How to explain Emptiness, 'beyond words' ?
Perhaps it's like making the "boogie man under the bed" disappear ...
When you just stop thinking about the "boogie man", drop all thought of some "boogie man" ... HE'S GONE!
It is not a matter of philosophical arguments about whether he's there or not there ... exists, does not exist, both or neither ... but simply of forgetting the whole darn thing ... PROBLEM SOLVED!
Buddhism resolves so much in such way, dissolves Suffering in this very way ...
[There are no Noble Truths of] suf/fer/ing/, nor/ cause/ or/ end/ to/ suf/fer/ing/;
No/ [Eightfold] Path/, no/ wis/dom/ and/ no/ gain/.
No/ gain/ – thus/ Bo/dhi/satt/vas/ live/ this/ Praj/na/ Pa/ra/mi/ta [Perfection of Wisdom]
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It is the Path that Bodhisattvas (let's say "Beings in Search of Enlightenment") walk in order to gain Wisdom and Enlightenment, liberation from Suffering.
But let's again recall what the Heart Sutra is saying about all this ...
... that the
Truths, the
Path, the
Suffering, the
Bodhisattvas,
the Wisdom and
Enlightenment are all burned away in the fires of
Emptiness ...
... yet that realization of
Emptiness --IS-- the attaining of that
Truth, the fruition of the
Path, the end of
Suffering, the gaining of
Wisdom and Enlightment by those
Bodhisattvas!
Kind of like saying that the best way for a person, thinking herself a "prisoner", to escape from an imaginary prison is not to tunnel through the illusory walls, but to realize that the fictional prison and the walls are just a dream ... and that so is any "person" who is a "prisoner"
[There are no Noble Truths of] suf/fer/ing/, nor/ cause/ or/ end/ to/ suf/fer/ing/;
No/ [Eightfold] Path/, no/ wis/dom/ and/ no/ gain/.
No/ gain/ – thus/ Bo/dhi/satt/vas/ live/ this/ Praj/na/ Pa/ra/mi/ta [Perfection of Wisdom]
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NOTE: THE SIGNAL CUT JUST AFTER THE FIRST BELL. USTREAM SEEMS TO HAVE SOME ISSUES ON SUNDAYS!
.
The 'last' branch of the '
Eightfold Path' is
'Right Concentration', 'Right Meditation' ...
... Zazen
But the path has no beginning, no end
... each branch supporting and supported by the others
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Welcome to our Saturday "Live from Treeleaf" Zazen,
We start with 3 floor prostrations (or deep
Gassho), then chant the Heart Sutra in ENGLISH, then sit about 40 minutes of
Zazen, then 10 minutes of
Kinhin, closing with the chant of the "Verse of Atonement" and "Four Vows".
Please join in, one and all.
Gassho, Jundo
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.__________________
INO = CHANT LEADER ONLY
EVERYONE = ALL JOIN IN
AFTER 3x STANDING BOWS by EVERYONE:
INO ONLY =
The Heart of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra*
(Maka Hannya Haramita Shin Gyo in English)
EVERYONE =
A/vo/lo/ki/tes/va/ra/ Bo/dhi/satt/va/, A/wa/kened/ One/ of/ Com/pas/sion/,
In/ Praj/na/ Pa/ra/mi/ta/, the/Deep/ Prac/tice/ of/ Per/fect/ Wis/dom/*
Per/ceived/ the/ emp/ti/ness/ of /all /five /con/di/tions/,
And/ was/ free/ of/ suf/fer/ing/.
O/ Sha/ri/pu/tra/, form/ is/ no/ o/ther/ than/ emp/ti/ness/,
Emp/ti/ness/ no/ o/ther/ than/ form/;
Form/ is/ pre/cise/ly/ emp/ti/ness/, emp/ti/ness/ pre/cise/ly/ form/.
Sen/sa/tions/, per/cep/tions/, for/ma/tions/ and/ con/scious/ness/ are/ al/so/ like/ this/.
O/ Sha/ri/pu/tra/, all/ things/ are/ ex/pres/sions/ of/ emp/ti/ness/,
Not/ born/, not/ des/troyed/, not/ stained/, not/ pure/;
Nei/ther/ wax/ing/ nor/ wan/ing/.
Thus/ emp/ti/ness/ is/ not/ form/; not/ sen/sa/tion/ nor/ per/cep/tion/,
not/ for/ma/tion/ nor/ con/scious/ness/.
No/ eye/, ear/, nose/, tongue/, bo/dy/, mind/;
No/ sight/, sound/, smell/, taste/, touch/, nor/ ob/ject/ of/ mind/;
No/ realm/ of/ sight/, no/ realm/ of/ con/scious/ness/;
No/ ig/no/rance/, no/ end/ to/ ig/no/rance/;
No/ old/ age/ and/ death/,
No/ ces/sa/tion/ of/ old/ age/ and/ death/;
No/ suf/fer/ing/, nor/ cause/ or/ end/ to/ suf/fer/ing/;
No/ path/, no/ wis/dom/ and/ no/ gain/.
No/ gain/ – thus/ Bod/dhi/satt/vas/ live/ this/ Praj/na/ Pa/ra/mi/ta/*
With/ no/ hin/drance/ of/ mind/ –
No/ hin/drance/ there/fore/ no/ fear/.
Far/ be/yond/ all/ de/lu/sion/, Nir/va/na/ is/ al/rea/dy/ here/.
All/ past/, pre/sent/ and/ fu/ture/ Budd/has/
Live/ this/ Praj/na/ Pa/ra/mi/ta/*
And/ re/al/ize/ su/preme/ and/ com/plete/ en/light/en/ment/.
There/fore/ know/ that/ Praj/na/ Pa/ra/mi/ta/
Is/ the/ sac/red/ man/tra/, the/ lu/min/ous/ man/tra/,
the/ sup/reme/ man/tra/, the/ in/com/pa/ra/ble/ man/tra/
by/ which/ all/ suf/fe/ring/ is/ clear/.
This/ is/ no/ o/ther/ than/ Truth/.
There/fore/ set/ forth/ the/ Praj/na/ Pa/ra/mi/ta/ man/tra/.
Set/ forth/ this/ man/tra/ and/ pro/claim/:*
(1x)
Gate! Gate! (Already Gone, Gone)
Paragate! (Already Gone Beyond)
Parasamgate! (Already Fully Beyond)
Bodhi! Svaha! * (Awakening, Rejoice)
BE SEATED AS INSTRUCTED BY JUNDO
________________________________________________________________
VERSE OF ATONEMENT:
All harmful acts, words and thoughts, ever committed by me since of old,
On account of beginningless greed, anger and ignorance,
Born of my body, mouth and mind,
Now I atone for them all
FOUR VOWS:
To save all sentient beings, though beings numberless
To transform all delusions, though delusions inexhaustible
To perceive Reality, though Reality is boundless
To attain the Enlightened Way, a Way non-attainable
'Right Mindfulness' of 'things without' is an awareness and understanding of the events that surround us in the present moment, seeing clearly phenomena as they arise and how we perceive them. We experience how our inner condition, our thoughts and emotions, help create our experience of the world without.
We learn to discern the nature of samsara, impermanent, possessing self yet lacking self, so often dissatisfactory to our own 'self' which judges it. But we also learn how a change to our inner condition, our emotions and thoughts, will change our experience of all that.
inner is outer, outer is inner ... not two.
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.The seventh branch of the 'Eightfold Path' is 'Right Mindfulness' ...It may be termed a 'mindfulness' of things within and things without (though those are not truly 'two'. We will talk about 'things without' tomorrow).'Right Mindfulness' of things within includes...
.The sixth branch of the 'Eightfold Path' is 'Right Effort' ...It is the effort to put into Practice the links of the Path within our life ... to keep on keepin' on. We persevere, even those times when we just...
.... continuing to talk on 'Right Livelihood' ... on a working day morning ...The workplace (like the home) is our place of Practice ...Might these places be, in many ways, even more fruitful, challenging and stimulating for Zen Practice than...
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Zazen, by the side of the road ...cars-thoughts passing by,from emptiness come, now gonestillness & movementIn Master Dogen's Genjo Koan he writes ...In general, a quiet room is good for experiencing Zen balance .... But where is a truly quiet...
Welcome to our Saturday "Live from Treeleaf" Zazen,We start with 3 floor prostrations (or deep Gassho), then chant the Heart Sutra in ENGLISH, then sit about 40 minutes of Zazen, then 10 minutes of Kinhin, closing with the chant of...
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OUR NETCAST IS FINALLY WORKING ... (I THINK)!!!ANNOUNCEMENT: WE HAVE STARTED OUR PREPARATIONS FOR OUR 'ALL ONLINE' JUKAI (UNDERTAKING THE PRECEPTS) ... FIND OUT MORE HERE .The third branch of the 'Eightfold Path' is 'Right Speech' ... the first of...
No opening or closing bells for today ... no sound ... no particular time either, just a bit of Zazen between stations.We usually sit in a quiet room, but the Buddha also liked to sit in noisy, busy places. He...
Today, a special sit-a-long (and bit of silliness) from the pastor, anyway, what the brain's temporal cortex considers the 'past' ...click on picture to play...
Welcome to our Saturday "Live from Treeleaf" Zazen,We start with 3 floor prostrations (or deep Gassho), then chant the Heart Sutra in ENGLISH, then sit about 40 minutes of Zazen, then 10 minutes of Kinhin, closing with the chant of...
(it was my intention to have this sitting posted a few hours ago ... )The second branch of the 'Eightfold Path' is 'Right Intention' ... also spoken of as 'Right Aspiration' 'Right Thought' or 'A Will to the Truth' .........
The first branch of the 'Eightfold Path' is 'Right View' (sometimes called 'Right Perspective' or 'Right Understanding') ...... It is to study and to come to understand the world through fundamental Buddhist perspectives and philosophies, and to make those ways...
a silent sitting ...... no words ...Press on arrow for 'play'NOTE: IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE TO SEE THE SCREEN OR START BUTTON,PLEASE UPDATE FLASH. SEE HERE...
The next words of the Heart Sutra are shorthand for The Eightfold Path ...No/ suf/fer/ing/, nor/ cause/ or/ end/ to/ suf/fer/ing/No/ path/, no/ wis/dom/ and/ no/ gain/.... We will next take a few days to review that Path ...... which,...
.As the Fourth Noble Truth, 'medicine' for Dukkha is prescribed via the 'Eightfold Path' ...... Although the path is numbered sequentially, it is generally not seen as as series of steps, but instead (in modern terms) a 'holistic lifestyle' which...
Please 'sit-a-long' with our September "Zazenkai" (running time: approx. 4 hours) ... The sitting schedule is as follows:00:00 – 00:50 CEREMONY (HEART SUTRA English Only / SANDOKAI) & ZAZEN00:50 – 01:00 KINHIN01:00 – 01:40 ZAZEN01:40 – 01:50 KINHIN01:50 – 02:30...
REMINDER: OUR 4 HOUR MONTHLY ZAZENKAI IS TOMORROW, SATURDAY, FROM 9PM JAPAN TIME ... BE THERE OR JUST BE..An alternative wording of the Four Noble Truths is [emphasis added] ...1. Suffering exists 2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires 3....
.In life, there's sickness, old age, death and loss ... other very hard times ...But that's not why 'Life is Suffering'. Not at all, said the Buddha.Instead, it's sickness, but only when we refuse the condition ......old age, if we...
The next words of the Heart Sutra are shorthand for The Four Noble Truths ...No/ suf/fer/ing/, nor/ cause/ or/ end/ to/ suf/fer/ing/... So, let's take a few days to talk about those Truths ......at the very heart of the Buddha's...
I'm late, I'm late ... for a very important date (and sitting) ...But can we truly be "late" for anything?Press on arrow for 'play'NOTE: IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE TO SEE THE SCREEN OR START BUTTON,PLEASE UPDATE FLASH. SEE HERE...
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