Zen evolved from Hindu teachings and yoga in India. Siddhartha awakened via his practice of meditation he had insight into The Middle Path and The 4 Noble Truths, including the 8 Upright Paths; thus his lineage of The Teaching began... The Buddha Dharma was born.
The Teaching traveled the Silk Road to China where Bodai Daruma revived a simple meditation practice of 'wall gazing'. His disciples created Chan Buddhism from what Bodai Daruma taught and what they knew of the world known as the Tao.
Dogen Zenji brought Chan to Japan as Shikantaza, or 'just precisely sitting'. He taught this as the root of all Buddhism. His disciples too brought in what they knew of the world, now known as Shinto, and created Soto Zen Buddhism.
Shaku Soen Roshi, Matsuoka Roshi, Sasaki Roshi, Harada Roshi, Maesumi Roshi, and others then brought Zen to America boiled it down to just what Americans needed, and American Zen was born.
Yoga + Shoriniji + Tao + Shinto - anything extra = Zen
Only what's needed to awaken = American Zen
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Living Life
In Zen, we are living in this life... In this very body. Not an illusion to escape from, but a reality to be lived in. An illuson only in the sense that it does not exist seperate from us, but in us and through us everything exists, particulary 'nothing' that by definition of everything, must be part of everything.
Zen is living reality as it is, as we find it, or how it finds us. Interlinked... Conjoined... interwoven... or usually we say not seperate. Not two, but not one... both, but neither. Both exist, but not seperate.
Ah, so we see the words again fall short; but words are like that. As anyone reading this already knows, the words can only point the way. All skilful means are just that, skilful means in living this daily life. As humans we sometimes fall short too, but we are still living!
So we live this life, in this body; joined with everyone and everything else. Living mindfully every moment of every day is Zen.
Zazen (seated meditation) is the practice, the main skilful means, for all Zen People. Zen People Walking, walk through this life... in a Zen Way.
Zen is living reality as it is, as we find it, or how it finds us. Interlinked... Conjoined... interwoven... or usually we say not seperate. Not two, but not one... both, but neither. Both exist, but not seperate.
Ah, so we see the words again fall short; but words are like that. As anyone reading this already knows, the words can only point the way. All skilful means are just that, skilful means in living this daily life. As humans we sometimes fall short too, but we are still living!
So we live this life, in this body; joined with everyone and everything else. Living mindfully every moment of every day is Zen.
Zazen (seated meditation) is the practice, the main skilful means, for all Zen People. Zen People Walking, walk through this life... in a Zen Way.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Osho-san (Ryugen Watanabe Roshi of Kanzeonji, my home temple) came to my zendo (meditation hall) today. The zendo we have is just 3 tatami in size (but we can fit 7 people in there if we need to). I originally set it up just as a place for me to do my daily zazen (seated meditation) so 3 tatami was the perfect size. I called it sanjo zendo (sanjo means 3 tatami).
Osho-san came today to bless the zendo, and named us Jizo-an. In Buddhism we often are chosen by a patron saint; in my case this patron saint is Jizo Bosatsu. The 'an' after designates the zendo as a sub or small temple. In my case a sub-temple of Kanzeonji under Osho-san's tutelage.
Osho-san & I chanted, with a dozen or so of my students there, to bless the zendo. He gave me permission to take on my own students to teach Zen, answer questions on Buddhism, and lead the practice at Jizo-an.
After the ceremony we shared some snack's and tea. We are now known as Jizo-an Sanjo Zendo.
Osho-san came today to bless the zendo, and named us Jizo-an. In Buddhism we often are chosen by a patron saint; in my case this patron saint is Jizo Bosatsu. The 'an' after designates the zendo as a sub or small temple. In my case a sub-temple of Kanzeonji under Osho-san's tutelage.
Osho-san & I chanted, with a dozen or so of my students there, to bless the zendo. He gave me permission to take on my own students to teach Zen, answer questions on Buddhism, and lead the practice at Jizo-an.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
To do Zen we must have a teacher. To sit quiet & still under a tree & enjoy the life this practice brings, however, only requires being a sincere human being. To do Zen as a sect of Buddhism requires an in person teacher. But to begin meditation in the Zen style does not.
Doing Zen is instantaneous... to sit, we just sit. Zen style meditation is not difficult. But it does require complete honesty with ourselves... willingness to be this honest... sometimes takes practice.
Doing Zen is instantaneous... to sit, we just sit. Zen style meditation is not difficult. But it does require complete honesty with ourselves... willingness to be this honest... sometimes takes practice.
Sitting quiet and still is always the first step.
Regular daily practice of sitting quiet and still, if we allow it to, will infuse itself into our daily lives.
So that we are sitting still, but still acting in our daily lives as well.
We call this doing without doing.
Monday, December 26, 2011
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