Our January 2022 Treeleaf JUKAI (Undertaking the Precepts) CELEBRATION! -MAIN PAGE-

[Jundo]

The time has again arrived for our annual

JUKAI CEREMONY at Treeleaf Sangha

... to commence Sunday, January 16th at Midnight (Sunday-Monday) Japan time (that is New York 10am, Los Angeles 7am (Sunday morning), London 3pm and Paris 4pm (Sunday afternoon)) (Aussie-Zealanders ... you figure it out! ). The ceremony will last about 1 hour, and will be visible from that time at the screen below:

Our 24 Preceptees come together simultaneously from 9 countries (from Cyprus, Ukraine, Sweden, Australia, England, Mauritius, Canada, USA and Japan ... plus several other folks undertaking Jukai with us for the second or more times) joining in this Jukai as one, after having spent several months preparing for this day, studying the Precepts, sewing a rakusu, weighing the place of the Buddhist Teachings in their life. As with everything at Treeleaf, all was accomplished fully online, and invite all our Sangha to the celebration. Jundo Cohen is the Preceptor.

Jukai literally means to receive or to undertake the Precepts. It is the ceremony both of one’s formally committing to the Buddhist Sangha and to the Practice of Zen Buddhism, and of one’s undertaking the “Sixteen Mahayana Bodhisattva Precepts” as guides for life. Traditionally for Jukai, one receives from a teacher the Rakusu, which represents the robe of the Buddha, the Kechimyaku, a written lineage chart connecting the recipient to the Buddhas and Ancestors of the past, and a “Dharma name” selected by the teacher and representing qualities of the recipient’s personality and practice.

My teacher, Nishijima Roshi, wrote this:

When a Buddhist seeks to commence upon the study of Buddhism, there is first a ceremony which should be undertaken: It is called “Jukai,” the “Receipt of the Precepts,” the ceremony in which one receives and undertakes the Precepts as a disciple of the Buddha… Master Dogen specifically left us a chapter entitled ‘”Jukai,” in which it is strongly emphasized that, when the Buddhist believer first sets out to commence Buddhist practice… be it monk, be it lay person, no matter… the initial needed steps include the holding of the ceremony of Jukai and the undertaking of the Precepts… The rationale of all of the Buddhist Precepts, the Mahayana Boddhisattva Precepts ... is as a pointing toward the best ways for us to live in this life, in this real world… how to live benefiting both ourselves and others as best we can.

WELCOME!

It is an honor to experience this moment with you.

Gassho, Jundo
SatTodayLAH

Traditional "Three Treasures Seal" (三宝印) Representing the Bloodline

[Jundo]

ATTENTION: We will have two Zoom rooms going, one for FIRST TIME JUKAI-EES, and another for others who are renewing their Vows, attending informally or coming as witnesses. Welcome to all. Please make sure you go to the right room, as we want to save the main room for our 16 first-time recipients this time.

We are asking that all our new Jukai-ees and returning past Jukai-ees renewing their vows come into their respective Zoom Room (with camera and microphone if possible) ...

FIRST TIME JUKAI-EES (and Ubasoku who wish):

In our Scheduled Sitting Room: TREELEAF Now OR at DIRECT ZOOM LINK, password (if needed): dogen

RENEWING JUKAI-EES, INFORMAL PARTICIPANTS AND WITNESSES (and other Ubasoku):

In our Meeting Room: TREELEAF Now OR at DIRECT ZOOM LINK, password (if needed): dogen

Anyone who has undertaken Jukai before, here or at another Sangha, is welcome to join us in the Meeting Room to renew your vows or just to observe as a witness.

You can also observe "one way" via the view screen above in the post above. Thank you.

Gassho, Jundo

STLah

[Jinyo]

Apologies but having to participate via 'one way' screen,
with you all and renewing my vows from the heart.



Jinyo

[Onkai]

Congratulations to everybody who took Jukai or became an Ubasoku! It was a truly lovely ceremony.

Gassho,
Onkai
Sat/lah

[Kotei]

Congratulations dear Jukaiees and Ubasoku!

Deep bows!
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Shinshi]

What a wonderful ceremony. Congratulations to those who undertook Jukai this year. And it was great seeing folks being honored as Ubasoku.

It was a special moment.

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Jakuden]

Congratulations to all. What an amazing turnout, it's so moving to see our beautiful Sangha come together

Deep bows of gratitude
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH

[Ippo]

Wonderful celebration and time to get together with the Sangha.

Congratulations to all the Jukaiees.

Thank you Jundo, Sekishi, priests and all the Ubasokus.

Deep bows to you all,

Ippo

SatToday

[Koshin]

It was a beautiful ceremony, congratulations to all... Take great care

Sat

[Jundo]

If you are not seeing the view screen on youtube, here is the link [remove the space after the : colon]

https: //youtu.be/T0ZOUjqpu4E

Gassho, J

[Sekishi]

Thank you all so much for your dedication. This heart is bursting with joy for us all today!

Reminder that we have a Tea House in like 45 minutes. Please feel free to come and celebrate, decompress, jump up and down for joy, etc. if you'd like.

Deep bows and virtual hugs for all,
Sekishi
#sat #lah

[Kaisui]

That was wonderful, so peaceful and meaningful. It was truly a joy to receive the precepts. Thank you

Sorry for not joining the audio, but I chose to speak quietly as it is 2 am to 3 am here and my husband is asleep in the next room.

Gassho,
KaiSui (first time signing off with my Dharma Name, oh my!)
sat

[Kokuu]

So beautiful! Thank you to everyone who participated and deep bows for your commitment and practice!

I am looking forward to learning all of the new names.


Kokuu

[Nengyoku]

This place has come, or perhaps always was, the place where I feel most at home and at ease. Thank you to everyone who has put in countless kalpas of effort in creating that.

Gassho,
Nengyoku
Sat

[Bion]

Dear jukaiees, you made a wonderful choice today and you are all loved and appreciated here. Gently hold in reverence your commitment to uphold these precepts entrusted to you and remember it always! Sangha is here to support you, you support the sangha! Congratulations! I am beyond happy for you!

Sat Today

[Anchi]

The Ceremony was lovely and I am so glad to have been part of this!
Thank you, Jundo and everyone who made this Jukai special !

It's an honour to be walking this path with you all .

Passing through this gate, a journey begins as children of Buddha.

We all have seeds of Buddha Dharma.


ln Peace and with Nine Bows,



安知

[Sekishi]

KaiSui (first time signing off with my Dharma Name, oh my!)

Wonderful. <3

And that reminds me - anyone who wishes to change their forum name to their Dharma name (not necessary but you can if you want), just send me a PM and I’ll make the change! Although it might take a day or so if there are many to update.

Deep bows to all,
Sekishi


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[Nenka]

Congratulations Jukaiees, everybody who could make it and everybody who couldn't yet, it was beautiful (once again) to participate with you all. As always, I'm honored to be here.

Gassho

Nenka
ST

[Meian]

Congratulations, new Jukai-ee's!!



Such a lovely ceremony. Good reminders, too.

Deep Bows to All,
meian stlh

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[Dogukan]

What a lovely ceremony! Congratulations to all and thank you for your sincere practice and efforts. It was a joy to witness you receive the Precepts. I wish each of you a life in harmony with the Precepts and your Dharma names.

Gassho, Doğukan
Sat.

[Washin]

Very beautiful ceremony! Congratulations to all the Jukaiees and Ubasoku receivers!
It was an honor to witness and celebrate the event with you all.

Gassho,
Washin
stlah

[Wabo]

Thanks to everyone who made this possible! It is an honor for me to participate in the ceremony
It was unforgettable!

Gassho
Wabo
ST

[Tosei]

So enjoyed seeing everyone. Congrats to all.

[Jinyo]

Double posting here as posted on the other thread.
It was a wonderful ceremony, thank you to all who made it possible - especially Jundo -
and all who took part.



Jinyo (Willow)

Sat today

[Shugen]

Nicely done! Congratulations to all!

Gassho,

Shugen

[Fredrik]

A very nice ceremony. Congratulations to all!

[Shokai]

I've lost count of the number of Jukai Ceremonies I have witnessed but, this has to be one of the best. Especially, the inclusion of Zoom allowing so much clarity. And, it's always exciting to see the new Dharma names popping up beside posts in the Forum. Congratulations to all who planned , manifested and participated in this glorious Soto Zen Tradition.

gassho,Shokai
stlah
p.s. to the jukaiees, let's here what you think about your new names, Why do you think Jundo chose it??

[Nengyoku]

let's hear what you think about your new names, Why do you think Jundo chose it??

My Dharma name translates as "Thought Jewel".

And in the email one of the things Jundo said was:

names are selected based on feeling, often as an aspiration for who the person may someday become . . . often to capture some inner quality that is sensed.

And I think that is fairly fitting. I consistently find myself overthinking the way I present the words I am going to say, walking on eggshells linguistically to try and avoid conflict. Maybe, if I would just allow myself to let go of the idea of how things "should sound", if I sat Zazen with my mouth and not just my body, my words could be as precious as those thoughts they represent.

Gassho,
Nengyoku
Sat

[Kiri]

That was an amazing ceremony and probably the best birthday present I ever received!!! I guess the journey has just begun
Thank you everyone so much for your wishes. Special thank you to Jundo and every Treeleaf priest for guiding us all these months and hopefully will keep guiding and inspiring us in the coming years

p.s. to the jukaiees, let's here what you think about your new names, Why do you think Jundo chose it??

Jundo wrote (Greece) next to the 希 character of my dharma name. So I guess it's a reference to my nationality . Rare Principle (Kiri) is also a very good aspiration for the future Nikolas

Gassho, Kiri
Sat/Lah

[Koushi]

Congratulations everyone! What a truly lovely ceremony and coming together of the sangha—I always get teared up during these!

Now to start learning some names

Gassho,
Koushi
STLaH

[Byokan]

What a wonderful day! Congratulations and hugs all around!

With deep bows and gratitude,

Gassho
Byōkan
sat + lah

[Tairin]

Wonderful ceremony!

Congratulations to those who undertook Jukai this year. Congratulations to those being honored as Ubasoku.


Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Zenkon]

Thank you Jundo for a wonderful and memorable Jukai ceremony. And, congratulations to all my fellow participants. Finally, a heartfelt "Thank You" ton Kotei. Shainshi and the others who so patiently helped us through the sewing process. While I may never again sew a rakasu, this is an experience I will never forget.

Gassho

Dick (Zen Kon)

sat/lah

[Geika]

Congratulations to all who took and re-took the vows today and always.

Gassho
Sat, lah

[Rousei]

What a rollercoaster this has been. First off, from my the bottom of my heart, congratulations to everyone who took the precepts, renewed them, cheered the participants on or in general simply existed during this time! I am a person who sleeps early and wakes early, so the ceremony being at midnight to 1am was truly a challenge to me. With every fiber of my being I had to usher fourth all my energy to take the precepts, hopefully I did justice to my conviction. I wanted to quickly head to the forums (Zendo) and congratulate people however it was too difficult, I've never disrobed my suit so fast in my life before swiftly leaping into bed and falling asleep. While I sit at work exhausted I have a deep feeling of satisfaction and the future seems full of new possibilities. While I'm sure this feeling will wax and wane over time, I will try to consistently action the precepts I accepted.

The name given to me is Rōsei (Rousei)
Rou = Wandering / Sei = Introspection

The Kanji characters used are 浪省, and by looking into the characters themselves a myriad thoughts arise and the mind wanders. However for now, I'll simply sit, and maybe later I'll let the mind wander again.

I am eternally grateful for everyone's practice,

Gassho
Rousei
ST

[Jundo]

Gassho
Rousei
ST

Well, the name came from the fact that, in the Forum, you are "Wandering Introspection" (which just struck me as a lovely name, especially for a fellow wandering pilgrim who also wandered over here to Japan.

Gassho, J

STLah

[Rousei]

Well, the name came from the fact that, in the Forum, you are "Wandering Introspection" (which just struck me as a lovely name, especially for a fellow wandering pilgrim who also wandered over here to Japan.

Gassho, J

STLah

It feels like a game sometimes, picking forum names. "Name is taken", a not uncommon error message! So I'm extremely happy the name I spent far too long pondering over struck you too! I have met many wayward wanderers over the years and I hope to continue to do so in the future. Not to mention I have plans, weather permitting, to finally wander over to you! Maybe in spring!

Gassho
Rousei
ST

[Jundo]

It feels like a game sometimes, picking forum names. "Name is taken", a not uncommon error message!

Oh, but "name is taken" is part of Dharma Name selection too. I have to be careful, lest we end up with too many "Rousei." We actually have two "Sekishi" because I was not careful, although the Kanji are slightly different.

Also, I have to be careful of the sound, not only in Japanese, but in English (sorry, I cannot guarantee all languages). That is how I carelessly gave the name "Wind" (Fu) "Sword" (Ken) to a martial artist fellow, not realizing that it sounds really nasty with a northern UK accent ... or the other name I gave to a fellow from Sweden, I think, that happened to sound really ridiculous in Swedish!

It's tough!



Gassho, J

STLah

[KellyRok]

Very beautiful ceremony as always. Congratulations and hugs to all! It was and is an honor to practice with all of you.

Gassho,
Kelly/Jinmei
sat/lah

[Doshin]

Lovely. Congratulations.

Doshin
St

[Rich]

The precepts are the truth of your being ness and accepting them is a celebration. Congratulations



Sat/lah


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[Shade]

Thank you all for your kind words and support. I would also like to thank Jundo, Sekishi, and all those who participated. It was such as beautiful and, at least for me, emotional ceremony. Now that the ceremony is over, it is time to start living this life and the precepts. I know that I will stumble along the way, but it is comforting to know that this community is here for me.

Gassho,

Chukyo

ST

[Bokugan]

I've lost count of the number of Jukai Ceremonies I have witnessed but, this has to be one of the best. Especially, the inclusion of Zoom allowing so much clarity. And, it's always exciting to see the new Dharma names popping up beside posts in the Forum. Congratulations to all who planned , manifested and participated in this glorious Soto Zen Tradition.

gassho,Shokai
stlah
p.s. to the jukaiees, let's here what you think about your new names, Why do you think Jundo chose it??

My name, Bokugan, means Boku = Sumi Ink (for calligraphy) Gan = Eye.

For me, on the surface level, this references my forearm tattoo, but the "eye" is deeply fitting in other ways when I think on my life. Eye imagery is been a big focus of my art, which I think is partially a result of me being blind in one eye and also because it has a meaning beyond just physically "seeing" for me. Also, interestingly enough, my art is often done in black ink (whether it be digital or traditional mediums). I find it very fitting!

Sorry to run over a bit!



Gassho,

Bokugan
SatToday

[Suuko]

My name, Bokugan, means Boku = Sumi Ink (for calligraphy) Gan = Eye.

This references my forearm tattoo, which is fitting in other ways for me as well. Eye imagery has been a big focus of my art throughout my life, which I think is partially a result of me being blind in one eye and also because it has a meaning beyond just physically "seeing" for me. Also, interestingly enough, my art is often done in black ink (whether it be digital or traditional mediums). I find it very fitting for me!

Sorry to run over a bit!



Gassho,

Bokugan
SatToday

Oh, that's beautiful, bokugan.

Gassho,
Suuko.

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[Risho]

Beautiful ceremony - thank you all and thank you to those taking the precepts.

Gassho

Risho
-stlah

[Kiri]

My name, Bokugan, means Boku = Sumi Ink (for calligraphy) Gan = Eye.

This references my forearm tattoo, which is fitting in other ways for me as well. Eye imagery has been a big focus of my art throughout my life, which I think is partially a result of me being blind in one eye and also because it has a meaning beyond just physically "seeing" for me. Also, interestingly enough, my art is often done in black ink (whether it be digital or traditional mediums). I find it very fitting for me!

Sorry to run over a bit!



Gassho,

Bokugan
SatToday

Beautiful!
Gassho, Kiri
Sat/Lah

[Bokugan]

Oh, that's beautiful, bokugan.

Gassho,
Suuko.

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Beautiful!
Gassho, Kiri
Sat/Lah

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Thank you, Suuko & Kiri , it is nice seeing everyone's impression of their dharma names.

I want to add that I do not know for sure what inspired Jundo to give me this name (editing my OP so my assumption/personal impression doesn't seem like a "fact" ). Inspired by Bion's touching experience, I have come to see our dharma names as poetry and feel like we find/will develop our own personal meanings from them that relate to our practice

Gassho,

Bokugan
SatToday

[Suuko]

Thank you, Suuko & Kiri , it is nice seeing everyone's impression of their dharma names.

I want to add that I do not know for sure what inspired Jundo to give me this name (editing my OP so my assumption/personal impression doesn't seem like a "fact" ). Inspired by Bion's touching experience, I have come to see our dharma names as poetry and feel like we find/will develop our own personal meanings from them that relate to our practice

Gassho,

Bokugan
SatToday

The way Jundo puts it, it is something you are and aspire to be at the same time. So, for me, I am numerical incense. So, being the Maths guy, I have always be the logical, objective and stoic guy. At the same time, I am fragrance or incense, meaning I am formless and smell good. Fragrance could mean compassion, warmth and love. So, the middle way is between these two. I just love the name. I got it tattooed on my arm.

Gassho,
Sat_ Lah,
Suuko.



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[Hokin]

I was sure I already posted on this thread...but seems something I did wrong...so...I intended to congratulate all new jukaees for theie practice and commitment, and also wanted to thank Jundo and Treeleaf for giving us all the incomparable opportunity to walk this path of both wisdom and compassion (not-2!), all together.
The precepts and all that learning in practice that comes with it is absolutely top!
Hard, at least for me....many slippery steps that I take each and every day...but we observe and determine to learn and be better every and each moment!
In the end: PRECEPTS ARE ZAZEN AND ZAZEN IS PRECEPTS!
Welcome all of you, Dhara Brothers & Sisters!
And congratulation again.
This Jukai ceremony is something so deep and heart-changing, at least in the measure one permits to...
And let us never forget that we can truly make every instant the whole universe's Jukai ceremony too...evrey moment...forever!

Gassho.
Hokin.
SAT&LAH.

[Hokin]

I know that I will stumble along the way, but it is comforting to know that this community is here for me.

We are together, Chukyo...and Happy...Together!

We always stumble
Upon
The Rakusu
And this same Rakusu
Will always be that
Which lifts us back
On our feet
Again
And again.
Because the Rakusu
Is,
The Sangha
Is.

Gassho.
Hokin.
SAT.