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Thread: About our Treeleaf Chants ...

  1. #1

    About our Treeleaf Chants ...

    Dear All,

    Our Sangha tends to be quite simple and minimalist on ritual and ceremony, compared to many Buddhist communities, and even many other Zen Sangha. This was Nishijima Roshi's way, inspired by his first teacher, 'Homeless' Kodo Sawaki, for both of whom the core ritual and doing remains Zazen, Zazen and Zazen.

    Even so, there are times to chant this or that, and meaning embodied in some words we intone which echo from our hearts. So, we chant some great Teachings and other vows and reminders, widely cherished in the Buddhist or Soto Zen Buddhist world. These include, for example, the Heart Sutra (Hannya Shingyo), studied and chanted by Mahayana Buddhists from Tibet to Taiwan, Korea to Kyoto, a fathomless Teaching on the Wholeness of Emptiness, as is the 'Identity of Relative and Absolute' (Sandokai), heard in Zen temples for over 1200 years. We recite the 'Four Bodhisattva Vows' as our commitment to keep on walking this endless path, nonetheless fulfilled in each present step, and the 'Verse of Atonement,' our reflection and renewal for our too human times of falling down.

    In the accompany threads (LINK), I will gather a little information collected over the years about these various texts and Chantings, including a little about their history, some trivia, and the reasons for some of the particular wordings and translations heard in our Sangha. Most of our Chants are in English, based on Japanese interpretations of Chinese, which sometimes (not always) came from Sanskrit or other Indian or Silk Road languages before that. There is no one, single way to express a Buddhist translation into English, in the same way that a translation of an ancient Chinese poem into English can come with a variety of word choices by varied translators, each unique and each accurate in its own way of conveying the meaning and feeling behind it. In other words, there is no one "right" translation, but many good translations which carry well the wisdom of the original.

    If you would like to dive even deeper into the background, history and word meaning of many of the Chants valued in the Soto Zen Buddhist tradition, I strongly recommend to you Okumura Roshi's book, Living by Vow, which is a rich and readable source of information:


    I also mention our Treeleaf 'Recommended At Home Liturgy,' for those folks who would like to incorporate some additional small practices into their daily life, not forgetting ever Zazen, Zazen and Zazen of course!


    Gassho, Jundo

    sattodaylah

    sorry for running long
    Last edited by Jundo; 09-02-2022 at 10:18 PM.
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  2. #2
    Thank you, Jundo - I am very much looking forward to this!


    stlh

    Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
    My life is my temple and my practice.

  3. #3
    Treeleaf Unsui Nengei's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Minnesota's Driftless Area
    This will be a wonderful resource for our traditions, history, and future.
    Gassho,
    Nengei

  4. #4
    Yes, thank you Jundo

    This will be important reflection and learning for me. Using the intellect to go beyond the intellect.

    Gassho, Tokan (satlah)

  5. #5
    Thank you so much Jundo! The amount of work you do to put all of these things together for us to study and understand, is just incredible. I don’t know how you do it, or if your day somehow magically has more hours, but what an example you give!!

    Sat Today
    Bion
    -------------------------
    When you put Buddha’s activity into practice, only then are you a buddha. When you act like a fool, then you’re a fool. - Sawaki Roshi

  6. #6
    Thank you, Jundo. I'm looking forward to it. A new great resource in this wonderful Sangha.
    Gassho,
    Mateus
    Sat
    怠努 (Tai Do) - Lazy Effort
    (also known as Mateus )

    禅戒一如 (Zen Kai Ichi Nyo) - Zazen and the Precepts are One!

  7. #7
    Thank you Jundo! You have great timing, I was just mulling over a question about chanting this morning. The question is this: is there a recommended way/cadence to the Metta verses? I chant the Verse of Atonement and Four Vows and then the Metta verses are just normal speaking and it seems wrong to me.

    Sorry to run long

    Gassho,
    SatLah
    Kelly

  8. #8

    About our Treeleaf Chants ...

    Quote Originally Posted by KellyLM View Post
    Thank you Jundo! You have great timing, I was just mulling over a question about chanting this morning. The question is this: is there a recommended way/cadence to the Metta verses? I chant the Verse of Atonement and Four Vows and then the Metta verses are just normal speaking and it seems wrong to me.

    Sorry to run long

    Gassho,
    SatLah
    Kelly
    Hi Kelly, you can have a listen at how we recite the Metta verses during our Monthly Zazenkai:



    If the video does not start at the right spot, please use the time stamps in the description to jump straight to Metta, at 3:37:21


    Sat Today
    Last edited by Bion; 08-31-2022 at 02:08 PM.
    Bion
    -------------------------
    When you put Buddha’s activity into practice, only then are you a buddha. When you act like a fool, then you’re a fool. - Sawaki Roshi

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by KellyLM View Post
    Thank you Jundo! You have great timing, I was just mulling over a question about chanting this morning. The question is this: is there a recommended way/cadence to the Metta verses? I chant the Verse of Atonement and Four Vows and then the Metta verses are just normal speaking and it seems wrong to me.

    Sorry to run long

    Gassho,
    SatLah
    Kelly
    Hi Kelly,

    I just recite them, visualizing, as we do each month during our monthly Zazenkai. The most important point is not the speed, but that one visualizes and feels the hope sincerely. It is not so much a "chant," as words of sincere hope for the well-being of others. So, the feeling and sincerity is more vital than the pace.

    Gassho, Jundo

    stlah
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Bion View Post
    Thank you so much Jundo! The amount of work you do to put all of these things together for us to study and understand, is just incredible. I don’t know how you do it, or if your day somehow magically has more hours, but what an example you give!!

    Sat Today
    Well said. Thank you Jundo

    Gassho, Tomás
    Sat&LaH

  11. #11



    aprapti

    sat

    hobo kore dojo / 歩歩是道場 / step, step, there is my place of practice

    Aprāpti (अप्राप्ति) non-attainment

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Jundo View Post
    Hi Kelly,

    I just recite them, visualizing, as we do each month during our monthly Zazenkai. The most important point is not the speed, but that one visualizes and feels the hope sincerely. It is not so much a "chant," as words of sincere hope for the well-being of others. So, the feeling and sincerity is more vital than the pace.

    Gassho, Jundo

    stlah

    Thanks! I did sit that Zazenkai with the recording and have been trying to visualize more since then. I think this practice is starting to "open up" for me as when I said Metta for myself this morning (I always include myself along with many others) I felt a sincere desire for my own happiness - which for a host of reasons is a bit foreign (but very welcome!) to me.

    Gassho,
    SatLah
    Kelly

  13. #13
    Treeleaf Unsui Onki's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Location
    London Ontario Canada
    Thank you Jundo!
    I just received Living By Vow for my birthday and it is a beautiful book. Very well written and easy to understand.

    Gassho,

    Finn

    Sat today

  14. #14
    Thank you Jundo!

    Gassho
    Byōkan
    展道 渺寛 Tendō Byōkan
    Please take my words with a big grain of salt. I know nothing. Wisdom is only found in our whole-hearted practice together.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by KellyLM View Post
    Thanks! I did sit that Zazenkai with the recording and have been trying to visualize more since then. I think this practice is starting to "open up" for me as when I said Metta for myself this morning (I always include myself along with many others) I felt a sincere desire for my own happiness - which for a host of reasons is a bit foreign (but very welcome!) to me.

    Gassho,
    SatLah
    Kelly
    And reading this made me happy. Thank you Kelly!

    Gassho
    Byōkan
    展道 渺寛 Tendō Byōkan
    Please take my words with a big grain of salt. I know nothing. Wisdom is only found in our whole-hearted practice together.

  16. #16
    Thank you for these postings and teachings Jundo.


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

  17. #17
    Yes, thank you so much, Jundo. As all the others, I so appreciate the teachings.
    Gassho
    Margaret
    Sat

  18. #18
    Gratitude beyond words for all you do.
    (Seriously, do you have more hours in your day than most of us??)


    Aimee
    sattoday lah
    Aimee B.

  19. #19
    Member Yuki's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Chicoutimi, Québec, Canada
    Thanks again for all those useful informations, Jundo.

    黙唱
    Mokushō
    Sat today

  20. #20
    Life itself is the only teacher.
    一 Joko Beck


    STLah
    安知 Anchi

  21. #21
    I don’t know if this was already answered elsewhere, but why don’t we chant the Hokkyo Zanmai here in Treeleaf?
    Gassho,
    Mateus
    Satlah

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by mateus.baldin View Post
    I don’t know if this was already answered elsewhere, but why don’t we chant the Hokkyo Zanmai here in Treeleaf?
    Gassho,
    Mateus
    Satlah
    Ah, you read my heart! I was just going to add a section this week on the Precious Jewel Mirror Samadhi, Hokkyo Zanmai, here! We think alike!

    So, I responded in some detail here:

    https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...5%8D-Zanmai%29



    Gassho, J

    stlah
    Last edited by Jundo; 09-27-2022 at 02:59 AM.
    ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

  23. #23
    Thank you again for this, Jundo.
    Gassho,
    Mateus
    Satlah

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