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Thread: February 8th-9th, 2019 - Our SPECIAL "NEHAN-E" ZAZENKAI!

  1. #1

    February 8th-9th, 2019 - Our SPECIAL "NEHAN-E" ZAZENKAI!


    WELCOME to our Memorial & Celebration of NEHAN-E, (Pari-Nirvana) the traditional day to mark the historical Buddha's death and passing from this visible world. This is also a day for each of us to remember in our homes those family and friends who have gone before. As well, we particularly mark the passing of Nishijima Gudo Wafu (who passed on January 28th, 2014, just 5 years ago) and Rempo Niwa Zenji (who passed September 7th, 1993). This year, I will also be remembering two teachers who were mentors in Japan and great influences on Treeleaf, Jiho Sargent Roshi and Azuma Ikuo Roshi.


    During this Zazenkai, we will commence with SPECIAL CHANTS & a CEREMONY to recall our parents, grand-parents, siblings, our relatives near and distant, all our ancestors reaching back through the generations, and our dear friends and other cherished ones who have passed.

    This Zazenkai will be netcast LIVE from 10am Japan time Saturday morning (that is New York 8pm, Los Angeles 5pm (Friday night), London 1am and Paris 2am (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




    To mark this time, our Ceremony at the start of the Zazenkai will include a chanting of “The Verse of Homage to Buddha's Relics, Shariraimon” and Heart Sutra in Chinese-Japanese (to mark our "roots"). Words and details are HERE, please print out if you wish.

    Our sitting schedule for the gathering will be as follows ...

    00:00 - 00:45 CEREMONY (SHARIRAIMON in ENGLISH 1x / HEART SUTRA in JAPANESE) & ZAZEN
    00:15 – 00:45 ZAZEN
    00:45 – 00:55 KINHIN
    00:55 – 01:25 ZAZEN
    01:25 – 01:30 VERSE OF ATONEMENT & FOUR VOWS


    For this special Zazenkai, a statue of the reclining ‘Buddha Entering Parinirvana’, and a Plaque dedicated to all past Generations of Zen Ancestors, will be given special prominence.

    As always, we close with the 'Metta Chant', followed at the end with the 'Verse of Atonement' and 'The Four Vows'.


    I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT YOU POSITION YOUR ZAFU ON THE FLOOR IN A PLACE WHERE YOU ARE NOT STARING DIRECTLY AT THE COMPUTER SCREEN, BUT CAN GLANCE OVER AND SEE THE SCREEN WHEN NECESSARY. YOUR ZAFU SHOULD ALSO BE IN A POSITION WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE COMPUTER SCREEN WHILE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE ZAFU FOR THE CEREMONIES, AND HAVE ROOM FOR BOWING AND KINHIN.

    ALSO, REMEMBER TO SET YOUR COMPUTER (& SCREEN SAVER) SO THAT IT DOES NOT SHUT OFF DURING THE ZAZENKAI.


    I hope you will join us ... an open Zafu is waiting. When we drop all thought of 'here' 'there' 'now' 'then' ... we are sitting all together!


    Gassho, Jundo

    SatTodayLAH
    Last edited by Jundo; 02-17-2020 at 01:10 PM.
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  2. #2
    Today we also recall two mentors in Japan, great influences on Treeleaf, Jiho Sargent Roshi and Azuma Ikuo Roshi.


    Rev. Jiho Sargent was a Soto priest, a friend, guide, mother and tough as nails voice of reason and common sense in my life for many years. I believe that I first sat with her in 1989 at the temple in Tokyo were she was a priest (Taisoji). She became a priest late in life, at age 49, and was also one of the few Westerners to be trained in a fully Japanese way exclusively in Japan (at the Soto school's special monasteries for women) and then served as an ordinary "parish priest" at Taisoji involved in the more mundane, "day-to-day" duties of a Zen priest in Japan ... a very unusual path for most foreign teachers. She passed 10 years ago this upcoming June.


    Azuma Roshi (東郁雄老師) shared tea with me, practicing his English and answering my silly questions, for most of 10 years when I sat with the weekly lay Zazenkai at Sojiji Honzan in Japan. He was a great Dogen scholar, lecturing us each week on Shobogenzo (that is what he is lecturing on in the picture above), and instructor of hundreds of young monks as well as the lay persons' group there (including quite a number of foreigners who would wander in). I may not have stayed with this practice without him. He was always so kind, down to earth.When I came here 20 years ago, my Japanese was pretty bad the first few years, and he lectured in Japanese ... but always took time to summarize in broken English so I would get the gist. Later, he returned to his temple of Jikouji in Kyushu. He left this visible world 8 years ago this month.

    Their pictures will be kept next to a statue of Kannon Bodhisattva in our Zendo.

    Nice Bows.

    J

    PS - Information on our Ceremony and Chant today is available here:

    https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...l=1#post236532
    Last edited by Jundo; 02-17-2020 at 01:10 PM.
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  3. #3
    Hi Jundo,

    I will likely be time shifting but I will be there none the less.

    Thank you for sharing about your mentors. I'll be remembering my Dad. The wisest man I have ever known.

    Gassho, Shinshi

    SaT-LaH
    空道 心志 Kudo Shinshi
    I am just a priest-in-training, any resemblance between what I post and actual teachings is purely coincidental.
    E84I - JAJ

  4. #4
    Oh it's wonderful to be able to sit this one-way with you tonight, I had to miss it the past 2 years. The 13th anniversary of my Mom's passing was a couple days ago. One of the biggest and most unexpected gifts of this practice has been that I almost feel like it gave her back to me, or at least helped me realize that she never left.
    Gassho,
    Jakuden
    SatToday/LAH

  5. #5
    Hi Everyone,
    Sitting with you all live one-way.

    _()_
    sosen
    st/lah

  6. #6
    Mp
    Guest
    Hey folks,

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

    Gassho
    Shingen

    Sat/LAH

  7. #7
    Had to leave a bit early, but thank you so much, Jundo, Shingen and everyone. Our ancestors, loved ones, teachers, are all here with us.

    Gassho
    Jakuden
    SatToday/LAH

  8. #8
    Mp
    Guest
    Thank you Jundo and everyone, that was wonderful! =)

    Apologizes for my crackly voice ... it really touched me today and was fighting back some tears, but lovely either way.

    Gassho
    Shingen

    Sat/LAH

  9. #9
    Treeleaf Priest / Engineer Sekishi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Virginia, USA
    Deep bows to all beings.

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

  10. #10
    Thank you, everyone. It was a lovely service and zazenkai. Have a great weekend!

    Gassho
    Onkai
    Sat

  11. #11
    Thank you Jundo and everyone. I will be sitting with the recording tomorrow morning. I will be remembering Michael Hiyashi Sensei (My first teacher) as well as many family members.

    Gassho,

    Junkyo
    SAT

    Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

  12. #12
    Thank you everyone.
    Gassho,
    Kotei sat/lah today.

    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.

  13. #13


    “i cry in my dream”. very beautiful, it embraces our humanity.

    Doshin
    Stlah

  14. #14
    Member Seishin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    La Croix-Avranchin, Basse Normandie, France
    Thank you all


    Seishin

    Sei - Meticulous
    Shin - Heart

  15. #15
    Member Koki's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Parma Ohio (just outside Cleveland)
    Gassho
    Koki
    Satoday

    Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

  16. #16
    Thank you Treeleaf!


    Tairin
    Sat today and lah
    泰林 - Tai Rin - Peaceful Woods

  17. #17
    Treeleaf Unsui Nengei's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Minnesota's Driftless Area
    That was lovely. I enjoyed seeing the snow in your yard, Jundo!

    Gassho,
    然芸 Nengei
    Sat today. LAH.
    You deserve to be happy.
    You deserve to be loved.

  18. #18
    Thank you for including the absent love ones!

    For me departures and beginnings blended into one during this Zazenkai:
    With the help of my wife (who is not religious) I had set up the altar for the Nehan-e, which I did on Saturday morning (German time ... but it really felt like sitting together with you). When I was ready to start the Youtube vid, I found the e-mail from Jundo, telling me that I was registered at Treeleaf. So actually my start as an active member of Treeleaf coincided with commemorating our departed. Truly a special sitting for me.

    I specially liked the part of "Grieving in the dream". I used to admonish myself for feeling the pain of grief, telling myself that as a Buddhist I should be beyond grieving ... it was really an eye opener to me, when Jundo spoke about Azuma Rôshi's grief.

    Gassho with gratitude

    Gero (sat today and lah)

  19. #19
    That was an amazing ceremony. Thank you Jundo and Treeleaf for this.
    Gassho
    Sat today

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