Eternal Life

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,





Kennet-roshi re-titled her seminal book on Zen, “Zen is Eternal Life.” Early in my practice I wondered about this. I still do. How could this be so? What does it mean? In this one line she offered a sword to cut through everything.



When we practice Zen we are as free as the wind, present as the mountain, and still as an undisturbed pond. There is satisfaction. We are also alive, kicking and screaming, wiggling and itching. We have an itch, but cannot scratch. There is no satisfaction. We are both dual and non-dual at once.



Bearing witness to our suffering, our joy, and our everyday life is all there is. When we accept it as our own it becomes our teacher. Is there any beginning or end to this? No. Everything is, always will be, and is constantly changing. Our lives are no exception. When we drop away self what remains? Everything. So, Zen is Eternal Life, no exception.





May your practice be yours,

Assistance

Hello All,

I am applying for membership in the American Zen Teachers Association.  If you are a member and would be willing to allow me to reference you, please email me.

A bow to each of you.

Zen in America

With palms together,




Lately I have been considering Zen in America. I have concluded it should have little to nothing to do with Zen in Japan. It will be its own creation driven from, and derived from, practice. True Buddhism, as Master Dogen pointed out, is practice. And I see by the time, that my morning bell will ring in a few minutes. More later.
 
Be well.

Shukke

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



Shukke (home leaving) is, according to Master Dogen, exactly the same as being a buddha and taking the precepts. He says, “In sum, the supreme state of bodhi is perfectly satisfied at the time of leaving home and receiving the precepts.” It is the day we “abide in the ocean of infinite kalpas,” it is beyond the three times, and in it, we turn the wheel of dharma.



So, what is this home leaving? Can it be as simple as leaving wife and family, shaving one’s head and joining a bunch of other baldies? No. These are the most gross and superficial of understandings.



Home-leaving is as much a posture as it is an act. Like Zazen, it is the Way of the Buddhas and Patriarchs. Our attitude is key. Right understanding opens the door.



To be sure we need to actually leave family life in order to be monks, but this means dropping away body and mind, our attachments; our investments more than anything else. To one living deeply in impermanence, what is anything, but flow?



Recently, I went through this. Am still doing so, actually. I have left home, I am dropping away body and mind, I am letting go of my “memory me.” It is a period of mourning for sure, as it is a period of change, loss, and yet, great joy also.



In the process, as with any loss process, we go back and forth, up and down. Readers may have seen this in my writing. Do not be concerned. This duck will continue to float. We must trust the process.





Residing in ocean, we learn the meaning of water.



Be well.

Silence

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,





Last night I sat in the darkened Zendo for some time. The Refuge has a bid on it and I spent a good deal of time mourning it’s loss. The house provided shelter in deep snow, coolness in summer heat, and solitude when most needed. It is time to move on.



Zen is about staying awake in the present. My Teacher thinks I have been a bit cloudy of late. He says he is worried about me. Master-to-Master, we sit loving each other. A bow to him.



I am not worried and I see clearly. It’s the dealing with what is seen that is at issue. So, I take a little piece of cloud and chew it up. Now another. And another.







When the field is open

And the sky is infinite,

Sun and moon

Mind them selves.

The bell, about to ring,

Makes no sound.

The sun is about to rise:

I sip my coffee.



daiho







Be well.

Beginner's Step: Team Zen

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



Last night I decided to take up running again. In spite of My Left Foot being what it is, I can actually jog/shuffle better than walking. So, I slipped on the brace and leashed-up Suki, and out the door we went. I decided to jog the entire short run, but ended up taking two 30 second walk breaks. It was a 12 minute jog. I followed this with an “arms and shoulders” weight routine using light dumbbells. A beginner step. Let me stay there, please.



This morning we will practice Zazen at 7:00 in the Zendo; Zazen at Peace Camp (held this week at Peace Lutheran Church) at 8:30 AM; and Zazen in the Sagecrest Park at 9:15 AM. I then must deliver the last wagessa to the embroidery shop. At 2:00 I have my own meeting with my Teacher, Hogaku Shozen-roshi. Zazen at 7:00 PM.



Be well.

Open Field

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,

For km

In an open field,

There is no place Or desire To hide.

In an open field,

Sun and moon, Rain and snow, Mud and dust,

Each are One.

Reside in open heart,

There, no harm can come

Daiho

There will be no zazen in the condo today as I am traveling to the Refuge early for a day trip. II will resume my regular schedule Monday morning adding Peace Camp at Peace Lutheran Church in between morning sitting periods.



Be well.