The pursuit of awakening is when you go to the mountains to live in a hut made of leaves and practice zazen. Awakening is when you come down from the mountains to teach others the Buddha's way. Awakening is when a stone woman gives birth to a child. The mother becomes the child, the child becomes the mother. And although the fetus has been in gestation for a long time, the birth occurs in an moment. Now both live in this moment and never leave each other, even if they are separated by a thousand li.

Why is it so easy to combine the words of the masters of the past with each other? Even if they are spoken by many mouths, they all have one voice. The mountains and rivers speak with this voice, the stars and the moon speak with this voice, the dog and the bag of rice speak with this voice. This voice resounds in all ten directions, so how can we not hear it? Zen is the work of a lifetime, and not only yours. Please think about this.

If you are looking for a place to sit and celebrate Rohatsu 臘八, the traditional Zen retreat for Buddha's Day of Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, marked the week of December 8th, our Treeleaf Sangha 2-Day 'Always At Home' Rohatsu Retreat is available ... in live netcast and real time record, for joining any time and designed to be sat any place and time zone, right where you are ... to sit as much as you are able, when you can arrange your schedule.

The event will be held the weekend of December 7th and 8th, is set up for all time zones, and will be available any time after as well.

The two days include Zazen sitting, Kinhin, Chanting, Zazen sitting, Oryoki, Zazen sitting, Bowing, Talks, Zazen Sitting, 'Samu' Work Practice, and More Zazen Sitting*,* as in any Soto Zen Retreat. You can have a look here:

https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/treeleaf-community-topics-about-zen-practice/534932-treeleaf-sangha-online-2-day-ango-jukai-rohatsu-retreat-2024-main-page-locked?fbclid=IwY2xjawG4l1hleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHTqQ5w8ZUNCxm3S8je8kje47DVfXd1MDl4niUos1lgkmCnTV_EXygWUZFg_aem_zAYwEQfN965rIeuzh6i4EQ

It is a wonderful experience, and ... as we drop from mind all thought of 'now' 'then' 'here' and 'there' ... we will all be sitting together right when and where you are!

Information on the meaning of Rohatsu Retreat, and easy to follow instructions on arranging a quiet space in your home for sitting, are found at the following link. Also included are instructions on combining the Retreat with work, parenting and other responsibilities one may have. We also have some short preparatory lessons for the retreat here too (such as how to make a nifty home 'Oryoki' set from items around the house!)

https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/treeleaf-community-topics-about-zen-practice/534927-attention-our-2024-at-home-2-day-rohatsu-retreat-preparatory-lessons?fbclid=IwY2xjawG4l4hleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHUb0Wrkx5ZD0F5bP009eCxmbhOi6vJBLp3VGDC3LmCAC7W08cayBJJvf-w_aem_uWCsgbWKCHo9f7IXDX28-A

So, Let's Get Ready to Rohatsu! 

https://preview.redd.it/mzlbyskb154e1.jpg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6383f57574e515d40e85ba41f3ed59249291b5f

For the past year, I’ve kept up a consistent meditation practice, and it’s been deeply rewarding. I also work with a teacher I meet with weekly, which has helped me stay grounded and deepen my practice.

On top of that, my wife and I are expecting our first child—a baby boy—in March! I couldn’t be more excited to meet him and start this next chapter of life.

I’m curious how having a child has impacted others’ practice. For those of you who are parents, how did your practice shift after having kids? Were there specific challenges or roadblocks you encountered? Did it deepen your practice in ways you didn’t expect?

I’d love to hear about your experiences, any advice, or what I might expect as I figure out how to balance parenting with this path.

I like learning from him, but ive been wondering if what he did leaving Kwan Um is considered a schism or not? Thanks.

I’ve been learning about Meido Moore Roshi’s meditation technique, which he describes as “breathing the count.” From what I understand, it’s a form of belly breathing that’s not entirely natural. It involves a somewhat deeper in-breath with a slightly longer out-breath, and the focus is placed completely on the number being counted (one-pointedly).

Here’s my question: I’ve read in other Buddhist contexts that as one enters samadhi (or jhana), the breath tends to become very shallow or even unnoticeable. Does Meido Roshi’s method—despite emphasizing deeper breathing—still lead to samadhi?

I also want to note that I’m not entirely sure I’m describing the method correctly; this is based on my impressions from videos I’ve seen. It seems more intentional and deeper than natural breathing meditation, but I could be mistaken.

I’d appreciate any insights or clarifications from those familiar with his teachings or Zen breath meditation practices in general.

Recently I’ve been reading a book called Buddhism plain and simple by a guy called Steve hagen. I like it, it seems an easy read and I feel like I can understand it somewhat. Then I got a copy of 2 different books called blue cliff record and teaching of the true eye and these two books just make no sense to me.

Iv read parts of Joko beck and that makes sense to me, but the older zen books just don’t resonate.

My question is .. .

Are some books just to be read and are some books koans that are not supposed to be read like Joko beck but they are for a teacher to help you understand? I sometimes see people on another zen redditn forum that discuss the blue cliff record but there seems to be crazy amounts of arguments of what they mean but this makes me think they’re not supposed to be read but they’re used for koans with a teacher?

Sorry if this is all over the place.

In Burmese Vipassana's walking meditation, labeling of arising phenomena and labeling steps of walking is used to keep the awareness. Some traditions allow eventul dropping of labelings, while some others don't.

In thai theravada forest tradition's walking meditation, there is no labeling and stuff. 'You just know' according to them. But the thing is Samatha(concentration during sitting meditation) is what makes their mind quiet enough to be able to maintain observance during walking meditation. So they just walk and that's all.

How is it in Zen? Is it also their sitting meditation that results in a clear mind during walking meditation? Or there are some guidance regarding walking meditation on how to take steps, what to focus in etc?

Hey, fellow practitioners,

I’ve been grappling with a bit of a conundrum in my Zen practice. I truly love the philosophy and sangha of Zen Buddhism, but keeping my eyes open during zazen feels like a real pain in the ass sometimes. The open-eyed practice makes me restless, and at the end of zazen, it leaves me with a sense of resentment. I understand, that whatever comes up is part of practice. It just makes it less likely for me to want to practice it, and knowing myself, it is a matter of time before I bow out (no pun intended).

For those of you who also struggle with this, how do you navigate it? Have you found any tips or shifts in perspective that make open-eyed zazen more approachable?

Alternatively, if you’ve found that open eyes just don’t work for you, do you carve out time for eyes-closed meditation instead? Perhaps something like breath-focused meditation or other techniques from different traditions?

I’m curious to hear about your experiences and insights. How do you balance the discipline of Zen with finding what works for your own mind and body?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

This is an excerpt from Subul's commentary on Huangbo's Transmission of Mind, "A Bird in Flight Leaves No Trace" Huangbo text is bolded, Subul's commentary not.

Pei Xiu asked, "Why do all the buddhas cultivate loving-kindness and compassion and preach the dharma to sentient beings?"

The master replied, "The buddhas' loving-kindness and compassion are unconditional; therefore they are called great loving-kindness and compassion."**

The buddhas' loving-kindness and compassion do not distinguish whether you have karmic affinities with them or not. Their compassion is unconditional. There is neither a subject who bestows compassion nor an object who receives it. This great loving-kindness and compassion treats everyone equally.

Loving-kindness means not presuming that buddhas need to be produced. Compassion means not presuming that sentient beings need to be saved.

At its most basic level, the mind of compassion aims to remove suffering and give pleasure. Since sentient beings suffer from immeasurable amounts of pain and agony in this sea of suffering, they should draw close to the Buddha's teachings so they can transform their pain and agony into pleasure. At this level, sentient beings are told to trust and rely on the Buddha because the Buddha will compassionately cure their suffering.

Seon (Zen) masters take a different approach. They teach the fastest path to those who want to realise the truth and transcend the sea of suffering itself. Seon masters, therefore, employ such special techniques as striking and shouting in order to directly reveal the truth to their students here and now.

True compassion means to know the fact that there are neither buddhas nor sentient beings and to put this into practice by realising the nonduality of the middle way.

The dharma he preaches is neither preached nor revealed, and those who hear that dharma neither hear nor attain anything. It is as if a magician preaches the dharma to people he has conjured. How can I say that I comprehended or awakened to this dharma upon hearing the words of a spiritual mentor?

Regardless of the dharma preached, nothing has actually been preached.

When the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara preaches the dharma to the youth Sudhana (in the Flower Garland Sutra), the youth listens to the bodhisattva without listening to anything. This is preaching without preaching anything and listening without listening to anything.

To give a slightly different story from the Song dynasty, when the Seon adept Xuedou Zhongxian was planning to go to the monastery of Lingyinsi in Hangzhou to train, the scholar Zen Hui wrote him a recommendation letter to take to the abbot there, who was his old friend.

With this recommendation letter, Xuedou would have received special treatment at the monastery. However, he did not show the letter to the abbot and instead strenuously practised as a rank-and-file monk in the monastery's meditation hall.

One day, after Xuedou had been practising there for three years, his recommender Zeng Hui visited the monastery. He saw Xuedou sitting at the lowest seat and asked Xuedou why. Xuedou answered, "I was grateful to receive your letter, but because the monastery provides such a great setting for practice, I concluded I could focus more on my practice by not showing the letter."

You practitioners should be able to maintain everyday mind, enduring whatever you face, no matter how exhausted you are, without complaint. However, you should cultivate Buddhist practice without thinking that you need to cultivate anything.

Regarding loving-kindness and compassion, say that I prompt you to arouse states of mind, think thoughts, and study others' views and interpretations. If you have not had a personal awakening to the original mind, all this ultimately will bring no benefit.

The unconditional compassion that suddenly arises from that place where there is originally not a single dharma is bestowed everywhere and at every time, with neither redundancy nor deficiency.

The compassion bestowed when you have karmic affinities with someone is of course compassion, but you should nonetheless deeply immerse yourself in the ineffable ocean of the unconditional compassion that is bestowed regardless of karmic affinities. Then you will be able to say, "How deeply grateful I am that I was born in this world and am able to study and practise Buddhism." Even so, however, can you recognise that this also involves characteristics?

Does anyone know about retreats or courses on Mauritius in December or January?

The precise moment you start thinking you're good at zen, or that you know anything about it, is when you lose touch with it completely. And the way to get around that is to just sit and stare at a wall until you forget there was even a person to stare at the wall in the first place.

That makes the very idea of a zen master or a zen teacher all the more hilarious. How can you teach it without getting absolutely full of it? When you get down to it, what even is the difference between the master and the student? They are one and the same.

Edit: I thought I'd add some more context, no pretension, just some of my experience and food for thought.

Like many who are probably here, I came into zen already having known about it tangentially for more or less my entire life. I have been told by family members that I became "more zen" as I got older, from a starting point of being a hyperactive nut of a child (ADHD of course). Even well past highschool, I was never really striving for anything. I would have *things* that I wanted, that would come and go, a very materialistic desire. But besides that, I was always just okay with where I was in life. 

At some point, while I was working on and on, living with my brother with bipolar disorder who can't hold down a job for more than a few months, i just started to get uneasy with it all. At the same time, I started getting attracted to the idea of *training* my mind, in the same way I had already been training the strength of my body. I wanted to be unshakeable. 

This is where it all went wrong. I got hooked on the romanticized idea of an unshakeable zen master by Alan Watts. I have a deep respect for him, he just has a delightfully wonderful view of the world that resonated quite well with the way I've always thought of things. So I spent hours upon hours listening to his lectures, doing as he said "intellectual yoga" and having fun with thought experiment after thought experiment. All while I was working, slowly becoming more and more detached from the reality I was living in. I also started practicing sitting meditation some time shortly before this, not really for any particular reason but simply because it seemed like the thing to do. 

At some point, love and life got in the way. Everything came crashing down. I lost sight of it all. Picked up smoking weed again. Did so to an extravagant degree. At some point I started mixing weed and meditation and that's where the spiral turned into a violent tailspin. To say the least, I became obsessed with the idea of "being zen". 

Detached from it all, I was barely showing up to work on time, becoming more and more depressed, being frustrated because *everything I'm doing to try and improve myself, is doing exactly the opposite*. I wasn't performing well, my home life with my brother and my yet still fresh significant other was becoming more and more hellish by the day. I got laid off. I couldn't take it. Couldn't take it at all. So, finally, months later, I finally just said: alright. I'm just going to sit down, and let this all settle into... something. I spent a week just sitting, off and on, walking, doing everything and ignoring everything else. 

At this point I decided it would be a good opportunity to transition away from smoking weed, first of all (the last couple times earlier this year I even took a week break from it resulted in almost completely losing the ability to hold food in my stomach, and got no sleep, as well as retaining a pervasive anxiety that I just couldn't shake. it was borderline nightmarish). So, I was half meditating on and off weed. Off in the morning, on in the evening. I was reaching what some would call some *really* deep states while I was high, though in the end I would say they were really just ego trips that I was slipping into. 

After a few days of this, trying some koans, and even giving away a little plastic Buddha I had in a zen garden at home (yeah, I killed the Buddha. stabbed him, shot him, pretended he was an enemy in a video game, it was all pretty funny to be honest. Sneaky Buddha! No disrespect to all the Buddhas out there love ya ❤️❤️) it finally just hit me: I dont need to do any of this. I don't need to find anything. Any meaning. Any end goal. Nothing. I can just... Be. And just live, and do the things that make me happy. As long as it's not hurting anybody, and I can keep my head above water, life will be good. After years of on and off addiction, I just... Quit weed. Just like that. Started working on getting a job again. Felt like I had a much better understanding of my mind, and how the world works in general. And now I'm just filled with love, joy, and motivation to find the way that lies before me. I love zen, even if it's good for nothing. I love it, because it's good for nothing.

I'm curious to hear from others about the books you revisit as part of your Zen practice. Are there any that you return to for their beauty, insight, or personal meaning? Whether it's a Zen classic, a modern commentary, or something else entirely, I'd love to know what resonates with you and why.

“Eventually, particularly after we've been sitting for a while. The ability to sit, for a few seconds at first, maybe three. Twenty is a long time. To be able to sit, and just be nothing but that sensation. See, that sounds simple. It's not so simple. Because human beings don't want to do it.” -Joko Beck

.

I've read so many comments about the necessity of a teacher to guide you and attending temple ceremonies, but I live in a industrial Brazilian city where Asian traditions and Zen temples can't be found, so I don't have such options. What would be the drawbacks or what would I be missing if I don't have a teacher when even the Buddha recommended seclusion to monks?

I began a mindfulness meditation practice a couple of years ago and have made great improvements in my life as a result. I want to go deeper, and I’m particularly drawn to Zen.

Of course, I enjoy reading (and please, suggest more for a beginner) and I’m currently using an app that I find helpful. But to go deeper, I think I need a guide, a community, a teacher?

There’s a Zen priory in my city affiliated with the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives but I was very uncomfortable during a visit there - it seem liked in that setting at least, I was just trading the Catholic Mass for a different form of worship. I understand paying respect, but it just felt very “religious” to me, and that’s not working.

I’m in a midsize-to-small southern city, but can’t really find any other options to this community. Any advice on how to really begin this journey?

I am quite established in Vipassana of theravada. Would joining Zen retreats deepen my practice, or would exposing myself to it just bring more some sort of confusion due to difference of practices?

That aside,What is the edge between these two? Though I haven't experienced Zen, I see some similarities in their core up to some degrees. How would you define the relationship between these two paths?

I was listening to an interview with Meido Moore Roshi the other day, and he said something along the lines of “making your life revolve around Zen, not making Zen just a part of your life.” I’m paraphrasing, but the idea was that Zen can’t just be a hobby or one aspect of your life—it has to become a complete way of living.

I’m curious: for those of you who resonate with this approach, what does it look like in your life? How do you integrate Zen into everything you do?

Does it mean changing the way you work, relate to others, or approach daily responsibilities? Or is it more about your mindset and how you carry yourself moment to moment? I’d love to hear about how you embody this teaching in practical, day-to-day terms.

I live in Southern New Jersey, near Philadelphia, and was looking for a Zendo to join to help me continue my practice under a teacher. I believe in solo practice, but I believe that solo practice can only take you so far, so I am seeking a teacher. Thank you in advance for any assistance.

Daoist have Zhuangzi.

Christians/Christian anarchists have Jacque Ellul.

Is there a Buddhist philosopher who wrote about technology and technological society?

I used to meditate (almost) every day, in the morning, for about 30 minutes. I stopped, along with most other work, for about six months, because I was extremely depressed.

Now, I'm having difficulty working really, really hard. I know that Zen isn't meant to be the solution, but I do relate to that perspective so...

How do I become really productive again? I want to be a machine. But I can't help but falling back into the distraction of the endless content scroll. I've tried writing down my strategies, my philosophies and my thoughts - reviewing them regularly and placing them on sticky notes throughout the house.

But it's not working! It's not that I can't work - I do so, quite well, at my job. But when it comes to self-discipline, when it comes to my ability to stay on task, to really work intensely as I can each day... I just can't coax myself, either through force or persuasion. Maybe my engineering here just is bad.

Any advice or help would be appreciated. Thank you!

Im writing a paper on Ikkyu's poetry and I have a question; what is the poetic form that most of his poetry in? A lot of it is in four lines of kanji (and sadly I cannot read all the kanji so its hard to find the exact syllable number of each line) and I need to know what this exact style is. It's definitely not haiku or any of its form relatives. Is it kanshi? Anyone have resources on kanshi?

For the first time in my short zen practice life I have hit a difficult bump. I had been practicing rather hardcore for a lay beginner. Bowing praying zazen. Retreats and even Ango commitments. The last retreat I sat was just before the election and it really just busted me open.

It left me feeling a little too raw. Coming back to the world after being so embraced in a loving environment has been painful this go around. My sitting zen has involved lots of tears lately. This emotional intensity has left me feeling quite frankly, too vulnerable.

Ive all but stopped most of my practice. Though it’s finally showing up again.

My teachers urge that I am gentle with this. That I don’t force anything and that I am compassionate with the inner critic within.

I think I may have over committed. Pushed a little too hard. So if you’re out there feeling down on your practice just know you are not alone friend.

And if by chance you’ve hit these walls of great emotional intensity and rawness, I ask of you to please share your insights. My peaceful dwelling has been rather somber these past two weeks.

Thank you 🙏🏻

Looking to find some routine in my life as i have this bad habit of snoozing every morning and often having no goal or path to follow , no sense of progress or motivation.

Do Zen masters and monks have routine and find them helpful? I know monks have rules but does this give them a sense of progression in their practice

I'm aware that Zen places a strong emphasis on the teacher-student relationship, and I'm curious to hear from practitioners: what has working with a teacher brought to your practice that you couldn’t have found on your own? I know that a teacher or Roshi is necessary for koan study, but I’m especially interested in other kinds of challenges—those moments in meditation when you needed personal guidance that a book or video couldn’t provide. I'd love to hear your personal experiences with this.

We don't talk politics in our Sangha, but we do speak of some values found in the Buddhist Precepts and our Bodhisattva Vows ... values such as peace, tolerance, generosity, moderation, cooperation and truthfulness, to name a few. In addition, although the Buddha and the Ancient Masters did not have to be so concerned with some things in their times, I might add concern in modern times for the planet's ecology (as it effects life and health), protection of the poor, hungry and vulnerable, those denied a safe place to live, those threatened by violence including children and civilians in the midst of war, those oppressed because of who they are and how they were born, those denied education and access to medicine, and the like. The Buddha and old Masters did not speak much of such things (they could not have changed their ancient societies much even if they wanted to), but we can today. These values are in keeping with our care for human life and Vow to aid the sentient beings. We can know "all is empty," yet we seek to make well of this life too. We Buddhists continue to turn from greed and excess, anger and violence, division, selfishness and other ignorance.

History seems to run in cycles. This is a Buddhist teaching too. It is like the seasons, with Winter followed by Spring, then Summer followed by Fall. I do not mean this as any political comment, but I do believe that society has come very far from the times of the Buddha and Old Masters, and we are actually doing well compared to any century of the past. Even compared to 50 or 100 years ago, let alone 500 years ago or 1000 years, our values and perspectives on human dignity and ideals for how society should be have slowly (even if sometimes too slowly) progressed. Yes, it sometimes seems like two steps forward, then one big step back. Yes, we have big problems today unlike old times (nuclear peril and climate change, among other things.) However, we can step again forward. Do not lose the long view. We must keep working so that the world, 50 or 100 and more years from now, is better still. Keep working, do not lose hope, looking for the days to come, because so much remains to do and can be done.

Soto Zen is sometimes called "farmer's Zen," and there are many reasons for the name. However, I like to think that one reason is that, like a farmer, we must prepare in Winter to plant in Spring, all to harvest in Summer and Fall. Folks think that Zen is only about "being in the moment," but that has never been the only view we hold. We live and work in this moment, yes, taking things as they are, accepting conditions, yet with an eye toward tomorrow too. Our Master Dogen said that "Spring is only Spring," and likewise "Winter is only Winter," and when in Winter there is nothing else, so we accept the cold and frozen ground. Nonetheless, Dogen also prepared for the coming seasons, and likewise, we must prepare the ground, seeds and equipment today for what comes next. If you do not prepare in Winter to plant in Spring, there will be no harvest in Summer and Fall. You must tend to the work that needs to be done to get through the Winter until the warmth returns again. It may seem cold right now, but your work is crucial for the harvest to come.

You can be such a farmer today. Be assured that the Spring will come.

What are the seeds we plant? These are seeds of peace, tolerance, generosity, moderation, cooperation and truthfulness. Buddhism speaks of planting such seeds within our own heart, but we also plant such seeds in the world around us. This is our Bodhisattva Vow. Again, I am not speaking politics, but simply about values that partisans and politicians of all kinds easily forget.

Another analogy is the candle on our Altar. Candles are most important on the dark days. When things seem darkest, when others lose hope, we can each be a candle, vital and burning most brightly during the dark times. When the world is especially clouded with greed, anger and ignorance, it is the role of each Buddhist (YOU!) to be a flame keeping bright the light of peace, tolerance, generosity, moderation, cooperation, truthfulness and the rest. Your role is most crucial in the dark. We don't lose our way, don't go cold, don't burn out, but just keep on steadily burning bright. A little light now can set a great light burning.

You must be such a candle today, keeping the flame alight until the daybreak comes.

~ ~ ~

If you would like to hear more on this, I gave a little talk during our Zazenkai expanding on these themes a bit. Please listen as you get working.

https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/practices/zen-of-everything-treeleaf-podcasts/14419-treeleaf-podcast?p=534881#post534881

https://preview.redd.it/tkfkw3nmch0e1.jpg?width=330&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e726808ae06cc57f843eb1aef329e56e4950b8de

Hello team! I am not rocking the detachment today, and was wondering if anyone could send me a seed from theirs, for a little inspiration. Just thoughts, a note on how your journey is going, tips and ideas, anything that sparks joy. Thank you for taking the time to read, and wishing you the best!