]

Looking forward to more cheery talks about things like youth-in-asia. Maybe we could talk about embalming this week? :twisted: I am excited, really I always look forward to these group discussions. No matter the subject.

Rob

[Tb]

Hi.

Just a reminder for all those who doesn't know how, pm me your skypename, i'll add you to the list and call you up as the teaparty starts.
If you get on skype after the teaparty starts, just send me a message and i'll let you in.

Thank you for your practice and hopegulle we'll see you there... ;)

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Stephanie]

I just want to take a moment and post the immense gratitude I feel to be involved with Treeleaf and the inspiration I feel in sharing one another's practice-lives here, which is nowhere more acute than during the Sunday afternoon chats. Everyone's practice--with everyone's different styles, lives, backgrounds, opinions, interests, aesthetics, etc.--inspires me. I learn from everyone here. I feel a sense of camaraderie and comradeship with fellow Treeleafers that I didn't come to feel at centers where I sat alongside, and even did work practice with and talked to, folks every day. I think for all the limitations of the Internet, there's a strange intimacy and openness that it brings too. Everything happens out in the open and the whole community can share in it in a way that normal, non-computerized human interaction actually blocks. In "normal" sanghas, there are cliques and social mazes and a lot that goes on behind closed doors. We can all share in one another's experience here in a remarkable way, I find it very life- and practice-affirming. So thank you to everyone for your practice.

[Dosho]

Hey Stephanie,

I'm glad to hear that the discussion today was positive for you and hopefully for the others as well. The last couple weeks I've had a tough time with some of the language and criticisms of people's conduct, but that's my issue and not meant to diminish anyone's practice. It's just not something I deal with very much and my written expression tends to be far better than my speech. That said, I'll hope to see everyone next week and try to speak up some rather than sneaking out the back door.

Gassho,
Dosho

[Stephanie]

Dosho,

I wondered what happened to you. The Tea Party is quite an electric gathering of personalities these days... today was intense in an awesome way. I can only speak for myself, but I assume I probably speak for others also when I say I don't mean to be abrasive. Next time we're both on, let me know if I'm saying something that bothers you, I will respect that, listen and respond. I think we have things to learn from one another.

Gassho,

Stephanie

[Dosho]

I think we have things to learn from one another.

Of this I have no doubt whatsoever. And I'm quite sure it's more about me adjusting and allowing for expression that is outside my comfort zone. I'm certainly not a prude who thinks the use of any "salty" language equates to vulgarity. Some of it is probably the result of watching myself around my kids after the 5 year old caught my habit of saying "Jesus Christ" (which he pronounces as "Jesus Crisis"). However, I tell even him that to absolutely forbid the use of any such words is silly and that if he ever witnessed a plane crash or saw Barney blow up he is perfectly allowed to yell, "JESUS CRISIS!" and won't get any scolding from me. :)

I truly believe there is a time and place for everything, but I usually try to reserve my swearing for the "purple dinosaur explosion" type of moments. However, that's just me and I have to learn to accept how others choose to express themselves. If I ever feel differently during our chats, I will certainly let you know.

Gassho,
Dosho

[Hogo]

Sounds like a interesting chat last week, sorry I missed it,
Should see ya all this week, till then hope you all are well and have a great week :D
Gassho~ Dave.

[Tb]

Hi.

Last chance to sit with the regular guys, next sunday we will be "superpowered know-it-alls" who can [censor] anyone...
Ehh...
Maybe not, but anyways, don't miss the teaparty.

Same time, same place.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Dosho]

Last chance to sit with the regular guys, next sunday we will be "superpowered know-it-alls" who can [censor] anyone...
Ehh...
Maybe not, but anyways, don't miss the teaparty.



"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will..."

-Master Yoda

:mrgreen:

[Shohei]

Fugen... SHHhHHHHHHHHhhhhh.. its a secret >:[

[Jundo]

Hi.

Last chance to sit with the regular guys, next sunday we will be "superpowered know-it-alls" who can [censor] anyone...
Ehh...
Maybe not, but anyways, don't miss the teaparty.

Same time, same place.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

Yes, well, ordination as a novice is to lower 'one's self' to be the servant at the tea party ...

http://www.missvera.com/images/maid_to_order.jpg

In fact, a "humble servant" might bow this way ...

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42215000/jpg/_42215136_queengallery8pa.jpg

But we bow like this, raising the world over our heads so folks have a bridge to trod upon and cross by.

http://www.smzc.net/pics/roshi/roshi_bowing.jpg

Always good to repeat that.

J

[Shohei]

Hiyas

Teas on @ the regular time, regular place, with regular folks for some extraordinary talk :P

Gassho
Shohei

[Tb]

Hi.

Just letting you know the teaparty is at the same time and place.
Always sunday 21.00 (swedish time) always here.

And hopefully we will have some more info on the practicepartner bit to...

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Stephanie]

I have been missing The Tea Party the last couple of weeks because I have been using my Sundays to visit The American Museum of Natural History. Today is no exception, but should be my last visit. The funny thing is, I'm not even trying to see the whole museum! Anyway, I have been missing the Tea Party chats and plan to resume weekly involvement next week as part of deepening my commitment to and involvement in the Treeleaf sangha during Ango.

Gassho, and thanks again to all our wonderful priests who have organized this.

[Hogo]

Hello everyone,
The idea was raised to put a little posting on this topic each week to let everyone know what we have been up to at our weekly "tea party", so starting this week I (or someone) will be writing a brief summary of our disscussions. This will be helpful to regulars of the tea party who may have missed being there, or to anyone possibly thinking of attending yet not sure what it is all about.

It is a great opportunity to connect live with fellow Sangha members via Skype voice. Every week is different and aside from a simple meal chant at the begining things stay pretty informal.
Every meeting is fluid and changing. I have seen topics range from serious and thought provoking, all the way to just people hanging around and sharing friendly or funny stories. You can talk about any subject of interest to you or just hang back and listen in, its all good :) .
I personally have learned much just hanging out with the group, and it is always fun.

As for todays meeting, we welcomed a new face (voice actually) to the usual crowd :D , shared a bit on our Ango experiences, discussed ideas to make the Ango partner selection go smoother, welcomed back Hans who shared news of his trip to Shanghai with us, and spent a good bit of time just generaly visiting and having a good time :)

Do join us for tea sometime, have a great week everyone.
Gassho ~ Dave.

[Shohei]

Thank you Dave!!!

Gassho
Shohei

[Dosho]

I personally have learned much just hanging out with the group, and it is always fun.

Indeed...thanks Dave! :D

Gassho,
Dosho

[Engyo]

Well done Dave!
Or, as Shohei might say, "55Hi".
Gassho,
Don

[Tb]

Hi.

Thank you Dave!!!

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[nadia_estm]

thanks David and all..it was a great time :)

[Tb]

Hi.

Just putting in areminder of the teaparty.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Shohei]

be there with bells on.

Gassho
Shohei

[Janne H]

Hi, I might join this time, have given my skypename to Fugen. Are we using webcam or just voice chat?

Janne

[Tb]

Hi, I might join this time, have given my skypename to Fugen. Are we using webcam or just voice chat?

Janne

Hi.

Voice chat.
Only those that have skype 2 beta 2 can see more than 1 people as the conversation is on...

But we'll see you there. ;)

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Stephanie]

Summary of today's Tea Party chat:

We talked about various aspects of Ango commitments, and our experiences with them.

One topic that generated good discussion was the times of day that people sit. We talked about how people with different personalities, circadian rhythms, etc., might tend to sit more at certain times of day, and this might vary across the population. Some of the people on the chat were "night sitters," some "morning sitters," and even a couple of "noon sitters." We talked about the ideal most likely being to sit both morning and night.

We talked about difficulties with mindful eating, and it was a near universal agreement that people were experiencing more resistance and difficulty with mindful eating than they expected. Saying a verse or verses before eating can feel either self-centered (committing this food to good outcomes or practice) or grandiose (may all beings be nourished by this slice of pizza I am about to eat). And many of us have developed a habitual tendency to eat quickly and/or while in a distracted state.

There was some discussion of fitness practices and dietary choices, different impacts of vegetarianism on different people, eating multiple times a day when dieting or fasting intermittently, and the possibility of incorporating a commitment to regular exercise into an Ango commitment.

There was some discussion of video games, new games coming out and levels of interest in them, and taking a break from video games.

I shared my pastoral fantasy of getting a house with a yard where I could own and raise goats so I could milk my goats in the morning and make my own organic, local goat cheese.

We talked about other pets including cats, dogs, and iguanas, and the appeals and drawbacks of each. Dirk shared that he briefly entertained the idea of raising chickens.

There was a bit of discussion about what role religion plays in our human makeup, reference to levels of religiosity being very low in Sweden and Denmark, and how early religious thinking may have appeared in our human ancestors.

We came up with some Treeleaf t-shirt ideas including "Silence Thread," "I need to go sit with that," and "I need to go shit, sit, and sleep," which was Janne's parting comment :wink: After he left we had a bit of discussion about what it would entail if one were to try to do all those things at one time. We agreed that a padded toilet seat might make that more feasible.

And probably some other stuff too that I've forgotten.

It was a good showing, I think maybe there were eight people involved or so in the chat.

[nadia_estm]

so sad i couldn´t join, but it is nice to see what happened ....sounds like it was fun!

[Dosho]

Thanks Stephanie! :)

[Shohei]

haha that sound ab00t right :D Thank you very much Steph! and all that joined in nice to see so many folks :)

Gassho
Shohei

[Engyo]

Good job, Stephanie!
Gassho.

[Sven]

Thank you for the recap, Stephanie. I had wanted to join this week, but ended up having to work today. Hopefully next week... :)

[Tb]

Hi.

Thank you stephanie and all who joined in to the teaparty.
C u next week, same time same place.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Tb]

Hi.

Just putting in a reminder of the teaparty.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Hogo]

Out of town this weekend, see you all next week. :D
Gassho ~ Dave.

[Shohei]

Will be there, as always, with kids (yeah!! i can fill any dead air with the sounds of my sweet screaming monkey children :))
Talk to ya next week Dave. Be safe.

Gassho
Shohei

[Shohei]

EDITED EDIT will be there.
Gassho
Shohei

[Stephanie]

Sorry I missed it, I was feeling pretty asocial and spaced out. Hopefully I can join you all next week!

[Dosho]

Sorry I missed it, I was feeling pretty asocial and spaced out. Hopefully I can join you all next week!

Asocial and spaced out? That describes me every week and I still go! ;)

Seriously though, missed chatting with you this week...hope to see you at the next one!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Stephanie]

Sorry I missed it, I was feeling pretty asocial and spaced out. Hopefully I can join you all next week!

Asocial and spaced out? That describes me every week and I still go! ;)

Seriously though, missed chatting with you this week...hope to see you at the next one!

Gassho,
Dosho

:lol: I resemble that also, perhaps it would have been more accurate to say "moreso than usual" :lol:

Look forward to chatting with you next week!

[Tb]

Hi.

Just putting in a reminder of the teaparty.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi,

Deep bows to all who joined the teaparty today. Skype dropped me twice without any kind of error message, once before I got rid of the Beta but also once afterwards. Not sure what to make of it.

Anyway, hope to see everyone next week!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi,

Deep bows to all who joined the teaparty today. Skype dropped me twice without any kind of error message, once before I got rid of the Beta but also once afterwards. Not sure what to make of it.

Anyway, hope to see everyone next week!

Gassho,
Dosho

Hi.

A notice for all using skype!
There is some issues still with the skype beta 2 version, and i recommend that you, at least during the teaparty, not use that version but go with the regular one, since it is more stable.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Tb]

Hi.

Just putting in a reminder of the treeleaf teaparty on sunday.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Shohei]

Howdy
Helping my folks clean the flu and stove pipes (im am Chimney sweep!!) so I may be late, or just not there depending on how things go. Ill do my best to make it though

Gassho
Shohei

[Myozan Kodo]

Hi Fugen.
What time do you meet on Sundays? Is it in the meeting hall?
Gassho, Soen

[mydnight]

Sorry I missed it, I got called in to work to do a backup of one of our demo machines (Start Norton Ghost, click Next, and twiddle my fingers for a few hours while waiting for the hard drive to clone).

Gassho,

[Tb]

Hi.

We meet at 21.00 (swedish time) on sundays on skype (please pm me or shohei your skypename so we can add you...) and you're always welcome.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Hogo]

Hello everyone. Just a quick note to catch up on whats been up around the tea cooler.....
This weeks "Tea Party" Kicked off with some disscussion of ango practice, and our experiences with trying the Partner exercises.
The remainder of our time was spent on mostly general social conversation...A little this...a little that :D Always good practice, and great company.
We got to welcome a new voice to the conversation, and a self described "lurker" back to the forums and this years Ango :D
Always great to see new folks about!
Thank you all, see you next week!
Gassho~ Dave.

[Tb]

Hi.

Just putting in a reminder of the treeleaf teaparty on sunday 21:00 (swedish time).

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the treeleaf teaparty on sunday 21:00 (swedish time) on skype.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Shohei]

I was volunteered as Secretary so here is the doin's that were a' transpirin'
Secretary was late, XD, discussed tofurky, eating vegetarians in Sweden, kids, writers block and creative block busting by singing, Chanting in Japanese, mantras, sitting groups, quitting smoking, football, ps3 vs wii vs xbox360 Ango and practice partners.
If i missed something My apologies I will quickly hand in my resignation papers!! :D

Gassho
Shohei

[Dosho]

I think I'll nominate Julia (murasaki) for the full time gig...I think we all listened in awe to her boffo typing skills! :)

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the treeleaf teaparty on sunday 21:00 (swedish time) on skype.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Shohei]

Hiya!
Unfortunately, I will have to miss this one :(

Gassho
Shohei

[mydnight]

Sorry I keep missing out -- It's not like it is particularly early (1 PM my time), however I usually look at the clock and realize that I've slept in and missed it :S. I really need to reduce my Saturday evening caffeine intake lol (bed-time on weekends often stretches to the five, six, or even seven in the morning mark)

Gassho,

[Tb]

Hi.

No problem, everybody's welcome whenever and if ever they want to drop in and join the fun.
Althought we seem to be bad at reporting what took place at the teaparty from time to time... ;)

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Dosho]

Althought we seem to be bad at reporting what took place at the teaparty from time to time... ;)


I have a sick little one home from school today...report coming soon...so, be patient! ;)

Gassho,
Dosho

[Dosho]

Here's this week's tea party report:

We started by discussing the light turn out the last couple weeks and how we can encourage more folks to participate. Some people seem to come a few times and then don't come back. Wondering if there's a way to attract more people. However, that turned into a discussion of finding time in the day to do everything we have to do...so, we all have busy schedules.

Some discussion also of the practice partner exercises...are folks reading them? From others who stopped by it would appear the answer is yes, but not many reporting in after doing the exercises. Others (me included) pledge to try better at doing them.

The high level of activity on the "not killing" thread was mentioned, especially in relation to the other precept threads for jukai. This one seems to bring out a lot of differing opinions, heated ones too.

One person noted they had visited their aunt, a carmelite nun, who has extraordinary dedication to her faith. Can buddhists have such dedication when we are asked to regularly question what we believe (exclamation points rather than question marks)?

We learned that one regular at the tea party lives near "the apple market"...fruit stand or convenience store?

The call ended with one person discussing the lack of hope in her country and left the others with little to say, not really knowing how to respond. But the person in question seemed to have hope!

That's the best I can recall from memory....forgot to take notes! ;) See everybody next week!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the treeleaf teaparty on sunday 21:00 (swedish time) on skype.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Dosho]

Here's this week's tea party report:

Today's call consisted mostly of social talk as it does on occasion, although some matters of practice were discussed. Fugen asked the group how he, Shohei, and Mongen should refer to members of the sangha as ordained zen priest trainees. Some research on the interweb saw a repeated use of "parishioners" among some Western Zen centers, but most on the call didn't like that term. "Friends" was thought highly of by the group, but a note was made to ask Jundo about the topic.

Ango was discussed briefly...is there some reluctance to discuss each other's practice? For some on the call, Ango can be "all the things we'd like to do but can't seem to get to". Perhaps we have expectations that are too high? Or are the goals meaningful whether or not we reach them?

There were some technical issues throughout the call with some not getting connected at all and others having trouble being heard. Much of the call went into discussions of computers, star trek, being a nerd, video games, and determining if one is "jedi-positive". There was also a brief discussion of zen kids books before the call ended, as it was getting late particularly for the European folks.

See everybody next week! :)

[Saijun]

Hello,

It was good to join you, even if I had to leave fairly early. Thank you all.

Metta,

Perry

[Jundo]

Some research on the interweb saw a repeated use of "parishioners" among some Western Zen centers, but most on the call didn't like that term. "Friends" was thought highly of by the group, but a note was made to ask Jundo about the topic.

Well, I would just say "members of the Sangha" ... which includes everyone, from the person who just sat here for the first time today to the teachers and novice priest-trainees, not to forget the Buddha and all Ancestors, the mountains and air and trees. On that last one, sometimes I like "leafers" for our particular Sangha.

I once used the analogy of a ship, in which all of the members are passenger-crew on this same ship we all sail (both passenger and crew at the same time). The job of the ordained folks is to be the cabin boys, bringing fresh towels (cause they have been trained to know where the clean towels are kept) or to be on the bridge keeping the ship afloat and on course (which, in our Practice, is to no destination but right here). All members of the ship, however, are expected to help out and pull their own weight. 8)


Ango was discussed briefly...is there some reluctance to discuss each other's practice? For some on the call, Ango can be "all the things we'd like to do but can't seem to get to". Perhaps we have expectations that are too high? Or are the goals meaningful whether or not we reach them?

Ango is a Practice of wrestling with doing what we want to do, doing what we resist, not doing what we want to do, not doing what we resist. The burdens should usually be set just a little above what we are comfortable with doing, and should include some things we do not wish to do and resist (maybe sewing, work as samu, chanting daily). None of our suggested practices on the original list was set to be so onerous that it could not be done by even someone working two jobs and raising kids ...


I believe that Ango participants should commit to all or most of the following. In all cases, the emphasis will be on increasing ... not raw quantity ... but the sincerity, commitment, vigor and seriousness of what we undertake:



+ Add a minimum of 5 minutes per sitting to however long one's current sitting time, and commit to sit that time - at least daily - without missing a single day. As well, for those who can and whose schedule will realistically allow ... consider adding an additional full sitting period per day to however many times per day one is now sitting Zazen. Whatever your commitment, be realistic about what you can maintain ... and then (absent sheer impossibility) stick with it, without missing a single day

+ Join in each and every 90 minute Saturday Treeleaf Zazenkai, and 4-hour monthly Treeleaf Zazenkai netcast without fail. However, as always, each will be available in recorded form (so may be joined at a time to fit your schedule).

+ Add, if you can, Metta Verse Practice ( viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1199 (http://http://www.treeleaf.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1199) ) and Nurturing Seeds Practice ( viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1730 (http://http://www.treeleaf.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1730) ) to your routine each day.

+ Listen, as possible, to each short (usually 5 minutes or so) 'Sit-a-Long' Talk (to be presented by Jundo and Taigu at "Shambhala Sun") during the practice period, also all available in recorded form to meet your schedule. A special series of talks will be presented during the Ango and Jukai period.

+ Join frequently in online discussions in our Forum of the content and Ango experiences, sharing the ups and downs and middles.

+ If technically possible, commit to meet with Jundo or Taigu by Skype video at least once per month during the Ango.

+ If simultaneously studying for Jukai, complete and participate in each of the readings and discussions each week regarding the individual Precepts, as well as complete Rakusu sewing.

+ Make formal study on the meaning and philosophy of Samu (work practice, the central theme of Dogen's "Instructions for the Cook"), and apply such perspectives and attitudes in your family and work duties each day.

+ Commit to give up one or two items or passions one truly loves during the Practice period, for example, sweets after meals, luxurious meals, cigarettes, television, consumer purchases of luxury items.

+ Commit to mindful eating, and silently or orally recite one short meal chant before all meals (here is one I suggest).

(Hands in Gassho) This food comes from the efforts
of all sentient beings past and present,
and is medicine for nourishment of our Practice.
We offer this meal of many virtues and tastes
to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha,
and to all life in every realm of existence.
May all sentient beings in the universe
be sufficiently nourished.

+ Commit a portion of your weekly income during the period to extra charitable donations (assuming you have the financial ability). We do not accept any "Dana" financial contributions for Treeleaf, as we now have sufficient resources for what we are doing. However, we do encourage people to make financial donations to charities that help folks, e.g., feeding the poor, finding a cure for a disease. Both donations and Samu work should be a bit beyond the point where it starts to hurt. If you have the time, consider extra volunteer activities in your community as well.

+ Commit to sit our SPECIAL 2-DAY ROHATSU RETREAT (to be held online, currently scheduled for netcast the weekend of December 4 & 5) at the culmination of the Ango. Again, it would be good to participate "live", but all will be available in recorded form to fit schedules. The retreat will likely be similar to last year's schedule and content:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/treeleafzen/2 ... day-j.html (http://http://blog.beliefnet.com/treeleafzen/2008/12/treeleaf-sangha-online-2-day-j.html)



For that reason, if one is not performing what one has committed to do (and absent real extenuating circumstances such as flood or earthquake or martian invasian), one must ask of themselves whether it is a failure of self control and will and discipline and time organization. Seriously. (No different for me, by the way, who wrestles the same way with my perpetual diet). One may avoid several practices (not because one seriously does not have the time), but because one forgets or resists.

The good news is that it is not too late to get back on the wagon, by the way. Right today, right now.

There is "nothing to achieve" in this practice, and "not place to go". But that does not mean we can just sit around, being neglectful. One must bring a great sincerity and diligence to this "nothing to attain".

Gassho, Jundo

[Dosho]

Thank you Jundo...

Gassho,
Dosho

[Shohei]

Well, I would just say "members of the Sangha" ... which includes everyone, from the person who just sat here for the first time today to the teachers and novice priest-trainees, not to forget the Buddha and all Ancestors, the mountains and air and trees. On that last one, sometimes I like "leafers" for our particular Sangha.

Yes that sounds about right, natural. When asked about name calling I thought along the lines of ."my friends"... now the this term is being used by others already but i meant it in a far less formal way I mean ... no high or low, low or high, just "yeah my friends and I were talking..." Sangha members works, well i think (of course imho)

Good chat too, thank you Dosho for *posting! I agree on the reset button its never to late to reset (im hitting it right now!) Im thinking it is too easy to, speaking solely for myself here, to write it off to the reset button to many times.

Gassho
Shohei

[Dosho]

I agree on the reset button its never to late to reset (im hitting it right now!) Im thinking it is too easy to, speaking solely for myself here, to write it off to the reset button to many times.

You speak for me as well on that point Shohei, so let's all hit that reset button and recommit to sit! :D

Gassho,
Dosho

[Jinyu]

You speak for me as well on that point Shohei, so let's all hit that reset button and recommit to sit!
And to chant, and to study, and to do samu, ... :lol:

It was a very nice talk yesterday! Sorry for my poor connection... :roll:
Thank you guys!

gassho,
Jinyu

[Shohei]

Hi All
A reminder of the treeleaf teaparty on sunday 21:00 (swedish time) on skype

Please note DST is in effect for some folks so check your time.
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239
US and Canada DST is not in effect until November 7th so the party will start an hour earlier

See you then.

Gassho
Shohei

[Jen]

I am really, really planning on making it this weekend after my ongoing Hiatus. One thing though--I keep spacing out! If Fugen or Shohei would be so kind to message me on facebook if I don't have Skype on on Sunday, I'll bring Halloween cookies to the tea party :D

(ah yes. I am not above bribery!)

[Hogo]

I am really, really planning on making it this weekend after my ongoing Hiatus. One thing though--I keep spacing out!

Ditto!
I do have family in town but I am really pushing for a bit of free time so am working to join you guys this week. Barring any overrulings by the boss (my wife) I'll see you all then :D

[Hogo]

o.k. wrote that post not two min. ago and forgot what day Sunday was.......My daughters Birthday!! :shock: I will be in the middle of a party then :lol: so........ I will really see you guys the Following week!!
Have a great weekend everyone.
Gassho ~ Dave.

P.s. Happy Halloween everyone (those who celebrate?) Is it only a U.S. thing?

[Shohei]

o.k. wrote that post not two min. ago and forgot what day Sunday was.......My daughters Birthday!! :shock: I will be in the middle of a party then :lol: so........ I will really see you guys the Following week!!
Have a great weekend everyone.
Gassho ~ Dave.

P.s. Happy Halloween everyone (those who celebrate?) Is it only a U.S. thing?

Enjoy the part :D

P.s. Happy Halloween everyone (those who celebrate?) Is it only a U.S. thing?

LOL Ill come egg your house, burn a stone bridge if you dont hand over the goods...er to my kids :twisted:
(unfortunately that's the yearly koan round here...How to set a stone bridge a blaze?)
Seriously though good question Dave, I know its common in US and Canada (and confirmed for on scary guy in Sweden) how about others?

Gassho
Shohei

[Dosho]

Hi all,

We have a very brief report this week, both because there was low attendance due to the holiday and I had to leave early:

We discussed the similarities between Halloween and monks begging for food, since both groups have bowls, wear robes, and get handouts. Would the Buddha egg someone's house if they didn't give him "treats"? Probably not. :)

Ango and practice partners were discussed...there is still some resistance to talking about Ango experiences, but as Fugen pointed out, our "failings" are how we ultimately strengthen our practice. If we were perfect, what would be the point in practicing?

Some were taking the kids trick or treating, others were getting ready for parties or just handing out candy, so we decided that's probably where most others were today. I had to leave early due to an impending crisis in the household: My eldest son didn't want to wear thermal underwear under his costume. In the end he wore them and good thing too: It was snowing by nightfall!

See everyone next week!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the treeleaf teaparty sunday 21:00 (swedish time) on skype.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Please note DST is in effect for some folks so check your time.
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239 (http://http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239)
US and Canada DST is not in effect until November 7th so the party will start an hour earlier


Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Dosho]

US and Canada DST is not in effect until November 7th so the party will start an hour earlier

Sunday is November 7th, so DST will be ending overnight for US and Canada...I think. My brain hurts. ;)

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here's this week's tea party report (apologies for the delay):

Much of the discussion was of a social nature, so aspects of practice weren't the primary topic of the day. To that end, the idea of starting a "newbies" tea party was brought up. Ideas were tossed around such as how often...perhaps once a month? What would be the benefit? Would people new to Treeleaf be more interested? Or would it be more attractive to long term folks who just haven't, for one reason or another, felt comfortable coming to the tea party. Same day and time? Ultimately it was decided to seek out any input from our fellow Treeleafers on this (or really any other topic related to the tea party). It was also thought by some that putting matters of practice up at the beginning and then having a more social portion afterwards would perhaps be a better format.

Topics of conversation ranged from adopting cats, to times when we say more than we should to others, Oprah, and a car named Bonkers. I guess you had to be there. ;)

See you next week!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

Just putting in a reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here's this week's tea party report:

This week's call was well attended and Fugen announced a small change in the format. We now discuss matters of practice up front before we get into any issues of a more social nature. It was thought that sometimes having the two mixed together wasn't the best and the idea seemed to work smoothly. Also discussed was the idea of a beginner's tea party that would take place monthly an hour before the regular call. It is hoped that folks new to Treeleaf, practice, or just the "free for all" that is the tea party can feel more comfortable with fellow newbies. As was mentioned last week, any input is very welcome on how to help new people.

Issues discussed this week included advice on kesa sewing, increasing sitting time gradually, finding peace when we drop things (rakusus!) in the mud, sewing like there is no tomorrow (otherwise known as one day at a time), difficulty in maintaining ango commitments, breaking habits, persistent thoughts during zazen, and how to deal with innapropriate speech, both from others and your own mouth!

Hope to see you all next week!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

Just putting in a reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty , 21.00 (swedish time).

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Please also note the Treeleaf beginners mind teaparty, beginning an hour earlier, 20.00, for people new to Treeleaf and people new/not comfortable to the Treeleaf teaparty format.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118 (http://http://www.treeleaf.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118)

For anyone of them, please pm Shohei or Fugen your skypename.

Gassho and Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Tb]

Hi
This sunday we had both an Treeleaf beginners mind teaparty and a Treeleaf teaparty.

Here's an summary of what was discussed..

* Practice- our own and others
* Sitting posture
* Ango
* Practicepartner excercises
* Language
* What everybody do, when not at the Treeleaf teaparty
* ADD/ADHD and Medication
* Stephanies visit at Chet, and his birthday
* Perfectionism in practice and the troubles it brings
* Music and age
* The new Shobogenzoversion and Dogen

Thats about it,in a short concise way, i believe.. :roll:

See you next sunday, same time, same place

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[RodAbbott]

I want to thank Fugen, Shohei, Julia, Chet, Stephanie, and Hans for my making first Tea Party welcoming and special.

Gassho, Rod

[Tb]

Hi.

Just putting in a reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty , 21.00 (swedish time).

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Note: If you have skype and want to participate, please pm Shohei or Fugen your skypename if you haven't already done so.

Gassho and Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[RodAbbott]

Another great Tea Party. Gassho, Rod

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Tea Party report is forthcoming...had to take advantage of a sunny day before it turns cold and rainy tomorrow...I have the muscle aches to prove it. ;)

Gassho,
Dosho

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Sorry for the delay...but here is this week's Tea Party report:

The meeting opened with an annoucement that even though many will be sitting with the recorded version of the retreat, the tea party will go on as scheduled. However, Jundo has requested that only folks who have sat some part of the retreat live attend. A couple people mentioned that they would either not make it or only stop by for a few minutes as they will be sleeping after doing the entire retreat live.

Many topics were discussed, including why more women don't participate in the tea parties (and at Treeleaf and Zen for that matter!), suggested reading from the booklist, various authors such as Norm Fischer and Stephen Batchelor, harvest celebrations, bad jokes, and philosophy (particularly the question of whether it "stinks"). The question was also asked, "If a chicken lays an egg and no one is around to hear it, does it smell like purple?" None of the attendees believed this to be a koan, but perhaps a good start to one.

Once the discussion turned to questions of, "How cold is cold? " and "Is there try or no try?", the gathering concluded. ;)

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

Just putting in a reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty , 21.00 (swedish time).

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Note: If you have skype and want to participate, please pm Shohei or Fugen your skypename if you haven't already done so.

Gassho and Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Nenka]

Many topics were discussed, including why more women don't participate in the tea parties (and at Treeleaf and Zen for that matter!)

Well, I have no webcam and my computer is a 2004 dinosaur anyway :P . We're planning on getting a new machine soon . . . when that happens I hope to check out the tea parties.

[Tb]

Many topics were discussed, including why more women don't participate in the tea parties (and at Treeleaf and Zen for that matter!)

Well, I have no webcam and my computer is a 2004 dinosaur anyway :P . We're planning on getting a new machine soon . . . when that happens I hope to check out the tea parties.

Hi.

You don't need an webcam to join.
Its all audio.
As for the computer, well some people still think you should never leave windows XP, but i had an old dinosaur until recently (when it was stolen) and it worked fine! :D
Maybe we should post some guide to the teaparty?
I'll take it up with Shohei and at the next teaparty...

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is this past week's tea party report:

As the 3rd annual Treeleaf Rohatsu retreat had only concluded a few hours earlier, attendance was light with a couple people that sat live, another who had sat part of the retreat live, and another who will sit it in the coming weeks. There was a discussion of how things might be improved (specifically the layout of the chant book so people don't have to keep flipping around...perhaps a chronological layout?) but also recognition of how much work was put into the retreat by Jundo and Taigu. Perfect.

Perspectives on a few elements of the retreat were mentioned, particularly the difference in the day led by Jundo and the day by Taigu. Different was very good! Oryoki was also discussed: Where to get authentic sets, resources to learn different versions of the ceremony, and getting seconds. One of the attendees, a relative newcomer to Treeleaf, also asked Fugen and Shohei about priest ordination. By this time though the live sitters and the European contingent were getting pretty beat, so the call ended so all could rest up.

Hope to "see" folks this weekend (all audio...no webcam required)!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty , 21.00 (swedish time).

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Note: If you have skype and want to participate, please pm Shohei or Fugen your skypename if you haven't already done so.

Gassho and Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[murasaki]

Today's Tea Party discussion was really good, and I was glad to meet two new Tea Partygoers. Gassho to everyone there.

Julia

[Sloppy_Zen]

Thank you to all who attended yesterday's tea party. I really enjoyed myself and meeting new people. Hope to see everybody again next week.

-Jim

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty , 21.00 (swedish time).

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Also, this sunday we have the Treeleaf beginners mind teaparty, starting an hour earlier, 20.00 (swedish time).
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118 (http://http://www.treeleaf.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118)

If you want to join either, Just pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is this past week's tea party report:

The turnout was very high this week, with most folks staying the entire time with a few latecomers just stopping by to say hello. A high number of the attendees were graduate students taking a break during their finals week who were looking forward to doing the rohatsu retreat or just getting a chance to rest. Fugen started the call by bringing to our attention to a post from one Treeleafer that Harada Daiun Roshi had died this day in 1961. Fugen also asked everyone about their practice. One participant mentioned that his practice has actually heightened since ango ended, with more sittings and reading, and a few of the others mentioned a similar phenomenon. It was speculated that, for some, maybe there is increased pressure from ourselves to sit more during ango which actually has the opposite effect. Another person discussed how they'd been listening to Norman Fischer's talks at Everyday Zen a lot lately and had found them inspiring.

Other topics included the diverse climates we were all calling from, some very warm and others very cold and snowy. One Treeleafer made a return to the tea party after several months, calling from his home in the US, but was soon heading overseas. One of the topics included land mines, both the actual ones that explode and topics that are sensitive in nature...which we seem to navigate successfully. We also discussed the new translation of Shobogenzo...how expensive it is, which version is "better", and how the Nishijima/Crross version is available online, which is especially nice for searching. Then, after a lengthy discussion of the interaction of buddhism and zen with psychology, the tea party concluded.

Hope to see you at the tea party this week!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here's this past week's tea party report:

The tea party was a small gathering this week of recent regulars and a long time attendee who hadn't been on in awhile. There was some discussion of the practice partner exercises from Ango and a particularly active thread on the forum about the possibility of being a priest in both zen and christian traditions. The crazy weather in Los Angeles also came up with one member living through it as well as a discussion of crazy relationships in our personal lives. One person had also recently ordered a Taigu recommended book, "Realizing Genjokoan" and reviews from the attendees who had read it were very positive (I ordered it!). As the call concluded, a few remaining discussed the hope that one would become a regular on the forum again.

Hope to "see" you on the tea party call this week!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

Putting in an early (since its the holidays and all...) reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty, on sunday 21.00 (swedish time).

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

If you want to join, Just pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Also, there will be a surprise this sunday, so....

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is this past week's tea party report:

The call started off with one of our priests in training asking if many folks had sitting groups near them. Besides one of our other novices who had one (two?) going, most indicated that they did not. Both mentioned the biggest issue being regular, consistent sitters. It was thought that many people come to sittings thinking they don't know how to sit, some even still believing that after attending more than one sitting.

There were many questions asked during the call and, as usually happens, there were more questions than answers. One person on the call asked if "successful" people have any reason to sit zazen or if folks who sit are mostly those who feel "lost" in some way, which probably depends on how you define "success" and "lost". Other questions were, "What brings you back to the cushion after time away?", "Can you throw away many of the esoteric practices of particular sects, but still maintain any kind of tradition?", "Can too much study and not enough sitting make one's practice academic?", and "Is it all b#llsh!t?"'

In the end, there was one thing agreed to by all left: Jar-Jar is a very poorly written character. ;)

Hope to see some of you on this week's call!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Geika]

With regards to Jar-Jar...

http://www.redlettermedia.com/phantom_menace.html (http://http://www.redlettermedia.com/phantom_menace.html)

[Jundo]

With regards to Jar-Jar...

http://www.redlettermedia.com/phantom_menace.html (http://http://www.redlettermedia.com/phantom_menace.html)

Hi,

Well, I received a complaint about the content and language of the above link. It perhaps could be more gentle in tone, speech and forgiveness ...

So, I will just leave it at this ...

Let us all send much Metta to Jar-Jar ... he cannot help being Jar-Jar, and Jar-Jar is just who we are ... we may all someday be reborn as Jar-Jar, in a Galaxy Far Far Away ...

Gassho, Jundo

[Geika]

Oops... I should have mentioned that the link was to be watched at own risk. That was why I posted the link and not the actual video. Sorry!

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty , 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ).
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is this week's (much belated) tea party report:

With Fugen off to a family event for the beginning of the call, attendance was fairly light with only a couple folks on for the entire time. All of our priest trainees made an appearance though, including Fugen just at the end. For many it was the last day of holiday break and while it was back to the grind for some, for others it was a welcome return to normalcy. There was some "shop talk", with discussions of practice centers nearby and sutras with incredibly long names. Other topics included rebuilding computers nearly from scratch, Christmas traditons in different countries, flu symptoms, the unfortunate realities of profanity laced childrens' music, and mormonism.

Just another typical tea party! Hope to see some folks...later today!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is this past week's (couldn't get much more belated than this) tea party report:

The call started with some technical difficulties, but after all was set straight we had a good number of folks including some newbies! There was a lively discussion about one participant's practice who was feeling disconnected from the sangha but afterwards much less so. A general conversation followed about feeling "burnt out" at times after making zazen a regular aspect of your life, particularly when we feel like we HAVE to do zazen and then punish ourselves when we don't sit as often as our lofty expectations demand. It seemed to be agreed by many that perfectionism can be a detriment to practice if we don't see all of our imperfect lives as zazen. Some general discussions followed on politics, zen communites and how they deal with "scandals" inside and outside particular sanghas, as well as the many sutras and their meanings and place in our practice.

Hope to see some folks...in about 45 minutes. ;)

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty , 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ).
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dokan]

Will have to miss this week. Hope you guys have a good talk!

Gassho,
Shawn

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ).
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here's this past week's, just under the wire, tea party report:

A new feature added to the tea party recently is beginning with a short sit, which does seem to set a nice tone for discussing matters of practice. We were joined by all 3 priest trainees and began with a discussion of our sitting space. A number of folks have been setting up new spaces which one person mentioned does feel very different than the space he's been using for the last couple years. Some are using spare bedrooms, others what amount to oversized closets. We also discussed the idea of sitting groups which some have begun in their local communities. Most in attendance mentioned wanting to start a group at some point, but for sitting, not prosletyzing.

Hans recommended a book to all members of the sangha: Cultivating the Empty Field (most recent translation by Taigen Dan Leighton) which he found to be a short but very illuminating read. Recent threads on the forum about community service and whether or not it was important to identify ourselves as buddhist when volunteering were discussed as well as the support we receive (or don't) from our significant others. There was also some discussion of the virtues of Netflix as we concluded.

Hope to "see" some folks on today's call!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Hogo]

Hello friends,
A quick lesson this morning on impermanence and paitence for me, as I had this post nearly finished a momemt ago,
and proceeded to (as I have done numerous times before) to flail about and hit Something on my keyboard that made my
browser go back........**Poof**

So as advised by my wife (also numerous times) I am now writing this in word, and I will copy and paste to the post
later.

Anyway here (again) is your weekly report of this past Sundays Tea gathering. Turnout was lighter than some weeks
but a very good and broad ranging discussion was shared on many different topics of life and practice. I was so busy
listening, (and running my own mouth) That my notes were not as clear as I like, so here is a Vauge recolection of
the topics discussed.

After our short group sit, and sharing of personal points of recent practice the discussion moved on to the use of
Internet communications, and how it relates to our practice and the concept of the "virtual Sangha" regarding what
is cosidered real or not when utilizing various technologies to conduct operations and communicate.

We later went on to discuss the differences between Re-birth, and Re-incarnation, and the various ideas associated
with those concepts. This conversation progressed into a deep and a bit mindbending discussion on the concept of
Self, and how it relates to time, and perception. (as I decribed Sunday, it was all very Stephen Hawking type stuff)
Very cool but difficult at times. You never know where these disscusion will go.

As always I personally had a great time sharing with friends.
Till next week may all your little moments of time be well.
Deep bows and gratitude to all ~ Dave.

[Dosho]

Thanks Dave! :D

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

And a reminder, next week we have the Treeleaf beginners teaparty...
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118 (http://http://www.treeleaf.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118)

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi guys,

Just so you know, I'll probably miss the beginning of the tea party this week but may make it for some of the call. Otherwise, I'll talk to you the following week.

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

And a reminder, THIS WEEK we have the Treeleaf beginners teaparty...
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118 (http://http://www.treeleaf.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118)

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Omoi Otoshi]

I bought my wife a web cam for her birthday! :twisted: 8)
(And some other stuff...)

I'll see if I can be there!
I rarely speak english any more, so I'm a little shy. On the other hand, it's all in my head and it's all practice! :wink:

/Pontus

[Hogo]

Hello friends,
Sorry for the delay my mind got a bit distracted this week, but here is a quick report on last Sunday's Tea Party meeting.

As always we began with a short period of Zazen followed by a disscussion period on individuals practice. This went on into a disscussion on some of the difficulties one encounters with various aspects of practice, such as sitting regulary.

Most of the time this week was spent on general practice area topics, sitting, chanting, timers, Iphone apps.
There was also some talk of music and how it can change ones immediate feeling or attitude, and then a disscussion on health and weightloss, the tracking of calories, and different training, diet practices.
Turnout this week was fair, and we had the pleasure of welcoming a new person to the visit (always great to see new people :D ) as well we welcomed back and old friend.

Thanks to all, see you on Sunday.
Gassho.

[Dosho]

Thanks Hogo...I stopped in a for a bit after you left, so I'll look forward to talking with you and the other folks on Sunday!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Myozan Kodo]

Fugen,
Thanks for the Teaparty. I really appreciated it. It was amazing to meet you all and talk to you all. Thank you. And sorry for talking so much ... I think it's a national trait!
See you all again soon I hope.
Gassho,
Soen

[Hogo]

Nah you did not talk to much. :D It was great to meet you, come back soon.
Thanks to everyone for the visit. See you next week.
Gassho ~ Dave.

[murasaki]

And sorry for talking so much ... I think it's a national trait!
I always talk too much...heh, I'm Irish after all! :mrgreen: :lol:

Today's Tea Party was wonderful.

Gassho
Julia

[Hans]

Hello,

thank you all for being there yesterday. It's absolutely wonderful to be allowed to catch/share glimpses of your/our lives and practice.

With all this Irish talk I feel like visiting Ireland once more....there's a time for everything.

Have a great week!

Gassho,

Hans

[Dosho]

It was nice to talk to you Soen for the first time and to see some familiar voices over cam! It was a very good discussion and I hope to see many of you (and hopefully some new folks) next week.

And please keep us advised on that package you are having delivered soon! ;)

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

Last Teaparty's secretarylist

Soens upcoming new kid
Kids
Spiritual posers
Open/closed eyes during zazen
How to sit/posture in zazen
The Treeleaf Forum and other forums
Main talk and such

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Myozan Kodo]

Dear all,
Baby Eamonn arrived at 2am Irish time after our teaparty. Mother and baby doing well.
gassho,
Soen

[Dosho]

Dear all,
Baby Eamonn arrived at 2am Irish time after our teaparty. Mother and baby doing well.
gassho,
Soen

Congrats Da...a new little Treeleafer!!

I expect pictures soon. ;)

Gassho,
Dosho

[Jundo]

Dear all,
Baby Eamonn arrived at 2am Irish time after our teaparty. Mother and baby doing well.
gassho,
Soen

Mazetov! (and old Gaelic word). Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Gassho, J

[Dokan]

Dear all,
Baby Eamonn arrived at 2am Irish time after our teaparty. Mother and baby doing well.
gassho,
Soen

Congratulations! Will dedicate my morning practice to Eamonn.

Gassho,
Shawn

[Hogo]

Dear all,
Baby Eamonn arrived at 2am Irish time after our teaparty. Mother and baby doing well.
gassho,
Soen

:D Congrats!
Gassho. ~Dave.

[Hans]

Hello!


Congratulations Ian, that's excellent news!

Gassho,

Hans

[Omoi Otoshi]

Congrats to your new teacher! :D

[Tb]

Hi.

Congrats!

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Shugen]

Dear all,
Baby Eamonn arrived at 2am Irish time after our teaparty. Mother and baby doing well.
gassho,
Soen

Congratulations!!! Hello buddha, goodbye sleep!

Ron

[murasaki]

Welcome, Eamonn!

Congratulations, Servants of Eamonn! 8)

[Shohei]

Dear all,
Baby Eamonn arrived at 2am Irish time after our teaparty. Mother and baby doing well.
gassho,
Soen


!!
Congratulations!!!

Gassho
Shohei

[Ankai]

First it wouldn't let me get video because it said I have no webcam.

Then I tried to go back in Safari and now there's no room for me. Why do I bother with this shit?

Chet


Because the actual people involved might be worth the effort.

[Ankai]

Dear all,
Baby Eamonn arrived at 2am Irish time after our teaparty. Mother and baby doing well.
gassho,
Soen

:D Congrats!
Gassho. ~Dave.


Awesome, my man!!! Slainte!!

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Myozan Kodo]

Thank you all for the kindness and good wishes. I appreciate it. My wife is impressed by your goodwill: "what a great forum!"
Deep and tired bows,
Soen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is this past week's tea party report:

Turnout was a bit light, but consistent in the members joining from the previous week. After meal and robe chants and a short sit, the discussion turned to matters of practice on and off the cushion. Some reported frustrations with things like cell phones submerged in water and doctors who don't return emergency calls while others had a boring (as in good) week of sitting. Also mentioned was a common agreement that the videos posted by Jundo and Taigu over the past couple weeks have been very helpful to practice. We discussed topics ranging from the changes in the middle east and north africa and how they mirror the events of the late 8os in some respects, how our spouses regard our zen practice, how the end of the week zazenkais seem to come at the "right" time for some, welcome wagons, and oranges for Ango. After about half the participants had departed the remaining folks had a discussion about education and the decision to send your kids to public school or homeschooling them.

Hope to see some regular and new faces at the tea party this Sunday!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Shohei]

Hi all

If you want to join either, Just pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Also, next sunday we have the Treeleaf beginners mind teaparty, starting an hour earlier, 20.00 (swedish time).

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Graceleejenkins]

Shohei wrote:
Hi folks
For anyone who is interested and able, to Fugen, Hans and I are going to make a commitment to sit every (at least one of us!)Sunday @ 3pm (New York) or 9pm (Tibro, Sweden/Cologne, Germany), 4pm (Fredericton New Brunswick) to share a cup a tea. Please feel free to join in.

I'm not sure that you got my private message, because it showed up in my outbox but not the sent box. (As you can tell I am a newbie, and don't quite have the hang of this.) So, I just wanted to try sending it again to make sure you get it. I apologize if it is a duplicate.

Okay, now I am posting directly to the topic, because both private messages stayed in my outbox. (If someone can tell me what I am doing wrong, I'd appreciate it.) Sorry.

I would like to try to join the tea party tomorrow. I just signed up for Skype, and I bought headphones. Could you send me instructions on how to join in? However, never having used either, I still may not be successful in joining.

My Skype name is graceleejenkins.

Gassho, Grace.
Graceleejenkins

[anista]

Hello,

As far as I know, a private message is kept in the outbox until the recipient reads it, then it's transferred to sent messages. So your messages have been sent, but not read.

[Tb]

Hi.

Grace, as Anista said, it stays in teh outbox until read.
I had taken some time off treeleaf, and am only on for posting this and checking everything for tonight so now it should read read... :D

And you're added!

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Myozan Kodo]

Hello Tea Party folks.
Sorry I missed you this week. My wife needed to use the computer.
Gassho,
Soen

[Hogo]

Yes, missed you guys as well, was in the middle of painting the laundry room, should be round next week.
Gassho ~ D.

[Graceleejenkins]

Hello,

As far as I know, a private message is kept in the outbox until the recipient reads it, then it's transferred to sent messages. So your messages have been sent, but not read.

/Philip

Thanks, kind of opposite of Microsoft Office, but that makes sense to me now. Thanks for helping me. Gassho, Grace.

[Tb]

Hi.

NOTE THAT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME HAS BEGUN IN THE U.S. and CANADA (IT WILL NOT COMMENCE IN EUROPE UNTIL MARCH 27th)

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Tb]

Hi.

A short secretary list from the last teaparty
Old computers
Quitting smoking
Drugs
Fasting & Food
Memory & old age
Meditation, shikantaza & Kensho
Sila, samadhi & prajna
precepts
"needy" family members
Perspective on people and social identity issues

And...

NOTE THAT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME WILL COMMENCE IN EUROPE MARCH 27th

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is this past week's tea party report:

Turnout was light this week with only 3 folks at any one time, but it was thought that the time change may have left some people confused about the start time. After our traditional meal chant, robe verse, and short sit we had a spirited and stimulating conversation about a number of topics (Translation: I forgot to keep notes for the first half of the call!). The attendees also discussed their influences on morality and spirituality that some might call a geek fest but that we liked to call a video media influenced coming of age philosophical conference. ;) Seriously though, we talked about the effect sagas like Star Wars and Star Trek may have had on us and who we are today. Some other topics that followed concerned one participant's choice of head attire, the selflessness of mentors, whether one can be "too" happy, perfectionism, how Treeleaf is evolving, and sewing the buddha's robe.

Hope to see some more folks at the next tea party! :)

Gasssho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Shohei]

Be there with rings and bells on :D

Gassho
Shohei

[Myozan Kodo]

Hi. Have a cup for me! Have friends for dinner tonight. Catch you again.
Gassho
Soen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here's this past week's tea party report:

Sounds of Spring were well represented on the call as the birds were singing in Virginia on Sunday! Although one person reported still having a fair amount of snow on the ground. After our usual chants and short sit, it was quite the variety pack of topics. We discussed the December retreat in Brussels, hunting and eating meat, Christianity and morality, metta, political parties that apparently like tea, and the different environments where each of us has lived. There were some connection issues that made it difficult to hear at times, but as usual we had a deep discussion that was seemingly enjoyed by all.

Hope to talk to some folks on this week's call!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

NOTE: There will be some special things happening this Teaparty, so if you can, please join in.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is this past week's tea party report:

In attendance for the call were our original batch of priest trainees in addition to myself and a newcomer to Treeleaf. After the customary meal chant, robe verse, and short sit we moved on to matters of practice. One person described the complex emotions in meeting a blood relative who had been adopted some years ago. It was actulally their second meeting, but first since the adoptee's infancy. Another member discussed how their reactions to life events had changed since beginning zazen a few years ago. Also discussed was the path through Tibetan buddhism taken by our newcomer and his interest in shikantaza leading him to Treeleaf. A recent blog post by a zen priest created much discussion on the forum as well as on this week's call with some voicing strong opinions and others staying quiet on the matter. We then ended with a discussion of Jundo's "Blue Sky" metaphor and what it means for those who have been sitting a long time as well as those just coming to zazen for the first time...all of us beginners.

I hope to see you on this week's tea party call!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Stephanie]

I plan to be there this week. Gassho!

[Graceleejenkins]

Hi all,

Here is this past week's tea party report:

In attendance for the call were our original batch of priest trainees in addition to myself and a newcomer to Treeleaf. . . . A recent blog post by a zen priest created much discussion on the forum as well as on this week's call with some voicing strong opinions and others staying quiet on the matter. . . .
I hope to see you on this week's tea party call!

Gassho,
Dosho

Sorry I've had to miss the last two weeks--life happens. Do you have a reference for the zen priest's blog that was discussed? My curiosity is piqued! Gassho, Grace.

[Tb]

Hi all,

Here is this past week's tea party report:

In attendance for the call were our original batch of priest trainees in addition to myself and a newcomer to Treeleaf. . . . A recent blog post by a zen priest created much discussion on the forum as well as on this week's call with some voicing strong opinions and others staying quiet on the matter. . . .
I hope to see you on this week's tea party call!

Gassho,
Dosho

Sorry I've had to miss the last two weeks--life happens. Do you have a reference for the zen priest's blog that was discussed? My curiosity is piqued! Gassho, Grace.

Hi grace.

Here's the link to the discussion on Treeleaf, the bloglink is at the top there.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3626 (http://http://www.treeleaf.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3626)

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Nenka]

Hey, sorry I left early. I was having a hard time getting (and staying!) back in and I had to get dinner ready anyway. It was neat hearing everybody for the first time! :)

Gassho

Jen

[Tb]

Hi.

Yes, it was nice hearing from u to, even though the connection broke from time to time...

Thank you for coming.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is this past week's tea party report:

We had a good turnout this week with half a dozen sangha members on the call. After our traditional meal chant, robe verse, and short sit we turned to matters of practice. A number of folks reported that either they hadn't been sitting in quite some time or that they were sitting around 10-15 minutes a day. Even though the recommendation is closer to 30 minutes here at Treeleaf, one of our priests in training said that the intention with which you practice zazen is the point no matter how long you are able to sit. Not forcing it was another idea discussed, especially given the fact that life can give you an "uphill climb" at times. Our "special" event, no more special than any other event but still of note, was Fugen talking about parachuting and learning to fly. To know more, you just have to stop by our next call! After the talk the discussions included the different "flavors" of life, how sharing our experiences at the tea party and on the forum is helpful to others' practice, how we can being authentic with ourselves and others' worldviews, one member's time in a monastery, and the reasons we don't sit.

Hope to chat with some folks on the call this Sunday!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Jundo]

Even though the recommendation is closer to 30 minutes here at Treeleaf, one of our priests in training said that the intention with which you practice zazen is the point ...

Just a point of note ...

The "official" recommendation here is "15 minutes to 30 minutes per day, with lots and lots of 'Insta-Zazen ... plus longer Zazenkai, retreats and Sesshin from time to time ... all with good intention and sincerity ...

So, 15 minutes is fine if that is what someone can sit, and if coupled with all the rest.

Gassho, Jundo

[Dosho]

Even though the recommendation is closer to 30 minutes here at Treeleaf, one of our priests in training said that the intention with which you practice zazen is the point ...

Just a point of note ...

The "official" recommendation here is "15 minutes to 30 minutes per day, with lots and lots of 'Insta-Zazen ... plus longer Zazenkai, retreats and Sesshin from time to time ... all with good intention and sincerity ...

So, 15 minutes is fine if that is what someone can sit, and if coupled with all the rest.

Gassho, Jundo

Sorry about that. :oops:

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is this week's tea party report:

This week's group was a small one with three of our priests in training and a couple others in attendance. After our traditional meal chant, robe verse, and short sit (which was dedicated to the father of Fugen's friend slapsko) Fugen discussed a recent sesshin he had attended. After that we discussed a number of topics such as those who claim to have experienced kensho but still seem to be out of touch with their own shortcomings, the effect of environment vs. genetics on how we develp through childhood, personality types developed through themes originally from Carl Jung, and the nature of love and compassion in different religiuous contexts. It was a wide ranging and very personal discussion that can really only be understod by being there!

I hope to see some folks at this weekend's tea party!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty , 21.00 (swedish time).

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Also, this sunday we have the Treeleaf beginners mind teaparty, starting an hour earlier, 20.00 (swedish time).
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118 (http://http://www.treeleaf.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118)
This is an option for those that is new to the teaparty and/or and/or are a bit on the shy side and /or have questions about Treeleaf.

Note: you don't need an camera, just an headset and a skype account.
An option to skype is that we do it through oovoo, that is if everybody feels comfortable with video...


If you want to join either, Just pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is this past week's tea party report:

After our traditional meal chant, robe verse, and short sit we had a wonderful description of one person's visit to a local zen center's sesshin. One of our priests in training brought to our attention some wise words from zen master Fred Rogers that he heard around the neighborhood while another unsui described his recent attendance at funeral services. Other topics discussed were recent activity on the forum concerning password protecting part of it, the corporate culture displayed by some zen centers, motorcycles, kesas, changing times, and the eternal wisdom of the Simpsons.

Hope to see some folks this weekend!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is this past week's tea party report:

We had a slow start due to many folks celebrating Mother's Day in North America, but attendance picked up after awhile. After some chit chat about motorcycles, robots, crazy weather, and mothers the discussion turned to how different people participate at Treeleaf. It was noted that more are practicing here without using the forum than in the past, choosing to interact mainly with the zazenkais, sitting hall, or right here at the tea party. However, it was felt that the forum remains the primary conduit for communicating with other sangha members. Ideas about why more people don't take advantage of the tea party and the live sits were discussed and as well as how we might increase participation. At the end of the call one of the participants was asking questions related to the function of our priests in training and the roles they serve here at Treeleaf.

Hope to see some folks on this week's call...no webcam required!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Seiryu]

:oops: I was sooooo planning to join this week but some how it slipped my mind..urg!!!!

Karma hates me right now... :evil:

Anyway will try extra hard to join next week!!

(That is, if the world is still here I mean.. :wink: )


Gassho


Seiryu

[Dosho]

:oops: I was sooooo planning to join this week but some how it slipped my mind..urg!!!!

Karma hates me right now... :evil:

Anyway will try extra hard to join next week!!

(That is, if the world is still here I mean.. :wink: )

It's not too late...we're still here! :)

[Tb]

:oops: I was sooooo planning to join this week but some how it slipped my mind..urg!!!!

Karma hates me right now... :evil:

Anyway will try extra hard to join next week!!

(That is, if the world is still here I mean.. :wink: )


Gassho


Seiryu

Hi.

You don't have to be there like five minutes before, we have people that join after the ceremonies and just join the talk.
You're always welcome, whoever you are, whenever you join.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Tb]

Hi.

Here's the secretary list of things we discussed this week.

Davids (Hogo's) move.
Getting people doing things on Treeleaf
Prices of groceries
Tomatoes and Bananas have their place...
Diet drinks and micestudies
Troubles while sitting and yoga
Women and Films
Horror movies and bad movies
Internet and privacy
Computergames

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Shokai]

As I have stated before, I'd love to join in but 3:00pm on Sundays is not convenient for me at this time. If that changes I'll be there. Meanwhile, I'll stay with the forum and PMs.
Enjoy the tea folks :)

[Shohei]

Hiyas

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty , 21.00 (swedish time).

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Also, this sunday we have the Treeleaf beginners mind teaparty, starting an hour earlier, 20.00 (swedish time).
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118
This is an option for those that is new to the teaparty and/or and/or are a bit on the shy side and /or have questions about Treeleaf.

Note: you don't need an camera, just an headset and a skype account.
An option to skype is that we do it through oovoo, that is if everybody feels comfortable with video...


If you want to join either, Just pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Tb]

Hi.

Here is some of the topics discussed during the latest Teaparty.

Questions for the Unsui
Kesas
Religion
Finding Buddhism
Finding Jesus
The end of the world
Books
Coloured photos

C ya sundays.

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is the tea party report for Sunday, May 29th:

After our tradtional meal chant and robe verses, we sat for a few minutes and then began a discussion of practice. One person discussed their extension of practice into lawn mowing and maintenance using an old fashion reel mower, bare hands, and the occasional electrically powered tool. Another attendee discussed their reading of a book by someone they later found out to be controversial and a realization that they would not have read the book if they had known that in advance. A general discussion then followed about selections from the book club and reading list including Realizing Genjokoan by Shohaku Okumura. Jundo and Mongen's retreat at Shogoji was also mentioned as well as the recent changes on the forum to make some areas available only to members. Other topics discussed included creating businesses, whether any endeavour can truly be called a failure, parenting, time spent outdoors, particularly by young people, gun ownership, and the possible differences of European and North American representation in the sangha.

Hope to see some more folks at next week's tea party!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty , 21.00 (swedish time).

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Also, this sunday we have the Treeleaf beginners mind teaparty, starting an hour earlier, 20.00 (swedish time).
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118 (http://http://www.treeleaf.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3118)
This is an option for those that is new to the teaparty and/or and/or are a bit on the shy side and /or have questions about Treeleaf.

Note: you don't need an camera, just an headset and a skype account.
An option to skype is that we do it through oovoo, that is if everybody feels comfortable with video...


If you want to join either, Just pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is the tea party report for Sunday, June 5th:

After our tradtional meal chant, robe verses, and short sit we turned to matters of practice. Multiple participants on this week's call mentioned their curiousity if a kesa can actually ever be finished, but were assured that completed kesas have been spotted outside of captivity. One of our priests in training related a tale of washing a kesa that consisted of young children, a bathtub, and kitty litter. Problems with the sitting hall were also discussed, particualy the early adoption by ooVoo of Apple's new O/S that no one is using yet! So, sitting for Mac users may be limited to the backup system for awhile. Other topics included personalities like Brad Warner and Stephen Hawking, efforts to ban circumcision in San Francisco, scholarships to prestigious universities, and the fact that when it comes to some discussions, "What happens on Skype, stays on Skype." ;)

Hope to see some more folks at next week's tea party!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Graceleejenkins]

Dosho, very nicely summarized! :D People will have to join us to see what stays on Skype! Gassho, Grace.

[Jundo]

this week's call mentioned their curiousity if a kesa can actually ever be finished, ... a tale of washing a kesa ...

The Kesa Koan:

A Kesa is complete from the start, before the very first stitch ... yet never completed even when thought fully sewn.

It is never ever soiled though muddy and in need of a sometime wash (and though we strive to keep the stains away, not spill our soup on it during formal Oryoki meals), never grown old even as the fabric wears away with time (and though we strive to keep it in shape as long as we can), never torn though completely fallen apart (bound to happen someday).

In fact, it is ALL THIS LIFE, just like that! 8)

Gassho, Jundo (stepping on Taigu's Kesa tail here :) )

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is the tea party report for Sunday, June 12th:

We had a very nice turnout this week with 10 different sangha members stopping by at some point during the call. After our traditional meal chant, robe verses, and short sit, there was a discussion of wearing rakusus and kesas in public, which then led to the thought that the tolerance for religious garments seems very different between North America and Europe. One of our priests in training talked about getting a sitting group together that may consist of an old group that used to sit in his town. We also discussed the recent retreat that Mongen (Hans) went on in Japan and the pictures and stories he brought back with him. One person offered a link to a local zen center's Vesak celebration complete with very colorful rakusus! Other topics included gaming: console vs. PC, the health benefits of cursing, whether some books on the reading list would make good book club selections in the future, and the shocking revelation that kids don't always listen to their parents.

Please consider dropping by the tea party this Sunday, whether it's for one hour or one minute. We'd love to have you join our madcap adventures!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Tb]

Hi.

The secretary's report from the last Teaparty (as to what was discussed):

Hans trip to a monastery
What do priests do
Sutras
Oryoki
Training in monasteries vs Treeleaf Training
Sewing
The new Bookclubbook
Books on Dogen
zafu and sitting
Teaparties
Plumblossoms
Pots & Enlightenment

Mtfbwy
Fugen

[Tb]

Hi.

A reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is the tea party report for Sunday, June 26th:

We started with a small crowd and added a couple during the call, so we had a nice half dozen sangha members this week. As usual, we had our traditional meal chant, robe verses, and short sit. The common theme for this week's discussion was the tendency to either overanalyze one's pratice or to not analyze it at all, with every level of thought inbetween. Consequently, some felt that there was too little discussion of existenial questions on the forum while others felt satisified to post and read threads, but not be too concerned with such matters day to day. Topics around this discussion included "spiritual seeking", what we as buddhists do when we find ourselves in a church or gathering of another religion, the impact of human beings on the environment, and when easing one person's suffering may seem to conflict with the needs of another. Those left at the end closed with a dicussion of the very controversial topic, "Legos: Permanent or Impermanence?" :mrgreen:

I hope to see some folks at this Sunday's tea party! If you don't come, you'll never know what happens...well, until I post next week's update. ;)

Gassho,
Dosho

[Dosho]

Hi all,

Here is the tea party report for Sunday, July 3rd:

The call this week was fraught with technical glitches for some of the participants, but as we do here at Treeleaf we merely rolled with what was. We had our usual meal chant, robe verses (for the second week with the soulful stylings of Shohei), and a short sit. I missed some of what followed as it turned out that no one could hear me at first and then later when they could it was rather muffled...new 'puter! One person told the tale of their crazy existence of late while we had a Treeleaf newbie who was having some technical issues of his own. Another person had to come in and out of the call while tending to issues of family and, you guessed it, computer problems! I finally stopped trying to fix my issues and just listened while one person recounted their recent time in the hospital and the rather humbling experience of taking care of themselves at home afterwards. This person has described how friends had really come through and how he was looking forward to jukai this year.

In sum, it was the most perfectly imperfect tea party ever...well, since last week and until next week. ;) Hope to see some folks there this coming week and, remember: No camera required! Just you and your computer!

Gassho,
Dosho

[Tb]

Hi.

Here is an record of the things discussed during the last Teaparty:

Counting Breath vs Shikantaza
Fireflies vs Lightningbugs
Books & the Treeleaf bookclub
Roshis, Senseis & Masters
Three pillars of Zen
Enjoying the Teaparty
Buddha & Rebels
Age
Smoking & Nicotine
Sewing
Netflix & movies
Rakusu
Google+

And a reminder of the Treeleaf teaparty ,sunday 21.00 (swedish time (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=239url) ) on skype.
Contains a short ceremony and some friendly talks.
If you want to join, unless you already have, pm Fugen or Shohei your skypename.

Everybody's welcome.
Same time, same place.
Thank you for your practice.

Gassho & Mtfbwy
Shohei and Fugen