On this absolutely gorgeous winter Sunday morning (Jan. 9, 2022) we passed around (virtually) a plate of sweets--some gems of wisdom and wonder from Thich Nhat Hanh composed of short, easily digestable practices that when added up are very powerful...
Link to Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/WMbur-s6HU20xbjWcdfWjxvFRyYm2ld1qvzkohKdlxIfTTxq2aUp922q4gleNonA.2spwyCEprdwP7T9m
TOPICS: Seven Factors of Awakening that can lead us to dwelling more often in the Four Immeasurable Minds such as: Joy-- it is possible to develop joy even when our body is not well; Energy-- we can fuel our awakening as a result of feeling some meaning in our life; Ease-- we in the "over-developed" world need to stop every 15 minutes, and for a few moments at least, breathe, relax, and calm, thus allowing ourselves to heal; awakening requires favorable conditions, and when we practice deeply we may look at everything in a different light; and much, much more--you'll just have to listen for yourself! ;-) [Painting by Taizan is a piece called "What Are We Doing--Connect the Dots!"]
On this beautiful Winter Wednesday evening, Jan. 5, 2022, we explored a plan of preparation to enter the Heavenly Abodes by practicing Relaxation, Stability, and Vividness, and building a foundation of ethics found in the Buddhist precepts.
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/R6ZfOHd4TPLJIMJ38yjBW7zoFIDeO-RJ7ERDwH7coyByuXvxUoDBlp4OvQmzaa9T.z7lDh9Kro14qPkKT
TOPICS: Vigilance tips to keep practice from becoming stale; examining the 4 Immeasurables (Loving-Kindness, Compassion, Empathetic Joy, and Equanimity) from two powerful perspectives: Thich Nhat Hanh (Zen) and Alan Wallace (Tibetan and Vipassina); root problem is delusion—the door/obstacle to liberation; stability and vividness allow insight to dissolve delusion; but without adopting ethics, benefit of practice is fragile like building on sand castles; the precepts are protections allowing the 4 immeasurables to grow within us. [Pic by Taizan on Cortes Island, British Columbia]
On this sunny and cold Sunday (Jan. 2, 2022) we again stretched out in the warm luxury of multiple sittings and walking meditation (even one outside!), a full Service chanting the Heart Sutra, and then making tea to hear and discuss the Dharma.
Link to Zen-Zoom recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/ng6UsiN3pI6adh15R45iwNG7_NOUS5Vg9Fky25uR5C7tZyhzgrXU6lZ0RD5bSuvw.DuvIbzS_ZSjHKei9
TOPICS: Poems to begin by Zen master renegade Ikkyu, “Why is it so beautiful—this fake dream—why?” The fuel of Bodhicitta that powers our Bodhisattva ideals and actions; imagining this as your last sit before death (because one day it absolutely WILL be); pairing back older growth to make way for new learning; next chapter in Thich Nhat Hanh’s book to spend time in the abode of God he calls The Immeasurable Minds (love, compassion, joy, and equanimity). [Pic by Taizan is Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz on New Year's Eve]
On this last sangha meeting of 2021 we first explored a pastiche of Zen ideas through the lens of Chinese landscape painters and intuitive healers, and then shared some of the highlights, suggestions, and insights gleaned from the passing year of Zen-Zoom practice.
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/Exdett6UV_-L-VanYJL-ujJSroPrh97Hlt_MoIR-a4HAIQ0LtKbeelGL7Fofn3fD.agYrJ8McwQAQmEq6
TOPICS: Selections from David Hinton's "Existence" and Dr. Judith Orloff's "Intuitive Healing"; how in the times we cannot love ourselves we need to find friends to do so; loving our friends with "shining eyes"; finding solace and shunyata in woods and mountain and ocean views; the longing for release from city bounds and the pressure to conform and constrain our true natures; reviews of the Zen-Zoom service and how to not judge as deficient but rather fully embrace the limitations of Zen-Zoom(for our own benefit); agreement that WCZ Sunday service provide a much appreciated luxury of extended meditation; and appreciation as well for the ease of partial participation when "life happens." [The pic features calligraphy I painted of a 13th century Zen expression, "The Wind blows but does not stir the moon high in the sky."]
The day after Christmas is often filled with “let downs”—whether from a great time or a great drama. On this Sunday we were lucky to be able to meditate sitting and walking together (at least on Zoom) for several meditation periods, shake it off, have some tea, and let in some sunshine no matter the weather!
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/NMDZDXl9p5E54s-lUcbktqSRXRlGxnNPmmlOhHp5ACtcpNvfxLRXIg8SzkoEP4ov.FREdARmxbxCMGLXu
TOPICS: Summary of Key Buddhist Teachings applied to the real world: the Dharma Seals (keys) that open the Doors of Liberation, impermanence opens to emptiness, non-self to signlessness (or, don’t get caught in words); nirvana is touched by aimlessness (or, learn to give up everything for a few refreshing moments); Christian concept of “nunc stans” (eternity in God) and the similarity to Buddhist “present moment”; Bodies (embodiments) of Buddha—the wisdom of teachings (Dharma), the enjoyment of practice, and the possibility of transformation; the 3 Jewels of our practice, and how we weave these threads back together into a beautiful robe of liberation--even after it's been torn apart… [Pic of Sandee Adams' Orbiting Peace Mirror, https://SandeeAdams.com ]
We continue reading chapters in Thich Nhat Hanh's book, "The Heart of Buddha's Teaching," and on this night we explored "The Three Doors of Liberation." As usual, the theoretical was always brought down to earth--to this life--by examples we can try on in this present moment, nothing to wait for, nothing else required...
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/LoXUpKkvFXlzw0QcvsoXpEjlXrHRxt_UPpB9EkWHyKisGd_SS7H7rytzMeNkY4KN.2jLEv5CXjT3KYJaZ
TOPICS: Emptiness and interconnection is not a contradiction; Signlessness--the emptiness of words, yet they are fought over sometimes to the death; the desperately needed relief of laughter; Aimlessness--not a character flaw, but a temporary respite from the pressures to constantly DO and be "productive"; how small moments of kindness, of taking refuge, can make a huge difference in this troubled world; and this gatha:
"Waking up this morning, I smile
Twenty four brand new hours are before me
I vow to live fully in each moment
And to look at all beings with the eyes of love"
[Pic of my Living Room Altar where I sometimes sit in the early Winter morning]
On this beautiful, cold Sunday morning Dec. 19, 2021 we practiced several periods of zazen's deep stillness and serene reflection, kinhin (walking meditation), concluding with a bracingly real Dharma talk and discussion on the courage it takes to be a Bodhisattva of compassion.
Zoom Recording Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/LEzh5AyyND_l5Xe1Deram23t0YE35njCJBpklJXeJAjISLmiFL-C7jeCZKgwUE0H.jpAEqvpJLFPGe3yT
TOPICS: Looking deeply and honestly at our actions with love, but not guilt; intuitive healing as a catalyst to healing ourselves AND our planet’s illnesses; the fear, anxiety, confusion, and disconnection we ingest daily if we eat fellow animals; the cultural schizophrenia of claiming we love animals while allowing them enslaved, killed, eaten, worn, and experimented on as if they are just "things" without feelings; as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, to cause change, the power of example isn’t sufficient--courageous action is required; thus enduring criticism due to being a voice for the voiceless is the calling of a true Bodhisattva—which just happens to be our Wild Country Zen practice! [Painting by Taizan is called, "Before Civilization, Art."]
Tonight (Wed., Dec. 15, 2021) we dove into deep waters of Zen teaching on the meaning and application in our life of Impermanence, No Solid Self, and Nirvana in the present moment.
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/jr2_PGdME41trvqJenbCi7QqZRsjOM3s2rRTINS0C0B2XOvuf-FouNxxYX8hA6ic.-P0scCwcu9-BpIkJ
TOPICS: Impermanence as a welcomed transformation of suffering; Nirvana not after death, but rather as the extinguishing of ideas and concepts in the present moment; challenge of recognizing inter-being and connection with all sentient beings given an "I-Me-Mine" attitude; despite confusion, letting go of coming to closure and just remaining open to learning; accepting that even the Buddha's words and Zen concepts must not be grasped as "truth," but are simply a raft to help us get to "the other shore." [Painting/graphic of Wild Country Zen by Taizan]
On this Sunday (Dec.12, 2012) before a welcome rainstorm, the Dharma talk, after a beautiful morning of service, focused on the preciousness of our practice--DON'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED! and the benefits of practicing "whole-hearted."
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/87Gr7YvQ-NH7GkWr1h78SkwnQa4B_qwR1ytQc6hC843huDk3ajL_Inlur2EoBgQ.8JopLqkCC1vNhJXo
TOPICS: working with the deep ruts of life-long habit; importance and influence on our spirit health of what we eat; how taste can lead us SO far astray; learning to accept what we must (like our bodies and death) AND/BUT the courage to change what we can; this is the Bodhisattva call of engaged Buddhism; tenderness is both loving and painful; past is over--starting NOW in the present moment, the ONLY moment; so what are WE going to do with the unknown time we have left?
[Pic by Taizan is from a walk along the Pajaro River levee]
On this date of the Buddha's enlightenment, we explored the question of what "enlightenment" means to each of us--not a far away ideal, but an everyday lens of how to see our way more clearly on this path we share.
Zoom Recording Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/-3S2YDt34wcw2nx6RbjDMPih72ClATVvFY3Qt6N08MqPFF3zuhDjnfj2SGQWB-wU.N0VekC2AedZ9cd1l
Topics: the gifts of wisdom applied to our life; absolute and relative truths like so many Zen concepts, full of paradox, require letting go of closure, and being willing to remain in "don't know" mind without anxiety, and much more...
[Pic by Taizan is from at the ridge above Jikoji Zen Center, sitting in stillness on a cold Winter's night]
The Two Truths and the Lessons Death Teaches
On this very first time Wild Country Zen practiced on a Sunday, we dove right in with an exploration of the two truths (absolute truth and relative truth), and what Buddha advised us about Death and change. As Tara Brach teaches: "Our capacity to live and love FULLY AWAKENS as we open our hearts to Death." And so we did...
Zoom Recording Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/kyDlSCtr7fsdI_n1_QVDlnMSKgUTCJUJdvEwz_hREF0JKmSTNoHS9zUD43ZKXqPX.oQbgaq07XDCEFoFK
Topics: A quick look at the Heart Sutra as an example of absolute truth; the relative truth example of impermanence (Death); then we read the "5 Remembrances," the things Buddha advised us to repeat EVERY DAY; then going further, we reviewed Frank Ostaseski's "5 Invitations," a summary of what he has learned from his work creating a Hospice and sitting with more than 1000 people as they died; read James Baldwin's quote, "We can't always change what we face, but we can't change anything we're unwilling to face." And much more...
[Pic by Taizan is from a hill above Monterey Bay Academy]
On this start of Rohatsu (week-long celebration of Buddha's Enlightenment), we talked about the challenging requirements of Zen practice, the Bodhisattva path, and the rare willingness to do "deep practice."
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/T1REDLLEMIpHX6AZ_TUloFLiwTsvhLtmNmgDajv0cwQSN41-LWwS87O3xire_yim.lYijVFX6cQsEy22V
TOPICS: Checklist to gauge practice, including ability to bring focus quickly, hold focus longer, let go of rumination sooner, and sink into the emptiness (shunyata) between thoughts long enough to discover "emergent presence"; finding an ignition that releases your flood of energy; building/strengthening new myelin/habits; role of uncomfortableness in learning new skills on the 8-fold path; possibility of a life well-lived (but not the easy path) is perhaps as good as it gets...
[Pic by Taizan is of a statue of Avalokiteshvara After a Long Day]
On the eve of Thanksgiving in the U.S., we examined how we will make changes based on the 8-Fold Path practice period just concluded. The Bodhisattva path in Zen is not the easy or painless path--but it is the path of a life well-lived.
ZOOM Recording Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/KRNEsLLperAotOw5kvDkxUzdvBzFV2enRTCMPFsXs2nNHBKenZ2ZfrwZohzp6FkX.TAfuGEhyE-08m7w8
TOPICS: The seeds have been planted--time now to water them! Here is a list we worked from:
Step 1--Wise Understanding Have I reviewed my core understandings (what are they?) and found areas I'd like to strengthen/revisit to make my foundation strong and true?
Step 2-- Care-Full Intentions Did I write down a list of my intentions for the present moment and going forward?
Step 3-- Appropriate Speech Am I demonstrating the wisdom and restraint that this practice of Zen encourages?
Step 4-- Courageous Action Is there a change of direction, requiring action, I have chosen in my mind but not carried out?
Step 5--Harmonious Livelihood Is what I do for a living in harmony with my values of compassion and sustainability with the environment?
Step 6--Whole-Hearted Effort Am I feeding myself the strengthening "nutriments" as Thich Nhat Hanh calls them, to give myself the energy and commitment required such as eating well (vegan, of course!).
Step 7--Loving Mindfulness Am I building my life around the practice of being really present.
Step 8--Skillful Concentration Am I bringing my focus onto the things I can change, and letting go of the past regrets and things I cannot change.
[Pic is of Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz, Nov. 23 at 4:08pm]
Two recordings from the last day of our Autumn '21 practice period on "Walking the 8-Fold Path:"
This first one on Friday night, Nov. 19, I presented some essential trainings and concepts, along with instructions in the Zen forms for the half-day sit that followed early Saturday morning...
Friday's Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/VrYT94m595dohQun9KtPwUpcPmwUHjsvnJfErnGVbg79ALUXj4qu13YAqyjxSyTe.UtIf0LxGqNqPQKo_
Then on Saturday, Nov. 20 from 6am-noon we sat 7 periods of silent zazen meditation and 7 periods of walking kinhin meditation, both indoors and outdoors, held a full service including chanting the Heart Sutra, and at the end, a silent tea with treats. [Those parts not recorded]
On this recording we share our experience of the day, our journals, and key points concluding our 9-week practice period on the 4th Noble truth: Walking the 8-Fold Path, Transforming Suffering in Peace, Joy, and Liberation.
Saturday's Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/DEpO8NulFW2eYaGdRSDWLu_0MwQTMWtC67QIuvMV8TNIP6CN83FyRxqlRkfNmAvD.Z-jjqlLY-eVP_ga8
[Pic was taken at 5:49am on Saturday, just before the start of our Shikan Zazenkai. It was a full moon, obscured by clouds, but still so beautiful; Pic at top of page of Taizan Gendo at Eihei-ji Monastery, Japan]
On this night of our practice period on the 8-fold path we explored the last step, the 8th step: Skillful CONCENTRATION practice. It's the part WE must bring is to COMMIT to practice in a supporting sangha with whole-hearted effort, and the willingness to really share our life--to not just be a passive "spiritual tourist."
TOPICS: We practice to cultivate a mind that is "even"--not too high, not too low; developing "samadhi" through concentration practice we gain the ability to skillfully focus, and lovingly hear the cries of the world, so we may respond with wisdom amidst the chaos and confusion we may find all around us; how mindfulness supports concentration and vice versa; creating a sacred place, a home zendo with beauty, flowers, comfort, and simplicity to encourage our practice; how revisiting the Noble Truths, 8-fold Path, and Precepts in practice periods like this provides deeper and deeper meaning; the hindrances to practice: desire to be else-where and else-doing; sitting with ill will; sloth (laziness) and torpor (sleepiness); restlessness (monkey mind); doubt (is this practice worth doing?); the stages of feeling as we sit: calming leads to peaceful, then ushering in joy, resolving into equanimity, and dissolving for moments into pure AWARE-ness of being with no doer... [Calligraphy is called "Aware," with kanji for Wild Country Zen]
On this night we explored mindfulness as the "container" of each step we take on the path our life. And because the experience of grief was fresh in our sangha this past week, we chanted the Metta Sutra before the recording started, and then shared our strategies for dealing with grief through mindfulness.
Link to ZOOM Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/Apo_vIWjXOvM4ioIjnFsLiVXhPlzkrQf1_z_s9lqIMqbV0iX4trRUElORqb9F5yY.g9IoTDYfaN6RK3W_
TOPICS: Source of the Direct Path to Realization is Mindfulness in Buddhism; Satipatthana Sutta, with meditations on body, feelings, thoughts, and mental formations; reminder that suffering and happiness are not two; redefining awareness and enlightenment to a “working person’s view”—not special, but really being present, being kind, being compassionate; Thich Nhat Hanh's proposition that following the precepts is mindfulness, and mindfulness is following the precepts; reviewing how mindfulness plays an essential role in each of the 8 fold path steps; skillful means and the limits of empathy; and strengthening emotional stability in crisis through mindfulness. [Painting by Taizan Gendo called "Love is the Best Teacher...of the First Noble Truth"]
On this beautiful Autumn night we rounded a corner of the 8-fold path and asked what IS "whole-hearted" and how much "effort" does it take to power the energy we need on this path to peace?
Link to Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/tLPtZHhtq4PBE4TBm8pBFyEOIMhXnnCAtYF8xsHOaf1QC-b7Wa2VtnUdJVQ4FnF7.g_tT4wN8Yy352_Sm
TOPICS: Breathing--and returning again and again--is the vehicle of spiritual experience; the first step of practice toward transformation of the body into a tool of an enlightened mind; sometimes we have to face a dead end; does this practice bring you joy and ease?; gatha of waking up to a new 24 hours each morning--a treasure chest of jewels; the sustained joy of spending time with sangha and friends who support your intentions and practice; right diligence; loving the work of transformation, yet without a gaining mind; sitting with a goalless goal--and then there are the impossible bodhisattva vows...whole-hearted effort indeed! [Pic by Taizan Gendo is of temple walkway in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-Shi, Japan; Pic at top of page of Taizan Gendo at Eihei-ji Monastery, Japan]
This night we take up the immense challenges of "right livelihood"--to find work that you can believe in with your heart-mind, made even more of a conundrum when we add: ...livelihood that is "harmonious with the whole ecosystem." Fearlessly, we dived in nonetheless, even broaching the perplexing questions, "how much is enough?" and "what does a 'good life' mean?"
Link to Zoom Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/hSxt_uDYj-GV_-4x8jXGDijONujBZdv_HSoyc9bahjHv6NBI98zHwgHDsQtT0woS.kF--CCAJkNvarAt_
TOPICS: Thich Nhat Hanh's wonderful teachings through the story of the man who inherited a farm and slaughterhouse but wanted to join a sangha; and his lesson in facing accountability, about a butcher and the teacher's children (who eat meat); insightful excerpts from "The Abundance of Less" by Andy Couturier; the disheartening and seemingly willing blind spots in compassion throughout human endeavors, including in our own Zen Centers; the delusion of "purity;" the practical wisdom resources of Zen and our practice of zazen; the compromises of every choice; and the bodhisattva's willingness to act with a loving heart, despite uncertainty in outcome...An incredible evening of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha! [Pic of sky from backyard in Aromas, CA]
The link button below will take you to 18 More Zoom recordings (to a page called "Dharma Talks July7-Oct20") 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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