This week we celebrate ROHATSU, remembering the Enlightenment of the Buddha who sat under the Bodhi Tree, realizing the end of his long search as he saw the light of the Morning Star. If you cannot travel to a Rohatsu Retreat, we invite you to sit in "retreat" just where you are, with our Treeleaf Sangha Annual 'ALWAYS AT HOME' Two Day 'ALL ONLINE' ROHATSU RETREAT, to be live netcast this coming Saturday and Sunday (or available for sitting any later time when you can arrange).
The two days will include Zazen sitting, Kinhin, Chanting, Zazen sitting, Oryoki, Zazen sitting, Bowing, Talks, 'Samu' Work Practice, and More Zazen Sitting, as in any Soto Zen Retreat, all in celebration of the Buddha's days of Zazen and Enlightenment. Folks will be sitting with us from places as far and wide as Sweden, Mexico, the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, Indonesia, the Ukraine and other places ... all together as a Community, forgetting distance. The retreat is designed to be sat in any time zone around the world through a combination of 'live-live' and 'live though recorded' segments, and one may still join the Retreat and sit-a-long at ANY AND ALL TIME after, by the real time recorded version (no different from the original!). For further details, please have a look here.
One aspect of our retreat is what I call a no where to retreat to" retreat. If life interrupts, if work disturbs, if the children need care and the world cannot be avoided, all of this becomes just part of the "retreat" simply by dropping all thought of "disturbance" and "interruption" from heart. I speak about this in the following talk.
Also, I speak about bringing some of the meaning of Rohatsu home at this time of year for our kids. This holiday too can be a time for families to unite, to bond through doing together, all to bring children into the spirit of the time through the celebration.
The central messages of the holiday ... selflessness, generosity, non-attachment, peace, awakening, compassion, loving kindness ... can be communicated to children in a positive and enjoyable way.
A few years ago, some of our members and I came up with some ideas and events to undertake at home for this Rohatsu, found here. Please try some with your family and let us know what happens.
A PEACEFUL, JOYOUS, CONTENT ROHATSU TO YOU AND ALL SENTIENT BEINGS!
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