February 14th-15th, 2020 - Our SPECIAL "NEHAN-E" ZAZENKAI!

[Jundo]

[COLOR=#800000]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) and Rempo Niwa Zenji (who passed September 7th, 1993). 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 ...
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LIVE ZAZENKAI NETCAST IS HERE:

ZAZENKAI BEGINS 3 MlNUTES FROM START OF THE VIDEO

FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO JOIN TO SIT LIVE WITH A CAMERA, A THERE lS A LlNK BELOW AT THE BOTTOM OF THlS POST. JUST CLICK AND JOIN BEFORE START TIME. 'TWO WAY' REQUIRES INDIVIDUALS WITH CAMERAS, BUT ANYONE 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 - 00:45 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 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

HOW TO JOIN THE ZAZENKAI '2-WAY':

You can join the Zazenkai two-way in the Scheduled Sitting Room using Zoom any one of the following ways:

- Use this direct link: https://zoom.us/j/4834831244
- Open Zoom and join with this meeting id: 483 483 1244
- Go to Treeleaf NOW and select the Scheduled Sitting Room: treeleaf.org/ssr

Notes:

- When you first join, you'll need to choose an audio source (usually you can simply select "Join with Computer Audio" on desktop or "Call using Internet Audio" on mobile).

- You can switch between the "speaker view" (the default view) and "gallery view" (a grid / tic-tac-toe style view):
-- On desktop, click the "gallery view" / "speaker view" toggle button on the top right
-- On mobile, swipe right for "gallery views" -- only 4 participants are shown at a time on mobile, so keep swiping right to go through different groups, swipe left to go back to the "gallery view"

- You can mute, unmute, etc. with the control bar on the bottom of the screen
-- On desktop, hover the mouse over the window and the control bar should pop up
-- On mobile, tap the screen and the control bar should pop up
-- On mobile, so that your own picture does not take up one of the four slots you see, you can tap for the control bar, then tap "... menu" and select "Remove myself from gallery view"

- If you are on a slow Internet connection and are experiencing drop-outs, try turning off video (you can always turn it on for a bit at the beginning and end to say hi and bow to everyone)

[Jundo]

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 in June, 2009.

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 in February, 2011.

Their pictures are 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...-Zazenkai-2020

[Ippo]

Thank you for this Zazenkai.

Also, thank you Jundo for sharing your mentors who were close to your heart. It's nice to see the greater influence of your mentors, I would not have known them otherwise.

I will happily be joining tomorrow two-way .

Gassho,

Ippo

SatToday

[Onka]

Thank you for this Zazenkai.

Also, thank you Jundo for sharing your mentors who were close to your heart. It's nice to see the greater influence of your mentors, I would not have known them otherwise.

I will happily be joining tomorrow two-way .

Gassho,

Ippo

SatToday

Seconded
Gassho
Onka
st

[Yokai]

Thank you for this Zazenkai. As it's special, I will be with you all One-Way to participate and learn.

Gassho, Chris -st/lah

[Science Abbot]

Joining one-way today!

Gassho,
Mui
Sat/LAH

[Tokan]

Thank you everyone

Had some virtual weirdness going on but seems like I managed to be two-way for most of the zazenkai. Possibly I was listening from that 'other world' Jundo spoke of as i was a bit behind with the video and audio

Gassho, Tokan

SatLah

[Onkai]

Thank you, Jundo, Sekishi, and everyone. The chanting was beautiful, and the talk was helpful. Have a great weekend!

Gassho,
Onkai
Sat/LAH

[Shōnin Risa Bear]

Gratitude right here

Gassho
Doyu sat today and lah

[Shokai]

Thank you all for this wonderful Memorial. It is good to share the love for those departed. Especially, Nishi jima Roshi, Niwa Roshi, Azumi Roshi. and Sargent Roshi Thank you Jundo and all who will sit. Have a special week.🧡🧡🧡🙏

gassho, Shokai

[Sekishi]

Deep bows to all.

My apologies for stumbling in the middle of our beautiful ceremony. As Jundo likes to say, Zazen will not cure your toothache, go see a dentist. I would add, Zazen will not cure congenital klutziness with two left feet, go see a dance instructor.

Gassho,
Sekishi #sat #stumbled

[Shokai]

[Shoki]

Thank you Jundo, Sekishi and Treeleaf. I am attending a memorial service tomorrow for the brother of a long time friend. I will take this with me.

Gassho
STlah
James

[Science Abbot]

Thank you Jundo and all for this Zazenkai.

The talk today was very interesting and informative. The introductory posts here are also wonderful. It is always an honor and a joy to learn more about our teachers and forebears.

Suffering from food poisoning yesterday and today, I just realized that this may be particularly appropriate to the day we are commemorating, albeit unintentional and not at all recommended. I will spend time today looking at various translations and thinking about the Buddha's last words and parinirvana. It is good to be his student.

Gassho,
Mui
Sat/LAH

[Jundo]

Here is the song I mentioned, and which I post from time to time, that became so popular in Japan these last few years (I like the English version even more than the Japanese language version).

"Sen no Kaze ni Natte" (千の風になって) is a single by Japanese singer Masafumi Akikawa. The lyrics are a Japanese translation of the poem, 'Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep'. ... It was the best-selling single in Japan in 2007.

Don't stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am the sunlight on the ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain

I am a thousand winds
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint on snow
I am a thousand winds that blow

Don't stand at my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die
I am the swift rush of birds in flight
Soft stars that shine at night

I am a thousand winds
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint on snow
I am a thousand winds that blow

Don't stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am the sunlight on the ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain

I am a thousand winds
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glint on snow
I am a thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glint on snow
I am a thousand winds that blow

The original poem:

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there; I did not die.

Here is the Japanese version ...



Gassho, J

STLah

[Onka]

For some reason Zoom and I have had a falling out. I keep losing my connection recently so I'm going to sit this again via YouTube. Thank you for this Zazenkai, Feb 15 is locked into our calendar now.
Gassho
Onka
st

[Washin]

Thank you all

I intended to sit live but the 3am alarm somehow didn't work for me this time
So I followed the recording few hours later.
Thank you for the talk, Jundo. I like the idea of Nehan Valentine memorial day

Gassho
Washin
just sat

[Tokan]

Good ole' Hayley - one of New Zealand's finest exports the 'Department of New Zealand Gratuitous Self-Promotion' claims. I prefer the Japanese version, but there I go ignoring the advice in the Hsin Hsin Ming and having likes and dislikes lol!

Tokan (satlah)

[Kokuu]

Beautiful! Thank you, everyone!

Gassho
Kokuu

[Tairin]

Thank you everyone. I sat with you this morning.


Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Seishin]

Wonderful ceremony, thank you all.

Sat

[Kotei]

Thank you all... and all who have been and all who will be.
Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Jakuden]

Finally sat with this. Lovely chanting, Sekishi! Deep love and gratitude for all those who are no longer visible, yet are still vital parts of us.

Gassho,
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH