The events in Burma have been on my heart. I have found a verse on the internet that Myotai Sensei wrote 6 years ago for a 9/11 teisho. How these words still echo through time:
Thousands of blossoms red,
brown, white, yellow and black
scattered on the ground
made tender by their falling.
This human body more fragile
than the dew drops on the
countless tips of morning grasses.
My wailing voice is the bright
September wind and in the dark night
Silence speaks:
I will die only when love dies
and you will not let love die.
Thank you Chuck for keeping us informed. May Peace and Freedom prevail on earth.
- Zuihan
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Metta Sutra
The following is lifted from a webpage that links to irrawaddy.org, which is a website about happenings in Burma (now called 'Myanmar'. The people of this country still refer to it as 'Burma' and themselves as 'Burmese'; the name of the country and the capitol and other ancient names were changed by the ruling junta, but I will continue to refer to is as 'Burma'.). There are photos on the website of the riots, be warned, they are disturbing...
Update: More blood has been shed, as predicted...more monks have been killed and injured...a Japanese photographer was killed...the U.S. has frozen assets of the upper echelons of the junta... c.g. 9-28-07
Gunfire resounded through the air on Wednesday as Buddhist monks chanted the “Metta Sutra” (the Buddha’s words on living kindness). Soldiers and riot police beat many monks who bravely resisted by sitting down in front of security forces.
Monks in Rangoon on Thursday said five fellow monks were shot dead or beaten to death by security forces on Wednesday. The tragedy, unfortunately, is only beginning: more blood will flow on the road to democracy in the coming days.
The bloodshed has unfolded despite calls for restraint by the international community. The UN secretary-general repeatedly called on the regime to seize this opportunity to restore democracy and national reconciliation with all parties in the country, but to no avail.
The United Nation Security Council will meet on Thursday. But what can the council do? Just this year, a critical resolution on Burma proposed by the US and Britain was vetoed by China and Russia, two strong supporters of the junta.
For a long-term perspective, we can turn to the writing of Aung San Suu Kyi, the people’s beloved democracy leader, who has always acknowledged the enduring strength of the Burmese people, while also calling for help from all people who support democracy and human rights.
“It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights,” Suu Kyi wrote in “Freedom from Fear.” “There has to be a united determination to persevere in the struggle, to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths, to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear.”
“The quest for democracy in Burma is the struggle of a people to live whole, meaningful lives as free and equal members of the world community. It is part of the unceasing human endeavor to prove that the spirit of man can transcend the flaws of his nature.”
The current military crackdown, despite the killings and beatings, can’t stop Buddhist monks who practice loving kindness and sacrifice for the well-being of the suffering people of Burma. As Suu Kyi said, this is a “revolution of the spirit”—it must transcend inhumanity.
gassho to those who struggle for freedom
Here is an article about the situation found on National Review Online: http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=MmQzOTljM2E2MjRjMzRiNDA2MTdlZWMzZDBmNzZjYmU=
whatever you may think about the geopolitics (of India vs. China and etc., etc.), this will give some insight into the history of the struggle, and what the people of Burma are facing and have been facing for years...
...and more, bad, news
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071001/ap_on_re_as/myanmar_dead___missing
Update: More blood has been shed, as predicted...more monks have been killed and injured...a Japanese photographer was killed...the U.S. has frozen assets of the upper echelons of the junta... c.g. 9-28-07
Gunfire resounded through the air on Wednesday as Buddhist monks chanted the “Metta Sutra” (the Buddha’s words on living kindness). Soldiers and riot police beat many monks who bravely resisted by sitting down in front of security forces.
Monks in Rangoon on Thursday said five fellow monks were shot dead or beaten to death by security forces on Wednesday. The tragedy, unfortunately, is only beginning: more blood will flow on the road to democracy in the coming days.
The bloodshed has unfolded despite calls for restraint by the international community. The UN secretary-general repeatedly called on the regime to seize this opportunity to restore democracy and national reconciliation with all parties in the country, but to no avail.
The United Nation Security Council will meet on Thursday. But what can the council do? Just this year, a critical resolution on Burma proposed by the US and Britain was vetoed by China and Russia, two strong supporters of the junta.
For a long-term perspective, we can turn to the writing of Aung San Suu Kyi, the people’s beloved democracy leader, who has always acknowledged the enduring strength of the Burmese people, while also calling for help from all people who support democracy and human rights.
“It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights,” Suu Kyi wrote in “Freedom from Fear.” “There has to be a united determination to persevere in the struggle, to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths, to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear.”
“The quest for democracy in Burma is the struggle of a people to live whole, meaningful lives as free and equal members of the world community. It is part of the unceasing human endeavor to prove that the spirit of man can transcend the flaws of his nature.”
The current military crackdown, despite the killings and beatings, can’t stop Buddhist monks who practice loving kindness and sacrifice for the well-being of the suffering people of Burma. As Suu Kyi said, this is a “revolution of the spirit”—it must transcend inhumanity.
gassho to those who struggle for freedom
Here is an article about the situation found on National Review Online: http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=MmQzOTljM2E2MjRjMzRiNDA2MTdlZWMzZDBmNzZjYmU=
whatever you may think about the geopolitics (of India vs. China and etc., etc.), this will give some insight into the history of the struggle, and what the people of Burma are facing and have been facing for years...
...and more, bad, news
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071001/ap_on_re_as/myanmar_dead___missing
Thursday, September 20, 2007
BONSAI WORKSHOP IS SET
Mr. Will Heath will be at the dojo on Saturday Sept 29th for the bonsai workshop. It will start around 1:00 p.m. The fee will be $25, and will include training, materials, and the tree you work on that you keep for yourself. The tree is a Ficus species which means you should keep it indoors. The fee does not include a pot for the tree, but some will be available for purchase.
The Nature of Routine
In examining our lives it is often good to simply step away from your everyday routines and look at them from a different perspective. The ever questioning human mind makes it a simple excercise. Recently I went on vacation, on a cruise to the caribbean. Tough, I know. :) In that though, it provided the opportunity to step away from my daily life, to examine, to reflect. To see the forest through the trees, if you will. What is it that I do day in and day out? What routines do I follow that will afford me the way to break free? What are those things that hold sway over me, that are inescapable, that chain me to these groundless forms of being? Life in its myriad forms, in its own ways, the way we structure our lives, the "daily grind", are all forms of conditioning. I have seen it in the mirror, in my thoughts, in the faces of the thousands I encountered on this trip. Strong currents, we face strong currents rush by us and through in our practice. So we sit, like a rock in the tumult of this rushing water of life. What happens to that rock? Does it crack and slowly erode away? Or is it polished?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Chikyo Gigs...
Hey everone. I'll be playing Jazz at Murphys downtown this Monday night from 8 to 9pm with the UT Jazz faculty group. Student ensembles play after that. Come down if you can enjoy some improvised Dharma!
- Chikyo
- Chikyo
Monday, September 17, 2007
updates
Hello Everyone! Zuihan here... We are going forward with a free public lecture on October 27 to be followed by a workshop the next day from 1:30 to 4:30. The lecture is entitled LivingZen: Awakening the Joyful Heart. I just talked to an editor at the city paper who may do a cover story on Chikyo. Please send positive energy. We are hoping to reach deep intothe community.
Andy and I are also talking about establishing an Emergent Culture Salon at the dojo. It would meet one night a month to discuss the latest provocative trends. We were thinking we might start with Ken Wilber, A Theory of Everything. I like his work because it puts our practice on the coushin in the context of world shaping activity. He is getting folks to realize that bringing nondual consciousness into actualization is essential for the healing and growth of the planetary community. Anyone else interested?
I have been spending some time with Hongzhi. Here is a rendering of my note to him:
you mean
completely detach from
the clanging and suturing
of these churning ideas.
How?
You say just sit through it
not entering into partnership.
Now
in this silence
let the air out of the skin bag .
Simply take a step .
Our open and empty body
wanders the radiant love field.
This is our home
Just
Be the Love and ALL is Well.
Okay...
Andy and I are also talking about establishing an Emergent Culture Salon at the dojo. It would meet one night a month to discuss the latest provocative trends. We were thinking we might start with Ken Wilber, A Theory of Everything. I like his work because it puts our practice on the coushin in the context of world shaping activity. He is getting folks to realize that bringing nondual consciousness into actualization is essential for the healing and growth of the planetary community. Anyone else interested?
I have been spending some time with Hongzhi. Here is a rendering of my note to him:
you mean
completely detach from
the clanging and suturing
of these churning ideas.
How?
You say just sit through it
not entering into partnership.
Now
in this silence
let the air out of the skin bag .
Simply take a step .
Our open and empty body
wanders the radiant love field.
This is our home
Just
Be the Love and ALL is Well.
Okay...
Friday, September 14, 2007
Speaking of precepts---A Jewish Holiday and humility
September 14, 2007, 0:00 a.m.Tradition!Rosh Hashanah.By Mona Charen
When our middle son was in preschool, his teacher asked him to explain to the (overwhelmingly non-Jewish) class what the Jewish New Year was all about. Four-year-old David told them that on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Jews go to a big building and “forgive God.”Well, something like that. This week, Jews all over the world are gathering to observe the “Ten Days of Awe,” the period that begins with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and culminates with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Like other Jewish holidays (Passover, Sukkot), Rosh Hashanah is celebrated for two days in a row (at least by Conservative and Orthodox Jews). For two days we perform almost exactly the same service and recite the same prayers. Seems pretty repetitive, I know, and it is. Actually the Jewish liturgy is nothing if not repetitive. If it’s worth saying once, the sages apparently believed, it was worth repeating at least four times. But I digress. The reason we celebrate these key holidays for two days instead of one is due to the Diaspora. After the Jews were dispersed from Israel in 70 CE, following defeat in the rebellion against Rome and the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews were scattered all over the globe and often couldn’t be sure exactly what day it was in the land of Israel. Accordingly, they celebrated important holidays for two days running to be on the safe side. The crucial thing was to be sure that whether they were in London or Kiev or Calcutta, they were observing the holidays according to the date in Israel. They made an exception for Yom Kippur, which requires a 26-hour food and water fast. There’s safe and then there’s masochistic. Why do we continue this practice in the era of atomic clocks? Tradition!Rosh Hashanah is nothing like the secular New Year. It isn’t about revelry (though we do dip liberally into the apples and honey); it’s about repentance. During this period, Jews are asked to examine their souls, consider the sins they have committed during the previous year and resolve to improve. The rabbinic literature on repentance is copious. How can one demonstrate true repentance and not synthetic piety? The best way, the rabbis tell us, is to change. If you commit the same sins year after year and then fast on Yom Kippur asking for forgiveness, you can pretty well forget it. Your fast means nothing. The prophets were most acidic on the subject of showy fasts and insincere prayers.The rabbis are also very clear on another point: It is essential to ask forgiveness from a person you have wronged before asking for God’s forgiveness. You must also do everything you can to make the person whole. If you’ve committed a murder, this puts you in a difficult spot. So remember that. This is also the time of year when you are expected to pay your debts.The Jewish liturgy is pretty savvy about human nature. The rabbis must have known that lots of us, faced with the necessity to repent, will say, “Gee, I’ve had a pretty good year. Haven’t committed any sins I can think of.” Perhaps that’s why we do confession as a community, not individually.In a prayer called the Al Cheyt, the sins are itemized. Here are some samples: “For the sin we have committed against you by evil speech . . . by wanton glances . . . by hardening our hearts . . . by envy . . . by desecrating your name . . . by effrontery . . . by tale bearing . . . by causeless hatred . . . by perverting justice.” All bases are covered by confessions of sinning “knowingly and unknowingly,” and “intentionally and unintentionally.” If you cannot find yourself on that list, then you obviously need to look harder. Psalm 130 captures the spirit succinctly: “Out of the depths I call to Thee, O Lord. O Lord, hear my voice; let thy ears be attentive to my supplicating voice. If thou, O Lord, shouldst keep strict account of iniquities, O Lord, who could live on? But with thee there is forgiveness . . . “This kind of humility is a healthy antidote to the narcissism of modern life. © 2007 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
When our middle son was in preschool, his teacher asked him to explain to the (overwhelmingly non-Jewish) class what the Jewish New Year was all about. Four-year-old David told them that on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Jews go to a big building and “forgive God.”Well, something like that. This week, Jews all over the world are gathering to observe the “Ten Days of Awe,” the period that begins with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and culminates with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Like other Jewish holidays (Passover, Sukkot), Rosh Hashanah is celebrated for two days in a row (at least by Conservative and Orthodox Jews). For two days we perform almost exactly the same service and recite the same prayers. Seems pretty repetitive, I know, and it is. Actually the Jewish liturgy is nothing if not repetitive. If it’s worth saying once, the sages apparently believed, it was worth repeating at least four times. But I digress. The reason we celebrate these key holidays for two days instead of one is due to the Diaspora. After the Jews were dispersed from Israel in 70 CE, following defeat in the rebellion against Rome and the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews were scattered all over the globe and often couldn’t be sure exactly what day it was in the land of Israel. Accordingly, they celebrated important holidays for two days running to be on the safe side. The crucial thing was to be sure that whether they were in London or Kiev or Calcutta, they were observing the holidays according to the date in Israel. They made an exception for Yom Kippur, which requires a 26-hour food and water fast. There’s safe and then there’s masochistic. Why do we continue this practice in the era of atomic clocks? Tradition!Rosh Hashanah is nothing like the secular New Year. It isn’t about revelry (though we do dip liberally into the apples and honey); it’s about repentance. During this period, Jews are asked to examine their souls, consider the sins they have committed during the previous year and resolve to improve. The rabbinic literature on repentance is copious. How can one demonstrate true repentance and not synthetic piety? The best way, the rabbis tell us, is to change. If you commit the same sins year after year and then fast on Yom Kippur asking for forgiveness, you can pretty well forget it. Your fast means nothing. The prophets were most acidic on the subject of showy fasts and insincere prayers.The rabbis are also very clear on another point: It is essential to ask forgiveness from a person you have wronged before asking for God’s forgiveness. You must also do everything you can to make the person whole. If you’ve committed a murder, this puts you in a difficult spot. So remember that. This is also the time of year when you are expected to pay your debts.The Jewish liturgy is pretty savvy about human nature. The rabbis must have known that lots of us, faced with the necessity to repent, will say, “Gee, I’ve had a pretty good year. Haven’t committed any sins I can think of.” Perhaps that’s why we do confession as a community, not individually.In a prayer called the Al Cheyt, the sins are itemized. Here are some samples: “For the sin we have committed against you by evil speech . . . by wanton glances . . . by hardening our hearts . . . by envy . . . by desecrating your name . . . by effrontery . . . by tale bearing . . . by causeless hatred . . . by perverting justice.” All bases are covered by confessions of sinning “knowingly and unknowingly,” and “intentionally and unintentionally.” If you cannot find yourself on that list, then you obviously need to look harder. Psalm 130 captures the spirit succinctly: “Out of the depths I call to Thee, O Lord. O Lord, hear my voice; let thy ears be attentive to my supplicating voice. If thou, O Lord, shouldst keep strict account of iniquities, O Lord, who could live on? But with thee there is forgiveness . . . “This kind of humility is a healthy antidote to the narcissism of modern life. © 2007 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Precepts in October, anyone thinking of going???
Simon さんは書きました...
I know this isn't quite the place to post this, but I can't post to the blog itself . . . maybe Chuck could reroute it or something.Zuihan mentioned the "Introduction to the Precepts" workshop in Garrison, NY over the first weekend in October. I'm not sure that I'm ready to commit myself to taking the precepts, but I am interested in going and learning about them (especially since I currently have the time in my schedule to do it). Is anyone else planning to attend? I'm not sure I'm competent to make the 10 hour drive without someone else in the car.
Simon, I am also thinking positively about going. Somehow I got the impression that Karen and Jay would go, too, but not sure about that. Anyone else thinking of going to NY state for the weekend??
I know this isn't quite the place to post this, but I can't post to the blog itself . . . maybe Chuck could reroute it or something.Zuihan mentioned the "Introduction to the Precepts" workshop in Garrison, NY over the first weekend in October. I'm not sure that I'm ready to commit myself to taking the precepts, but I am interested in going and learning about them (especially since I currently have the time in my schedule to do it). Is anyone else planning to attend? I'm not sure I'm competent to make the 10 hour drive without someone else in the car.
Simon, I am also thinking positively about going. Somehow I got the impression that Karen and Jay would go, too, but not sure about that. Anyone else thinking of going to NY state for the weekend??
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Sunday?
Is there sitting this Sunday? How have things been working for children that may need to attend with their parents who are practicing?
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