jundo cohen said...
Hi,
I want to respond about just this one comment (my earlier attempt seems to have not posted).
This week, a novice priest from Treeleaf had the pleasure of sitting with Brad in a room filled with folks from many Zen lineages ... AZI, Christian Zen, even someone from Genpo's line. Everyone sitting in harmony under one roof. More here:
LINK
I wrote this in response:
Many roads up the mountain (anyway, What Mountain?). The only question is which paths lead to a good place (which is ultimately No Place At All, Here All Along), and which merely have one chasing one's own tail, or lead into the brambles! Many paths, no place to go ... but some paths are better than others.
No medicine to suit all patients (anyway, ultimately What Patient?). What we practice here may be right for many, poison for some. Other folks may need a flavor of Buddhism to treat their particular dis-ease (notice the hyphen, anyway What Disease?). Some may practice in monasteries, some not ... some may practice Just Sitting, some with a Koan, Breathing, Chanting Buddha's Name or Insight practice ... some may practice as Christians, Muslims or Jews and some not, some believing in God and some not ...
'Tis a very spacious Mountain, a most powerful Medicine. Boundless, in fact.
Gassho, J
In our Treeleaf Sangha, we have two Catholic Priests who sit with us, other Christians, some Muslims, Jews, political liberals and conservatives, atheists and many agnostics. Each can practice Shikantaza, and each sometimes shares and expresses with all our members how they can combine their Zen practice with other practices and beliefs (or lack thereof). That is very welcome, and one can combine Zen practice with many other beliefs or non-beliefs. The same for someone practicing Pure Land with Zen Practice being free to share it with others. However, the fact is that in our 'Zen Dojo' our core practice is Shikantaza together with the Precepts and a few other things (
all Zazen in its wider meaning), and not those other practices. So, even though we are open to hear about it and share, such practice is not taught or encouraged in our Dojo for a simple reason: It is very much like coming to an Ai-ki-do dojo and wanting to teach and share Karate. That is not what we practice (
one would be better to find a Karate Dojo, or a Karate-Ai-ki-do teacher if one wants to practice that).
I think people were respectful of your practices, and I do not think you will find any comment there by anyone who was "snarky" about it. It is just that we don't practice that there in our little place. But we respect and encourage you to follow your heart and do so (so long as you are sitting Shikantaza too).
You know, I often say this about how Shikantaza fits with many beliefs, with what is ...
If there is a Jesus, Allah, Jehovah or Amida Buddha in his Pure Land ... fetch water and chop wood, try to live avoiding doing harm.
And if there is no Jesus, Allah, Jehovah, no Amida Buddha or Pure Land ... fetch water and chop wood, try to live avoiding doing harm.
In Shikantaza, we sit with-and-as what is, whatever is. If there is a Jesus, Pure Land etc., we sit with/as that. If there is no Jesus, Pure Land etc., we sit with/as that.
Anyway, Doug, I hope that clear it up, and you are always welcome to sit with us.
Gassho, Jundo