On Sunday August 14, 2022...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/RaP_zzpYaUeQLtKWbtO9_WtGbfDWJrEWHtFsa-KyCmZN9KX1SXbRmtb63FsiRGh7.E-A3mEZN23yQB5ja?startTime=1660500502000
TOPICS: From Margaret Mead's "one thing of real importance" to Maria Popova's "comet's of chance and tides of circumstance"; Marcus Aurelius' courageous stoicism to Anne Reeve Aldridge's poems "in the minor key of bittersweet"; rising to the occasion and doing the best we can; creating a powerful "genius loci"--the spirit of the place, an esthetic of beauty and connection with Zen forms; finding outlets for creativity that release anxiety and frustration with the "wrongs" of the world; remaining still in body to help train the mind; recognizing the "volcano of thoughts and feelings" that when you examine closely, are empty of any solidity; touching the stillness in moments that offer the opportunity to open your heart AND let go, a skillful means developed in practice.
[Painting called "A Different Kind of Beauty"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On Sunday Aug. 7, 2022 our topic was advice on coming to terms with aging--a fact of life...
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/MT5arnxMICuw6LzU0nZJRj4Cpiwtw1pNTmWVSvtked8nn-E6Ieg0q3hFVbIsAf2K.Vp_ujbDVOlrINGy8?startTime=1659896094000
Topics: we shared some wisdom collected by Maria Popova on Aging, several writers such as how Simone de Beauvoir considers "choice and chance converge to make us who we are;" how Western culture winces at old age as a "semi-death;" Growing old, she cautions, is not a project--not something one can do industriously, and “ace.” It is simply a fact--something to be met on IT’S own terms; and a hero of mine, Bertrand Russell, suggests "Make your interests gradually wider and more IMPERSONAL, until bit by bit the walls of ego recede, and your life becomes merged with the universal. “Our life should be like a river--small at first, narrowly obtained within its banks, rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls, until eventually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break—you become merged with the sea, and painlessly lose your individual being.” All in support of A LIFE WELL LIVED, the raíson d' êtra of Wild Country Zen in Aromas...
[Photo of my home Zendo altar]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
Our Sunday July 24, 2022 Dharma talk
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/MT5arnxMICuw6LzU0nZJRj4Cpiwtw1pNTmWVSvtked8nn-E6Ieg0q3hFVbIsAf2K.Vp_ujbDVOlrINGy8?startTime=1659896094000
TOPICS: a brief reading of parts of Simone de Beauvoir's "the ethics of ambiguity;" building on existentialism's foundation of personal responsibility with the addition of Zen practice and ethics; shedding ourselves of affectations of spirituality that are so wrongheaded (yet hugely popular); the ambiguity of tolerance; all with intention of being of service with an ethics of compassion, kindness, and openheartedness.
[Altar before Blues in White painting]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On this Sunday, July 17, 2022, our luxurious service returned to a foundation of our Zen practice: Right Mindfulness.
Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/7_RLDNFmYlhjT-R0VR-zNzL6EcLgWInL7LFWiA4tBvdRKfYOGKnTMMMncPEMc4WG.urn_hsbikE8dBhoj?startTime=1658073760000
TOPICS: A bit of the guided meditation to emphasize importance of returning to the basics; mindfulness might be called "noticing", but in our Zen practice must include the wisdom and ethics toward a life well-lived.
Then we skipped to recording the Dharma talk, starting with discussing the Christian mystic's understanding of time (Nunc Stans and Nunc Fluens) as a prelude to a closer look at parts of the chant we did today called the "Loving Kindness Sutra", an alternate version of the Metta Sutra; some wild musings while drinking tea on how our current civilization falls short; how Right Mindfulness must be the foundation for all the others on the 8-fold path (Right Speech, Right Action, etc.); in Wild Country Zen we set our intentions on practicing the Bodhisattva way, learning the tenderness of care required to cultivate a life well-lived; and lastly, Rhoda read from "How to Prepare an Ethical Will" by Rabbi Harold Kushner, a template for capturing and sharing the wisdom we have attained (hopefully!) in this life before we go...
[My painting called "Blues in White"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
Recording of our Wild Country Zen Dharma talk on Sunday, July 10, 2022
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/u9oDPoswiE2PkJG-MV8ObYkvrHyJ0_8HjiLSJHPgL1DaQ-6nZKzLXon3g9ng-mmd.bHAlqSOYpkc44qIF?startTime=1657476688000
TOPICS: A major role of Zen in Japan is to provide the rituals of death, ceremonies that bind communities and provide an honoring of those who have passed; the perspective of keeping that knowledge of the "Great Matter," which is that "we will all die but we don't know when," can be that catalyst for awakening--to bring all the gifts we've been given to aid in our path of compassion; gratitude to the practice in helping light the way to the other shore; the best we can do is to walk together, with courage, with kindness, with love.
My painting of my haiku death poem, called "Tender and Fierce"
Tender and Fierce
the clock, the
whole thing. Ding!
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
Recording of our Wild Country Zen service on Sunday, July 3, 2022 …
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/9o_sh-RDZXZQi41m-Y1R2mu-ycyqwCPzorLDun8jAne7Jfyf-bSMNH0BN9iSKYX6.5VmK2aJ4F21WQtYk?startTime=1656872259000
TOPICS: In the Dharma talk I shared a bit about the book I am working on based on some of the nearly 200 talks I’ve given; a working title “Toward a Life Well-Lived”; this chapter called “Our Willing Blindness”; imagination as the key to awakening; the values that set Wild Country Zen apart; the best we can be and do; 5-year anniversary of Chaz Erath Bloom’s death; report from bungee jumping off the bridge to nowhere; art as a conduit for change…
[Photo from my stay at Eihei-ji Monastery in Japan]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
Our topic this Sunday, June 26, 2022, was "the Great Matter"-- how to prepare for and face death?
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/YQ33OWRm8_YMFsgM2UgJasbwWLgeGmzFTxNr4-3RT_RDgMbxhATPO9_BQQv_NSkG.uizKs-1Agrhh3-hY?startTime=1656267024000
TOPICS: Receiving the Jukai precepts as a pathfinder for a life well-lived, and a life well-lived as a pathfinder for facing death; our life and death never meet—the non-solid “self” we are when alive never experiences anything but life--only those alive can see (and ~ "experience") our death; working out the “messy bits” of apology and forgiveness now can allow us to turn our chi-force toward being of service in this troubled world; Wild Country Zen is of great service in this way by being a voice for the voiceless —inviting all to become vegan——which is a necessary and essential condition for awakening; how to come to terms in “just being“ with dying; changing our attitude to death from a hated adversary to a fully accepted accompaniment on our path, and facing our own death with a life well-lived.
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
A special Father's Day edition, we talked about the role of a Father and as always, a spiritual weaving of much more...
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/G6E0jf_-JyZV3_a9GHRaqELEX1qeJqWoHBEo_JDhHRBh3K_4C7aInfeUr0zKQ9Mm.uU1MPbkKfd-_A6I6?startTime=1655662434000
TOPICS: The subtle skills required to do well being a parent, and a friend, and a teacher, and a priest, and all the other roles of responsibility we take on; the wrong-headedness of saying "I just want my children to be happy" -- instead of wanting them FIRST to be kind, compassionate, loving, honest, and courageous-- because happiness is a hopeful outcome (never guaranteed) of a live well-lived; the benefit to parenting of our Zen practice and the restraint learned in our Wild Country Zen practice; also this week, celebrating Juneteenth, another almost unimaginable example of "willing blindness"; and a different kind of example, of overcoming fear --bungee jumping with your daughter!; the central point of Zen--interconnectedness; growing our circle of inclusion has no limits or boundaries--our arms will grow as long as needed to hug all the children in the world...
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
[Painting called: "A Prayer for the Children of Sindh"]
Our luxurious Sunday, June 12, 2022, was a perfect time to continue awakening…
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/SN7GNHBNNARvRbZC97AnKCodqXiWVucWeKZewfgfH4KBfnH01UTz82q-IQ7fqCza.2bkUaQtk8qNdojSy?startTime=1655057207000
TOPICS: A key of Dogen’s “Genjokoan” (Actualization of Reality) is to make this path of Zen your own; approach everything we do as Bodhisattva practice; treat “awakening” as a verb—not a noun; learn the wisdom to “just sit with it”; result of the tsunami of wisdom available: spirituality that is a mile wide and an inch thick; find a path that feels right to you intuitively, and a teacher that sings to your heart, and commit to practicing; from the sangha, some survival tips: ration the news (watch more baseball); understand the coincidence of opposites; and focus more on forgiveness by imagining your last day.
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
[Painting called: "On the Steep Parts of the Path"]
On this Sunday, June 5, 2022 we talked about the discipline it takes to become "fit for Bodhisattva service"--and made a spiritual exercise plan toward that aim...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/PUiEf75ojqPzc6v32dtBWVr6LfdHRZCn3uy41EcW6aPaWsXDM46niayTQUezpbuZ.IOO8fgR48WY5urFD?startTime=1654452699000
TOPICS: An important part of our practice is learning to respond wisely to the "full catastrophes” of living, large and small, that all life is heir to--losing loved ones, illness, accidents, break-ups; job disappointments, violence, war--with grace, skill, wisdom, compassion, and the courage born of duty to each other, where no one is excluded from our circle of inclusion, including our fellow animals; the purpose of our forms like bowing and chanting is to make a full body connection, deeper than just reading books; and I call our Wild Country Zen "luxurious" to emphasize this is not something to just "fit in" to a busy schedule--it should be something to look forward to, to prepare for, starting in the morning, and to resonate with for the remainder of the day. Don’t waste time!
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
[Painting is called, "Hermitage, v. 1" (unfinished)]
After a week of horror in a Texas Elementary School where 19 children and 3 adults were slaughtered by an 18 yr. old gunman, I decided to include in the recording a bit of the guided meditation, to start healing by “coming to terms with what is”…
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/AWcvHhpu4SiXaOjSnENVuSjV8JJ92himgO8REX8zEgzz8fX_eoBgdb_1XYHVpzU.07a6nt5wWO5aZevy?startTime=1653840141000
TOPICS: Setting aside time for our Wild Country Zen Sunday Services to heal from the traumas and overwhelming grief is a kindness to the whole world—not just a luxury for one soul; when things happen that can’t be “fixed” how will you “keep company” with it?; peeling away the numbness around our hearts to allow the suffering of others to be felt and addressed wisely requires strengthening our spirit; our meditation practice, being in nature, making effort to learn, all these are part of our Bodhisattva path of compassion, but not just that; our practice of zazen and dwelling in stillness allows access to wisdom beyond wisdom, and to the healing balm of kindness. [My painting is called "Death and Life"]
On this Sunday we relaxed with sitting and walking meditation, chanting & bowing, tea and Dharma discussion--a luxurious morning to heal all wounds...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/NdJ-ltmfOPlJtkax-HryIwT_dKQZ4HtDxdfBNs_2586tRbCzgVHj4F4MKBOE4IEJ.nyi5T0hRCK2RI91n?startTime=1653242841000
TOPICS: Going further into the Chinese influence on Indian Buddhism, through Taoism and Confucianism, melding into what in China is called "Ch'an" and in Japan "Zen;" the beauty in ceremony; ritual and duty concepts take on deeper meanings, yet with real links to Zen's Bodhisattva path; thanks to one sangha member who has listened to 73 Dharma talks this past couple of years (showing value in recording); Line by line explanation of the Heart of Realizing Wisdom Beyond Wisdom, Thich Nhat Hanh's translation of the Heart Sutra; and some background on Avalokitesvara/Chenrezig/GuanYin/Kannon Bodhisattva as "one who hears the cries of the world." [Pic of Taizan at Jikoji Zendo]
The Sunday, May 15, 2022 the Dharma talk and discussion was on navigating our response to the brutality of war…
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/B3q9f-jxC8x7Ih4XSsTHN0uHBtL7kg1fCcJWh3gYD2Cn8J_vl11r-lwkWVjeKBp2.wscVfU0jy6wZFZL1?startTime=1652638145000
Topics: Continuing to explore wisdom found in the Tao de Ching; even in victory no celebrations, but rather as if conducting a funeral for the lost lives; war is a fundamental failure of humanity; and to help keep afloat, I quote Maria Popova and other writers on how to compose a love letter to the future as a way to save our spirits—making a list of “unfussy gladnesses” available here and now; using our practice to “live life itself through us, moment by moment, one broken, beautiful thing at a time…”
[Photo called "Wild Country Zen Shrine"]
Mother's Day, May 8, 2022 and our talk on Dragons and the Chi' force of creative and returning, yin (earth) and yang (sky), and the boundlessness of love...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/DZt9rjx3B3EOJvwuH8X5C7qYHt0bHK_5hEZ8OwVCJoHgqjiWr8IpDJDjWcYfo-I4.bHOD_8ENqmt_YwDD?startTime=1652034057000
Topics: Sitting with COVID (as I am) has brought back how absolutely terrifying it must have been to be a health worker prior to the vaccines, and therefore how grateful I am to them; continuing to explore Taoism and Confucius’ influence on the Indian version of Buddhism; the seeming confusion of values in Zen may be due to including so much trying to be “inclusive;” yet in the darkness of uncertainty we still might find our way--by following our heart…
[Photo called "Taizan Handling the Snake from Vultures Peak"]
May Day is a celebration of labor--and in a way the start of Spring and fresh intentions…
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/ajUygcBkF7Hm2idmSIEJryB7PF2-FQumUTsrEjYCyb-q5VJEFw0_qUHNU_XVWvLl.3r-jEcWfJZj5_JP0?startTime=1651428657000
TOPICS: Readings from "Exploring the Ultimate" a commentary on the Chinese Dharmapada's Nirvana chapter, and Thich Nhat Hanh's interpretation that Nirvana isn't a place we go to after death, but is available to us here and now; a poem on overcoming our laziness by letting the Buddha do it; gratitude for the Buddhist wisdom that has distilled through the ages; as we get to a fork in the road we can choose the life well lived, but it's not just doing what pleases; the need for courage, and taking one step, one breath at a time when we feel we can't go on; and a check-in with the sangha members present.
[Painting called "Watching Seasons Pass"]
Our Sunday Dharma talk...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/n4nhhrC_7pPxUy_gJdlbEHrLyi43ItOt7tW3ElCsp1oIcQfDD2sPpT5pYr1FJKc.0nw-NgRvC5CCjr6d?startTime=1650816163000
TOPICS: Some of the mysterious, but beautiful ways and words Zen uses in explaining this experience of life; if you eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, original sin versus the "original goodness" of buddha-nature; excerpts from Wisdom Beyond Wisdom Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, and Platform Sutra; and much more...
[Painting called "My Old Body"]
BONUS Zoom: Here's a link to a SoundCloud (audio-only) recording of an 18 minute "Present Moment" guided meditation recorded before the Dharma talk: https://soundcloud.com/taizangendo/an-18-minute-present-moment-guided-meditation
Summary of Sunday's Service:
"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world, and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." -- E.B. White, author of "Charlotte's Web," and co-author "The Elements of Style"
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/tmFDgBTtAOnhKYzEtY8AhU5CXeS5nZuhej_7iR_MQKdkFK8yfZ_y27reZ4pqjM3Q.QUr7t8ygqM7kBgfv?startTime=1650219037000
TOPICS: In the Dharma talk today I wove together some old and some new--the Tao Te Ching (the dark-enigma of existence) and "The Molecules of More" (about dopamine and the need for challenge to find lasting satisfaction); laid down the gauntlet in the question “can we change the “from-early childhood-on” training in developing willing blindspots to the suffering of others?" Perhaps a goal worthy of a life well-lived?
[Photo of a wood and rock composition called, "Remember--In the End"]
Dharma talk recording on a Gorgeous Sunday…
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/VfgY3u-VwMLsJJxLu_DUeVwIUS1-cavjJMdItaDqwG5n1U4pEtEMbsHJfWmSJwGo.ig_oUsB4EekDcd7G?startTime=1649614200000
Exploring the amazing books of Will Tuttle: “Veganism & Buddhism,” and “The World Peace Diet”; not just a fight of good against evil, but of good vs. doing nothing; my words may sometimes bring discomfort, but sometimes straight talk is required to come to our senses—and to truly AWAKEN; but what is it that causes that awakening?; our Wild Country Zen intends to be a vegan smorgasbord of organic, nutritious, and enCOURAGING words to support us on this Bodhisattva path of “ahimsa”—non-harming, freeing ourselves from the delusion of separateness from all of us animals; willingness to call it as it is—and include everyone in our circle of inclusion; it can happen only when our HEARTS awaken, and THAT is the purpose of our sangha; the benefit of faith and love.
[Painting is called, "On a Calm Day, in the Middle of the Bay--Enlightenment!]
The link button below will take you to more Zoom recordings on a wide range of Zen topics--check out the titles and descriptions and explore!
all photos and Paintings by Taizan Gendo except where noted Copyright © 2021 Wild Country Zen - All Rights Reserved.
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