Okinawa Zazen Group (meeting notes)

Attendees:

Jordan "風剣" Fountain

沢庵 (The Pug Dog)

Due to all the attendees being present early, a motion was forwarded to begin the sitting early , the motion passed with no objections.

Prior to the first sitting, the Heart Sutra was recited, two typos's were noted in the service book's transcript of the Heart Sutra.

The first sitting began at approximately 0940.

沢庵 did several reverse circumambulations and finally settled on the tatami in the middle of the room and promptly began snoring.

During Kinhin 沢庵 decided to rouse, and left the Zazen hall. It was discovered later that he had gone down stairs to take a dump.

沢庵 Returned for the second sitting, attempted to get onto my lap but decided it was too much trouble to try and locate a spot for himself as the full lotus posture does not seem to be comfortable for him. He did another round of notably noisy reverse circumambulations, perhaps scratching for a bit too, before once again settling into a good snore.

Afterwards gratitude was expressed for the Buddha ancestors and 沢庵 was thanked for joining me for today's sitting.

In reflection, I am grateful for having the opportunity to sit, and have an increased appreciation of how miraculous it is to not only develop the will to the truth, but to come together with those who are like minded.

I take refuge in the Buddha.

I take Refuge in the Dharma.

I take refuge in the Sangha.

Okinawa Saturday Morning Zazen group meetings will continue to be offered to any who are interested in joining, as long as I am here and able.

In veneration to all the Buddha ancestors, and all of those Bodhisattvas that I have met and have yet to meet, Jordan.

Eihei Dogen Links (updated)

I have found the works of Eihei Dogen to be quite beneficial to my practice.

I thought it would be good to post some links up here where the subject matter often relates to his works in the hopes that folks interested in Zen might have a chance to enjoy them as I have. This list may not be all inclusive, as I discover new ones they might be posted. Just because I am linking them dose not mean I am endorsing them either. You have to be a grown up and decide for yourself what is true. If you feel there is a link that should be added to this list feel free to drop a comment. This dose not mean I will add it, but I might. If you feel like a link should be removed, feel free to drop a comment. This dose not mean I will remove it, but I might.

Yours in practice,
Jordan

http://bodhiarmour.blogspot.com/2010/04/quick-reference-for-shobogenzo.html



http://www.numatacenter.com/default.aspx?MPID=81

http://nothingbutthelifeblood.blogspot.com/

http://global.sotozen-net.or.jp/eng/index.html

http://www.stanford.edu/group/scbs/sztp3/translations/shobogenzo/index.html

www.shastaabbey.org/shobogenzo1.htm

www.zenki.com/AboutDogen.htm

www.uoregon.edu/~rwh/buddhism/dogen.html

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogen

www.gudoblog-e.blogspot.com

www.dogenandtheshobogenzo.blogspot.com

www.dogensangha.org

www.numenware.com/article/category/dogen

www.the-middle-way.blogspot.com

www.fukan-zazengi.blogspot.com

www.hardcorezen.blogspot.com

www.mindfullivingguide.blogspot.com

Dogen's Bible and Enlightened Teachers

This is why I intend to gather together the few experiences I

had abroad, and to record the secrets of an enlightened teacher, so that they

may be heard by any practitioner who desires to hear them.

Shobogenzo Bendowa Nishijima and Cross translation

There has been a bit of scuttlebutt about internet teachers/communities versus real life flesh and blood teachers/communities that I caught wind of recently.

That, coupled with what ideas of mine of things like teachers and organizations that have been totally smashed, I would like to put forth that the argument either for and against is pretty lame.

First of I think this is a phenomenon that is primarily occurring in the western zen communities so that is where I'm coming from.

The first idea I'd like to smash is that there is a fundamental difference between the two.

Lets think about why we committed ourselves to this practice for a moment. It should not take very long. Most of us came to this practice because we know that something is not quite right and we want to get to the bottom of it. After a bit of practice most people (who are not mentally disabled, or acutely insane) figure out that it is themselves that is not right.

The more not right the person is or the more they are affected by this not rightness is frighteningly proportionate to how dedicated they are to the practice. So the most messed up people end up being zen teachers (or at least zen bloggers.) Just because they have become teachers doesn't mean that they have solved all of their problems either. From what I have seen Dharma transmission doesn't make someone a perfect human being. That goes for pretty much any of our zen sanghas weather online or physical here in the west. I'm sure there are exceptions, but the exceptions are pretty small and are likely not part of the echosphear. Anyone of these zen teachers who present themselves as being anything but a flawed human being is probably a U.S. Marine... unh no I mean a liar liar pants on fire. Yeah, they have likely been practicing for a while, they are likely well versed in dealing with their stuff (maybe) and most of them can actually be quite helpful in coming up with ways to help point you in the right direction for you deal with yours. You may even get really lucky and find a good friend that can point you to see things as they are instead of how you are.

In the interest of full disclosure, at the time of writing this, I have no pretty bolt of silk with a list of names on it to indicate I am a somebody in the zen community. After publishing this, I probably will never get one. Oh, I'd like one, but I think what I am doing right now is more important.

Ok, on to Dogen's bible, The Shobogenzo. While as my friend Ted pointed out it is only 95% complete, it is what Dogen left behind so that we could get the stuff from the guy who kicked off this whole tradition.

So, if you can get together with a group of folks, practice sitting-zen, and clarify the Shobogenzo for the benefit of all sentient beings (it's OK if your just doing it for yourself too, I think the sentient beings will benefit regardless), I think your going in the right direction. Along your way when the time is ripe, your probably going to run in to some guy or gal that might just help you out. They may not have anything to do with zen or be a kind of zen pariah, you may meet them in the flesh or out on the interwebs. But you are going to know when you meet your real teacher. I meet them everywhere.

ANGRY ZAZEN NON-ANGRY ZAZEN

Yesterday I was resistant to everything.

Irritable. I did not want to hear the noise of life and the goings on around me.

I was mad at myself for sleeping in and not getting to sit before the world woke up and started doing all of those things that distract me.

Today I slept in as well. But I just accepted the wife’s clackity clack on the keyboard, the kids running about playing and fighting. The noise from outside. The TV turned up too loud.

Experiencing resistance, I often find that I want to run away from it all. Go off to some mountain retreat and shut out the world.

Experiencing acceptance I find I am deeply in love with every little thing. Even the airplane flying overhead and the neighbor practicing the drums as I sit., a crying child rushing to my lap as I type.

A LITTLE BLOG POST

Light three joss sticks.
Plant them in the sand one at a time.
Homage to the Buddha
Homage to the Dharma
Homage to the sangha.

Palms together, Bow.

Bow to the little round cushion, again with palms together.
Kids are already sitting.
Sit, start the timer.
Three bells. Bow.

The smallest one gets up and starts hopping around.

Stands behind her sister and does an about face, farts loudly and hops away bouncing about the house.

The bigger one voices her dissatisfaction with the little ones actions.

“Just sit.”

“Daddy can I have a Zazen dako?

“Not yet. “

The little one is still bounding around the house.

“Daddy, Just five minuets left, can I have a Zazen Dako Now?”

“OK”

Two bells, the small one rushes to her cushion and sits.

Bows together.

“Thank you girls for sitting with me.”

“Can we watch TV now?”

“OK.”

A simple melody on the flute.

Watch the fish swim in the pond.

An e-mail to Mom.

a little blog post.

ZAZEN & BLANKETS 98662

Last night the PoC and ZMH joined me for evening office, I woke at 0410 for morning office feeding the cat and letting him out. Ate some more nato before waking ZMH and the PoC. ZMH woke the wife and she sat for a few minuets. I made preparations this time by suggesting the kids grab blankets to sit with before sitting, but ZMH got a small thin shawl that she complained abot not being warm enough so I gave her my towelket that serves as my make shift kesa which seemed to satisfy. I was quite impressed by the PoC's ability to sit still. She might get a name change to ZMI if she keeps up.

I have been thinking a bit about sewing my own Kesa. Inspired largely by this guys efforts. I am not exactly sure of the measurements but I am pretty sure I can figure out what to do from this guy's Blog.

I really appreciate sitting with the family in the mornings. Since the kids have started sitting there has seemed to be increasing increments of equanimity in the house. No, not everything is perfect, girls will be girls, but I believe it is getting better all the time.

ZAZEN & KAPOK 98662

Late last evening my Kapok Zafu and 10lbs of Kapok filling arrived. I emptied out the two oldest Buckwheat filled Zafus and gave them a needed washing. I then proceded to stuff them with kapok. If you are ever inclined to undertake such an operation I would like to warn you that this is a messy process. Particularly with ZMH and the PoC trying to help. Kapok fluff ended up a lot of places other than inside the Zafu covers. After a period of time I did manage to get enough kapok stuffed into the Zafu covers to be adequate for the little ones to sit on. I think I have enough kapok to fill two ore three more Zafu’s and I know I have seen patterns for them. I am thinking I will make some more. Can you ever have enough Zafus? I tried out the new one that was sent and I noticed that it does seem to have the benefit of not constricting the blood flow to my left leg as much when sitting full lotus.

I was on a day of leave yesterday so I decided to not bother coming to work this morning at the usual time but instead come in at the “Prescribed” time. Still I only managed one sitting after morning office but I did get good nights sleep. The Wife and the PoC were invited to sit but again only ZMH joined me. The timer got hung up though and we ended up sitting for 45 minutes. ZMH wanted to know how long and I obliged her by checking, as soon as I opened the application the bell went off.

It is kind of weird because normally my internal clock knows approximately when the bell should go off. Maybe I successfully let go of that, I don’t know.

Breakfast of cereal, hygiene and some genmai~cha to go. Hugs from ZMH and gratitude to her for sitting with me.

Now I am at work, reservists coming this weekend and a Commanding Generals Inspection. Joy!

Zen is Stupid

Listened to the Zen is stupid “Zentenial” podcast this morning on the way to work.
The premise of the podcast was that if you weren’t doing meditation you weren’t “Zen.”

Patrick told the listeners to sit for 20 minutes while he and Gwen chatted in the background.

Interesting how my comparing, aversive mind went to work on that.
“Nobody is “Zen” it is an action!”
“Listen idiots, I do more sitting before 0600 than most people do in a day.”
Why the F#(% are you talking while people are supposed to be meditating”

Anger
Aversion
Spiritual Pride & Superiority

OK it only took a little bit before I laughed at myself but the initial reaction tells me I still have a lot of work to do.

Oh, and this is supposed to show up in my blogroll MonkMojo's 1000 Cuts but doesn't seem to want to play. If your not following Monk Mojo, your missing out!

03/10/2009 ZaZen Update 98662

Last night I thanked Hannah for joining me for ZaZen that morning. She said she would like to do that every day. I was doubtful… When the alarm went off in the morning I considered waking her up, but I decided not to. I did decide not to go straight to the Zafu but instead unload the dishwasher and put some dishes away. That did the trick as a Han (the wooden board that monks beat in a monastery to let people know that a practice period is about to begin.) Hannah woke up and helped me with the dishes. I asked why she got up and she said it was ZaZen time…. Of course it was. So we lit incense, did prostrations and then I put on my Rakusu… Now she wants a Rakusu too… I told her she would have to ask her mother about that.

Anyhow Hannah got up at 21 minutes into the sitting; hey a six year old being still for 21 minutes is still pretty impressive to me… Bowing the Zafu and saying in a mater of fact manor “That’s enough; I’m going to go make you waffles now Daddy.”

Awwww…

So about 20 minutes later I got off the Zafu and the toaster waffles were on a plate in the kitchen waiting for me. The waffles were lovingly slathered with margarine and enough maple syrup to drown a Canadian in. Needless to say the waffles were also ice cold.

Best ice cold toaster waffles I ever had. I fried a couple of eggs to supplement our waffles, ate, and thanked Hannah for joining me once again. Hugs, kisses, and out the door.

I could get used to this.

98662 ZaZen update

So this morning I was joined for tea and ZaZen by Hannah at around 0400. I had just got down on the Zafu when she came into the room, sleepy eyed. I said to her “good morning sweetheart, what are you doing up?” And she replied sweetly: “I want to do ZaZen with you Daddy.”

Awwww.

Now so you know I don’t really push the kids into doing what I do. Particularly because of how miserably I failed at getting the wife to sit with me. I figure they have to work out their own salvation, but I will do my best to give them a positive role model and such and yes bedtime stories are often in the form of Jataka tales.

Nowadays both kids also recite the poem of five reflections with me at meal time, though they were never really told to, they just do like daddy does. Yeah, even the four year old. The kids even had it memorized before I did. They used too remind me I needed to read the “paper” (the cheat sheet I was reading off of) when we were sitting down to eat. This is really cool in my book.

Anyway, Hannah got up after 27 minutes of sitting which is better than I do on some mornings. The thing about this whole evolution is that it is really really really nice to have someone sitting with me. I do not expect it to become a regular occurrence but at the same time I sure would appreciate it if it does. Now I am considering getting another Zafu just to have one available in case someone else decides to join me for the early morning sitting.

Last night I had an odd and memorable dream. I was in a ZaZen hall reading the Dammapada aloud in the style of a Baptist minister. Can I get an Ommmmmmm!

From Robet Aitkin

I picked this out of the comments section of Robert Aitkin's Blog.

"Care too has Karma. Choose care and the Buddha will smile."

That impacted me in a nice way.

Fuke Stories from the Sayings of RinZai

One day the master and Fuke went to a vegetarian banquet
given them by a believer. During the meal, the master asked
Fuke: " 'A hair swallows the vast ocean, a mustard seed contains
Mt. Sumeru' — does this happen by means of supernatural
powers, or is the whole body (substance, essence) like this?"
Fuke kicked over the table.
The master said: "Rough fellow."
Fuke retorted: "What place is this here to speak of rough and
refined ?"


The next day, they went again to a vegetarian banquet. During
that meal, the master asked: "Today's fare, how does it compare
with yesterday's?"
Fuke (as before) kicked over the table.
The master said: "Understand it you do — but still, you are a
rough fellow."
Fuke replied: "Blind fellow, does one preach of any roughness or
finesse in the Buddha-Dharma?"
The master stuck out his tongue.


One day the master and the two old teachers Kayo and
Mokuto were sitting in the hearth pit of the meditation hall. The
master remarked: "Every day Fuke plays the fool in the street
markets. Does anyone know whether he is a vulgar fellow or a
sage?"
Before he had finished speaking, Fuke came in. The master asked
him: "Are you a vulgar fellow or a sage?"
Fuke replied: "Say it yourself whether I am a vulgar fellow or a
sage." The master gave a Katsu.
Fuke, indicating each with his pointing finger, said: "Kajo's style
of the newlywed bride, Mokuto's grandmotherly Zen, Rinzai's
little servant — all three have the single eye."
The master remarked: "This robber."
Fuke left, shouting "robber, robber."


One day Fuke was eating raw cabbage before the meditation
hall. The master saw him and said: "You have quite the air of an
ass." Fuke began to bray.
The master said: "This robber."
Fuke went away, shouting "robber, robber."

Fuke always used to roam about in the street markets, ringing
a bell and shouting: "When it comes in brightness, I hit the
brightness. When it approaches in darkness, I hit the darkness.
When it comes from the four quarters and eight directions (of
space), I hit like a whirlwind, and if it comes out of the empty
sky, I thrash like a flail."
The master made one of his attendants go there, instructing him
to grab Fuke while speaking and ask him "If it does not come in
any of these ways, what then?"
Fuke freed himself from the grasp of the attendant and said:
"Tomorrow is a vegetarian banquet in the monastery of Great
Compassion."
The attendant returned and told the master, who remarked: "I
was always intrigued with this fellow."


One day at the street market Fuke was begging all and sundry
to give him a robe. Everybody offered him one, but he did not
want any of them.
The master made the superior buy a coffin, and when Fuke
returned, said to him: "There, I had this robe made for you."
Fuke shouldered the coffin, and went back to the street market,
calling loudly: "Rinzai had this robe made for me! I am off to the
East Gate to enter transformation" (to die)." The people of the
market crowded after him, eager to look.
Fuke said: "No, not today. Tomorrow, I shall go to the South
Gate to enter transformation." And so it went for three days,
until nobody believed it any longer.
On the fourth day, and now without any spectators, Fuke went
alone outside the city walls, and laid himself into the coffin. He
asked a traveler who chanced by to nail down the lid. The news
spread at once, and the people of the market rushed there.
On opening the coffin, they found that the body had vanished,
but from high up in the sky they heard the ring of his hand bell.

The master left Issan. Gyosan went with him to see him off,
and said: "If later on you go north, there will be a place for you."
The master said: "How should that happen?"
Gyosan said: "Just go there. Later there will be someone to help
you, elder brother. That someone will have a head but no tail, a
beginning but no end."
When the master later went to the prefecture of Chin, Fuke was
already there and helped the master when he started teaching.
But soon after the master had settled in there, Fuke cast off his
body and vanished.


No cometary from me on these, I just like the stories and felt compelled to share them today.

With great gratitude to Irmgard Schloegl

Facebook

J.R.R. Tolkien may have phrased it best:

“I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”

Ok, I don’t mean that as a slight against anyone. But it kind of screams at me for my limited ability to maintain connections to people I meet in real life.

So I finally broke down and got a facebook account.

It is kind of weird. The whole social networking thing is one of those things that I have always been pretty poor at. I can make a connection with someone and just leave it at that and never contact that person again. With the emerging technology of social networking sites like facebook we stay semi-connected to people and it facilitates reconnecting to people that I had not even thought about in decades. And on one hand it may seem like an almost trite way to stay in contact with people on the other hand it can also deepen our relationships with others. I need to get better at that. I have never been one for greeting cards and the like. No, I don’t care for phone calls to much either. But I still like getting updated on what is going on so these new applications seem to fill an important niche for me. At the same time it just doesn’t quite fill my perceived requirement for real face to interaction. It does seem to lack a bit of intimacy and is not quite the same as face to face interactions unless you already know someone really well.

And then there is the whole online persona thing that I just don’t quite get, but recognize that some people are different in real life than they are on line. And to caveat on that, I am sure some people’s impressions of me on the internet would be totally shifted if they met me face to face despite my striving to just be me on the net, without meeting me, you just don’t know for yourself for sure. So come on over and have some tea! Pardon the dust and mess, we’re working on it.

I reiterate that I have always been horrible at maintaining connections. So I am kind of thankful for this technology.

Anyway this has been a kind of wandering post. It is lunch time and I am going to eat now.

COMBAT FITNESS TEST

COMBAT FITNESS TEST

Yesterday I took the Combat Fitness Test (CFT) with my reserve counterparts. Today I am feeling the results of my sedentary desk job. The CFT is a new Marine Corps development for assessing fitness levels and in my 17 + years as a Marine this has got to be one of the better innovations in that area I have seen.

I am a hurting unit. Those younger guys were out there making this look easy, and even on paper it looks easy. Even the individual events by themselves look like a piece of cake. Put them all togeather though, and you have a recipe for a challenge.

What has this got to do with Ethics, Concentration, and Wisdom?

As a Marine staying in shape is really a question of ethics. If you choose to let your body go to the point where you can’t pull your load than you are letting your fellow marines down and that is just not exactly a kind or compassionate thing to do and could put yourself or another in harms way.

It takes concentration and attention and even wisdom to be able to assess yourself and be able to know where you need work and then we fall back again to ethics to actually work it.

Some other thoughts regarding wisdom relate to my impending forced retirement. When I first came into the Marines I had the thought that I would stick around in the Marine Corps until it would not allow me to. I always had thought I would do 30 years. It is looking more and more (baring a promotion) that the up or out policy will have me retired at 20 years of service, just 2 years and eight months away. I keep telling myself not to cling to this but I am nearing the threshold of spending nearly half my life doing this Marine Corps thing. I have a hard time picturing myself doing anything else. Sure I am “hirable” and doubt I will have a hard time finding a job even in the worst economy, but that job won’t be as a Marine. So it is tough. But taking this CFT has shown me that yeah, I am getting kind of old for this and service in the Marines is really for the young and dedicated. And yes I am still dedicated, sometimes we call the kind of dedication I feel towards the Corps like having an Eagle globe and Anchor branded on your heart. But right now I am not feeling so young and my body just does not bounce back like it used to. And yeah a lot of this is due to neglect and hard living, but it is what it is. So maybe it just another sign or even siren sounding of that yeah, 20 years is enough, and after that it is time to move on.

Civilian Friends vs. Marine Friends Comparisons

Civilian Friends vs. Marine Friends Comparisons

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Get upset if you're too busy to talk to them for a week.

MARINE FRIENDS: Are glad to see you after years, and will happily carry on
the same conversation you were having the last time you met.
---------------------------------------------------


CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.

MARINE FRIENDS: Have cried with you.
---------------------------------------------------


CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget it's yours.

MARINE FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
-------------------------------------------------


CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Know a few things about you.

MARINE FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.
---------------------------------------------------


CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.

MARINE FRIENDS: Will kick the crowd's ass that left you behind.
---------------------------------------------------


CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Are for a while.

MARINE FRIENDS: Are for life.

-----------------------------------------------------


CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have shared a few experiences.

MARINE FRIENDS: Have shared a lifetime of experiences no citizen could ever
dream of...

---------------------------------------------------


CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you've had
enough.

MARINE FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, 'You
better drink the rest of that before you spill it!' Then carry you home
safely and put you to bed...

----------------------------------------------------


CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will talk crap to the person who talks crap about you.

MARINE FRIENDS: Will knock the hell out of them for using your name in
vain.
---------------------------------------------------


CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will ignore this.

MARINE FRIENDS: Will forward this.
----------------------------------------------------


A Marine - whether active duty, retired, or reserve- is someone who, at one
point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The Government of
the United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including my
life'. . .


OK that was a little Wednesday morning Motivation sent out by one of the staff's senior enlisted. I like to think that some of nice folks who I have met through this blog are more like Marine friends than Civilian friends. So thank you for your fellowship.
Jordan

Heartfelt Thanks

Got home from work late, my last day before a winter leave period. And low and behold a couple of boxes had arrived! Now I remember reading a great text saying something along the lines of Buddha giving offerings to Buddha, but I cant place it for the life of me. But the gist of it is, to me, fellowship. I appreciate the reciprocal respect and kindness that I have seen developing in this Maha Sangha.

The donor verse: The two kinds of alms, material and spiritual, have the endowment of boundless merit. Now that they have been fulfilled with these offerings, both self and other gain pleasure there from.


Nine full Bows,
Jordan

Begging (Updated)

Looking for handouts is generally frowned upon here in the west. Nevertheless I have seen a few websites and also listened o a podcast doing just that.

In the past I have contributed to my local monks, and I will continue to do so. I like them. They provide a service.
I enjoy supporting them when I can.

But mixing the Buddha Dharma and money is a prickly subject for me. From another perspective asking for handouts on the web; or via a podcast has got to be tough to do. But I get really irked when people say “I have been trying to keep this site add free, and I depend on your donations to do that.” I say bring on the advertisements. It might actually do some good! Other than that, unless I go to see you or you come see me with your begging bowl face to face, sorry I am not giving squat unless I see you doing something really worthwhile. Not that I have much to give anyway.

Like most Americans, I am again in debit over my head again anyway. I am not one of those folks common in America traveling on the “Upper Middle Way.” For me I walk on the Lower Middle Way, and I do not really mind that much. I chose a life of service and plan to continue with it until I can’t any more.


All that said, I am not one to refuse a handout either. Over the years I have benefited from the kindness of others and I truly appreciate it. If you happen to be on the Upper or Executive Middle Way and feel like helping me out there is a wish list in my profile. In addition to that some things that I just think would be cool that are not on there are:

A Tengai Hat (for no other reason other than I think it would be cool, I’ll even take pictures of me with it on in inappropriate places!)

A Kapock Zafu( I have a couple of buckwheat ones because they were cheaper, I just want to know how the other half lives)

Sencha Tea (I am totally out and can’t justify the expense anymore, seriously I want some tea!)

Matcha Tea ( see above)

Shakuhachi Notation (Kinko Ryu please, not that I am sectarian or anything I just get confused by Tozan Ha!, Oh and I will promise to post up my interpretation of the songs as I learn them at a rate of about .5 songs a year, or 5 a decade)

(update)
My address is:

10514 NE 96th St
Vancouver, Wa, 98662
USA

(Update 2)

Please, If you do decide to send something on, be kind enough to include a return address so I know who to send thanks too!


OK, this post was at least partly made in jest, but for those who have sent stuff in the past, thank you! For those who have not, thank you too!

And for those who are feeling truly magnanimous:

Portland Toys For Tots

Another update, following my own advice,I have added adds!

Take care and have a happy holiday season!
Jordan

Thanks!

For all of you folks wishing me a happy veterans day, Thank you!
It is my pleasure to serve!

Good post by Brad here:HARDCORE ZEN: LIKE YOUR BUDDHISM? THANK A VETERAN!

Matcha Matcha Man!

A good friend sent some Matcha Tea from Japan by way of Florida.

I normaly can not afford such luxeries like Matcha tea 30 grms of the cheep stuff is usualy about $12 a can, so when I get it from a friend it is a nice treat. [aside: Sencha can get pretty expensive too, especially since I developed the psychic powers of being picky!]

This new can is one of the coolest I have ever seen, it has got a two lid system common on tea containers, but instead of the internal lid being rubber or plastic it is made of the same material as the rest of the can. That just makes it look like someone cared allot. and I appreciate that.

Anyway I have just had my first cup of this new arrival, and it is coursing through my system as I type.
So here is to my benefactor, Gassho, and thank you!

Time for caffeine zen!
Jordan

Correct Practice

As I have delved deeper and deeper into my practice the once clearly defined lines of “how to” have slowly faded away. One thing that used to abide but can not anymore is the absolute stance that “This Way” is the only way. I have found that my mind is open to a lot of the different methods of meditation offered throughout the various aspects of Buddhism. Truly there is no Soto Zen, there is no Rinzai Zen, and there is not a sudden or gradual school, there is no Theravada or Mahayana. They are all correct. How can this be?

Consider putting up a house. Today we might find that people use a nail gun to put materials together, prior to that we might have used a hammer and nails, prior to that we may have dovetailed joints to fit into each other. In the past some made their house from bricks or mud or even leaning sticks together and putting leaves on top of them. Sure you have different looking houses, but they all offer refuge.

At least, this is how it is for me right now.

In appreciation to all teachers,
Jordan