Dojo Cleaning

The teaching of cleaning the dojo is multilayered. Our teaching is based on postures and movements of wholeself. Wholeself includes not just each individual self but everything, yes? This is often the first glimpse many receive, that all is not seperate, all is conjoined. So as we clean a shared space is we actively use ourselves to join with that which is beyond ourself. It is the easier to expand this mindful aciton to include everything.

All postures count. All thoughts and words count too. We call these Gyo(u) usually translated as action or activity. There are 3 kinds,:Good, Bad, and other. Good and bad Gyo plant (tane) or seeds. But those done with wholeself, in harmony with all that is, are other; these 'other' actions need not plant tane or seeds that would sprout later.

There are some Gyo that lend themselves best to being 'other'. In our teaching, zazen or seated meditation is the most condusive.

The teaching says that those who know how to 'listen' will know which are other and which are not; perhaps we really all know, deep down inside; it's just a matter of if we are really willing to take a look.
When we don't know which activities are 'other'. We can rely on the traditions within the teaching. Again zazen is considered an adept skilfull means. In my particular stream we also have yoga, tai Chi like poses and movements. For me particularly is the Japanese Zen archery. All these can be skilfull means to bridge our seated meditation to our daily lives.

In our style of seated meditation we simply sit upright, quiet, and still. When this happens to us we naturally absorb all that is and become absorbed in all that is, so no seperation exists.

It is not so much, however, the sitting upright, quiet and still that is the key. It is the absorbtion. Absorbtion can take place while sitting, standing, walking, or lying down. But Sitting upright, quiet and still, it naturally happens to us, if we allow it to do so.   There are many other meditation methods, and various skilfull means. These are just the ones that our teaching uses, we feel they work best for many. But we have thousands of others at our disposal should one of the others be best for a particualar individual.