On Sunday, December 25, 2022, our second to the last Dharma talk of our Autumn 2022 practice period on Shugyō: Practices of Awakening…
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/sWSDrHREjYkhxCniWymLWB3mypylBWEBk8cDmt_26DXd8NHrwQuTeN1rgEQ3j5oL.xE4OGwSRv8Epf8eJ?startTime=1671995441000
TOPICS: Began with a summary of our exploration of the stages of human psychological development and the relationship to spiritual awakening; how even "dead-ends" on a spiritual path help us map the territory of ultimate reality and transcendence; seeing our 2022 practice period as a rare opportunity to experience first hand spiritual awakenings; walking hand-in-hand with "growing up;" and now “weaving the threads” to realize our emphasis on veganism is necessary (but not sufficient) as a basis of a truly awakened spiritual path; next week, on the last Sunday and Wednesday of our Shugyō practice period, we will look directly at Faith and Trust, powerful enablers of healing, and thus "a life well-lived."
[Painting is called, "Unlimited Scenes of Being"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On Sunday, December 18, 2022, we continued our exploration of what it means and what it takes to truly “Grow Up "--not just "Wake Up"...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/E9YsG11QFyltzrcLQYnIjsXdY2OI8NVsxnYSAPNDBcfyTIHT7gqwd6Px3FCOGR7i.JgM0D6rrV66t5Qmb?startTime=1671390637000
TOPICS: Looking more deeply at how this Zen practice fits into the exploration of this mystery called "life" and the insight that it is not enough to grow in stages of spiritual awareness, we need to grow in our maturity, as human beings with consciousness, and together as a civilization, sprinting toward extinction. The wisdom I pulled from includes the BeeGee's ("...cause we're living in a world of fools, tearing us down..."), James Fowler's "Stages of Faith," Wilfred Cantrell Smith's "The Meaning and the End of Religion," Earnest Becker's "Denial of Death," Paul Tillich's "Dynamics of Faith," and more, weaving together some ultimate concerns, including a new definition of "Faith," and “Trust”—all in service of a life well-lived. In the last 3 Sundays to come we will explore this with a fearlessness worthy of our practice period on "Shugyō--The Practices of Awakening."
[Painting is of the words Trust, Faith, and Training, in the kanji (ideograms), and in the Japanese words written in our alphabet; all painted on a tombstone to remind us of our mortality, and against the night sky of stars, the universe we all share...]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022 in the middle of our "Shugyō" practice period...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/27IwkrPeHPYJ55LKRrHiyzpgExk2eokywuyXUzgZxKwBv4h639gmeFXdeWxGeWdM.uTZ5iS66_rqKZs25?startTime=1670778201000
TOPICS: Began with a step-by-step exploration of the "why" and the "what" of a Zen practice period, starting with the importance of renewing the fundamentals of posture, breathing, and how we build new habits; methods to remain highly alert while increasingly relaxed; the importance of the advanced practice of a welcoming smile--a real smile that welcomes our best self, our sangha partners, and widening to the whole world; the difference between meditation for relaxation and our practice of zazen; avoiding obstacles by refraining from watching our "internal television channels"--the stories that take us away from being present and awake to THIS moment; showed a demonstration of walking meditation--called kinhin; how we develop character through exercising our WILL and a discipline of following the Shugyō practices instead of just napping or day-dreaming; together with our wisdom traditions we follow a "slow cooker" approach to awakening, with each breath, each moment, starting NOW!
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, the Autumn Practice Period on Shugyō--Practices of Awakening...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/yChiyolp-xThHsrly2ur5gKpY-poAcWvPiRk9ZSXi20hZcl3vkRKX95BSNex7ZYY.JLzSHQ_oH6wK_3TJ?startTime=1670181080000
TOPICS: Today we explored Ken Wilbur's Integral Model of awakening, and the possibilities it presents for authentic spiritual experiences that are likely to result in wisdom and skillfulness; the rationale of the necessity of "growing up" not just "waking up;" spiritual intelligence vs. spiritual experience; and so much more...
[Pic from this afternoon in Aromas]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/4zcwBx6jS5N_l7rJUSVK9RuU5pAa79TlBpecwUPuccfeqyWpjaYQUNLKYQkKoX7P.C4bjklXeFf_uL8pp?startTime=1669576518000
TOPICS: Sat with Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA) for first hour; then we sat an abbreviated Sunday service; opening our "heart-ears" (listening with our heart); generating faith in our ability to follow the Wild Country Zen Bodhisattva path requires both the gentle and the fierceness of our practice; I then passed along a few Dharma "hors d'oeuvres" to marinate our intentions while meditating; reported on us renaming the dubious holiday called Thanksgiving to be called the "Vegan Feast of Friendship;" using the truth of the 2nd Noble truth to not just wish things were different; the irony of a barrier to real practice being the tsunami of wisdom available--thus we rarely commit to DOING practice fully, but take the easy road of the "spiritual tourist;" are you giving Dana every month to either Vegan Outreach or Dharma Voices for Animals (or better yet, BOTH)?; we need to develop gentleness AND fierceness if we want to do the best we can with this life-form we inhabit--a life well-lived.
[Pic from the side gate of my home in Aromas]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On Sunday, Nov. 20, the end of week 2 of our Practice Period, "Shugyō--Practices of Awakening," we do a gut-check, asking "what are we doing?"
Link to Zoom recording:
TOPICS: The Dharma gate of teaching for Wild Country Zen in Aromas leads into the wilderness--the wild country gates; and one of those Dharma gates is not just to listen, but to ask, "what is heard?"; are we listening with our heart?; we find meaning in life when the decisions we make have consequences on what happens to us, and feel meaninglessness when it seems like it doesn't matter what we do—nothing will change; when in that fog of meaninglessness, we can find our place again by remembering our Bodhisattva VOWS; and trust that these vows will lead us back in the right direction of our heart’s true path; it takes PRACTICE to hear above the din of our conditioning and circumstances; thus, we must answer honestly—are we (and the world we engage with) truly benefitting from our Zen practice? If so—start today to transition from “Zen tourism” and whole-heartedly commit to practice…Join us!
[Painting called, "Living a Vow"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, a "humdinger" look at Thanksgiving and the true face of gratitude... [This talk only available as a Soundcloud (audio-only) recording--no Zoom]
Link to SOUNDCLOUD (audio-only) recording: https://soundcloud.com/taizangendo/shugyo-practices-of-awakening-thanksgiving-edition
TOPICS: Winter in war zones and the consequences for children, elderly, disabled, and all animals in particular; awakening (enlightenment) and cruelty in the form of "tolerance" and “acceptance”; the confusing values in traditional Thanksgiving; strengthening our courage (through practice) to oppose what is widely accepted in the world; improv theatre in the bones of Zen; doing the hard thing is sometimes the wise path of a Bodhisattva; extending our skillfulness and strength by extending our efforts in this practice period of Shugyō…
[Painting called, "The Confusing Fog of Tolerance"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On this Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/veMKA_2o_SMLlP_TDn8exHqQGfGj0jz6WvfYlzain8baraX8E7fuDzPK6r2TOrrK.mMtoW9Xg8_ASuMLK?startTime=1667153456000
TOPICS: how caregivers are the incredible though often hidden hand that makes this world work as well as it does; revisiting Thich Nhat Hanh's early years and one of the first books translated from Vietnamese to English called, "The Miracle of Mindfulness;" breathing as the universal entrée on the meditation menu; his struggle with anger seeing the senseless killing of his friends and fellow villagers; not taking sides to simply serve all in need; power of sangha to remain upright; answering the question, "What are we doing here?;" asking is there any interest in a new practice period and/or Jukai (receiving the precepts).
[Painting called, “A Hermit’s Path”]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On Sunday, October 23, 2022
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/jmhIQZKRBHwTwnJiNcke3oXTu1y9H_Q93vnETcYa2_eeJgRSGBz9ejcV1KKZ26l2.xz20Nl2Ii9NWtTP_?startTime=1666548446000
TOPICS: in our Bodhisattva vows is the line, "Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to end them...", but we explored the question, "...are there useful delusions?, and the sangha provided several possible examples; and though delusions in the strict sense are beliefs in external things that can be inconvertibly proven false, a more subtle form of delusion is the belief in things that have no basis in proof, but cannot be proven false either--which include many beliefs in most major religions--and yet they can provide great comfort; then shifting gears we returned to some examples of Ethical Will statements, and added some of our own, beginning the process of moving from the general (addressed to everyone) to the particular (individuals we can name); after decades of living, what have we learned that might be an inheritance of value to someone we know?
[Painting called, "Are There Useful Delusions?"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On Sunday, October 16, 2022...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/NifSKVoW69luxyu6bAQ_klBmsHoysHlapGaV6SbPaUUrih_FOenyumZ8dsXJe1Lc.o_8CqitZi3H7kucf?startTime=1665943738000
TOPICS: Started with a few words about some subtle joys in our beautiful practice; invitation to a Zen "treasure hunt"; the refreshment possible from even a few moments of dwelling in stillness as an antidote to the delusion of separateness; reminders of three ways to increase the "vividness" of our practice if feeling "stale"--mindfulness, concentration (samadhi), and "just sitting" (shikantaza); how a quiet mind is the true Dharma gateway to an open heart; and Rhoda and our sangha on creating and sharing an "Ethical Will," to make sure those who have loved us and we have loved, know it.
[Pic is called, "Nature as Art"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On Sunday, October 9, 2022...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/IX0XDXHFUlP-wmHDATvgCcvl9vaXhvZp6-hdyDA0xM4b1sGfsMuFeiKb63-jjemV.Eta-VXo4OA13KZ8i?startTime=1665339023000
TOPICS: With the horror of Ukraine war unfolding week by week, we welcomed coming home this Sunday to the support of our sangha and our beautiful practice of Zazen; looking more into the life and times of Dainan Katagiri Roshi and on the perplexing topic of "fortune"; reading from his book, "Returning to Silence: Zen Practice in Daily Life" about karma, the causes and conditions that lead to this present moment; the confusion between believing in pre-determined outcomes and believing in complete agency (and thus, responsibility); letting go of we being the "cause" of everything that happens to us and the idea that we "choose" pain as a way to learn some lesson; the subtle difference between causation and influence; cross-referencing "fortune" with Gregory Bateson's recognition of the interconnectedness inherent in the concept of "ecology"--and it's harmony with parts of Zen Dharma in "Steps to an Ecology of Mind"; the mental flexibility of acceptance of the ways things are (suchness) while still working toward planting seeds of goodness, meaning without attachment to outcome--not easy!; dedicating the merit of our practice today to soothing the suffering on all "sides"--the Ukrainian children huddling in terror in bombed ruble, AND the devastation felt by mothers of dead Russian sons...
[Painting called, "Forest Bathing with All Creatures"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, the Sangha wove together a Dharma talk from rich insights and personal experiences...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/UEAzdos3V7Q_V8rpT2UaF5b6pHx92VHHj7jVmMnX_LLilwQ2_l3gMBCPFA38VKo.VFQ9qjVzkzHiKzpc?startTime=1664734330000
TOPICS: Rather than list the topics as usual, I will let you discover them yourself--a treasure of inspiration born of struggle and the search for skillful means of putting the practice of Zen to heart-full practice. Enjoy!
[Painting called, "Wild Country Zen in Kanji"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On our first Autumn Sunday, Sept. 25...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/SNGloEAHbh-PbXixk2b2Lr9aauIwYrV_ql-NnFIx0t10s8IOkFqL76D8Qv0tou7-.E7526jnVzUvetFZy?startTime=1664129192000
TOPICS: with an Open Studio going on at my home this weekend, I talk about what it takes to be an artist, and to be an art lover who really sees; exploring this week Gregory Bateson's "Steps to an Ecology of Mind," leading me to visualizing a healing "Ecology of Spirit;" this entails focus on our "area of influence" -- the things we can do something about -- more than our "area of concern" -- the topics we can be dragged down by without having much personal agency of change; the importance of understanding the "why" to the process of change; insights from therapy include "re-patterning" the role of the internal "protector," to soothe the protector and give them a new role: to point out the good things happening all around us.
[Painting called, "Steps Toward an Ecology of Spirit"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
On Sunday September 18, 2022, we continued our exploration of one section from Dogen's major work, the Shobogenzo...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/vLbfWDUecph7WdUAFMltuauiyJIJ1TFfbVl3vbsYg87r8LqRmurOSuzZi9qQq5LL.8GeRmyQB_oc1-m7S?startTime=1663525390000
TOPICS: to make a vow to "taste" the Dharma--not just listen to and intellectually accept; our daily life in Zen requires Giving-- of materials, teachings, and fearlessness; and practicing Kind Speech (or restraint, as wisdom would suggest); and the last two: Beneficial Action, which is the DOING of compassion and kindness; and Identity Action, which is to practice with complete presence and devotion, with courtesy and sharpness, but getting the "me" out of the way; the gift of devoting the merit of our practice to ease the sadness and melancholy we feel that is as “natural as the weather in the moody sky”; questions from the sangha: is there a soul?; the importance of laughter and “just being”; how to start practicing identity action might be to experiment with removing the “I” from doing a gassho (bow) so there is only the bowing—no “I am bowing”…
[Painting called, "The Mystery of Atoms with Consciousness"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
Our Sunday, September 11, 2022 Wild Country Zen Dharma talk...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/7Rkl0UmJOaOFAQw6-F_bFq_40ASckjtr4z-O4GBpfuW88pP5zE69zR7kI97MtR00.0dJTr73_bQSd6pz1?startTime=1662919839000
TOPICS: We summarized last week's exploration of the section of Dogen's "Shobogenzo" on the wise ways a Bodhisattva can give guidance by giving "fearlessness;" then moved on to the second method—“kind speech;" the importance to remain strong and stable when with others, even if a bit wobbly when alone, by remembering those who have stood strong in the midst of real despair; the discipline of our practice toward a perfection of character; the primary characteristic of greediness (which is the opposite of giving), is "EXclusivity;" thus our Wild Country Zen ethos is to increase our INclusiveness to include EVERYTHING and EVERYONE; the question of whether life has meaning, or whether things have value, isn't the point--it's how we act in the midst of this mystery of being alive; sangha members shared several methods to increase our skillfulness in our speech, including Non-Violent Communication (NVP), and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP); and the potential benefit of restraint in speech.
[Photo of glorious clouds from Hurricane Kay]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
Our Delicious Sunday Service on September 4, 2022:
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/DJp3GNoTq1yLdhZtdHYcWMOoGk2izbQjX3tl_HwdkPM88ggOcMnl1JKZCu3ffihH.EGzQDB74l2TAdqnI?startTime=1662307363000
TOPICS: began with a short guided meditation on these themes: "You can never in this world love someone you love, enough”; and "With a quiet heart-mind, interest, appreciation, and pleasure, deepens” (from a Chibo calligraphy); an alternative view of whether life is a “gift”; zen and existential angst; how long-time practice can feel like the “doldrums”—stuck in a pattern—and the potential use of sacred medicines, with meditation and therapy, to become unstuck from life outlooks and thinking that is no longer healthy; translating what we’ve learned on the cushion to be of service in this world; the Bodhisattva’s four methods of guidance in Dogen’s Shobogenzo, starting with the 3 kinds of “giving”— giving materials, giving dharma teachings, and giving fearlessness; the perfection of character that allows us to give fearlessness even when in the midst of despair (as many of us feel today).
[Painting called "Memories"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
We met online August 28, 2022 from the tropical island of Maui, Hawaii for this special Sunday of Wild Country Zen...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/n9C_OlM3zWw4PKiTtzegd4MolShZNvDcxd6lMTtD8rIQvyKtXHD3_JcMW1WUTqdh.agcA35Jmm_995axb?startTime=1661702435000
TOPICS: a deeper dive into the opportunity for transcendence offered by our "dry" practice (without drugs) consisting of stillness and service; the growing availability of "sacred medicines" (psychedelics) to directly and quickly expand consciousness; the simple, friendly, sincere smile which is our Wild Country Zen passport to higher consciousness and an open heart; releasing the patterns that no longer serve us; finding and "touching" the space between thoughts--the emptiness of shunyata, aka the "generative absence" from which we and all the 10,000 things arise as "presence"; our Bodhisattva path of remaining in service to all sentient beings (fellow animals like us who feel pain and suffer); practicing and learning to be as skillful as possible, willing to remain subject to the challenges and confusion of the “mud and blood” all around us; and so we return again and again to our beautiful practice and the opportunity of transcendence.
[Painting called "Healing Hands"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
This Sunday we explored different ways of seeing and the connection to our Zen practice and toward a life well lived.
Link to Zoom (video) recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/jg0nlJbLmrKroewcrpusXOUwEvtQT8INfgZjtzqNmlUWDY_rtgbKOs6nkv4ckMM-.pebHnn1jyQFSJCj1?startTime=1661105260000
TOPICS: we began with the idea of karma, influenced by planting seeds of the Dharma; yet bad things happen to good people--why?; wisdom beyond wisdom means experiencing things beyond words and concepts; Zen as a map that recognizes and honors the truth of "I don't know"; thus we sit silently, allowing our hearts and minds to relax and open; the luxury of our Sunday practice; practicing Shunyata, the emptiness at the heart of this existence, captured in wordless intuition; perception of eyes, ears, nose, taste, and touch, without cognition and judgement; this source of stillness can only be gleaned in the corner of our mind; our practice is not selfish--it can be a gift to all we come in contact with, and all things we influence. Quotes from Betty Edward’s Drawing on the Artist Within,” and introduced Dainin Katagiri’s “Returning to Silence,” and his suggestion that “…real silence occurs when we are driven into a corner and simply cannot move an inch.”
[Painting called "My Underwater Shrine"]
野生 の国 禅
Yasei no Kuni Zen
Wild Country Zen
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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