Zazenkai

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



So, it is 4.7 miles from the apartment to the Temple, more or less. I say more or less because it depends on the route. As a pedestrian or bike rider, we add 3 tenths of a mile because we must loop around a sweeping and complex intersection to get to a tunnel which takes us under I-25 in order to continue down Main Street. Main Street itself is a poor example of pedestrian or bicycle –friendly traffic. The sidewalks are sporadic and the bike lanes, if they exist, are in serious disrepair. I noticed, however as I went along, that these “flaws” became generous teachers along the way.



Anyway, yesterday was Zazenkai day at our Zen Temple. We began at 10:00 and closed at 4:00. It was wonderful. We had four Zen participants, including myself. We added two more as the day passed. Then in the afternoon, two women walked in with a small child. They were interested in what we were doing. At the point they came in we were in the middle of a study group discussing Master Dogen’s Genjo Koan. They listened and began to participate When the bell for Zazen rang, we accommodated them, shortened our sitting periods and taught them the practice. Soku Shin, during the first period, took the little girl into the library/office and offered her drawing materials.



Student Alice taught our newcomers the proper technique for kinhin, and Student Yubao offered Tea Service, filling the cups to the brim and knelling down in service without spilling a drop! Disciple Dai Shugyo was our energetic and ever mindful Ino, inviting bells to ring and clappers to clap. As for myself, I practiced great love for all who were present. As Tenzo, I prepared the midday meal and served our group. Each time I practice this role, I gain a renewed appreciation for Master Dogen and his teaching regarding cooking our life.



In the end, our group coalesced into a group that sat upright, offered the Dharma to world, and with the fueko, transferred the merit generated by our practice to all beings.



To me, this is how a Zen Temple operates. Rigidity, clinging to forms, is a curse; no forms and no diligence is also a curse: it must take on the way of compassionate understanding.



I was very pleased that our steadfast little group opened their hearts to newcomers in this way.



So, the walk to the Temple was 4.7 miles and the bike ride back was 4.7 miles, and each mile was spent in mindful contemplation of the joy of simple things.



Be well.



PS. Hannamatsuri Sesshin will be held in Las Cruces April 8.9. and 10. Please consider joining us for all or part of this practice period. Let me know by email if you plan to attend.

Westboro Baptist Church

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



The news this morning assures us that the US Supreme Court stands with the First Amendment of the Constitution, even when that speech is loathsome. As abbot of the Order of Clear Mind Zen, I offer my response to the Rev. Phelps below:



The Order of Clear Mind Zen responds to Rev. Fred Phelps, Westboro Baptist Church, Topeka, Kansas.



Dear Rev. Phelps,



I have just read that the US Supreme Court upheld your right to free speech. I am thankful that they did so and, personally, I want to thank you for offering us the opportunity to work on compassion and to practice forgiveness of your hate and the great suffering you and your Church inflict on human beings in the midst of their own great suffering. It is a challenge to offer you love, I admit. The suffering you cause in the name of your faith is very great. My first instinct is to want harm to come to you, to want you to suffer with the rest of us. But your anger and your pain are evident and I sense they offer you protection from those who hate you.



From this I learn that hate is a barrier to compassion. Hate protects us from pain, but prevents us from touching our own humanity and it is this loss that is most tragic in your life. The fact is, you cannot love. For you to love would require you to drop the barriers your hate provides. That would be far too painful for you.



So, while my disgust is there, and my desire to harm you is there, it arises out of my love for those you harm, and my desire to protect them from your hate. I could say I practice the Buddha Way for you, to free you from your suffering, but ultimately, though, I practice the Buddha way for myself, sir, because as you stumble in your darkness seeking light, you cause me to examine my own heart and I am able to see my own humanity. Powerful feelings are great teachers. Yet, we must be willing to be taught by them. In your freedom to speak, may you learn the responsibility of that speech; may you look upon the hearts that you harm and feel their pain. In this feeling the opportunity arises to experience compassion and the way for you to be truly free presents itself.



May we both, then, be free from suffering.

Notes

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



Today at the Temple we will host Zen 101 at 6:00 PM, practice Zazen at 7:00 PM, and practice Yoga at 7:30 PM.



After two months or so meeting at 3:00 PM for Yoga and rarely having anyone come, we have decided to move our yoga practice to 7:30 PM Monday through Thursday, following Zazen at 7:00. Each practice period will be approximately 30 minutes in duration.



If anyone should wish to practice yoga, t’ai chi chih, Zazen, or have a personal teaching interview at anytime in the day, please call me at 575-680-6680 for an appointment.



Tai Chi Chih continues to meet at 6:00 PM on Wednesdays.



Our Friday 4:00 Zen Group will continue to meet and is followed by Zazen at about 5:30 PM.



Lastly, we will conduct Zazenkai this Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Please call or email your reservation. A small donation of $10.00 would be appreciated.



Be well.

Firewood and Ash

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



The outdoor temperature is 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Here I thought southern New Mexico was ready for spring. Expectations gets me in trouble every time!



We were talking about the section of the Genjokoan yesterday at Temple which addresses firewood being firewood and ash being ash and firewood not becoming ash. Firewood has its own life as firewood; ash has its own life as ash. We might add that the burning itself has its own life as burning, as well.



Dogen’s point is simple: each being has its own past, present and future, and each of these is both separate and empty. Treat your present moment life with great respect. When ash, do not try to recapture yourself as firewood. When firewood, do not worry about becoming ash. Life is the burning, the constant metabolic process we call the cosmos.



When we practice we see this clearly. I am in this moment, there is no other. My memory of my life is just a memory; my concern about tomorrow is just my concern. What is most important is what I do now. Yet, as Okamura-roshi points out, even now is empty. We cannot capture it and hold it. So, in this sense, it is our function in this constant burning that matters most. The present moment gives rise to opportunity for action.



For those caught in the past or worried about the future, release yourselves. Rather than focusing on your thoughts about the past or future, reside in the action of the present. Sounds easy, but it takes a lifetime of practice.



Be well.

A Day Off

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



It is Saturday and our day off so the Temple is closed today. Already this morning in our residence’ Zendo we sipped espresso coffee, did contemplative yoga, and completed a light dumbbell workout. I then took Suki for a short walk to the park and back, and am just now ready to sip some regular coffee. Soon, I will go into what we are calling, “the Art Room” (oy, soooo pretentious!) and take a long look at the canvas I am working on.



It is an Iris. I wanted it lit by moonlight, but fear that will require a dark sky and darker ground. Maybe some artistic license will help. I think I’ll just let my heart/mind do what it do.



Sitting in the Art Room is a good practice, as I see it. I have a stool in front of the easel and a large window to the right. On a table in front of the window is a hibiscus and a bougainvillea. The latter is in bloom. On my left is a table with paints, brushes, sponges and water jars. Of course paper towels are scattered about and often litter the place. I enjoy this spot and sit here often with no real intention to pick up a brush. But I look at the empty palette and the lovely colors and, well, I just can’t help myself. Its rather like writing, I suspect. I sit here in front of this little notebook and there it is, keys to be touched, words to be written, thoughts to be composed. I just do.



Yesterday at the Zen group, as we explored the Four Noble Truths, I asked what, if anything, connected the last truth to the third truth. I mean, how, exactly, does following that forth path end suffering? Rather, what is the operant mechanism? The easy answer is it’s the Middle Way. But that really doesn’t satisfy. I like to think that the word for “Right,” that is, “Samma,” is key. This word means “complete” or “perfect” as in seeing something completely as it is without desire to alter a thing. When we are in a place where we can appreciate what is for what is, we are able to let go of expectations. Every cherry blossom, pear, life, is perfect and complete as it is. So, I think the way these eight paths connect to the cessation of suffering is through a deliberate opening of our grasp on shoulds, coulds, and oughts. As things change, which is what everything does, we can begin to appreciate change itself.



How bright is a full moon?



Be well.

4 Truths

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



Another delightful morning with a chilly 36 degrees rising to 70 today. The sun just peaked over the mountains in the east and light is bathing the trees in the Mesilla valley. I am awake, sitting next to my partner and considering what to write this morning.



Today we will practice yoga at 3:00 PM, host our Zen discussion group at 4:00 PM and practice Zazen at 5:30 PM. The discussion group will focus on the Four Noble Truths. This is always an interesting topic as the core elements are a challenge to define. These elements are “suffering,” “attachment,” and “right.” The Buddha says life is suffering, he says this suffering is caused by attachment, he says our suffering can end, and that the way to end it is through the eightfold path which includes right morality, practice, and wisdom. So?



When we talk about life as suffering I think we do understanding a disservice as we can easily get caught in the trap of nihilism. Dukkha means dissatisfaction, a sort of “something’s not quite right” about our lives. Buddha taught this was due to our clinging to, our desires for, and our attachments to what is in our present moment lives. We suffer, then, because the very nature of life is change. Since everything changes and since we often want to keep things the way they are, we suffer as things change.



We cannot stop change. Rather than fight against it, we might embrace it. We might take a path that is holistic, that grasps a systemic, unfolding view. This is the “complete” of “summa,” the word so often translated as “right.” When we have “complete” understanding, it means we are synchronous with body, mind, and environment. We are oriented and thus can see clearly, think clearly, and behave clearly, which is to say, with complete morality, complete practice, and complete wisdom.



As engaged Zen Buddhists we understand this to mean stepping into the present without fear of leaving the past. Our eye is the true dharma eye that realizes faith in the cosmos. As fearless Bodhisattvas we look to see how this day can be made healthier, more in sync with life, and lived without misery.



Be well.

On a personal level

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,

On a more personal level…

This is it. I am yielding to my body which apparently needs more sleep than it has been getting. I woke this morning at a startlingly late 7:30 AM. Ye gads! I even went to bed at a reasonable hour, about 9:30 or 10:00 PM. Something is happening. Maybe I am less anxious. Maybe I feel safer. It really doesn’t matter, the good thing is that I am sleeping and sleeping well.



We had a small T’ai Chi Chih group last night and a small Zazen group. I enjoy those smaller groups as they often feel far more intimate and meaningful. Our practice is aided by others, but only to a point. When the numbers get larger, the intimate quality is lost and one might as well be in a Wal-Mart.



The history of Buddhism seems to swing in two directions regarding Sangha. On one side there are stories of larger and larger followings, thousands of monks and dignitaries in attendance at teachings. On the other side, we have Zen teachers who reside in small places, parks, caves, huts, or small apartments, and from there bring the Dharma into the world. I have had the experience of addressing very large gatherings and of teaching in very small groups. There is no question, the large gatherings lead to an effort to be charismatic, whereas in the small gatherings our humanity, as teachers, has an opportunity to emerge. It seems to me, this is where the real teaching has an opportunity to be experienced, a teaching that flows in both directions.



I am not one for a lot of pomp and circumstance. I rarely wear the purple robe, often don’t wear the kesa, and mostly don my worn rakusu. I really do not like the koromo and mostly opt for samue. I do like our small temple with its apartment like feel: Zendo, bathroom, office, and kitchen. I cannot imagine being the sort of priest who has a large Sangha, who is flying here and there, and whose life is guided pretty much in every detail by a full calendar held close. Pressure to perform, to seek funding, to wow an audience? Good grief.



I want nothing to do with large organizations, with bureaucracy, with large and detailed policy and procedure manuals. To me this is contrary to the best of Zen whose heart is in the great matter and not on the material matter. Still, even small, local grassroots groups need money, need some policy, and need a willingness to practice together.





I think it is best just to go into the Zendo and open ourselves to the practice that is there before us to do.



Be well.