TREELEAF ZENDO PODCAST
Episodes
Tuesday Sep 08, 2015
September 2015 Zazenkai Dharma Talk (Ango Season Begins)
Tuesday Sep 08, 2015
Tuesday Sep 08, 2015
What is Ango in our day and time, for householders in the modern West? Is it Ango as the Buddha, Dogen and all the Ancestors Practiced?
The meaning of the Japanese word Ango [安居] (Skt : varsha or varshika; Pali: vassa ) is “tranquil dwelling”. The origin is the “rainy-season retreat” , the period when Buddhist monks in India stopped their travels and outdoor activities for the duration of the rainy season and gathered at some sheltered location to devote themselves to Practice, study and discipline. One practical reason was because the heavy rainfall made traveling and outdoor activities impractical. But it was also a time when the individual monks in Buddha’s time, spending most of the year scattered here and there in small groups or individually, could gather and unite as a community and Practice together. During the rainy season in India, monks traditionally dwelt in a cave or a monastery for three months—from the sixteenth day of the fourth month to the fifteenth day of the seventh month. During this period the monks learned the Buddha's teachings, engaged in meditation and other practices, and repented their harmful behavior and weaknesses. The tradition is said to have begun during the time of Shakyamuni, was brought to China, and in Japan the three-month retreat was first observed in 683. Now it comes to us.
Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum:
September 4th-5th, 2015 - OUR MONTHLY 4-hour ZAZENKAI! ANGO SEASON BEGINS! »
Tuesday Sep 01, 2015
August 2015 Talk - Why Zen Folks Fail - Part 6
Tuesday Sep 01, 2015
Tuesday Sep 01, 2015
We continue with Why Zen Students Fail!
One reason is because they trust the Zen Teachers too much sometimes.
Another reason is because they trust their Teacher not enough sometimes.
Sometimes they are blind to a Teacher's flaws, victims of excess devotion, faith and obedience (yes, it sometimes happens, as described HERE)
Sometimes students expect a Zen Teacher to be flawless, saintly and superhuman, and run away at the first sign of humanity.
Students should realize that the teachers are really just mentors,
"friends on the way", folks who have been around the block, guides who
have walked the path and can help point out the generally good
directions and the dangers and quicksand. Learn from the voice of
experience and the wise advice, but in the end, each student must do
their own walking.
In all cases, the student should learn to see through the Teacher to the Teaching, seeing this messy world and the Pure Land as One.
Further reading and discussion for this talk are available on the Treeleaf forum:
SIT-A-LONG with Jundo: Why Zen Folks FAIL!! (6) - Trusting the Teacher »