Monthly Archives: March 2014

Bleeding Hearts (Keman-so: 華鬘草：Flower-hair-decoration for Buddhist Angels)

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Rosan Daido

– Contributed by Erin, who planted at her home last year –

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Ecuador, 2: Busride to Otavalo, Papallacta and other places

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Rosan Daido

. For three days, we traveled with family and friends to interesting places around Quito. Reloj Del Sol, a huge sun dial – it is the most accurate in the world. At spring and fall equinox, the sun is perfectly over the equator line. Otavalo, a town in the Northern Highlands, is famous for its market. Even in Pre- Inca time, trading was flourishing. The Otavaleños are well known for their weavings. Indigenous woman in the traditional outfit: white blouse embroidered with flowers, long wool skirt, fachalina (head-cloth), woven belt, canvas sandals and strand of beads The colonial flair could still be felt in the Hacienda Pinsaqui, which was built in 1790. Beside being an agriculture estate, for several hundred years the Hacienda employed up to 1000 weavers for the production of textiles. Most of the textiles were exported to the United States. Now, the Hacienda is a hotel and a restaurant. In the afternoon, we visited the Hacienda Zuleta. This Hacienda is famous for its wildlife preserve. Bears and condors live in the mountainous area. We saw the … Continue reading →

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Posted on March 30, 2014 by Rosan Daido

Good morning! On the way here I saw the morning star, morning mist, and heard birds singing. We have beautiful flowers on the altar. Now we are entering the flower season. After sittings we enjoy equanimity at our equinox sesshin. As we have a lot of registrations for our web blog I posted Dogen’s Universal Recommendation for True Zazen, with the beginning portion of the Translator’s Introduction to it. We read and talked about it yesterday. Garyo kindly sent me the first piece of her travelogue in Ecuador, along with a picture. Quito is situated on the equator, between south and north, like the equinox between day and night and heat and chill, called the other shore, nirvana. The spring equinox is between winter and spring, the springing up of plants and animals with full flowering. The fall equinox is between summer and fall, the falling of vegetation and insects with a feast of fruiting. Evolution has turned into devolution by individualization, involution, and intoxication. The supreme selfishness, not sapiens, set into nuclear winter, global summer, and mass extinction in a one-directional pyramid structure. In a cyclical Indra-net system we could enjoy winter and summer, expecting the coming spring and fall to bring abundance and admiration, as in Dogen’s poem titled the original face: Flowers in spring, Cuckoo in summer, The moon in autumn, Snow in winter, cool and clear. The other night I thought that the owner of the car parked in front had not turned off his headlights. When I turned mine off, I found his were only the reflection of mine. We had better turn on our inside dome lamp to reflect. Religion is to return to the original, holy (wholly wholesome) truth (Dharma, Dao, … Continue reading →

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Experience in Equador

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Rosan Daido

The main reason for travelIng to Ecuador was the wedding of my son. I stayed for four weeks. After one week of getting to know the Ecuadorian family, the friends of my son and daughter in law and the actual wedding celebration, I visited different parts of Ecuador – mainly the Amazon jungle and the Highlands. Like always, trekking and getting in direct contact with nature was my favorite part. I am very happy that I can share my experience with you, the experience of people coming together from all over the world celebrating life and the experience I had in this incredible beautiful Anden country. Week 1: Quito and surroundings Quito is a bustling city at an altitude of nearly 9000 feet. The old, historic town with the picturesque 17th century facades, the plazas and magnificent churches were reason to dedicate the old town as a “World Heritage Site.” Many indigenous people with their colorful ponchos and skirts and the typical hats can be seen on the streets in this area. Every Sunday, the Centro Histórico is closed to cars and open for bikers. At the end of the street you can see the Neo-gothic Basilica del Voto Nacional … Continue reading →

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A UNIVERSAL RECOMMENDATION FOR TRUE ZAZEN

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Rosan Daido

A UNIVERSAL RECOMMENDATION FOR TRUE ZAZEN By Eihei Dogen In exhaustive pursuit, the root of the way is perfectly penetrating. Why should you assume cultivation and verification? The supreme vehicle moves freely. Why should you consume striving and skill? Much more, its entirety is far beyond the realm of dust. Who would believe in the measures of sweeping? It never departs from right where you are. Why should you require the steps of cultivation? And yet, if there is even the slightest discrepancy, you become separated as far apart as heaven and earth. If the slightest liking or dis-liking arises, the mind is lost in confusion. Even though you may achieve the insightful power of glimpsing the (Buddha’s) ground, taking pride in your understanding and enjoying enlightenment; even though you may generate the aspiration of pressing onto heaven, attaining the way and clarifying the mind; even though you may roam around the boundary of this realm, reaching the point of putting your head in, still you largely lack the life- path of liberation. Moreover, the trace of six years’ upright sitting by the innately awakened [Shakyamuni Buddha] at Jetavana must be observed. And the fame of nine years’ facing the wall by the transmitter of the mind-seal [Bodhidharma] at Shaolin Temple must be heard. If the ancient sages were like this, why should you, a person of today, not exert yourself? Therefore, you must stop the comprehending conduct of investigating words and chasing discourses. You must learn to step backward to turn your light around to reflect on yourself. Mind and body will naturally fall away and your original face will manifest itself. If you wish to attain suchness, devote yourself to suchness at once. Now, in entering into zen, a quiet room is suitable. Eat and drink in moderation. Abandon all relations and put all concerns to rest, not thinking of good and bad, not entertaining right and wrong. Still the driving of your heart, mind and consciousness. Stop the measuring of memories, ideas and meditations. No design, even of becoming a Buddha, should be harbored. How can it be concerned with sitting or lying down? … Continue reading →

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Action Alert 44 for Freedom Friends

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Rosan Daido

Visit and Voice: Action Alert 4/4 for Freedom Friends

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Posted on March 23, 2014 by Rosan Daido

Good morning! We are at the spring equinox, equal in day and night, heat and chill, equanimity in the sun and the earth, in birth and death. It is called hi-gan (the other shore: 彼岸), beyond the rough sea of turbulence and turbidity, the toil and moil of living. The deceased are beyond earthly ego, and thus considered buddhas (仏 : hotoke). People welcome them with gratitude to give them peace. The pruned branches of cherry, magnolia, and other trees, taken inside, have started blooming with the warm weather. Budding plants will bloom in warmth given some time to grow. I cleaned our polluted pond with its strong stink caused by the buildup of fallen leaves, lest our fish die. The triple tragedy of the East Japan Earthquake has claimed more than twenty thousand lives with the accompanying tsunami and nuclear disaster. Erin kindly sent me the book Precious Life, which deals with this triple tragedy, especially the nuclear disaster, and Buddhism, especially Zen. Company men called the nuclear plants Manjushri and Samanthabhadra Bodhisattvas for their wisdom, concentration, and compassion before the tragedy, but now they greatly regret having done so. Karma machines are shallow-witted and short-committed. Nuclear power was man-made for war weapons and money machines, and it has polluted the pure planet with plutonium, the worst poison from Hades, damaging genes forever in the human time scale. Gregory B. Jaczko, the former NRC chairman, said that there is no safe nuclear power and that the only safe way is to stop it. Otherwise, Dogen’s poem titled “Original Face” must be defiled. Flowers in spring, Cuckoo in summer, The moon in autumn, Snow in winter, clear and cool. – Dogen (Way-origin) … Continue reading →

Posted in Equanimity: equipoise: upekhâ (sha: 捨: renunciation of karmas), Flowers (Cherry | Leave a comment