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Thread: October 19th-20th Treeleaf Weekly Zazenkai

  1. #1

    October 19th-20th 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:
    CLICK ON THE TAB ON LOWER RIGHT FOR 'FULL SCREEN





    FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO JOIN TO SIT LIVE WITH A CAMERA, A LINK TO JOIN WILL BE POSTED BELOW IN THIS THREAD ABOUT 15 MINUTES BEFORE START TIME. JUST CLICK AND JOIN. WE ARE NOW LIMITED TO 10 INDIVIDUALS WITH CAMERAS, BUT ANY NUMBER 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

    SatTodayLAH

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


    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
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  2. #2
    Mp
    Guest
    Thank you Jundo,

    I will be there live two way. =)

    Gassho
    Shingen

    Sat/LAH

  3. #3
    Thank you, Jundo. I will be there two-way as well.
    "May I be a flashlight to all beings living in life's dreary and despicable basement" - Sean C.T.

  4. #4
    Hi Jundo!

    I'll be there 2 ways

    Gassho,

    Kyonin
    Sat/LAH
    Hondō Kyōnin
    奔道 協忍

  5. #5
    Thank you, Jundo. I will join two-way, tech allowing.

    Gassho,
    Onkai
    Sat

  6. #6
    Will be there one-way with you all
    Gassho
    Jakuden
    SatToday/LAH


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  7. #7
    Mp
    Guest
    Hey folks,

    Here is the event link for today's zazenkai: https://hangouts.google.com/hangouts...hl=en_GB&pli=1

    Gassho
    Shingen

    Sat/LAH

  8. #8
    Mp
    Guest
    Lovely as always, thank you Jundo, Sekishi, and everyone. Have a great weekend. =)

    Gassho
    Shingen

    Sat/LAH

  9. #9
    Thank you Jundo and Sekishi, wonderful service and awesome talk

    gassho, Shokai
    stlah
    合掌,生開
    gassho, Shokai

    仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai

    "Open to life in a benevolent way"

    https://sarushinzendo.wordpress.com/

  10. #10
    Thank you, Jundo. A wonderful talk, and a lovely zazenkai. Thank you everyone. Have a great weekend!

    Gassho
    Onkai
    Sat

  11. #11
    Thank you Jundo, Sekishi and everyone
    Gassho
    Jakuden
    SatToday/ LAH


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  12. #12
    Thank you for the talk, Jundo. The metaphor about the scratches in the wooden Buddha was an excellent use of wording about how all beings suffer, even Master Ehei Dogen. Thank you Sekishi for being the Ino this evening, you had sincerity in chanting the four vows. Let's get to work on saving all sentient beings, though beings numberless. Yosh!

    Question, is zazenkai exclusive to our school of Soto Zen? How do we explain it to people who are in our lives, but not familiar with Zen Buddhism?
    "May I be a flashlight to all beings living in life's dreary and despicable basement" - Sean C.T.

  13. #13
    Thank you Sangha!


    Tairin
    Sat today and will be LAHing soon
    泰林 - Tai Rin - Peaceful Woods

  14. #14
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Beakon View Post
    Question, is zazenkai exclusive to our school of Soto Zen? How do we explain it to people who are in our lives, but not familiar with Zen Buddhism?
    Hey Beakon,

    Our zazenkai both weekly and monthly are like a mini sesshin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesshin). Any school that I know of that sits zazen will have such practices. Granted they may not be the way we do them here at Treeleaf, i.e. online and recorded, but they are the same ... beyond space and time, beyond near and far (but there are some folks who are embracing the benefit of sitting together online) ... =)

    Can you explain a bit more about what you mean about "explaining it to people in your lives"? Are you talking about our practice of zazen or that we do it online?

    Gassho
    Shingen

    Sat/LAH

  15. #15
    Yes, lots and lots of meditation groups these days, with all those "mindfulness" folks, so very common now. Of course, they tend to skip the Zen and Buddhist aspects, such as chanting and the Heart Sutra and such. Like leaving the lemons out of the lemonade, the fuel out of the rocket, the water out of the ocean, if you ask me.

    Gassho, J

    STLah
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  16. #16
    Shingen, people who are in my life like to ask "what are you doing later?", which prompts the reply "I will be doing zazenkai". Since that's happened, I have had difficulty explaining zazenkai to people, whom are not familiar with aspects of Japanese culture, or Zen Buddhism. A typical problem I have is explaining detailed subjects in a comprehensible way. For Manitobans it would be easier to tell them I'm going to church for Zen Buddhists. It's a weekly occurence where I have to explain what it is.

    Jundo, in Winnipeg there are advertisements for classes and 4-month mindfulness courses for prices that range from $40 - $1200. They are depressing to look at. Calling it 'mindfulness' is like a safe word, like how yoga is a fad. People in a Judeo-Christian society, feel comfortable with out the words Buddhism, Zen, or Taoism. There are no Soto Zen schools in Manitoba, just a lot of commercial classes for mindfulness, meditation, and yoga. Do the folks in the Rinzai or Tendai schools have a Zazenkai?
    Last edited by Beakon; 10-21-2018 at 12:20 AM.
    "May I be a flashlight to all beings living in life's dreary and despicable basement" - Sean C.T.

  17. #17
    Mp
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Beakon View Post
    Shingen, people who are in my life like to ask "what are you doing later?", which prompts the reply "I will be doing zazenkai". Since that's happened, I have had difficulty explaining zazenkai to people, whom are not familiar with aspects of Japanese culture, or Zen Buddhism. A typical problem I have is explaining detailed subjects in a comprehensible way. For Manitobans it would be easier to tell them I'm going to church for Zen Buddhists. It's a weekly occurence where I have to explain what it is.
    That sounds like a great idea ... I usually tell my brother that I am off to contemplate my naval. =)

    Sometimes the easiest approach is the best approach in helping folks understand.

    Gassho
    Shingen

    Sat/LAH

  18. #18
    Why not say, I'm going to hang out with my Buddha buds.

    gassho, Shokai
    stlah
    合掌,生開
    gassho, Shokai

    仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai

    "Open to life in a benevolent way"

    https://sarushinzendo.wordpress.com/

  19. #19
    Hi Beakon,

    Yes, the Rinzai folks have "Zazenkai," and while the Tendai folks have some Zen meditation in their buffet of many practices, I am not sure what they would call it. Two English Tendai groups I find online call it "Buddhist Meditation Service" or "Meditation Practice." Their meditation techniques are a little different from Zazen in either the Rinzai or Soto ways.

    Yes, even in Japan, Buddhism has too much connection in people's minds with temple funerals, and "Zazen" with physical pain and "boot camp" atmosphere. If I called our weekly Zazenkai as "mindfulness," and got rid of all the Buddhist stuff, I would have many many more people coming to our sitting even here in Japan. No kidding.

    Gassho, J

    STLah
    Last edited by Jundo; 10-21-2018 at 01:34 AM.
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  20. #20
    Thank you Sangha,
    thank you Jundo for the encouraging talk

    Gassho
    Washin
    just sat
    Kaidō (皆道) Every Way
    Washin (和信) Harmony Trust
    ----
    I am a novice priest-in-training. Anything that I say must not be considered as teaching
    and should be taken with a 'grain of salt'.

  21. #21
    Member Seishin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    La Croix-Avranchin, Basse Normandie, France
    Thank you all for your practice.


    Seishin

    Sei - Meticulous
    Shin - Heart

  22. #22
    Thank you Jundo and everyone, not forgetting all the technology that brings us together. Lovely talk!

    Hey Beakon, if I'm sitting and someone calls for me or we have visitors, my husband says I'm praying - that's the nearest he gets to understanding sitting and that's fine with me.

    Gassho
    Meitou
    satwithyoualltoday/lah
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  23. #23
    I like your explanations! This conversation has helped, we have laughed and enjoyed these answers at home. Meitou, what is Sardinia known for?
    "May I be a flashlight to all beings living in life's dreary and despicable basement" - Sean C.T.

  24. #24
    Jundo et al, thank you. This was my very first home zazenkai with you all, and its ability to be asynchronous was extremely helpful. Much metta and appreciation!

    sat-today,

    -ushi

  25. #25
    Thank you everyone!
    Gassho,
    Kotei just sat.

    義道 冴庭 / Gidō Kotei.
    Being a novice priest doesn't mean my writing about the Dharma is more substantial than yours. Actually, it might well be the other way round.

  26. #26
    Eishuu
    Guest
    Thank you everyone.

    Gassho
    Eishuu
    ST/LAH

  27. #27
    Thank you all.

    Gassho
    Kokuu

  28. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Beakon View Post
    I like your explanations! This conversation has helped, we have laughed and enjoyed these answers at home. Meitou, what is Sardinia known for?
    I'm not sure that outside of Europe Sardinia is known at all! It's a very beautiful island with a rich cultural history - wiki tells it better than me https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardinia

    Gassho
    Meitou
    satwithyoualltodaylah
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

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