Do Not Waste Time

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



The news this morning was difficult to bear. The city of Joplin was devastated by a massive tornado going into the night. People were left to withstand nature’s carnage in the dark of night. As I read the story and watched some video, I was moved to those still, silent tears that come from deep within my heart: people are frightened, huddled against the terror of chaos with little ability to secure themselves, I weep for them.



My heart touches theirs as I have been in that darkness and cannot tell you how overwhelmingly terrifying it can be. Combat in Vietnam; hurricanes in Miami; violent, psychotic assault; these things can touch us to the core in ways that destroy our very foundation, that foundational platform we use to get through the day.



Zen teaches us that nothing is permanent, that everything changes, and we are OK with that as long as the change is slow, giving us time to deal with it. But in the case of such disasters as tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunami, and bombs, we are less able to withstand the assault to our senses. In such times we pull our emotional selves in tight and go into action. Like the medic that braved machine gun fire to assist me, ordinary citizens in Joplin franticly search for survivors and render what aid they are able. It is later we undo ourselves, asking the core question, “what does all this mean?”



For those survivors, life will not be the same. A cold glass of milk, a marshmallow, or a simple daisy will speak to them in ways they never quite imagined. As a survivor myself, I take it as my sacred trust to reaffirm the teaching from the Sandokai: Do not waste time.



Be well

Our Order's Rules for Zendo Behavior

The Order of Clear Mind Zen


Rules for the Zendo



1.) Silence is thunder. Zen etiquette calls for a deep and abiding silence in the Zendo. The Zendo is a solemn practice hall. We enter it to do the work of enlightenment: freeing all beings from suffering through the practice of Zazen.



2.) Please turn off your cell phone and do not use it in the Zendo.



3.) It is customary to remove our shoes before entering the Zendo. Gassho, bow, and enter with the right foot. Walk in “shashu” (left hand in enclosed fist, right hand covering it, elbows extended horizontally) to a cushion, bow, and take your seat facing the interior of the Zendo. Place your hands in the “cosmic mudra” (left hand in right, thumbs lightly touching) and practice Zazen until you are given further instruction.



4.) Please do not keep drinks or food at your Zabuton during Zazen periods. If you require water to take medicine, take the medicine before Zazen or by stepping out of the Zendo during kinhin.



5.) When walking in the Zendo, please place your hands in “Shashu” and walk slowly.



6.) Bells or claps of wooden clappers (hyoshigi or shaku) govern all movements.



7.) Loose fitting clothing is best, dark colors are preferred.



8.) When practicing seated meditation, please avoid movements of any sort. If you must adjust your posture do so very quietly and with care not to disturb others. Expect the Ino or the presiding priest will offer correction to both posture and excess movement during practice periods.



9.) The priest is referred to as “Reverend,”and if appropriate,  “Sensei,” (Teacher) or “Roshi” (Old Teacher).



10.) During Tea Service and Teisho it is customary to sit with hands in the “cosmic mudra.” Please do not interrupt the officiating priest. A question and answer period will be announced.



11.) You are NOT expected to chant, make vows, or recite anything you do not feel comfortable reciting, vowing or chanting. However, we strongly encourage this practice!



12.) Bows. Bowing is an important practice. It teaches us humility and assists us in lessening the grip of self. “Gassho” refers to the placing of palms together as a lotus bud. This symbolizes the bringing of the active and the passive, the self and other, together in its original ‘non-dualistic’ existence. Bows are done from the hip. A deep bow is a profound demonstration of respect for both self and other.



13.) Once seated during Oryoki please do not get up from your seat.



14.) Dana (Charity) is practiced quietly and typically without request. If you should wish to make an offering, place your offering in the bowl provided. It is located on the foyer altar table.

Zazenkai

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



Zazenkai today. This is a day to spend in mindful silence. This is a day to allow the peace that resides within you to unfold. Each of has this peace. It is the stillness that resides in the space before thought. Our thinking mind is an oar in the water. It tells us to row and with each stroke, soft or no, our water is disturbed. Zazen is the cessation of rowing. And Zazenkai is a day of stopping.



If you are unable to come to Zazenkai, home practice is an excellent opportunity. Chose a time, sit in front of a blank wall, and breathe. First, however, you must settle things. Ensure you will have no intrusions or disturbances. Shut off cell phones. No radio, stereo, or TV. The length of time you sit is not as important as the quality of the time you sit. By quality we mean being awake, aware, and steady. No moving. No getting up and wandering around. No scratching. No stretching. Just sitting still.



In the event you can only do this five minutes, then you have five minutes “buddha.” Spend the rest of your day in mindfulness. This means orienting yourself to be completely aware of everything you are doing and how it feels to do it without holding on to any feeling or thought whatever. Picking up a coffee cup, you are aware that you are picking up a coffee cup. Putting down a coffee cup, you are aware that you are putting down a coffee cup. And so on.



What is the point? Serene reflection. Serenity. Peace. How hard is that?

Sangha

With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,

We have been considering sangha of late and what sangha really means.  It used to be that sangha was a group of monks who practiced together, lived together, and wondered together.  That was some time ago.  Through the centuries, though, and with the ascendancy of lay practice centers, sangha has widened to include nearly everyone and, in some cases, everything, in the universe.

Many lay practice centers welcome people in off the street, visitors who are curious, who might want to learn, and yet, have little real sense or desire to join a sangha. Visitors and people who simply attend, are not sangha members. We, in the Order of Clear Mind Zen, have just completed our grandfathering period.  From this point forward, sangha members will be those who have joined and, once accepted, become members of the sangha.  I think it should be said, a sangha is a commitment to join a group and support that group.  It is not about the individuals needs, but rather the group's needs.  This is where we, in America, seem to have an issue, because we seem to be all about ourselves. The Buddha Way is not that way.

Sangha today may not be place specific, but could be connected through the virtual reality of the Internet.  I have students in far away places, most I have met in person, some I have not, yet in each and every case, I feel a commitment and connection to them.  I am here for them; they are here for me,.  In a very real sense, in this, then, there is no "them" or "me," there is just the "sangha."

For those living in or near Las Cruces, NM, please consider visting us and at some point, joining our sangha.  If you are not in the area, please consider talking to me personally over Skype video chat.  Simply email my Jiisha, Soku Shin, and set a time. 

Be well.

Membership and Schedule

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



Last night we meet with the membership committee and discussed its role in our Sangha. Sangha Membership is an important commitment and one that ought not be taken lightly. There are both benefits and responsibilities to membership in this Order. One does not come without the other.



What are the benefits? Primarily mutual support for our practice. This is accomplished through the availability of a Zendo, Zabutons, Zafus, Teachers, the Roshi’s library and other resources, as well as the many practice opportunities the Order provides. What are the responsibilities? Mutual support of each other in our practice is primary. This occurs through the member’s physical and spiritual presence in the Zendo and at activities the Order provides. Secondarily, responsibility also includes the maintenance of the Temple and support structures as well as the support of its abbot.



Recently, we have experienced a surge (of sorts) in attendance at our groups. We are hopeful this will translate into higher attendance at our regularly scheduled practice periods. In order to better accommodate this and reduce the “watering down” effect of too many formal practice periods in a given week, we are changing our practice schedule as follows:



Monday Zazen at 7:00-8:00 PM

Tuesday Zen 101 Group, Zazen at 7:00-8:00 PM

Wednesday Tai Chi Chih at 6:00, NO ZAZEN

Thursday Women in Zen Group at 5:30, NO ZAZEN

Friday Zen Group at 4:00 PM, Zazen at 5:15 PM, Gathering at Abbot’s Residence at 6:30 PM

Saturday No Zazen

Sunday Formal Zazen at 9:00 AM

The Temple will be open for dokusan by appointment with the Abbot. Call 575-680-6680 to schedule an appointment.



Be well.

Stage One

With palms together,


Good Afternoon Everyone,



NOTE: No Zazen this evening as we will be involved in a Membership Committee Meeting.

Last night’s Zazen 101 Group was exciting. We had a total of nine people in attendance and three stayed after to continue the discussion. Our talk was on the First Ox-Herding Picture which is about beginning to seek our true self, what is referred to as “the Ox” in the series of paintings. We are the herder, pushing our way through the grasses of our lives, finding that what once was true is true no longer and seeking a deeper truth, a truth that was never born and never dies.



I read a piece I had written a few years ago on this stage of practice. I was struck at the time with how being wounded in Vietnam was a show=-stopper, real world-changer for me. But it does not have to something as dramatic or traumatic as combat. It can be anything that points to the reality that what we know is an illusion. A group member talked a bit about reading as that sort of gate, for example. Another thought a comment her child made did the trick. The point is this: each of us are seeking. We want to know who we are, what we are, and at the root, what our purpose is.



Often people see these questions as philosophic or religious. I see them as both and neither. Frankly, I really do not care whether they are religious, philosophical, spiritual, or any other head thing. What is most important is our attempt to address them and in Zen, we do this through our practice. The Eight Gates are practice gateways to exploring these questions in ways that are both meaningful and productive.



In our next group meeting we will explore Stage Two: Seeing the Traces or Discovering the Footprints.

Be well.

The Stages

With palms together,




Good Morning Everyone,







Last night at Clear Mind Zen Temple we had a nearly full house with eight of us practicing together. It was good to see so many zafus being put to good use. This evening we will host our Zen 101 Group at 6:00 PM and follow this with a practice period. The section of the text, “The Eight Gates of Zen” we will address is “The Ten Stages” from pages 39 through 78. I know we will not get through all of the stages this evening, but we will make a beginning.







The stages are based on the Ten Ox-Herding pictures and are an effort to offer some idea to students a sense of where they are in their practice. Much more a Rinzai notion than a Soto one, the idea of stages is a standard for Rinzai and a challenge for Soto. In the Soto tradition, we are taught that the practice of Shikantaza is, essentially, enlightenment itself. So, what need of “stages”?







Come this evening and we will discuss this question among others. If you are not able to come, I will begin to address these in a post tomorrow.







Lastly, remember, we will be hosting a joint Zazenkai this weekend with the Zen Center of Las Cruces. It will begin at 10:00 AM and close at 4:00 PM. Please reserve your space now by replying to this email.







Yours,



Daiho