With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
What is the point, exactly, of being awake? If we say we wake up for ourselves to be one with the Infinite, we are revealing we are not bodhisattvas, and will never be awake.
It is similar to the Teacher trick of asking, "who are you sitting for?"
Whack!
Zen is never about ourselves. Its about the Universe. Each moment on the cushion opens this truth to us: there is no us. We do not come to the cushion; the cushion comes to us.
Last night in class at the Temple we were talking about revelation in terms of giving and receiving Torah. An author points out that the Torah was given at Sinai and we are perpetually receiving, as if these can be at all separated. The Torah, like the Dharma, lives in constant, eternal flow.
Giving and receiving are incorrect from a Zen point of view: nothing was given, nothing received: everything is already One. We come to our practice to attain this understanding. So, we practice to let the boundaries of what we, in delusion call a self, fall away. And there it is.
God, like Buddha Nature, is, has been, and always will be, one with us.
Sometimes it takes a long walk in the desert to understand this.
May we each continue our walk.
Be well.
Organ Mountain Zen
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Morning Light
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning's air is a cold 25 degrees. I am looking forward to sitting with the sun as it rises and gently lights the zendo and warms the desert air. I woke at 5:08 AM this morning. Waking early is a marvelous thing, but does create issues in the evening. I am typically in bed by 8:00 PM and often asleep soon after.
Mornings are a magical time in my view. Everything seems fresh and opportune. The colors go from dark to vivid to washed out by noon desert sun. My dining room faces west so I get to watch the shadow of the mountains in the east slip quietly along the city toward me and then, sunlight.
If you practice Zen, you should learn to pay attention to the subtle changes of your senses as the day opens and closes. These senses are teachings just as substantial as any master's. Better: they are you, in your face, and willing to center you in the moment at any time.
A few breaths' zazen, is all that is required. Call it micro zazen, if you will. .
Life is a universe in itself, be open to it.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning's air is a cold 25 degrees. I am looking forward to sitting with the sun as it rises and gently lights the zendo and warms the desert air. I woke at 5:08 AM this morning. Waking early is a marvelous thing, but does create issues in the evening. I am typically in bed by 8:00 PM and often asleep soon after.
Mornings are a magical time in my view. Everything seems fresh and opportune. The colors go from dark to vivid to washed out by noon desert sun. My dining room faces west so I get to watch the shadow of the mountains in the east slip quietly along the city toward me and then, sunlight.
If you practice Zen, you should learn to pay attention to the subtle changes of your senses as the day opens and closes. These senses are teachings just as substantial as any master's. Better: they are you, in your face, and willing to center you in the moment at any time.
A few breaths' zazen, is all that is required. Call it micro zazen, if you will. .
Life is a universe in itself, be open to it.
Be well.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Giving and Taking Help
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
There is an art, largely lost among us today: the art of giving and taking help. Some thirty plus years ago, I attended a workshop given by an elder named Alan Keith-Lucas. He was a gentle man who reminded me of my grandfather. Alan wrote a book entitled Giving and Taking Help which is considered a classic among some social workers. I was reminded of this topic last night.
Bodhisattvas are here to free all beings from suffering. What does that take? Some might say, including myself, practice. And for most of us in the Zen world, practice means zazen. Taking a backward step, stopping, noticing, letting go, etc. are all part of this practice.
Yet, rarely do we teachers (or other helpers) notice how help might be perceived by those to whom we are directing it. Help is a loaded term. And thy processes involved in giving and taking are like a minefield in the soul.
To free a being means that we perceive that being as being not free in the first place. We do not know what binds them, but we think we know. It is in this thought that the problem arises. We must begin where the person is. But more, we must begin knowing we cannot know nor can we assume we know what is the relative nature of the person before us. We might see them suffer. We might hear their anger or frustration, but we can only assume we know its source.
So, to begin we must be open ourselves. We must ask ourselves what is motivating our need to help. We should look deeply into this matter. What is the reality on all sides of the helping situation. Second, we need to invoke what Keith-Lucas calls the act of loving imagination, empathy. And finally, support. Notice, nothing is directive. everything is open and in-service to the person before us. It is this person and this person's world we are working in, not our own.
There are eight gates of Zen practice delineated by John Daido Loori-roshi. In truth, there as many gates as there are sentient beings. What is important is that not every gate is open to everyone at the same time. Seated practice might be wonderful for me and you, but an abyss of terror to someone else. Understanding the true nature of Zen is helpful here.
Zen is Ch'an, is Dhyana. This dhyana is an active, dynamic process. It can be practiced on the cushion, or walking along the way, or with one's heart, mind, and body at work. Zen is nothing other than being completely present in this precise moment: awake with all the senses to all perceptions, yet without being led around by the collar by any one of them. Zen is freedom from investment in the senses.
Does this mean we do not appreciate the senses? Hardly. It means we appreciate them very much, but we put them in their proper relationship to us.
So, to be a bodhisattva means to appreciate the many gates and many beings and to patiently offer support as all beings find their own way.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
There is an art, largely lost among us today: the art of giving and taking help. Some thirty plus years ago, I attended a workshop given by an elder named Alan Keith-Lucas. He was a gentle man who reminded me of my grandfather. Alan wrote a book entitled Giving and Taking Help which is considered a classic among some social workers. I was reminded of this topic last night.
Bodhisattvas are here to free all beings from suffering. What does that take? Some might say, including myself, practice. And for most of us in the Zen world, practice means zazen. Taking a backward step, stopping, noticing, letting go, etc. are all part of this practice.
Yet, rarely do we teachers (or other helpers) notice how help might be perceived by those to whom we are directing it. Help is a loaded term. And thy processes involved in giving and taking are like a minefield in the soul.
To free a being means that we perceive that being as being not free in the first place. We do not know what binds them, but we think we know. It is in this thought that the problem arises. We must begin where the person is. But more, we must begin knowing we cannot know nor can we assume we know what is the relative nature of the person before us. We might see them suffer. We might hear their anger or frustration, but we can only assume we know its source.
So, to begin we must be open ourselves. We must ask ourselves what is motivating our need to help. We should look deeply into this matter. What is the reality on all sides of the helping situation. Second, we need to invoke what Keith-Lucas calls the act of loving imagination, empathy. And finally, support. Notice, nothing is directive. everything is open and in-service to the person before us. It is this person and this person's world we are working in, not our own.
There are eight gates of Zen practice delineated by John Daido Loori-roshi. In truth, there as many gates as there are sentient beings. What is important is that not every gate is open to everyone at the same time. Seated practice might be wonderful for me and you, but an abyss of terror to someone else. Understanding the true nature of Zen is helpful here.
Zen is Ch'an, is Dhyana. This dhyana is an active, dynamic process. It can be practiced on the cushion, or walking along the way, or with one's heart, mind, and body at work. Zen is nothing other than being completely present in this precise moment: awake with all the senses to all perceptions, yet without being led around by the collar by any one of them. Zen is freedom from investment in the senses.
Does this mean we do not appreciate the senses? Hardly. It means we appreciate them very much, but we put them in their proper relationship to us.
So, to be a bodhisattva means to appreciate the many gates and many beings and to patiently offer support as all beings find their own way.
Be well.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Authenticity
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
It is often said the mind is buddha. In such a case we might write as, "The Mind is Buddha" meaning the universal mind. It also means the mind is awake, sentient, conscious.
Zen Master Seung Sahn has a few phrases he repeatedly uses. They form a poem:
Unmoving Mind
What's this?
Who am I?
Just don't know!
Only go straight!
Each of these lines is a sort of koan. Please study them. Keep them between your eyes. Put them on your refrigerator, on your bathroom mirror, on the dashboard of your car.
Answer with authenticity. Live with authenticity.
Last night we had granddaughter Livvie and son Jason visit for dinner. Daughter-in-law Maggie was working. After dinner as I was preparing to exclude myself, a few comments were made at my expense. I, it seems, have the reputation of always having "the last word" and they set out to prove it. As I caught on to this, I smiled. Authenticity can be revealing.
In trying we fail; we must just do.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
It is often said the mind is buddha. In such a case we might write as, "The Mind is Buddha" meaning the universal mind. It also means the mind is awake, sentient, conscious.
Zen Master Seung Sahn has a few phrases he repeatedly uses. They form a poem:
Unmoving Mind
What's this?
Who am I?
Just don't know!
Only go straight!
Each of these lines is a sort of koan. Please study them. Keep them between your eyes. Put them on your refrigerator, on your bathroom mirror, on the dashboard of your car.
Answer with authenticity. Live with authenticity.
Last night we had granddaughter Livvie and son Jason visit for dinner. Daughter-in-law Maggie was working. After dinner as I was preparing to exclude myself, a few comments were made at my expense. I, it seems, have the reputation of always having "the last word" and they set out to prove it. As I caught on to this, I smiled. Authenticity can be revealing.
In trying we fail; we must just do.
Be well.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Buddha Now
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning I am without the benefit of the Internet except thru my iPhone. I hope this will be fixed PM.
Now that we have addressed the Zen precepts, I believe it is important to forget them.
Living buddhas are the precepts. Be a buddha, no worries!
We are buddhas when we take our seat. Zazen is itself practice realization. So, everyone, take your seat!
As we sit zazen, attending to nothing but everything, yet letting everything come and go as it is, what is left? The universe as Buddha! That's all! As we take this Buddha nature off our seat, we deliver it to the world. No problem. Always remember this, keep it in front of your eyes. Then every step will be perfect.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning I am without the benefit of the Internet except thru my iPhone. I hope this will be fixed PM.
Now that we have addressed the Zen precepts, I believe it is important to forget them.
Living buddhas are the precepts. Be a buddha, no worries!
We are buddhas when we take our seat. Zazen is itself practice realization. So, everyone, take your seat!
As we sit zazen, attending to nothing but everything, yet letting everything come and go as it is, what is left? The universe as Buddha! That's all! As we take this Buddha nature off our seat, we deliver it to the world. No problem. Always remember this, keep it in front of your eyes. Then every step will be perfect.
Be well.
Friday, January 2, 2009
The Tenth Grave Precept
With palms together
Good Morning Everyone,
The Tenth Grave Precept: Do Not Speak Ill of the Three Treasures or, as in the affirmative, I vow to value and honor the Triple Treasure: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
This vow completes our vows as Bodhisatvas in the Soto Tradition.Once we accept these vows as our own, we are essentially their manifestation. Thus, to malign them, is to malign ourselves.
We should also look to our motivation for even considering such a thing. Often the people, places, and things we surround ourselves with let us down...or so we think., Such thoughts point to incorrect aims.. If we think that being a Buddhist, or following the Dharma, or membership in a Sangha will solve problems, change us, or make us better people, we are deluding ourselves. And, paradoxically, they will turn against us as they were never part of us.
The Buddha is not a god, not a healer, not a medicine man: he was awake. When we take this refuge, we aim for awakening itself, not for "being like" a buddha, but "being " a buddha ourselves. There is nothing outside of ourselves: we make our reality. Thus, we are the dharma. As we recognize our complete interdependencew with everything, we recognize we are sangha oursaelves. Any ideas of these are incorrect.
So, this vow is a vow to recognize our universality and our oneness. From recognition to manifestation.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
The Tenth Grave Precept: Do Not Speak Ill of the Three Treasures or, as in the affirmative, I vow to value and honor the Triple Treasure: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
This vow completes our vows as Bodhisatvas in the Soto Tradition.Once we accept these vows as our own, we are essentially their manifestation. Thus, to malign them, is to malign ourselves.
We should also look to our motivation for even considering such a thing. Often the people, places, and things we surround ourselves with let us down...or so we think., Such thoughts point to incorrect aims.. If we think that being a Buddhist, or following the Dharma, or membership in a Sangha will solve problems, change us, or make us better people, we are deluding ourselves. And, paradoxically, they will turn against us as they were never part of us.
The Buddha is not a god, not a healer, not a medicine man: he was awake. When we take this refuge, we aim for awakening itself, not for "being like" a buddha, but "being " a buddha ourselves. There is nothing outside of ourselves: we make our reality. Thus, we are the dharma. As we recognize our complete interdependencew with everything, we recognize we are sangha oursaelves. Any ideas of these are incorrect.
So, this vow is a vow to recognize our universality and our oneness. From recognition to manifestation.
Be well.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The Ninth Grave Precept
With palms together,
Good Morning ans Happy New Year to Everyone,
The Ninth Grave Precept: I vow not to become angry.
This precept was one that created much difficulty for me. In the Clear Mind Order we use "I vow to sow the seeds of love in my life." The precept points to equanimity and non-attachment to feelings. Its one thing to feel anger, another to express it, and still another to be caught in it.
Anger is a normal human emotion. We use it to help us gather our defenses and protect ourselves. Yet, anger can hurt others deeply. Words and actions expressed in anger have the capacity to burn into other's consciousness and memory, It is far better to not have this happen.
On the other hand, it is often an equally challenging task to express love. We are vulnerable in the extreme when we soften ourselves, drop our defenses and admit loving feelings. I find this is far more challenging for men and boys that girls and women, but this is not always so.
It is a good practice to widen the distance between the fuse and the match. A nice number count, a focus of attention on our breath for a few cycles, can go a long way toward maintaining an internal balance as we shift from feeling anger to love.
And that is exactly what we must do: the person whom we feel is "making us angry" is doing nothing that is not possible for us to do, nothing, in fact, we haven't done ourselves typically. We should notice our commonality, notice our own response, and embrace the suffering of the other as we can.
May your practice be fruitful.
Be well,
Good Morning ans Happy New Year to Everyone,
The Ninth Grave Precept: I vow not to become angry.
This precept was one that created much difficulty for me. In the Clear Mind Order we use "I vow to sow the seeds of love in my life." The precept points to equanimity and non-attachment to feelings. Its one thing to feel anger, another to express it, and still another to be caught in it.
Anger is a normal human emotion. We use it to help us gather our defenses and protect ourselves. Yet, anger can hurt others deeply. Words and actions expressed in anger have the capacity to burn into other's consciousness and memory, It is far better to not have this happen.
On the other hand, it is often an equally challenging task to express love. We are vulnerable in the extreme when we soften ourselves, drop our defenses and admit loving feelings. I find this is far more challenging for men and boys that girls and women, but this is not always so.
It is a good practice to widen the distance between the fuse and the match. A nice number count, a focus of attention on our breath for a few cycles, can go a long way toward maintaining an internal balance as we shift from feeling anger to love.
And that is exactly what we must do: the person whom we feel is "making us angry" is doing nothing that is not possible for us to do, nothing, in fact, we haven't done ourselves typically. We should notice our commonality, notice our own response, and embrace the suffering of the other as we can.
May your practice be fruitful.
Be well,
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