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Treeleaf Zen

.Zazen is perfect enlightenment, the Buddha’s enlightenment. Just sitting, in the universe itself … legs crossed and spine straight … untouched by restrictions, hindrances, obstructions or distractions … balance of body-mind … no ‘you’ to resist the world, no ‘world’ to be resisted … you are experiencing the Buddha’s enlightenment … … just the Buddha…

.Like fine Japanese carpentry, Zazen is a learnable skill of body-mind. It is mastered through years of observing and practice. But unlike many skills we have a desire to master, mastery of this skill comes by radically dropping all goals of mastery … including dropping the goal to master the dropping of goals. Learning this…

.They say, “Practice makes Perfect”. But, in our Zen philosophy, we are already “Perfect”. So why bother to practice? Our Way is the Way of Non-Seeking, Non-Attaining, Goallessness. But, if so, what are we seeking, what goal are we trying diligently to attain? Not seeking is not the same as Non-Seeking, not attaining is not…

. Our first sitting from the Treeleaf Zendo … the one made of wood and dirt. Of course, each sitting will be our first sitting too. What is called sitting-Zen is not learning Zen meditation. It is just a peaceful and effortless gate to reality. It is practice-and-experience which perfectly realizes the Buddha’s enlightenment. The…

. Nothing to clean from the start, no washer to run … … Just sit Zazen, and the laundry’s done. What is called sitting-Zen is not learning Zen meditation. It is just a peaceful and effortless gate to reality. It is practice-and-experience which perfectly realizes the Buddha’s enlightenment. The Universe is realized, untouched by restrictions…

. Master Bodhidharma said of Zen: “A special transmission beyond Scriptures, Not depending on words or letters … “ So is there nothing worth study? No place for books and learning? Why should we master an ancient philosophy and arcane teachings ‘just to be’ now? Dogen says that Zazen is all that is required. Merely…

It’s late at night. Mina and the baby are asleep already. We are moving from our temporary house tomorrow back to the Treeleaf. Actually, we are moving our futons into the kitchen, because the rest of the house is pretty much torn apart … no floors in some rooms. We have a few bowls and…

A Demonstration of the Six Spiritual Powers195. Dharma Hall Discourse Dogen said: Do you want to see the power of extinguishing [attachments]?Dogen drew a single horizontal line [the character for ‘one’] with his whisk and said: Although this is so, ultimately, six times six is thirty-six.* * ‘Six times six is thirty-six’ is simple, like…

A Demonstration of the Six Spiritual Powers195. Dharma Hall Discourse Dogen said: Do you want to see the power of seeing everywhere?Dogen drew a circle in the air with his whisk. [To be continued] — From Eihei Koroku, translated by Taigen Dan Leighton and Shohaku Okumura “TV Buddha” by Nam June PaikPress on arrow for…

A Demonstration of the Six Spiritual Powers195. Dharma Hall Discourse Dogen said: Do you want to see the power of knowing previous lives?Dogen raised his whisk. [To be continued] — From Eihei Koroku, translated by Taigen Dan Leighton and Shohaku Okumura By the way, I have not the slightest idea what the below “Mechanism of…
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