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Thread: Rakusu Network and Fukudenkai

  1. #1

    Rakusu Network and Fukudenkai

    As we welcome a new group of dharma sisters and brothers, we would like to invite them to join us in continuing sewing practice.

    On occasion we have members who would like to take Jukai but are unable to sew a rakusu, in these cases one is sewn for them by another member. If you have already sewn a rakusu please consider joining the Rakusu Network. This is a group of people who if the need arises would volunteer to sew a rakusu for someone else.

    How it works:

    A few weeks after Jukai is announced, Jundo will let Ongen and myself know if there is any need for a rakusu to be sewn. We will send out an announcement to volunteers who are closest geographically to see if anyone is available to sew at that time. The volunteer will be responsible for sewing along in the rakusu sew-a-long forum and completing the rakusu with all approvals. At the end Jundo will send the panel and bloodline documents to you. Then after attaching panel, you will forward the rakusu to the participant.

    In the spirit of faceless giving and receiving you will not know who you are sewing for until the end of the project. Our hope is that we will have people all over the world ready to sew, so that the rakusu won't have to travel as far and won't have expensive postage and long shipping times.

    If you would like to join please comment here or PM Ongen or myself.

    Additionally in an effort to continue the sewing practice beyond just Ango, we will be continuing regularly scheduled Fukudenkais. Currently there is a session on Tuesdays at 8:30 PM GMT+1 and we will be adding another on Wednesdays, at 6:30 PM PST GMT -8.

    Sewing is part of the practice here at Treeleaf, so we hope you will continue.

    Don't know what else to sew? What about a case for the rakusu (Here) or a set of Oryoki clothes (Here). Zafu or zabuton, blankets for the homeless shelters. Google and see what useful items you could make with your new skills.

    Gassho,

    Shoka
    sattoday

  2. #2
    I really need to sew! The kesa has been a lesson in speedbumps. Sewing with the group sounds lovely. My work schedule seems to be changing every week, but hopefully I can start to overcome my shyness and join some live events around here.

    Thank you for the update, Shoka, gassho.

    Sat today
    求道芸化 Kyūdō Geika
    I am just a priest-in-training, please do not take anything I say as a teaching.

  3. #3
    Mp
    Guest
    This is wonderful Shoka and will participate when I can. =)

    Gassho
    Shingen

    #sattoday

  4. #4
    Ah, my first instinct is to jump right in and volunteer, but when I look at my Rakusu, I see all the errors and imperfections and think, who would want a Rakusu with all those crooked stitches and messy chalk lines.... ??

    Gassho,
    Sierra
    SatToday

  5. #5
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Sierra529 View Post
    Ah, my first instinct is to jump right in and volunteer, but when I look at my Rakusu, I see all the errors and imperfections and think, who would want a Rakusu with all those crooked stitches and messy chalk lines.... ??

    Gassho,
    Sierra
    SatToday
    Perfectly imperfect, sounds perfect to me. =)

    Gassho
    Shingen

    #sattoday

  6. #6
    Treeleaf Priest / Engineer Sekishi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Virginia, USA
    You walked right into that one Sierra! ^_^

    Gassho,
    Sekishi
    Sekishi | 石志 | He/him | Better with a grain of salt, but best ignored entirely.

  7. #7
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Sekishi View Post
    You walked right into that one Sierra! ^_^

    Gassho,
    Sekishi
    =) *hehehe*

    Gassho
    Shingen

    #sattoday

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Sierra529 View Post
    Ah, my first instinct is to jump right in and volunteer, but when I look at my Rakusu, I see all the errors and imperfections and think, who would want a Rakusu with all those crooked stitches and messy chalk lines.... ??

    Gassho,
    Sierra
    SatToday
    Sierra,

    I did a rakusu with white thread and continually thought, "OMG! I have to tear those out." I probably redid enough stitches on that one to make another rakusu. But the process taught me an important lesson.

    I had a running coach who always said, "don't sign-up or rule out doing a marathon right after you have finished one." He said it took time after finishing something like that before deciding to do another.

    See how you feel in a couples weeks. We'll still be here sewing.

    Gassho,
    Shoka

    sattoday

  9. #9
    Nindo
    Guest
    I would like to be a volunteer on stand by. My fingers were itching during this ango.

    Gassho
    Nindo
    sattoday

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Sekishi View Post
    You walked right into that one Sierra! ^_^

    Gassho,
    Sekishi
    Ya I sure did! lol

    Quote Originally Posted by Shoka View Post
    Sierra,

    I did a rakusu with white thread and continually thought, "OMG! I have to tear those out." I probably redid enough stitches on that one to make another rakusu. But the process taught me an important lesson.

    I had a running coach who always said, "don't sign-up or rule out doing a marathon right after you have finished one." He said it took time after finishing something like that before deciding to do another.

    See how you feel in a couples weeks. We'll still be here sewing.

    Gassho,
    Shoka

    sattoday
    Good advice. In the meantime, Dosho lives just down the road from me, relatively speaking, so he would be a much better choice anyway

    Gassho,
    Sierra
    SatToday

  11. #11
    Awesome, Shoka!

    Please add my name for volunteer rakusu sewing. I'd be really happy to sew for someone.

    Gassho
    Lisa
    sat today

  12. #12
    Great idea, Shoka.

    I'd like to be a Rakusu sewing volunteer in the area of need.
    Never knew I might turn out to be an able sewer and could even like the whole thing.
    I'll be happy to sew for other members.

    Gassho
    Sergey
    sat-today
    Last edited by Washin; 01-11-2016 at 07:16 AM.

  13. #13
    In the meantime I'm near to finish with my Oryoki clothes

  14. #14
    Great to see enthousiastic reactions
    Thank you all!

    Ongen

    Sat Today
    Ongen (音源) - Sound Source

  15. #15
    but when I look at my Rakusu, I see all the errors and imperfections and think, who would want a Rakusu with all those crooked stitches and messy chalk lines.... ??
    I can relate - I used to work on a second rakusu during Tuesday Fukudenkai, a twin to the first one, and I am full of self-criticism.

    The Jukai rakusu I received from Jundo has imperfections, but I love it as it is.

    But sewing for another person feels more difficult. Good practice

    Please add me for my area or wherever needed.

    Gassho,
    Jika / Danny
    治 Ji
    花 Ka

  16. #16
    Please add me to your list.

    Gassho

    Nanto/Clarisse
    Sat2Day

  17. #17
    Please count me in. This is a great idea.I have sewn rakasu and okesa not great or badly!
    Gassho Heisoku
    Sat today

    Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk
    Heisoku 平 息
    Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home. (Basho)

  18. #18
    Thank you to all the volunteers! So wonderful to see so many ready to sew.

    Gassho,

    Shoka
    sattoday

  19. #19
    Member Taikai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Fogelsville, SE Pennsylvania
    I really enjoyed sewing my rakusu and would be very happy to volunteer to sew one for someone who is unable to do so.

    Gassho, Taikai/Jennifer
    Sat today

  20. #20
    Hi all,

    I'm now having a thought to begin sewing Zagu - the bowing mat.
    What kind of fabric would you recommend based on your experience
    and what are the colors allowable in our Tradition?

    Thank you.

    Gassho
    Sergey
    sat-today

  21. #21
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Washin View Post
    Hi all,

    I'm now having a thought to begin sewing Zagu - the bowing mat.
    What kind of fabric would you recommend based on your experience
    and what are the colors allowable in our Tradition?

    Thank you.

    Gassho
    Sergey
    sat-today
    Hello Washin,

    Wonderful ... the fabric can be the same that you used to sew your rakusu. You can use the same colour for the En, Joro, and Tekko (center panel, but not all zagus have this, so I leave it up to you), and then use white for the inner section. The Katagiri PDF has some measurements as well.

    Let me know if you have any questions.

    Gassho
    Shingen

    #sattoday

  22. #22
    Thank you so much, Shingen. All clear.
    The next journey begins...

    Gassho
    Washin
    sat-today

  23. #23
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Washin View Post
    Thank you so much, Shingen. All clear.
    The next journey begins...

    Gassho
    Washin
    sat-today
    Up Up and away ....

    Gassho
    Shingen

    #sattoday

  24. #24
    Ahhh... bowing mat. I get it now. I have often seen those in videos and wondered if it was something like a kesa of another sort...

    Gassho,
    sat today
    求道芸化 Kyūdō Geika
    I am just a priest-in-training, please do not take anything I say as a teaching.

  25. #25
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Geika View Post
    Ahhh... bowing mat. I get it now. I have often seen those in videos and wondered if it was something like a kesa of another sort...

    Gassho,
    sat today
    Actually ... don't tell anyone ... it is the Zen version of the flying magic carpet. =)

    CarpetBig2.jpg

    Gassho
    Shingen

    #sattoday

  26. #26
    Oooh! I want one! I must have one :P
    But first many more stitches....

    Gassho
    Ongen
    Sat Today
    Ongen (音源) - Sound Source

  27. #27
    Shoka, put me down as a volunteer for sewing too.
    _/st\_ Shinzan

  28. #28
    I'm late to this thread... so to speak.
    I'm considering sewing the bowing mat. Does anyone know the process for using one? My guess is that there is a ritualized way. Would love to learn more about it. And as for colors, would the bottom be the same color as the top? I saw a picture somewhere and I think it showed white... Which seems odd to me.

    Gassho,
    Entai
    Sitting Soon

    泰 Entai (Bill)
    "this is not a dress rehearsal"

  29. #29
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Entai View Post
    I'm late to this thread... so to speak.
    I'm considering sewing the bowing mat. Does anyone know the process for using one? My guess is that there is a ritualized way. Would love to learn more about it. And as for colors, would the bottom be the same color as the top? I saw a picture somewhere and I think it showed white... Which seems odd to me.

    Gassho,
    Entai
    Sitting Soon
    Hello Entai,

    Yes, the Zagu (bowing cloth) is used when doing prostration so to keep the kesa from getting soiled or touching the ground. Both priests and lay people (who have sewn a kesa) use them. As I know there are two schools for sewing the Zagu, the Sotoshu and the Nyoho-e - the Sotoshu is usually black/white or brown/white ... the Nyoho-e can vary in colour. Usually the Sotoshu has a white bottom along with the "Kagami" the top middle section. The "En" (frame) and the "Joro" (four small corners) are either black of brown (for Dharma Transmitted). In the Nyoho-e I have seen them one solid colour like a rakusu or the combination of colour, such as black/white.

    Here is a snapshot from the Tomoe Katagiri document (this is the Sotoshu style). I hope this little bit helps, but if you want to learn please let me know. =)

    Screen Shot 2016-04-25 at 2.43.11 PM.jpg

    Here are some more photos

    a20791c13d53835c83e60d_m.jpg 6.jpg

    Gassho
    Shingen

    s@today
    Last edited by Mp; 04-25-2016 at 09:58 PM.

  30. #30
    Shingen,
    Thank you! I haven't sewn a Kesa and honestly don't know if I'm up to the challenge. I'm feeling the urge to pick up a needle again. It's been a while since the Rakusu. I do like the idea of sewing as practice. I learned a lot about myself with the Rakusu. I'll have to think it over before I start anything, but I really appreciate the information!

    Gassho, Entai

    泰 Entai (Bill)
    "this is not a dress rehearsal"

  31. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by Entai View Post
    Shingen,
    Thank you! I haven't sewn a Kesa and honestly don't know if I'm up to the challenge. I'm feeling the urge to pick up a needle again. It's been a while since the Rakusu. I do like the idea of sewing as practice. I learned a lot about myself with the Rakusu. I'll have to think it over before I start anything, but I really appreciate the information!

    Gassho, Entai
    Entai,

    Do you have any interest in oryoki? You could sew the clothes for a set.

    Shugen is currently doing oryoki meetings so you could put them to use right away.

    If you are interested there is a link to instructions in the first post.

    Gassho,
    Shoka
    sattoday

    Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

  32. #32
    I've been following the oryoki group. I am enjoying the process. I may try sewing the cloths. Thank you for the suggestion!

    Gassho, Entai
    #SatToday

    泰 Entai (Bill)
    "this is not a dress rehearsal"

  33. #33
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Shoka View Post
    Do you have any interest in oryoki? You could sew the clothes for a set.
    Yes, this is a great suggestion ... or if you really are itching, you can always sew another rakusu for yourself or donate it to someone else. =)

    Just some thoughts.

    Gassho
    Shingen

    s@today

  34. #34
    Sewing for someone else will do a number on my anxiety and fear of screwing up. But who knows... in time.

    Gassho.

    泰 Entai (Bill)
    "this is not a dress rehearsal"

  35. #35
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Entai View Post
    Sewing for someone else will do a number on my anxiety and fear of screwing up. But who knows... in time.

    Gassho.
    Because it is coming from your heart, you can never screw up. =)

    Gassho
    Shingen

    s@today

  36. #36
    Treeleaf Priest / Engineer Sekishi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Virginia, USA
    Quote Originally Posted by Shingen View Post
    Because it is coming from your heart, you can never screw up.
    !!!

    Nine bows,
    Sekishi
    Sekishi | 石志 | He/him | Better with a grain of salt, but best ignored entirely.

  37. #37
    Because it is coming from your heart, you can never screw up. =)


    Washin
    sat today

  38. #38
    Hi.

    Just saying that if anyone needs fabric cut for the kesa, let me know, i'll get the great wad of cloth out and cut some pieces for a couple of kesas a little at a time, as life permits here, and i can cut some more if you are in no hurry to get it soon.

    Ps. before you send an pm to me plz make clear that you are clear to sew one with Shingen.


    Mtfbwy
    Fugen

    #Sat2day
    Life is our temple and its all good practice
    Blog: http://fugenblog.blogspot.com/

  39. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by Shingen View Post
    Because it is coming from your heart, you can never screw up. =)

    Gassho
    Shingen

    s@today
    Gassho, Entai

    泰 Entai (Bill)
    "this is not a dress rehearsal"

  40. #40
    Ok, so I decided to make two drying cloths for my oryoki set, which has a nice napkin and utensil bag already. Just something to start with. I've been looking at pictures of the Kesa. I think that would be a long journey, since time is sparse these days and my skills have a lot to be desired. Will have to give it some consideration before asking for approval. Shingen, are you the go to person for Kesas?

    Gassho, Entai
    #SatToday

    泰 Entai (Bill)
    "this is not a dress rehearsal"

  41. #41
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Entai View Post
    Ok, so I decided to make two drying cloths for my oryoki set, which has a nice napkin and utensil bag already. Just something to start with. I've been looking at pictures of the Kesa. I think that would be a long journey, since time is sparse these days and my skills have a lot to be desired. Will have to give it some consideration before asking for approval. Shingen, are you the go to person for Kesas?

    Gassho, Entai
    #SatToday
    That sounds like a wonderful option Entai. =)

    If you decide to sew the kesa permission comes from Jundo and access to the kesa sewing thread. There are lost of resources there and some wonderful folks. I do oversee that section, but anyone here can answer any questions you may have ... we have some talented folks. =)

    Gassho
    Shingen

    s@today

  42. #42
    Thank you!

    Gassho, Entai

    泰 Entai (Bill)
    "this is not a dress rehearsal"

  43. #43
    If the rakusu network is still around I'd like to join. I'm happy to sew whatever people might need should the need arise.

    Nanrin (Southern Forest)

    Sat

  44. #44
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Nanrin View Post
    If the rakusu network is still around I'd like to join. I'm happy to sew whatever people might need should the need arise.

    Nanrin (Southern Forest)

    Sat
    Hey Nanrin,

    Yes we still do, here is the address here: https://www.treeleaf.org/now/go.php?l=sewing-room

    Now this is not an everyday thing and best to post if you are going to sew, then others may join in with you. Today as an example Doyu and I sewed together ... I know she is sewing a kesa ... so another person to connect with.

    I too am sewing and will sew with you when I am there.

    Hope this helps. =)

    Gassho
    Shingen

    Sat/LAH

  45. #45
    Ah yes, the sewing room.

    I was referring to volunteering to sew a rakusu (or anything else) for people who are not able to sew for themselves.

    Gassho

    Nanrin

    Sat
    南 - Southern
    林 - Forest

  46. #46
    Quote Originally Posted by Nanrin View Post
    Ah yes, the sewing room.

    I was referring to volunteering to sew a rakusu (or anything else) for people who are not able to sew for themselves.

    Gassho

    Nanrin

    Sat
    Nanrin,

    Thank you. I'll put you on the list.

    Gassho,
    Shoka
    Sattoday

    Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

  47. #47
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Nanrin View Post
    Ah yes, the sewing room.

    I was referring to volunteering to sew a rakusu (or anything else) for people who are not able to sew for themselves.

    Gassho

    Nanrin

    Sat
    Oh yes, please do ... thank you. =)

    Usually folks sew and then hold on to them until a request is made and then we make arrangements to get the rakusu to that person. If you have any questions please let me know.

    Gassho
    Shingen

    Sat/LAH

  48. #48
    I hope to sew again today at eleven if nothing intervenes. Currently doing seven rows of stitches, one on each vertical panel -- three down, four to go -- the others of these are done, so I am nearly over the easy rows and will be facing what Teacher calls the "tricky bits."

    gassho
    doyu sat today
    Visiting unsui: use salt

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