July 5th-6th, 2019 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour Treeleaf ZAZENKAI! - featuring Sekishi !

[Jundo]

Today's Talk will feature Rev. Sekishi, who will talk on Building a House and the Four Seals
(see below in this thread)

Please 'sit-a-long' with our MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI, netcast LIVE 8am to noon Japan time Saturday morning (that is New York 7pm to 11pm, Los Angeles 4pm to 8pm (Friday night), London midnight to 4am and Paris 1am to 5am (early Saturday morning)) ... and visible at the following link during those times ...

... to be visible on the below screen during those times and any time thereafter ...

LIVE ZAZENKAI NETCAST at YOUTUBE HANGOUT IS HERE:
CLICK ON THE TAB ON LOWER RIGHT FOR 'FULL SCREEN

Dharma Talk Audio / Podcast Episode:
https://treeleaf.podbean.com/e/july-...he-four-seals/

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:

The Sitting Schedule is as follows:

00:00 - 00:50 CEREMONY (HEART SUTRA IN JAPANESE / SANDOKAI IN ENGLISH) & ZAZEN
00:50 - 01:00 KINHIN
01:00 - 01:30 ZAZEN
01:30 - 01:50 KINHIN

01:50 - 02:30 DHARMA TALK & ZAZEN
02:30 - 02:40 KINHIN & HOKEY-POKEY

02:40 - 03:15 ZAZEN
03:15 - 03:30 KINHIN
03:30 - 04:00 METTA CHANT & ZAZEN, VERSE OF ATONEMENT, FOUR VOWS, & CLOSING


Our Zazenkai consists of our chanting the 'Heart Sutra' in Japanese and the 'Identity of Relative and Absolute (Sandokai)' in English (please download our Chant Book at the link below), some full floor prostrations (please follow along with me ... or a simple Gassho can be substituted if you wish), a little talk by me ... and we close with the 'Metta Chant', followed at the end with the 'Verse of Atonement' and 'The Four Vows'. Oh, and lots and lots of Zazen and walkin' Kinhin in between!

Please 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, Identity of Relative & Absolute, Metta Verses, 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!

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 4 HOURS.

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

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

[Jundo]

Today's Talk is by Rev. Sekishi who (l think) will be speaking on Building a House and the Four Seals.

Materials for the Talk are below:

Today's talk will be a reflection on the Four Dharma Seals. These four characteristics (or "seals") are sometimes seen as a sort of "litmus test" to see if a teaching reflects true Buddha Dharma. But they can also be viewed as part of the core teachings of Buddhism.

(1) All compounded things are impermanent
(2) All emotions are Dukkha
(3) All phenomena are empty; they are without inherent (or "self") existence
(4) Nirvana is beyond extremes / concepts / description

This Lion's Roar article goes into the seals in more detail:
https://www.lionsroar.com/buddhism-n...-seals-dharma/

[Kyonin]

Hi Jundo!

I'll be there with instruments ready

Gassho,

Kyonin

[Sekishi]

Hi Jundo,

This will be my first Zazenkai from the new house with actual Internet (instead of a laptop tethered to a phone that barely moves any data). Deep bows to our ISPs and the global telecommunication system that allows us to all practice together! It really is a miracle.

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat

[Jundo]

And in celebration of Ol' Virginia (location of Sekishi's new homestead) ....

... our Hokey Pokey today, courtesy of Virginia Tech halftime ...





Thats actually Sekishi on the second Tuba from the left, lime green shorts ... He's got some moves!

Gassho, J

STLah

[Doshin]

I will be there for some of the Zazenkai and a dose of Sekishi.

Doshin
St

[Mp]

Thank you, I should be there live.

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[Shōnin Risa Bear]

Never really "got" the four seals before; this is timely. I hope to make it for all or part of this live. _()_

gassho
doyu sat and lah

[Sekishi]

Thats actually Sekishi on the second Tuba from the left, lime green shorts ... He's got some moves!

I don't think thats me (although that IS my Alma Mater). This is more my speed:




Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat #sadhorn

[Shinshi]

I'll be time shifting. See you later!

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Jundo]

Link to sit https://hangouts.google.com/hangouts...ceyaelirzy7qae

[Shokai]

Thank you all for sitting. The heat has wiped me out today; I don't know how that fella in Mexico does it. I have to lie down now and watch this tomorrow morning. Good night to you all.

gassho, Shokai
stlah

[Mp]

Thank you Jundo, Kyonin, Sekishi, and everyone ... great talk and great to sit with you all. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[Sekishi]

Thank you all for coming together to practice. It really is amazing that we can practice together via this new-fangled internet thing!

Deep bows to all,
Sekishi
#sat

[Onkai]

Thank you, Jundo, Kyonin, and Sekishi, and everyone who joined and will join. The talk clarified what is meant by "no self" as well as the other seals. It was great to practice together. Have a great weekend!

Gassho,
Onkai (Warm Sea)
Sat/LAH

[Jakuden]

Thank you Jundo, Sekishi that was an absolutely amazing talk! Deep bows brother . I just said to Nicole... “trust the process.”

Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Shōnin Risa Bear]

Thank you, Jundo, Kyonin, and Sekishi. Here's to woodpeckers and termites preaching Dharma! [deep bow]

Yes, Shokai, it was 83F in the hut despite all shades drawn and two fans going -- whenever I was off camera I poured water on my head! I will go lie down too --may we be well.

gassho
doyu sat lah today

[Doshin]

Thank you.

Lovely talk Sekishi..

Also want to thank the birds who are home outside the Zendo and their voices add to my Zazen. Over the years and seasons the species change.

Doshin
St

[Ryudo]

Thank you Jundo,
Thank you Sekishi,
Thank you all

Gassho/SatToday

[Geika]

I was in marching band all throughout school! Just seeing it makes me miss those times!

Gassho

Sat today, lah

[Kakunen]

Thank you Jundo and Sekishi.

I was at gardener this weekend.

So I sit now.

Hope to have good new week.

Gassho
Sat today
Kakunen

[Sekishi]

Hi all,

Two things.

1. The story I recounted in the talk was "How the Buddha Converted Nanda and Caused Him to Renounce Secular Life". Number eighteen in the book "Tales of Times Now Past: Sixty-two Stories from a Medieval Japanese Collection" by Marian Ury: https://books.google.com/books?id=CtivEIi4s8MC&pg=PA35

There is a lot going on in this story, but I think it does nicely illustrate Nirvana being beyond the extremes of heaven and hell, like and dislike.

That said, while on the road between heaven and hell, let us not get one look at a gorgeous god or goddess and forget all about our dear ones. Nanda sort of had that boiling cauldron coming to him... Sheesh.


2. The clouds on the mountain were beautiful today, so I set up a timelapse. I feel like the resulting video is a teaching on the impermanence of compound things. Fog appears in the valley, moving like waves. Then it leaps to the mountainside and dissipates into clouds only to repeat again. All the while shapes appear and disappear in the churning sky overhead.

For the time being: cloud and water. For the time being: oceans and rivers. For the time being: all things.




Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat #lah

[Kokuu]

Thank you all!

Wonderful talk, Sekishi, and you are keeping at least four human-shaped sentient beings from being homeless (and who knows how many dog-shaped ones!).

Gassho
Kokuu

[Seishin]

Thank you everyone. Completed this morning over a few days, on demand.

STD/Lah

[Sekishi]

Hi all,

This talk is now available on the Treeleaf podcast: https://treeleaf.podbean.com/e/july-...he-four-seals/

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat #lah

[Mp]

Hi all,

This talk is now available on the Treeleaf podcast: https://treeleaf.podbean.com/e/july-...he-four-seals/

Gassho,
Sekishi
#sat #lah

Thanks techno wizard! =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[Science Abbot]

"Ultimately we're all homeless...

in the sense that there is no ground to stand on. Everything is shifting and in motion, and let go of it now or let go of it later, because eventually you're going to have to let go of it."

Gassho,
Wuyi
Sat/LAH