With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Last night after a wonderful meal and considerable chess, I took a walk with Tripper. We put in a mile plus a tenth. It was after nine. Unusual for me to be up and about that late. I came in, took a brief shower, sat for a few minutes, and went to bed. This morning after zazen I managed to complete a fast walk in the park with Allen and Eve just as the sun was rearing its mighty face over the mountains. It was a mile and three quarters, the walk. We in the desert are not used to the humidity levels we have been encountering. Dry heat is far easier to endure than the damp stickiness of humid air. Within the first two or three tenths of a mile, Allen and I reported breaking a sweat.
My friend Allen is doing wonderfully well. His scar is nearly disappeared. He is walking strong and feeling better each day. Having brain surgery is no small thing. Zen teaches us that we do better when we actualize in the thing itself. Allen has taken the steps to do this. He engaged his life as it is.
Sawaki Roshi says: "Heaven and Earth give themselves. Air, water, plants, animals, and humans give themselves to each other. It is in this giving-themselves-to-each-other that we actually live. Whether you appreciate it or not, it is true." (The Zen Teaching of Homeless Kodo", p.79).
Giving to each other is a moment in itself. It is multilateral, exponential, and exempt from time. Its core ingredient is care.
Here's the rub: we must be open not only to giving, but receiving. In receiving there is giving; in giving, there is receiving. One who closes himself to help does a great disservice to those around him. I am ashamed to say that has been my way most of my life. Deceived by the rhetoric of rugged individualism, I failed to see the delight of mutual aid.
Our practice teaches us to look deeply. As we do, we experience our own interconnected reality, we experience mutual aid.
I am very grateful for this practice and for those around me who have been my teachers.
Be well.
Organ Mountain Zen
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Peace Village
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning we will begin our second week of Peace Village here in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I am looking forward to sitting with bundles of wiggle worms. I am honored to be asked yearly to return to teach these children. Every year it is actually a delight and an affirmation of our society's commitment to peaceful living.
It is not important that everyone believe this, in fact, believe nothing. The thing that is important is that we do.
Practicing peace is a precious gift to the universe. It involves a lot of inner work: A willingness to stop; a willingness to not act when we are chomping at the bit to do so, and a willingness to allow another her point of view and see it's value.
Children can learn to be still. They can learn to mouth the words of peace, but they need parents and communities who are willing to walk that walk. Peace Village creates an opportunity to do just that.
May we each be a blessing in the universe.
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning we will begin our second week of Peace Village here in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I am looking forward to sitting with bundles of wiggle worms. I am honored to be asked yearly to return to teach these children. Every year it is actually a delight and an affirmation of our society's commitment to peaceful living.
It is not important that everyone believe this, in fact, believe nothing. The thing that is important is that we do.
Practicing peace is a precious gift to the universe. It involves a lot of inner work: A willingness to stop; a willingness to not act when we are chomping at the bit to do so, and a willingness to allow another her point of view and see it's value.
Children can learn to be still. They can learn to mouth the words of peace, but they need parents and communities who are willing to walk that walk. Peace Village creates an opportunity to do just that.
May we each be a blessing in the universe.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Enso
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Zen is often pictured by the enso, a brushed circle of ink. Why? There are a variety of reasons, I suppose, but I believe a basic one is to point to the timeless unity of Zen. Tozan in the Rinzai tradition has his five ranks; Seung Sahn has his 360 degree Compass, and Master Dogen, his Genjo Koan.
To study the buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things. When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away. No trace of realization remains, and this no-trace continues endlessly.
Those who enter the stream, do so in order to achieve enlightenment. Yet we discover soon enough, that holding such a goal is actually an obstacle. Seeking enlightenment is a big mistake, according to many masters, including Seung Sahn. There are those who chatter on and on about enlightenment. One gets the idea that it is a sugar plum fairy dancing around in their heads. And often, it is just that, an idea bearing absolutely no relation to experience...or worse...and experience turned into an idea so that it can be expressed.
That fifth rank is a place of complete integration. "No trace of realization remains" according to Dogen. As Sahn says, "put it down." The last of the Ten Ox-Herding pictures portrays a happy monk wandering free and easy in the marketplace. As Kapleau puts it:
10. ENTERING THE MARKET PLACE WITH HELPING HANDSBarechested, barefooted, he comes into the market place.Muddied and dust-covered, how broadly he grins!Without recourse to mystic powers,withered trees he swiftly brings to bloom!The gate of his cottage is closed and even the wisest cannot find him. His mental panorama has finally disappeared. He goes his own way, making no attempt to follow the steps of earlier sages. Carrying a gourd, he strolls into the market; leaning on his staff, he returns home. He leads innkeepers and fleshmongers in the Way of the Buddha. (see Three Pillars of Zen)
This is the Bodhisattva Way
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Zen is often pictured by the enso, a brushed circle of ink. Why? There are a variety of reasons, I suppose, but I believe a basic one is to point to the timeless unity of Zen. Tozan in the Rinzai tradition has his five ranks; Seung Sahn has his 360 degree Compass, and Master Dogen, his Genjo Koan.
To study the buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things. When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away. No trace of realization remains, and this no-trace continues endlessly.
Those who enter the stream, do so in order to achieve enlightenment. Yet we discover soon enough, that holding such a goal is actually an obstacle. Seeking enlightenment is a big mistake, according to many masters, including Seung Sahn. There are those who chatter on and on about enlightenment. One gets the idea that it is a sugar plum fairy dancing around in their heads. And often, it is just that, an idea bearing absolutely no relation to experience...or worse...and experience turned into an idea so that it can be expressed.
That fifth rank is a place of complete integration. "No trace of realization remains" according to Dogen. As Sahn says, "put it down." The last of the Ten Ox-Herding pictures portrays a happy monk wandering free and easy in the marketplace. As Kapleau puts it:
10. ENTERING THE MARKET PLACE WITH HELPING HANDSBarechested, barefooted, he comes into the market place.Muddied and dust-covered, how broadly he grins!Without recourse to mystic powers,withered trees he swiftly brings to bloom!The gate of his cottage is closed and even the wisest cannot find him. His mental panorama has finally disappeared. He goes his own way, making no attempt to follow the steps of earlier sages. Carrying a gourd, he strolls into the market; leaning on his staff, he returns home. He leads innkeepers and fleshmongers in the Way of the Buddha. (see Three Pillars of Zen)
This is the Bodhisattva Way
Be well.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Listen Up!
With palms together,
Good Morning All,
This morning we practiced Jewish meditation at Peace Village, chanting a variant of the "Sh'ma". I replaced, "Hear, O Israel" with "Listen up, Everyone!" The children seemed to respond well to the chanting.
Personally, I am not a mantra sort of practitioner. I enjoy silent illumination. But then, perhaps that's a pretty good reason to do something different. Daido Loori-roshi often suggests that we should move away from that which we know or are comfortable with to that which is uncomfortable. If we are "good" at shikantaza, perhaps a koan or two is in order. So, sitting there, chanting "Listen up, Everyone, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one" was a useful departure from my norm.
This afternoon at 4:00 PM: streetZen at Veteran's Park and Meditation at Temple Beth El at 6:00 PM.
May you each be a blessing in the universe.
Good Morning All,
This morning we practiced Jewish meditation at Peace Village, chanting a variant of the "Sh'ma". I replaced, "Hear, O Israel" with "Listen up, Everyone!" The children seemed to respond well to the chanting.
Personally, I am not a mantra sort of practitioner. I enjoy silent illumination. But then, perhaps that's a pretty good reason to do something different. Daido Loori-roshi often suggests that we should move away from that which we know or are comfortable with to that which is uncomfortable. If we are "good" at shikantaza, perhaps a koan or two is in order. So, sitting there, chanting "Listen up, Everyone, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one" was a useful departure from my norm.
This afternoon at 4:00 PM: streetZen at Veteran's Park and Meditation at Temple Beth El at 6:00 PM.
May you each be a blessing in the universe.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Enlightenment
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
When we speak, we are communication thoughts. It is important to know that thoughts are not the things they point to or describe or name. Thoughts are just thoughts. So when we talk about being "awake" we are speaking about something, but not the thing, only our thought about the thing. All talk of enlightenment is a barrier to the experience itself.
Some intellectual practitioners, academics, and so forth, get themselves all excited about enlightenment. Its like people at a chess club discussing various "lines" in a game. All very esoteric, abstract, and a lot of fun. But not particularly useful.
Zen is about doing awake: Not being awake, not seeking awake, not being led to awake. The Buddhas and the Patriarchs, says Master Dogen, practiced awake. How? Zazen.
Master Dogen writes, "To suppose that practice and realization are not one is nothing but a heretical view; in buddha-dharma they are inseparable. Because practice of the present moment is practice-realization, the practice of beginner's mind is itself the entire original realization." (Bendo-wa, as translated by Tanahashi-sensei in Moon in a Dewdrop, p. 151)
So, let us not speak so much of this enlightenment. Let us rather do enlightenment. As Yun Men says, "When walking, walk; when sitting, sit; Above all, don't wobble."
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
When we speak, we are communication thoughts. It is important to know that thoughts are not the things they point to or describe or name. Thoughts are just thoughts. So when we talk about being "awake" we are speaking about something, but not the thing, only our thought about the thing. All talk of enlightenment is a barrier to the experience itself.
Some intellectual practitioners, academics, and so forth, get themselves all excited about enlightenment. Its like people at a chess club discussing various "lines" in a game. All very esoteric, abstract, and a lot of fun. But not particularly useful.
Zen is about doing awake: Not being awake, not seeking awake, not being led to awake. The Buddhas and the Patriarchs, says Master Dogen, practiced awake. How? Zazen.
Master Dogen writes, "To suppose that practice and realization are not one is nothing but a heretical view; in buddha-dharma they are inseparable. Because practice of the present moment is practice-realization, the practice of beginner's mind is itself the entire original realization." (Bendo-wa, as translated by Tanahashi-sensei in Moon in a Dewdrop, p. 151)
So, let us not speak so much of this enlightenment. Let us rather do enlightenment. As Yun Men says, "When walking, walk; when sitting, sit; Above all, don't wobble."
Be well.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Peace Village
With palms together,
Good Afternoon Everyone,
This morning we taught Zazen to about forty children at Peace Village at the Unitarian Universalist Church here in Las Cruces. We will visit with them each morning for two weeks. I am assisted by Student Reba Zhen Shan Montero. The period began with a song focused on peace and then instruction of seated Zen practice. We had them sit for five minutes then offered an opportunity to talk about their experience. As the days pass, we will increase the length of time and add walking meditation.
Peace Village children, I have found over the four years I have been doing this, are very open to the practice of Zazen. The key is to keep the periods short and offer opportunities to talk. The wiggle worms eventually settle down. And most children seem interested enough to practice with a certain amount of diligence. Not correcting or judging is also important. I like to think of their time in the sanctuary zendo as a stress-free, settle-in time. The kids seem quite responsive and this always makes for a great volunteer experience.
If anyone has had any experience with the Peace Village I would like to hear your stories!
Be well.
Good Afternoon Everyone,
This morning we taught Zazen to about forty children at Peace Village at the Unitarian Universalist Church here in Las Cruces. We will visit with them each morning for two weeks. I am assisted by Student Reba Zhen Shan Montero. The period began with a song focused on peace and then instruction of seated Zen practice. We had them sit for five minutes then offered an opportunity to talk about their experience. As the days pass, we will increase the length of time and add walking meditation.
Peace Village children, I have found over the four years I have been doing this, are very open to the practice of Zazen. The key is to keep the periods short and offer opportunities to talk. The wiggle worms eventually settle down. And most children seem interested enough to practice with a certain amount of diligence. Not correcting or judging is also important. I like to think of their time in the sanctuary zendo as a stress-free, settle-in time. The kids seem quite responsive and this always makes for a great volunteer experience.
If anyone has had any experience with the Peace Village I would like to hear your stories!
Be well.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Obon
With palms together,
Good Evening Everyone,
We just concluded sesshin. Revs. KoKyo and Kajo are now priests in our lineage, and Rev. KoMyo is a Disciple. Obon is a particularly inspiring time. We practice to offer any merit derived from our compassionate practice to all of the universe, especially those suffering from greed, and excessive attachment to things. We think of these beings as Hungry Ghosts. Tenzo Jacob created sweet-cakes, Rev. KoMyo wrapped them, and this morning each of us took up a cake, carefully unfolded it, and offered it to the universe. We were all moved by this experience of generosity and deep caring.
As Zen Buddhists we practice not for our benefit but for the benefit of all beings. We chant, "beings are numberless, I vow to free them." So our lives are a commitment to be in service to others. To practice Zazen is to study the self, Master Dogen says, and as the self drops away we are open to be taught by all beings. So, our service is always a learning experience.
My experience is ants teach me to be careful as I walk; bees teach me to be careful in the woods; flies teach me to be patient and humble as I sit in public spaces and offer them a face to scamper over. In the end,of course, there are no ants, no bees, to flies, no me: and so what remains?
Rev. KoMyo this morning offered a Dharma talk based on a teaching by my Dharma Grandfather, Rev. Dr. Soyu Matsuoka-roshi. The teaching was a teisho offered by Roshi for Obon on July 14, 1963. Matsuoka-roshi had a fondness for this particular holiday, as does my Teacher Hogaku McGuire-roshi. I have found myself drawn to this holiday as well. Matsuoka taught what remains is how we treat each other, even those we have issues with. He taught that "Zen is a way of action that urges us deeds of compassion and a life whose time has been put to good use." (The Kyosaku, pp. 77-80) It is a compassionate teaching and resonated deeply with me.
May we each practice as blessings in the universe.
Good Evening Everyone,
We just concluded sesshin. Revs. KoKyo and Kajo are now priests in our lineage, and Rev. KoMyo is a Disciple. Obon is a particularly inspiring time. We practice to offer any merit derived from our compassionate practice to all of the universe, especially those suffering from greed, and excessive attachment to things. We think of these beings as Hungry Ghosts. Tenzo Jacob created sweet-cakes, Rev. KoMyo wrapped them, and this morning each of us took up a cake, carefully unfolded it, and offered it to the universe. We were all moved by this experience of generosity and deep caring.
As Zen Buddhists we practice not for our benefit but for the benefit of all beings. We chant, "beings are numberless, I vow to free them." So our lives are a commitment to be in service to others. To practice Zazen is to study the self, Master Dogen says, and as the self drops away we are open to be taught by all beings. So, our service is always a learning experience.
My experience is ants teach me to be careful as I walk; bees teach me to be careful in the woods; flies teach me to be patient and humble as I sit in public spaces and offer them a face to scamper over. In the end,of course, there are no ants, no bees, to flies, no me: and so what remains?
Rev. KoMyo this morning offered a Dharma talk based on a teaching by my Dharma Grandfather, Rev. Dr. Soyu Matsuoka-roshi. The teaching was a teisho offered by Roshi for Obon on July 14, 1963. Matsuoka-roshi had a fondness for this particular holiday, as does my Teacher Hogaku McGuire-roshi. I have found myself drawn to this holiday as well. Matsuoka taught what remains is how we treat each other, even those we have issues with. He taught that "Zen is a way of action that urges us deeds of compassion and a life whose time has been put to good use." (The Kyosaku, pp. 77-80) It is a compassionate teaching and resonated deeply with me.
May we each practice as blessings in the universe.
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