Raichozan (Thunderbird Mountian) Zendo

Oneness and the true Godhead

2012-01-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

Jesus, Mohamed and even you and I are not separate. From the Blue Cliff Record

Hekiganroku - Case 57: Joshu and the "Bumpkin"

A monk asked Joshu,
  "'The supreme Way is not difficult; it simply dislikes choosing'. What
   is non-choosing?"
Joshu said,
  "Above the heavens and under the heavens I am the only one, alone and
   exalted."
The monk said,
  "That is still choosing."
Joshu said,
  "You stupid bumpkin, where is the choosing?"
The monk remained silent.

My thoughts, Dogen and koans

2012-01-31T15:49:00.000-07:00

I hear that the the difference between Soto and Rinzai is that Rinzai uses koan as a practice and Soto doesn't. I've been reading the Dogens Extensive Record and to me it seems that all he did was to heap koans on to his community,

Maybe I should be ashamed.

2012-01-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

For someone who pretty much has only hung out with people of the Rinzai persuasion I've found myself reading a lot from that heretic Dogen. How ever much I repent tough it won't change the fact that I've found no one who exposes the implications of what non dual reality implies. From his commentary on Linji's (Rinzai's) "True Person of no Rank" in his 300 koan Shobogenzo

"The true person of no rank is the real form of truth as it appears throughout the universe. It is fluid and in a constant state of becoming. The true person of rank is the real form of truth as it appears throughout the universe. It, too, is fluid and in a constant state of becoming. Rank and no rank are nondual. Therefore, each and every thing up to and including each one of us exists thus! The essence of all phenomena is thusness; the real nature of body and mind is thusness. Therefore, it cannot be attained by any personal effort. Realized or not, it has always been manifesting as our very life itself."

Misunderstanding no-self and emptyness.

2011-12-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

In The Lankavatara Sutra the Buddha says something like " Nothing is as it appears nor is it otherwise" It's easy to enter into nihilism if we misunderstand these teachings. I'm know I've spoke a little about this before but I found this blog post by Harvey Daiho Hilbert-roshi that really speaks well to the matter. I liked his analogy of the ocean and the wave I heard it used by others but probably not this well and after all the wave isn't separate from the ocean. I hope you enjoy this post from The Order of Clear Mind Zen.

Not money just help.

2011-12-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

I've kept the doors to my home so people in the West valley have a place practice in a group setting. While we've managed to keep a small core group going we haven't picked up any of the new people that have come around, I believe this because a lot of people just aren't that comfortable hanging out in someone's home with a bunch of people sitting around and not talking to each other. If anyone has any ideas about how we can get a more neutral space for our meeting where newcomers may feel more comfortable that's in the NW valley and within a couple miles of the free way I'll love to hear from you.

Shu jo mu hen sei gan do (Beings are numberless I vow to free them).

2011-11-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

Recently I reada debate between RobertThurman and Steven Batchlor. Towards the end of this debate Bobtakes the stand that you can't really take the vow to save all beingsif you don't believe in reincarnation and the great skeptic Stevenleaves a very mundane, yes you can. Needless to say, it left a drytaste in my mouth. So how do we we keep the Great Vow to liberate allbeings, we awaken

Zen MasterDogen said

“When withoutexpectation, suddenly you break through the lacquered bucket of theancestors* style, and lift your head and hit yor chest [in unmediatedexpression], suddenly you attain realization of the way. When oneperson realizes the way, self and other together realize the way. Inone morning of realizing the way, past body and future body togetherrealize the way. “

When the Buddhaawakened he said

“I and all sentient beings on earth,together, attain enlightenment at the same time.” Our enlightenmentbelongs to the universe.

Ritual

2011-10-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Before the opening service at our Tuesday night sitting I read a quote from the Sweeping Zen website, it's part Bodhidharma and part a contemporary teacher.
"Bodhidharma, the mythological founder of Zen Buddhism, said that ritual and liturgy are the expression of the whole mind. Is there a place where your mind can’t express itself? Do you relegate it to a time a place? Is it at the bedside but not in the rest of your life? To do this is a form of deprivation from living your life." - Koshin Paley Ellison"
At the recent retreat I attended at Great Vow Monastery, Chozen Roshi said something like when you don't give your self to the chanting you not only deprive your self but you deprive the entire Universe.
I've often heard that Zen or Buddhism isn't a religion, I don't really care if it is or isn't but the "religious" things we do like chanting and bowing don't just compliment our practice they are our practice.

The right tool for the job

2011-09-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

Often when people find out I have a meditation practice they think it must be peaceful or stress relieving, maybe it is or isn't) but I'm not looking for that. As far back as I can remember more than anything else I've been interested in spiritual things even when I walked away from my church. I didn't come to Buddhism for self help, I came because things like teachings on the Three Marks of Existence, just made sense to me. I just read this article on The Buddhist Channel that inspired me to do this little piece. While Buddhist meditation practices may bring feelings of peace and transcendence as the article I referenced states- "But Britton argues that stress reduction and relaxation are more like side effects than what meditation actually was designed for.". Sometimes our practice brings us into our dark places in fact some of the practices that the Buddha taught involve contemplating the decay of our dead bodies. Buddhist practices are tools for liberation and sometimes their not all rosy. If you just want a few moments of peace you should probably look somewhere else but if your ready for liberation and are ready for the possibility of walking trough some dark places then you may find what your looking for in the teachings of the Buddha.

Shameless Promotion of a Friends Blog

2011-09-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

My friend, Zen priest Hokaku Jeff Maitland has started a web page - blog. Hokaku is the author of Mind Body Zen. Hokaku has served as a professor of philosophy at Purdue University and is world renowned for his Rolfing. I'm sure this blog will be a great resource for both Zen students and healers. You'll also find some of his poetry and photography.

From the Gosple of Thomas...

2011-08-09T21:40:00.000-07:00

22. Jesus saw some babies nursing. He said to his disciples, "These nursing babies are like those who enter the (Father's) kingdom."

They said to him, "Then shall we enter the (Father's) kingdom as babies?"

Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then you will enter [the kingdom]."

Salvation

2011-04-29T15:02:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I shared a link on FB on an Eastern perspective on Christian salvation. This got me thinking more about this. In Christianity we're taught our dilemma begins with “original sin”, because of this condition we find ourselves separate from God. Of course (or at least as I see it) this condition isn't even possible unless God made his creation as already separate. In Buddhism we're taught (and by taught I mean to look deeply at our reality and experience it's truth) that our separation is an illusion (delusion). In Zen there's a koan, “What is your original face before you mother and father were born?”. There is no separation to fix. Not body and mind, not cat and mouse, not Buddha and ordinary being, not self and other, not subject and object, and not God and man. The problem isn't separation, it's the illusion of separation.

Wikileaks and Barryleaks

2011-01-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

My ex teacher "Dogo" Barry Graham who's always maintained that "It's not about me" has given his voice to the wikileaks cause . You would think that he doesn't like the idea of the painful truth being covered up. Yet while it's not about him, instead of taking positive steps to really fix his reputation he's allowed his reputation fixing lawyer friend to attack the host of the grahamscam website through his place of employment in an attempt to bring down the painful truth. I'm afraid it's to late, Barry's karma ain't just going away.

The continuing Frog saga

2010-10-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Shindo posted some news on the continuing Barry Graham saga. I hope this person will find their way back to a real Zen practice. You can read my comments there.

My sesshin at Tahoma One Drop

2010-09-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

I had a great retreat last week that was led by Harada Roshi at Tahoma Zen Monastery. I found a true Zen Master in Harada Roshi and he's surrounded by a great group of dedicated and hard working students. The schedule (4:30 am to 9:00pm) included about 9 hours of zazen, sanzen, teisho, an exercise period, and of course the infamous formal Zen meals, At Haradas' retreats the only utensil you to eat with is chop sticks, great for oatmeal and soup!
One thing that was really cool was each day Roshi brought a group students to his home for tea. During the tea he gave each student a beautiful hand bound book from a series of talks he gave at a previous sesshin on the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. He hand painted an Enso on each cover and also put your name on the first page. In Japan He's famous for his calligraphy. I've been reading it and I have to say that he's incredibly clear.
The monastery grounds are beautiful and there was no more than an hour of sunshine and at least a little rain everyday.
Please forgive my lack of writing skills and if you have any questions feel to email me, you can find my contact info on this page.

Concerning my status as a Zen priest

2010-08-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago I received what I, in good faith, took to be ordination as a Zen priest from Barry Graham of the Sitting Frog Zen Sangha. A few months after my “ordination” I became concerned about how Barry was conducting himself (as were others) so decided to sever my ties with him. In this same time frame because of this conduct his ordination was called into question and he repeatedly refused to provide incontrovertible proof of his status by showing his ordination credentials.

Since then I have continued to wear my robes (though no longer) and if people asked if I was ordained I would reply “Yes”, but always with a disclaimer revolving around the circumstances. However, now, I can no longer in good conscience claim to be ordained since Barry has failed consistently to provide proof that he is legitimately ordained himself. I am a layman.

This has placed me in an untenable situation, but it changes little what you can expect from me unless you want me to perform your wedding, this I cannot do. I still take refuge in the Three Treasures, I haven't renounced the Ten Precepts, I won't be cutting down on my cushion time and I'll still be doing retreats as often as I can. Oh yea, you can still come and sit with the Zen group I host on Tuesday evenings, we'd love to have you!

David Loy -- good stuff

2010-02-10T19:08:00.000-07:00

A little while back NellaLou posted a blog with links to lots of good stuff by David Loy. He does a great job explaining the unexplainable. Just don't forget PRACTICE after reading.

Zazen

2009-09-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

A nice little video I found though James Ford's Monkey Mind blog

Have you been born again?

2009-07-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

In the Book of Romans Paul says “ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”. When I first strayed from the Christian path it wasn't because I no longer believed in the bible but because I was sick of feeling guilty. It wasn't because I lacked an intellectual understanding of this verse but because I lacked an intimate experience of forgiveness. At some point I realized that the happiest Christians weren't those that Jesus forgave but those who found forgiveness in themselves.
At some point along the way I found myself as a student of Zen Buddhism. It just somehow made sense to me. People ask why I became a Buddhist and I might have said I don't know but really it just makes sense to me. Sometime people ask “ Does it help” and I would just say “no”, but this isn't the compassionate answer. The truth is I don't know. I didn't come to Buddhism for help, by that point I'd already forgiven myself, I came because it just made sense. I've heard it said that Christianity is better because you can be born again. Buddhism also teaches rebirth, the Buddha said that each instant we experience completely, birth life and death. We are always only co arising each instant together with the entire cosmos. I suppose in Buddhism it would be a greater miracle NOT to be reborn! Because of this there is always only a fresh slate. Below is a chant thats heard in many Zen centers.

All evil karma ever committed by me since of old,
Because of my beginning less greed, anger, and ignorance,
Born of my body, mouth, and thought,
Now I atone for it all.

May all beings intimately experience forgiveness

Mui is on Facebook

2009-07-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

Find me here.

Conundrum

2009-07-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

While I'm not that interested in the Zen / Christian conundrum I did enjoy this video. I know this is a difficult subject for some, I hope it is helpful.

Special thanks

2009-06-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

We had a good meeting last night with a wonderful break from the same old incense we've been using. Ven. Kobutsu donated a wonderful and rare jinkoh incense, "the stink of Buddhism" Deep bows to Kobutsu and the kind person that shares enough of this that Kobutsu is able to spread the love.

By Popular Request

2009-05-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

We had a good meeting tonight. My thanks to all who attended. Instead of a reading and discussion we listened to a Teisho by Bonnie Myotai Treace, Sensei called "Buddha Fields". By popular request you can find this and several other talks through the teaching link on the Hermitage Heart web site.

Meeting and thanks

2009-04-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

Meeting tonite 7:00 to 8:30. A special thanks and deep bows to Randy Nowell of the Arizona Zen Buddhist Society for his contribution of 4 zafus and support cushions.

Dharma talks

2009-04-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

There are some good books out there. Better than a book is a live dharma talk from a genuine teacher. If you can't get that how about some recorded talks. I like the talks from Nyogen Roshi and Kobutsu. I may be playing some of these at our sangha meetings, so listen to them now and you may do better on the quizzes.