Well the 26th Aniversary of my ordination as a Roman catholic priest on August 14, 1984 has come and gone! What a lot has gone on since that date. A remarkable 21 years in USA where ther was a vast enrichment of my life and ministry largely from the wonderfulk people that I encountered there and worked with. The members of the Monos Community deserve a special mention and its wonderful that after I handed over the leadership to Regina Decker it has gone from strength to strength. Osage Monastery also played a big part in it too by bringing me into contact with Bede Griffiths and through him to the Camalodese Benedictines at Big Sur where I am still an oblate. My 6 week hermitage experience under the guidance of Fr Bruno was really rather special and of course O+M also introduced me to Ruben Habito my first Zen teacher. In fact it was during last week that I went back to Ruben's book "Healing Breath" last week in my search to come to terms with all my feelings concerning the terrible human disasters occuring in our world at this time. It was of great help; so much so that my dharma talk to my Zen Sangha here in Cirencester used some thoughts I found there to enable me to give voice to my struggle as a Zen practitioner. Here are some notes from it:
Zen Master Hakuin's Song of Zazen ends with "This very body, the body of the Buddha" expresses powerfully the massge of Zen that "we need not look outside ourselves, what we seek is right here" "this is my Body" is used as a term in Christianity as well so we reognise that "This very body includes all that is in the entire universe!" The dropping off of Body and Mind called for by Master Dogen callls for a direct awareness that breaks through the Subject?object barrer created by the illusion arising from our ego- centred consciousness that makes a sharp distinction between all that is in this "skin-bag" and that which is outside. This is particlarly reeinforced by our Western culture stemming from Descartes and so many others. In the Christian tradition the whole 19th century suggestion that the natural world was there for humans to dominate also has produced an ego centricism that has clearly been extremely destructive. The findings aod modern science has undermined all of this of course and points us in the same direction of Hakuin's "This very body" A ancient Zen story recounts how we do not see a flower as it really is but only as it appears as an object. As Anais Nin wrote we only see things as WE are not as THEY are . The Zen meaning of compassion is as the word says "to suffer with" To recognise that we are ALL one body and that what happens in the universe is not seperate from us but it happens to us as well. We are to awaken from the unreality fo a dream world of the illusion that we are not all One in this very body of the great wide universe.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Sundry items of updating
I am sorry that I haven't been terribly reliable in writing up this blog on a regular basis. There are 2 main reasons really, one is that my life has been quite full with demand sboth from the parish that I am in charge of and also the fulfilment of my role as a Zen teacher. Aotner reason has been my doubt about whether anyone actually reads the blog. I have recently recived a couple of positive comments which have encouraged me to make the time to send a little more frequently.
A couple of months ago I wrote a simple introduction to Zen practice and a couple in the Wild Goose sangha set it up as a little booklet with the Title Let the Dragon Roar. In it I set our some very simple requirements for those who wished to be as admiited as a serious Zen student of the Wild Goose sangha. It was great that there were 9 who responded to this so we had a very moving admission ceremony to admit them on July 8th. These were all members who meet regularly at the Ashcroft Centre in Cirencester every Thursday evening. Hopefully there will be others who wish to make that more formal comittment but evrybody is welcome to join with us in our oractice and there is no need necessarily to take on the formal role of a student. However this does give some form and definition to those who wish to engage very seriously as a student.
the Catholic church in the UK is now energetically preparing for the Pope's visit. It seems to be a very costly affair with massive security as it is a State visit rather than purely a pastioral one. I must say that I ask to myself the question; "What would Jesus the Carpenter - the one who istructed Peter to put away his sword - say about all that?"
Three books ahve been brought to my attention recently and I think that you may be interested in checking them out especially f you are interested in Contemplative prayer /Zen practice.
The Essence of Zen - the teachings of Harada This is an excellant overview of Zen practice given by a great Japanese Zen Maser from the talks he gave to Western students on his trips to Europe & the USA.
The Flowing Bridge - Guidance on beginning Zen Koans This collection from Sister Elaine MacInnes is a most valuable help for those engaged in Zen practice. Studying Zeb koans of course needs to be done in conjunction with an authentic Zen teacher of course but this is helpful from an experienced Zen Master who is also a Christian Religious Sirts now in her 80's who was one of the first Christain to receive transmission. She is part of the SanboKyodan lineage.
The Wisdom Jesus Cynthia Bourgeault is an Episcopal priest who darws on th Wisdom tradition of a few different religions to look once again at the teachings of Jesus in Scripture to see it in the light of the great wisdom tradition.
I have a Zazenkai (A day of Zen practice) coming up on september 4 at the Ammerdown Centre
and then we have our big weekend Michaelfest at the Parish in Tetbury on September 24 - 26 with a music recital, an art exhibition and our usual masses with Fr. Paul Lyons from St. John's seminary Wonersh as our special homilist. We end with an Ecumenical Vesper service on the Sunday evening led by the choir of St. Mary's Anglican church.
I have a Zen Taster Day in Canterbury on October 9 organised by one of my students Marcus Averback.
From October 25 - 29 I shall be away on my annual retreat with The Stonewater Zen Sangha in Liverpool.
On November 5 7 I have a short Zen Sesshin also at the Ammerdown centre.
Well that's enough of my doings etc. but PLEASE will you send me a note by email to tell me if you've read this so I know if its worth doing it patrick@northwall.plus.com
A couple of months ago I wrote a simple introduction to Zen practice and a couple in the Wild Goose sangha set it up as a little booklet with the Title Let the Dragon Roar. In it I set our some very simple requirements for those who wished to be as admiited as a serious Zen student of the Wild Goose sangha. It was great that there were 9 who responded to this so we had a very moving admission ceremony to admit them on July 8th. These were all members who meet regularly at the Ashcroft Centre in Cirencester every Thursday evening. Hopefully there will be others who wish to make that more formal comittment but evrybody is welcome to join with us in our oractice and there is no need necessarily to take on the formal role of a student. However this does give some form and definition to those who wish to engage very seriously as a student.
the Catholic church in the UK is now energetically preparing for the Pope's visit. It seems to be a very costly affair with massive security as it is a State visit rather than purely a pastioral one. I must say that I ask to myself the question; "What would Jesus the Carpenter - the one who istructed Peter to put away his sword - say about all that?"
Three books ahve been brought to my attention recently and I think that you may be interested in checking them out especially f you are interested in Contemplative prayer /Zen practice.
The Essence of Zen - the teachings of Harada This is an excellant overview of Zen practice given by a great Japanese Zen Maser from the talks he gave to Western students on his trips to Europe & the USA.
The Flowing Bridge - Guidance on beginning Zen Koans This collection from Sister Elaine MacInnes is a most valuable help for those engaged in Zen practice. Studying Zeb koans of course needs to be done in conjunction with an authentic Zen teacher of course but this is helpful from an experienced Zen Master who is also a Christian Religious Sirts now in her 80's who was one of the first Christain to receive transmission. She is part of the SanboKyodan lineage.
The Wisdom Jesus Cynthia Bourgeault is an Episcopal priest who darws on th Wisdom tradition of a few different religions to look once again at the teachings of Jesus in Scripture to see it in the light of the great wisdom tradition.
I have a Zazenkai (A day of Zen practice) coming up on september 4 at the Ammerdown Centre
and then we have our big weekend Michaelfest at the Parish in Tetbury on September 24 - 26 with a music recital, an art exhibition and our usual masses with Fr. Paul Lyons from St. John's seminary Wonersh as our special homilist. We end with an Ecumenical Vesper service on the Sunday evening led by the choir of St. Mary's Anglican church.
I have a Zen Taster Day in Canterbury on October 9 organised by one of my students Marcus Averback.
From October 25 - 29 I shall be away on my annual retreat with The Stonewater Zen Sangha in Liverpool.
On November 5 7 I have a short Zen Sesshin also at the Ammerdown centre.
Well that's enough of my doings etc. but PLEASE will you send me a note by email to tell me if you've read this so I know if its worth doing it patrick@northwall.plus.com
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