September 20th-21st Treeleaf Weekly Zazenkai

Hello All,

Please 'sit-a-long' with our weekly FRIDAY/SATURDAY 'LIVE FROM TREELEAF' 90 minute ZAZENKAI, netcast from 10am Japan time Saturday morning (that is New York 9pm, Los Angeles 6pm (Friday night), London 2am and Paris 3am (early Saturday morning)

... and to be visible on the following screen during those times and sit-a-long-able any time thereafter ...

LIVE ZAZENKAI NETCAST IS HERE:

ZAZENKAI BEGINS 4 MINUTES FROM START OF THE VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hsGVZVvpbE

FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO JOIN TO SIT LIVE WITH A CAMERA, A LINK TO JOIN WILL BE POSTED BELOW IN THIS THREAD. JUST CLICK AND JOIN BEFORE START TIME. 'TWO WAY' REQUIRES INDIVIDUALS WITH CAMERAS, BUT ANYONE CAN WATCH LIVE 'ONE WAY' AND SIT-A-LONG VIA THE ABOVE SCREEN. IF JOINING WITH CAMERA, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR MICROPHONE IS MUTED::

00:00 – 00:15 CEREMONY (HEART SUTRA in English) and Dedication
00:15 – 00:45 ZAZEN
00:45 – 00:55 KINHIN
00:55 – 01:25 ZAZEN
01:25 – 01:30 VERSE OF ATONEMENT & FOUR VOWS

As you can see, our Zazenkai consists of chanting the 'Heart Sutra' in English (the words are at the link below), some full floor prostrations in sets of three (please follow along with me ... or a simple Gassho can be substituted if you wish), followed by our Dedication, Zazen twice for about 30 minutes each, with 10 minutes of Kinhin in between, and we end the sitting with 'The Verse of Atonement' and 'The Four Vows'.

Please join us in the Chanting of the Heart Sutra (although please keep your microphone muted). You can download and print out the Chants we will recite at the following link (PDF):

Chant Book (PDF)

or

Chant Book (SHORT VERSION HTML)

Not everyone realizes that they can join in the Chanting of the Heart Sutra, Verse of Atonement and Four Vows (although we ask that you keep your microphone down). Please follow along with the Chant Book, and let your voice ring!

So, please join us as soon as you can, and we will keep a Zafu open for you.

Remember, when we drop all thought of 'here' 'there' 'now' 'then' ... we are sitting all together!


Gassho, Jundo gassho1

SatTodayLAH

PS - There is no "wrong" or "right" in Zazen ... yet here is a little explanation of the "right" times to Bow (A Koan) ...

https://youtu.be/GR6POpsXh9Q

The other video I mention on Zendo decorum is this one, from our "Always Beginners" video Series:

Sit-a-Long with Jundo: Zazen for Beginners (12) - Basic Zendo Decorum At Home
https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...093#post189093

Good morning everyone,
just curious: when exactly do the full floor prostrations happen ?
Gassho
Myoku
sat

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Myoku

Good morning everyone,
just curious: when exactly do the full floor prostrations happen ?
Gassho
Myoku
sat

---

Because of our hard floors in Tsukuba, and folks watching from home with various health issues, l have everyone execute Three Standing Bows instead after the rundown of the bell at the start, and again after the dedication. l join people in Standing Bows during our regular Zazenkai, except l do Three Prostrations (just me) during our monthly Zazenkai which honors the tradition. You can do full Prostration if you wish, instead of the Standing Bows.

Gassho, J

STLah

Thank you all. I will be sitting this one this weekend later. I am taking my son to a rodeo tonight. It is literally his first rodeo. [monk]

Gassho
Ishin
Sat Today/lah

Hello!

I'll be live two ways.

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

See you all soon. gassho2

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat

My intention is to sit with my Sangha sisters and brothers live two way but my spine is arguing the point with me at the moment after a rather crippling experience in ironing, measuring and cutting material for my Rakusu. Having to do some fast and totally not dodgy unexpected repairs to our ute afterwards didn't help haha. But hey, everyone's got challenges right...
Be kind to yourself and look out for each other.
Gassho
Anna

Sat

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Anna

My intention is to sit with my Sangha sisters and brothers live two way but my spine is arguing the point with me at the moment after a rather crippling experience in ironing, measuring and cutting material for my Rakusu. Having to do some fast and totally not dodgy unexpected repairs to our ute afterwards didn't help haha. But hey, everyone's got challenges right...
Be kind to yourself and look out for each other.
Gassho
Anna

Sat

---

Good job getting that fabric measured and cut Anna :-)

Will be there with bells!

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH

See you all across time and space!

Which for me means this weekend.

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

I’ll be catching up tomorrow about four hours after the rest of you go live :-)

Thank you in advance, Jundo.

Gassho,
Libby
ST

I will make my best attempt to make it live one way but tonight is fall festival for my daughter and I am not sure I will make it back in time. If I do and am able I will be there though. :)

/\ Gassho
Kendrick
Sat/LAH

Intention to go live today. _()_

gassho
doyu sat/lah

Hi everyone,

To join the Zazenkai two way, here is the Zoom meeting link:
https://zoom.us/j/4834831244

If you have not installed Zoom, following the above link will walk you through installing Zoom as an app on your mobile device or as a desktop client under Windows, Mac, or Linux. If you have already installed the Zoom desktop client or mobile app, you can use the link above, or simply open Zoom and join with the following meeting id: 483 483 1244

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sekishi

If you have not installed Zoom, following the above link will walk you through installing Zoom as an app on your mobile device or as a desktop client under Windows, Mac, or Linux. If you have already installed the Zoom desktop client or mobile app, you can use the link above, or simply open Zoom and join with the following meeting id: 483 483 1244

---

Also, here are a few notes and tips for using Zoom that we've learned over the past weeks:

- When you first join, you'll need to choose an audio source (usually you can simply select "Join with Computer Audio" on desktop or "Call using Internet Audio" on mobile).

- When you first join, you *should* be automatically muted (this is how the room is set up, but I'm still not 100% this works as expected -- please let me know if anyone discovers otherwise).

- Each participant can switch between the "speaker view" (the default view) and "gallery view" (a grid / Hollywood Squares / Brady Bunch style view) whenever they would like
-- On desktop, click the "gallery view" / "speaker view" toggle button on the top right
-- On mobile, swipe right for "gallery views" -- only 4 participants are shown at a time on mobile, so keep swiping right to go through different groups, swipe left to go back to the "gallery view"
-- During the Zazenkai, the Doshi (Jundo) should always be "pinned", so in "speaker view" you'll never see anyone else

- You can mute, unmute, etc. with the control bar on the bottom of the screen
-- On desktop, hover the mouse over the window and the control bar should pop up
-- On mobile, tap the screen and the control bar should pop up
-- On mobile, so that your own picture does not take up one of the four slots you see, you can tap for the control bar, then tap "... menu" and select "Remove myself from gallery view"

- The free version of Zoom will only allow you to HOST meetings up to 40 minutes long, but you can JOIN meetings of any length (the Zazenkai, etc.) with it.

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat

Hi all

Will sit this one later as have all my kids to look after with my wife still out of town and I don't think they'll let me sit zazen without jumping all over me [scared]

Gassho Tokan (sattoday)

I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. Bit of a possible medical emergency and I have to look after the kids. My wife could really use some metta her way tonight.

Gassho /\
Kendrick
Sat/lah

Sitting with you all live oneway

_()_
sosen
stlah

Joining one-way today but sitting later due to an unavoidable online appointment. Grateful for the flexibility.

Gassho,
Mui
Sat/LAH

Sorry folks but my internet connection disappeared and I couldn't reconnect to Zoom. In other news, it was just when Jundo was talking about sometimes having to tell people goodbye. I hope that this wasn't a sign from the Zen Buddhist Goddesses haha.
It was lovely to sit (I was lying on my side because my spine didn't feel like propping me up) with everyone this morning. It was also lovely to have a quick chat with Jakuden before we started too.
Be kind to yourselves and look out for each other.

For anarchy and peace
Gassho
Anna

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kendrick

I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. Bit of a possible medical emergency and I have to look after the kids. My wife could really use some metta her way tonight.

Gassho /\
Kendrick
Sat/lah

---

Metta to your wife my friend.
May everything your family is experiencing pass peacefully.
Gassho
Anna

Thank you.

Jundo, several years ago a neighboring Buddhist in Deming where I picked up you and your son did a play about “Mr Agula” and engaged the audience in how judgement should be rendered. Forgiveness? I remember not feeling alot of empathy for him that night :) so was glad when he passed me by and asked others!

Doshin
St

Thanks all. Everything changes, tonight plans to go to rodeo [monk]
Gassho
Ishin
Sat Today/ lah

Lovely, and thank you for the teaching, Jundo -- very healing tonight.

gassho2
kim
st

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kendrick

I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. Bit of a possible medical emergency and I have to look after the kids. My wife could really use some metta her way tonight.

Gassho /\
Kendrick
Sat/lah

---

Metta for your wife and you/family.

gassho
kim
st

Thank you, Jundo, Jakuden, and everyone. It was a lovely zazenkai. I appreciated the talk on patience, forgiveness, yet knowing when to say good-bye.

Gassho,
Onkai
Sat

As it turns out, the appointment will be later, so I got to sit with you live, after all. Thank you, Treeleaf. Special Metta for those who are going through difficulty.

Gassho,
Mui
Sat/LAH

Thank you all for sharing in practice. May we all find patience and forgiveness at easy reach.

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thank you Jundo and everyone, yes very timely talk for me on multiple fronts! Sorry about the muting/unmuting gaffe at the end, I had muted because of noise in my house and then forgot. Metta to all.

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH

Thank you Jundo, Jakuden and everyone. Good and timely talk gassho2

Quote:

---

I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. Bit of a possible medical emergency and I have to look after the kids. My wife could really use some metta her way tonight.

Gassho /\
Kendrick
Sat/lah

---

Metta to you and yours, Kendrick [gassholook]

Gassho
Washin
ST

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kendrick

I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. Bit of a possible medical emergency and I have to look after the kids. My wife could really use some metta her way tonight.

Gassho /\
Kendrick
Sat/lah

---

Much Metta to your wife, I hope all is ok!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Anna

Sorry folks but my internet connection disappeared and I couldn't reconnect to Zoom. In other news, it was just when Jundo was talking about sometimes having to tell people goodbye. I hope that this wasn't a sign from the Zen Buddhist Goddesses haha.
It was lovely to sit (I was lying on my side because my spine didn't feel like propping me up) with everyone this morning. It was also lovely to have a quick chat with Jakuden before we started too.
Be kind to yourselves and look out for each other.

For anarchy and peace
Gassho
Anna

---

So nice to chat with you too Anna, and thank you for being so gracious about being teased a little bit :-D I hope your back feels better.

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH

It was a pleasure to sit with you all. Thank you, Jundo, for the reminder to be patient with others as we are always changing, changing :)

Gassho,
Sen
SatToday

Thank you, Jundo, Jakuden, and everyone. _()_

gassho
doyu sat/LAH today

Thank you all. Will be joining later, just finished work. :) Metta toward Kendrick's wife, I hope all is well.

Gassho

Sat today lah

Today's Zazenkai is dedicated to Kendrick's wife, and all those we love who suffer.

Gassho, J

STLah

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sekishi

Also, here are a few notes and tips for using Zoom that we've learned over the past weeks:

- When you first join, you'll need to choose an audio source (usually you can simply select "Join with Computer Audio" on desktop or "Call using Internet Audio" on mobile).

- When you first join, you *should* be automatically muted (this is how the room is set up, but I'm still not 100% this works as expected -- please let me know if anyone discovers otherwise).

- Each participant can switch between the "speaker view" (the default view) and "gallery view" (a grid / Hollywood Squares / Brady Bunch style view) whenever they would like
-- On desktop, click the "gallery view" / "speaker view" toggle button on the top right
-- On mobile, swipe right for "gallery views" -- only 4 participants are shown at a time on mobile, so keep swiping right to go through different groups, swipe left to go back to the "gallery view"
-- During the Zazenkai, the Doshi (Jundo) should always be "pinned", so in "speaker view" you'll never see anyone else

- You can mute, unmute, etc. with the control bar on the bottom of the screen
-- On desktop, hover the mouse over the window and the control bar should pop up
-- On mobile, tap the screen and the control bar should pop up
-- On mobile, so that your own picture does not take up one of the four slots you see, you can tap for the control bar, then tap "... menu" and select "Remove myself from gallery view"

- The free version of Zoom will only allow you to HOST meetings up to 40 minutes long, but you can JOIN meetings of any length (the Zazenkai, etc.) with it.

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat

---

For technology challenged folk like myself I really really REALLY appreciate the clear and easy (for me) tips. And thanks to yourself and others who keep the Treeleaf cogs turning.
Gassho
Anna

stlah

Thank you everyone!
Metta to all, suffering.
Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kendrick

I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. Bit of a possible medical emergency and I have to look after the kids. My wife could really use some metta her way tonight.

Gassho /\
Kendrick
Sat/lah

---

Metta to your wife and all those suffering from health and the struggles that ensue.

Gassho
Ishin
Sat today/lah

Thank you everyone. I sat with you this morning.

Jundo’s talk about how people change was apropos. Today right after sitting Zazenkai I went to have coffee with my brother. My relationship with my brother has been hit and miss over the years including a period of about 10 years where he just completely withdrew from me and my wife. More recently he’s been much more engaged.

gassho2
Tairin
Sat today and lah

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kendrick

I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. Bit of a possible medical emergency and I have to look after the kids. My wife could really use some metta her way tonight.

Gassho /\
Kendrick
Sat/lah

---

Metta for your wife and family.


Thanks, everyone, for the sit.

The talk made me think of my mother. She's getting . . . older, and I worry about her and how she's changing. She's also stubborn as an ox and sometimes I struggle to have patience with her. It's become part of my practice, I guess.

Gassho

Nenka

ST

Nenka,

I also struggle to find patience with my grandmother sometimes. She is also very stubborn with a streak of passive aggressive. As Fugen used to say, it's all good practice.

At least, I think it was Fugen who used to say that all the time. Either way, I am adopting it!

Gassho and much metta

Sat today, lah

Geika,

Yup, that was textbook Fugen!

My mother's living in a crumbling house in a deteriorating Chicago neighborhood by herself. People ask me why I don't try to get her to move. I can't even get her to throw out a jar of peanut butter that expired in 2008, what am I supposed to do? I'm lucky at least I have a few friends still living in the old neighborhood that could check up on her. Also, since we had a very hot summer, the police were doing wellness checks on seniors and they still give her a call from time to time (and show up at her door when her phone line doesn't work because she had modem troubles for like a month before she got it fixed.) So it's not all bad. Just frustrating. :)

Gassho

Nenka

The story I referenced and stumbled on the name ...

Angulimala

Quote:

---

The name Angulimala literally means "necklace of fingers". Before Angulima's conversion to Buddhism, he was on a deluded quest to kill one thousand people ... but instead the Buddha was able to persuade Angulima to give up his negative actions. Angulima became a disciple of Buddha and eventually reached arhathood.

---

https://encyclopediaofbuddhism.org/wiki/Angulimala

And sometimes the Buddha told someone not to come back, and they were expelled from the Ordained Sangha, although even then ... I bet the door would have been open if there had been real change. Sex, stealing, killing and claiming levels of attainment that one dd not deserve were the most serious offences in the Buddha's Sangha. For example ...

Quote:

---

If a bhikkhu, with an intention of theft, takes away others' possessions, has at the time and on the spot of the theft a minimum value of a quarter of the currency used during the Buddha's time (1.06 grams of gold + 1.06 grams of silver + 2.12 grams of copper, so approximately 10 euros in 2002 - 9,50), he looses his status as a bhikkhu for life.

---

The rules also made various exceptions, such as stealing food to save the life of someone who is starving perhaps.

We will reflect on some of these actions, such as killing and misusing sexuality, in our Precept reflections.

Gassho, J

STLah

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jundo

Today's Zazenkai is dedicated to Kendrick's wife, and all those we love who suffer.

Gassho, J

STLah

---

Jundo, thank you so much. /\ Everyone, thank you for the massive amount of kindness our way. /\

Update for today: We ended up going to the ER, and I'm very thankful for my parents who watched our kids while we did so. After several tests and checks, and several nurses' and doctors' help all seems to be OKAY! Or at least it wasn't the terrible outcome we had expected and only some minor/moderate issues. Much better than expected since the previous two times of such scenario ended with very bad outcomes. We just got home about an hour ago and are feeling very grateful tonight. I'm keeping in mind tonight all of the others facing troubles that didn't have such good news and that are feeling scared, helpless, or defeated. I will sit this zazenkai as soon as I get the chance with what remains of the weekend and will dedicate my practice to them.

Gassho
Kendrick
Sat/Lah

Kendrick, so glad to hear that all is (mostly) well. Hope you all are resting well now. Thanks for the update! Metta gassho2

Gassho
Byōkan
sat + lah

Sat the zazenkai at home, very peaceful, may all beings share that peace

Gassho, Tokan

sat

Thank you everyone for your practice,
Gassho
Myoku
sat

Gassho to all.
May all beings be at peace.

Gassho
Heisoku
stlah

_/\_ Jundo
_/\_ Jakuden

bowing to all

Anne

~lahst~

Gassho to all after sitting with you on this spring morning.

dean
sattoday

Just sat this Zazenkai.
Thank you for your practice everyone and have a good week!

Gassho,

大哲