Category Archives: Zazen

Unmoved (Acala)  Unconditioned: 不動(アチャラ)超業条件付け

  Good morning!       Flowers in spring.      Cuckoo in summer.          The moon in autumn. Snow in winter, Cool and clear.                         … Continue reading

Posted in Paradigm shift, Religion, Zazen | Leave a comment

Happy New Year in Holiness‼ : 聖性の中に幸福な新年を‼

  Good morning!   We had dense fog early this morning. It’s now clearing and trees are showing up. Tree and true came from the same root, dhṝ (to endure or hold), the root of dharma. Trees can endure ten … Continue reading

Posted in Wholly Wholesome Way/World, Zazen | Leave a comment

Two Wings to Fly Free: 自由に飛翔する為の両翼

  Good morning!   Sesshin is embracing and touching the heart. We are usually drawn to the outside world, scarcely turning our heart inside itself. Thus, we are ensnared by the sense world and enslaved by our own karma, scarcely … Continue reading

Posted in sesshin, Shikan-taza (只管打坐), Zazen | Leave a comment

One Realm One Roundness: 一境一円

  Good morning!   We’re having a nice spring season with abundant greenery and pleasant spring air, especially after our sittings.  Zen-jo, jhāna-samādhi, is the ultimate state of Zen and most of the 37 Ways. The Four Stages of Zen … Continue reading

Posted in Samadhi (concentration), Shikan-taza (只管打坐), Zazen | Leave a comment

Courageous Challenge, Continuous Cultivation, Calm Contentment, Clear Concentration:勇気ある挑戦・継続的修行・平安な満足・明澄な集中力

  Good morning!   A few days ago while I was watching TV, I heard Dr. Tasuku Honjo, this year’s Nobel Prizer in Physiology and Medicine, mention Concentration and Continuity as the last of six Cs given as his research … Continue reading

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Walk Alone Like A Lone Rhino Horn

  Good morning!   When I travelled in Africa, I saw huge rhinos very closely, and found they are more like elephants than the bulls found in zoos. The Buddha said, “Walk alone like a rhino horn.” As we live … Continue reading

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Sitting Stills Karma, Sees Dharma, Saves All

  Good morning!   We have a sunny Saturday morning with cool, crisp air, especially after our sittings. We also have, however, our dark world with hot, heated heads. A sphinx asked travelers the riddle of a creature having one … Continue reading

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Awakening Action and Awakened Attitude

  Good morning! Today we have our one day sesshin. I recently received interesting information about Dr. Toru Abo, an immunologist, who recommended life like our practice. He said stress is the source of sickness. We must live a wholly wholesome life in time and space. Life, using glycolysis for energy production, started about 4 billion years ago, bacteria with chlorophyll started producing oxygen about 2 billion years ago, changing the atmosphere for life from anaerobic to aerobic, producing eukaryotes containing mitochondria using oxygen for more and longer energy development. Our life reflects these properties and processes in nature.     Glycolysis type cells and tissues (white muscle, skin, bone marrow, sperm, cancer) multiply rapidly and energize instantaneously with much feeding in earlier life, while mitochondria type ones (red muscle, the heart muscle, neurons, ovum, general) change little and energize lastingly with less feeding in later life. The former activate in hardship, fight and flight mode, even becoming cancerous, while the latter remain in a normal state, peace and prognosis mode. Adulthood is a balance of these two, but stresses cause regression to the former type (cancer, hair regress into skin, etc.).     Decrease in stresses or even an increase in favorable conditions for mitochondria (warmth, more oxygen, gratitude and following natural ways) cure cancer, etc. This is more fundamental care, not a shortsighted cure of symptoms (which cause more hardship). Stresses on the heart, brain, etc. cause sickness with excessive strains in the circulatory and nervous systems (high blood pressure, excessive sympathetic nerve use, etc.) causing a malfunction or illness of organs. Changing one’s life style, keeping warm, breathing deeply, staying calm (balancing autonomous nerves, with more parasympathetic nerve use) contribute to a healthy life.     Zazen is good for a healthy life, but is far beyond it. Zazen is for anyone to still karma (action, action results: habits, heredity) and see the dharma (phenomena, truth/law of them), leading to nirvana and bodhi (awakening), thus allowing anyone to lead an awakened (buddha) life. It is to transcend karmas and take care of them from this vantage point, freeing and fully functioning in holy (wholly wholesome) harmony, health, and happiness. The Doomsday Clock was advanced closer to midnight due to recent situations. The Awakened Way is more urgently needed. Let us all practice well for all.   … Continue reading

Posted in Nature, Zazen | Leave a comment

Sesshin Stilling Suffering

  Good morning!   After a long spell of hot and dry weather we had a brief thunderstorm yesterday, giving life to all. Sesshin (摂・接心) means embracing and touching the heart, which gives life to all. We live the long … Continue reading

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    Good morning!   Suddenly the world changed into white with snow falling during our sittings and service, and we now have a cool clear world like this. The temperature is going down to 3 degrees. On the way … Continue reading

Posted in Asankhata (asamskrita: unmade), Zazen | Leave a comment