I have been very lax in writing this blog but how about this for a new start
This Teisho is provoked by the fact that this coming Sunday October 2 is the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday which is celebrated now as the International day of nonviolence.
So this is an important opportunity to reflect as Zen students on what this means to us personally and what this means in terms of Buddhist teaching in the Precepts.
My own position is influenced partly by Fr. Bede Griffiths, a Benedictine monk from Prinknash, who went to India and established a Christian Ashram along the lines of Gandhi in order to dialogue with the great Hindu tradition. This was reinforced by listening to and meeting Gandhi’s grandson about 15 years ago.
We are into a real area of interfaith dialogue here. It may surprise you to know that Gandhi first learned about nonviolence from Christian sources. It was reading the New Testament account of Jesus’ nonviolence during his life that sent Gandhi back to his Indian Hindu scriptures to discover it there as well. You might want to ask the question here about finding nonviolence in the Christian scriptures when the evidence of much of history seems to indicate that the Christian church, for the most part, has, since the emperor Constantine been quite ready to go to war. There have been some churches however like the Quakers, Mennonites, and the Brethren who have constantly proclaimed a gospel of nonviolence.
Out of this exploration he developed the Sanskrit word Satyagraha which can be best translated as ‘soul truth’ or ‘True Nature’ or ‘Inner Truth’
“Satyagraha has an end namely Ultimate truth. It is a moral force, firmly rooted in truth and love that puts itself at the service of justice and peace. Satyagraha, which opposes evil with serious and positive, though nonviolent, resistance in order to overcome it with good, must be distinguished from what Gandhi called ‘the nonviolence of the weak’ which simply submits to evil without resistance. It was a fundamental principle of Gandhi that evil must always be resisted, but in ways and by methods of action that are nonviolent.”
Within Satyagraha is discovered Ahisma – a Sanskrit word that means ‘non injury.’ To spell it out more fully it is the efficacious concern to do no harm, physically or psychologically to another person or indeed to any creature or even to any part of the natural world. At first hearing Ahisma may seem to express an attitude that is negative, yet in actual fact it designates something very positive; namely that I have a concern, a love, a spirit of good will toward another person that makes it impossible for me to inflict injury on that person or creature or part of the world. Gandhi originally taught that God is Truth, just as Christians say that God is Love, but later he decided that Truth is God, too. Reality is spiritual. (remember Merton once remarked that either all of our life is spiritual or none of it is.) All people are interconnected and everyone has a share of divine goodness within. (You may recall Thich Nhat Hahn’s teaching that we need to water the seeds of goodness, peace and love that are within us.) So Gandhi teaches that to harm anyone is to harm God and to serve others is to serve God. God was not a person to Gandhi but an “indefinable mysterious power that pervades everything.”
The Zen or Buddhist understanding of all reality takes us back to the Four Great Wisdoms which are said to derive from the experience of Shakyamuni Buddha. First he points out that all Life means suffering and that this follows from the delusion that we are an entirely separate being each with our own attachments. The Buddha‘s experience was that there is no such thing as a totally separated self, unconnected with the rest of reality. Contemporary science, of course, will wholeheartedly agree with this. But all is not lost as it is possible to break the cause of suffering; to overcome our delusion of a subject /object divide. The fourth truth therefore is that through the skilful means of silent wordless and imageless meditation this delusion is overcome. (It is worth noting that this awareness of nonduality is also to be experienced through the Christian tradition of apophatic (meaning without word or images) contemplative prayer.
With this as a background we can turn now to the Buddhist Precepts. These precepts need to be understood clearly as they are not a set of rules or commandments to be obeyed. They are an orientation towards a life that is lived with compassion and reverence for all creation to which we are intimately connected. We indicate in the Gatha of repentance the failure that derives from our greed, hatred or ignorance to do no harm. We certainly miss the greatness of the Precepts if we see them as a set of external do’s and don’ts. They are meant to liberate not to bind. The Precepts have a vitality that functions deeply in one’s life, taking account of the intricacies and subtleties of conditions encountered in the existential circumstances of our personal life.
It is worth noting that in Zen Master Dogen’s time there emerged tow different schools of thought concerning the Precepts in the Kamakura period. One advocated the observance of the Precepts as primary in Buddhism, whereas the other repudiated this, or at best regarded observance of the precepts as secondary to the supremacy of faith. Roughly speaking, the former school of thought was associated with Zen Buddhism. Needless to say Dogen belonged to this tradition and he was eager to restore unremitting observance of the Precepts. As a matter of fact, the hallmark of Kamakura Zen was the advocacy of the primacy of the precepts and for Dogen it was the fundamental point of Zen Buddhism. A prime characteristic of Dogen’s thought lay in his passionate search for the translation of the Bodhisattva vows into concrete and routine daily behaviours and activities. In the Zendo scrupulous instructions with respect to rules and behaviour were not codes that bound just the outward movements but were ritualised expressions and activities of Buddha-nature and emptiness. To put it simply in the words of Daido Loori Roshi the liturgy in the Zendo is a way of making the invisible visible much like a Christian sacrament.
The Precepts then are there to guide us in how to live in harmony with all creation right from the start; we should not think we have to wait until we have got enlightenment or something before we practice them. In this, from an interfaith perspective, it is noteworthy that the Buddhist precepts have a remarkable coincidence with the moral teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in St. Matthew’s gospel. So we practice the precepts. We practice them in the way that we practice sitting Zazen. To practice of course is to “do “something so we “do” the precepts. We are to be aware of the precepts not necessarily in all their detail but in their whole orientation of “doing no harm.” Once we aware of them we become sensitive to the occasions when we break them. Then, when you are aware of the break, you acknowledge it and take responsibility for it then you simply return to the precepts once again. It is just like when you work with your breath in Zazen. When you begin to sit Zazen after just a few breaths you often find that your mind has gone elsewhere. When that happens you notice it, then simply, gently yet firmly return to the breath. That is how you practice the precepts. That is how you practice your life. To practice in such a way is itself enlightenment.
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Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Latest news etc.
Well life is going on at quite a pace really. Since my retirement from Tetbury at the Bishop's suggestion because of my health problems I have been able to put more attention to my work as a Zen teacher and leader of the Wild Goose Sangha. As a result we are spreading our wings and hopefully not going on a Wild Goose Chase! We are planning a series of Zen sesshins for 2012 where 2 will be on the west side of the counrty at locations close to the M5 motorway and two will be over on the east side going up the M1 and down as far as Canterbury. Canterbury with Marcus and Jennie Averback are really a satelite of the WGS. Also as part of the changes for the WGS I have made Jeremy Woodcock and Marcus Averback as Dharma Holders so they will be associate teachers with me. We are also in the process and getting ourselves registered as a charity for tax purposes. One futher point is that we have moved our Thursday meetings to St. Lawrence church in Cirencester whcih is better premises for us and more convenient for parking etc.
With regard to my pain in the hip and the back - its certainly no better yet and still quite severe at times. I see the specialist at the hospital tomorrow and hopefully after all the tests and MRI's that I've had they will be able to tell me what can be done for me to without the constant pain.
Maureen and I have had the joy of going to a couple of concerts in Cirencester for the Cotswold Early English Music festival. One was of a group of musicians using the old traditional instruments for maily 15th & 16th cnetury music - the group was clalled The York Waits - Waits were nighwatchmen who used to come together to pass the time playing music. It was excellant and great fun as well. Not a great number of people there though and all were "people with bus passes!" Last night wewent to "Midsummer Mozart" in the same series this time with the Correlli Orchestra
Here are some Zen thoughts:
The Zen Sesshins held by the Wild Goose Sangha are in no way an attempt to combine Christianity or any other faith with Zen which, in itself, is not a religion but simply a meditation practice that can be helpfully used by those of any faith. Their aim is to purely engage in Zen practice in its own right. As Thomas Merton points out: It is perfectly possible to be capable of playing tennis at one time or doing mathematics at some other time; they are not incompatible. Patrick Sensei, as a Catholic priest and a Zen teacher will therefore exercise his Christian priesthood in a Christian context but, when in a Zen context, he will teach Zen as a member of the White Plum Asangha.
Each Zen sesshin is designed to present an intensive opportunity for deepening our Zen practice. This practice is based on an awareness of our own true nature and the true nature of all reality. The tools we employ or “the gates” we use are first and foremost the practice of Zazen (silent sitting), Kin Hin (walking meditation), a Teisho from the teacher, Daisan (which is a private and personal meeting with the teacher), chanting and silence. So chanting is an essential and integral element of the whole practice of Zen.
In the chant service we chant the three central sutras. First we chant the Heart Sutra which, in somewhat poetic terms, endeavours to express the true nature of all reality of which we are a part. So it is, if you like an attempt to express the inexpressible. The second chant is about the identity of the Relative and the Absolute demonstrating the relationship between the absolute oneness of all creation in its essence and the division and differences in the phenomenological world. The third and final sutra calls us to exercise compassion in every aspect of our life. It teaches us the nature of this compassion which can only spring from the wisdom or experiential knowledge of the first two sutras chanted.
The dedication after each sutra chanted is unlike any Christian or other faith prayer in as much as they are not prayers to a Supreme Being or God to help us in our difficulties. They serve as a dedication of ourselves to put into practice the wisdom of the sutras and the resulting compassion. In other words in the chant service together we actualise our true nature both in wisdom and in compassion.
With regard to my pain in the hip and the back - its certainly no better yet and still quite severe at times. I see the specialist at the hospital tomorrow and hopefully after all the tests and MRI's that I've had they will be able to tell me what can be done for me to without the constant pain.
Maureen and I have had the joy of going to a couple of concerts in Cirencester for the Cotswold Early English Music festival. One was of a group of musicians using the old traditional instruments for maily 15th & 16th cnetury music - the group was clalled The York Waits - Waits were nighwatchmen who used to come together to pass the time playing music. It was excellant and great fun as well. Not a great number of people there though and all were "people with bus passes!" Last night wewent to "Midsummer Mozart" in the same series this time with the Correlli Orchestra
Here are some Zen thoughts:
The Zen Sesshins held by the Wild Goose Sangha are in no way an attempt to combine Christianity or any other faith with Zen which, in itself, is not a religion but simply a meditation practice that can be helpfully used by those of any faith. Their aim is to purely engage in Zen practice in its own right. As Thomas Merton points out: It is perfectly possible to be capable of playing tennis at one time or doing mathematics at some other time; they are not incompatible. Patrick Sensei, as a Catholic priest and a Zen teacher will therefore exercise his Christian priesthood in a Christian context but, when in a Zen context, he will teach Zen as a member of the White Plum Asangha.
Each Zen sesshin is designed to present an intensive opportunity for deepening our Zen practice. This practice is based on an awareness of our own true nature and the true nature of all reality. The tools we employ or “the gates” we use are first and foremost the practice of Zazen (silent sitting), Kin Hin (walking meditation), a Teisho from the teacher, Daisan (which is a private and personal meeting with the teacher), chanting and silence. So chanting is an essential and integral element of the whole practice of Zen.
In the chant service we chant the three central sutras. First we chant the Heart Sutra which, in somewhat poetic terms, endeavours to express the true nature of all reality of which we are a part. So it is, if you like an attempt to express the inexpressible. The second chant is about the identity of the Relative and the Absolute demonstrating the relationship between the absolute oneness of all creation in its essence and the division and differences in the phenomenological world. The third and final sutra calls us to exercise compassion in every aspect of our life. It teaches us the nature of this compassion which can only spring from the wisdom or experiential knowledge of the first two sutras chanted.
The dedication after each sutra chanted is unlike any Christian or other faith prayer in as much as they are not prayers to a Supreme Being or God to help us in our difficulties. They serve as a dedication of ourselves to put into practice the wisdom of the sutras and the resulting compassion. In other words in the chant service together we actualise our true nature both in wisdom and in compassion.
Monday, May 2, 2011
EASTER UPDATE
Well we are now well into the Easter Season and this may be a good time to update readers on my health situation. First it was finally discovered that I had a hormone imbalance and although an MRI on my pituitary gland and hypothalamus proved that there was no cancer I now do periodically have to get a hormone injection. The serious pain in my hip and right leg though is still with me and I have to have an MRI on my spine and hips as they think that the neurological damage in my leg and hip stems from a problem in my back. The MRI is on May 17 so sometime after that I should get to know the prognosis on that. These health problems have forced me to resign my position as Parish priest of Tetbury however so my final mass was last Saturday evening. It was a very moving and beautiful celebration and it it is with mixed feelings I end my time there. I had some excellent support from the people and it was a great experience. Although I will help our in a parish when needed and if I am well enough most of my energies will now go into my Zen work with both the group that meets regularly in Cirencester and with the retreats in various parts of the UK. I am also booked to lead a Zen retreat in Alaska in August. For my various retreats etc. can be found on my website www.wildgoosesangha.org.uk
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Lent/Spring Ango
It has been ages since I last wrote here. Why? Well my health has been poor and I've spent a lot of time on various tests. Also there has been a lot happening what with the lenten series of instruction on the liturgy at Mass for the people of Tetbury and the work of the Wild Goose Sangha. We had a woderful Zazenkai in February at Ammwerdown which went well and last weekend there was a brilliant sesshin held at Minster Abbey near Canterbury which was well organised by Marcus and Jenny Averbeck both students of the Wild Goose Sangha. The team who ran the sesshin were made up of Marcus, Jeremy and Jane all of whom did a great job which made it a good experience for the 15 people present. It was great that there were 4 married couples there together!
Spring Ango has been largely been taken over by the tragic events in the world most notably the situation in Libyia and the earthquake in Japan. The earthquake in Japan has affected so many of our Zen Buddhist friends in Japan so that is particularly painful for us - and it still continues with the nuclear disaster still out of control. Last week we offered a Zen chant service which we dedicted to the people of Japan. For the Spring Ango we are using one of Dogen's fascicles "Bodaisatta Shishibo" which describes the 4 elements of social relations. 1. Free Giving 2. kind speech 3. helpful conduct 4. co-operation. We need to ground these in our lives as a reult of our dedication to our practice of Zazen. The circumatanses internationally, nationally and locally really put our atttention to these elements to the test. How about you?
I will not get into the violence in Libyia now but as a member of Pax Christi I get very nervous when we resort to violence. "When will we ebver learn?" Perhaps we could start by refusing to be invloved in the sale of arms. But its too costly some say but what does our invlovement cost us in the loss of life and the destruction of people, places and beauty?
Spring Ango has been largely been taken over by the tragic events in the world most notably the situation in Libyia and the earthquake in Japan. The earthquake in Japan has affected so many of our Zen Buddhist friends in Japan so that is particularly painful for us - and it still continues with the nuclear disaster still out of control. Last week we offered a Zen chant service which we dedicted to the people of Japan. For the Spring Ango we are using one of Dogen's fascicles "Bodaisatta Shishibo" which describes the 4 elements of social relations. 1. Free Giving 2. kind speech 3. helpful conduct 4. co-operation. We need to ground these in our lives as a reult of our dedication to our practice of Zazen. The circumatanses internationally, nationally and locally really put our atttention to these elements to the test. How about you?
I will not get into the violence in Libyia now but as a member of Pax Christi I get very nervous when we resort to violence. "When will we ebver learn?" Perhaps we could start by refusing to be invloved in the sale of arms. But its too costly some say but what does our invlovement cost us in the loss of life and the destruction of people, places and beauty?
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Happy new Year 2011
Well here we are now entered fully into a New Year with all the holiday festivities over. Perhaps you have already made some resolutions as you carefully looked at your life as we enter this New Year with a new decade. Maybe like me you can remember the Communist regions in the past at least outlining “five year plans.” So maybe this is a good time even now if you haven’t done it already to look carefully at the direction of your life. These days everybody seems to be under great pressure of time. A Roman Catholic bishop in England recently passed comment on this and suggested that it was unrealistic to expect that people should be at church every Sunday. My point is to ask each of us to look once again at our allocation of time that we can set some realistic priorities. In doing this we are inevitably forced to consider carefully what place our spiritual practice has in our lives. Fundamentally we consider whether we think that any spiritual practice maybe good when we have the time after all the business of living is taken care of or whether we know that it is absolutely essential in providing the ground from which we orientate our life.
With regard to the Wild Goose sangha we have begun to make some strong commitments ourselves to providing the necessary opportunities to help people grow and consolidate their practice. Most of us find that much of the time our sitting Zazen is done on our own so we often need to come together with others to give a boost to our practice. Such meetings can be for a day or for a weekend. Many of our programmes you will see are provided at the Ammerdown Centre. You can fine the year’s programme for those listed in the Flyer or in the Ammerdown Centre programme. The most immediate one is the Zazenkai at Ammerdown on February 26th. A Zazenkai is a day of Zen practice which gives us an opportunity to have some solid sitting Zazen together with a time of teaching and an opportunity to meet for a personal interview with the teacher. You will also see that there is a weekend Zen Sesshin to be held at Minster Abbey near Canterbury March 18 – 20. This again is a great opportunity to deepen one’s practice and to get encouragement. You can see details of how to register for these events on our calendar of events section. As it usually gets booked up very quickly you may want to consider registering for the weeklong sesshin with myself and Fr. Kennedy Roshi May 27 – June 2.
So will all my best wishes for a good year of silent sitting and personal peace.
Rohatsu December 2010 Although the normal day for the celebration of the awakening of Siddhartha Buddha is usually on December 8 the Wild Goose sangha at Cirencester kept the celebration on Thursday December 9. It was a very lovely celebration where we sat zazen, chanted some of the sutras, listened to a Teisho by Patrick Sensei and then feasted around a tree lit decorated with fairy lights on angel cake and tea.
We found the teisho very interesting so here it is for you all to read.
Bodhi Day or The Buddha's Enlightenment is celebrated by Mahayana Buddhists on 8th December each year or on other dates in some parts of the world. Among Mahayana Buddhists, this holiday celebrates the Buddha's attainment of understanding of the truth of existence, freeing him from all human suffering, and finding perfect happiness. The date, 8th December, is based on the Japanese Buddhist calendar.
Tradition tells us that the prince, Siddhartha Gautama, left his home and family and all his possessions behind at the age of 29 to discover the meaning of life, particularly its hardships. After six years of rigorous discipline and ascetic lifestyles under the guidance of a number of spiritual teachers, he still hadn't found what he was looking for.
Eventually then after trying many spiritual paths about 2,500 years ago, the young prince of Northern India Siddhartha Gautama sat beneath a fig tree and declared, “Even though the flesh falls from my bones and the bones themselves crack, I will not get up from this seat until I have attained supreme and perfect enlightenment!” This determined young man then faced down all of his inner demons, defying and finally taming all of the temptations and distractions of greed, anger, restlessness, laziness and self-doubt. He finally attained a state of calm awareness. His mind had become like a clear and still pool which could perfectly reflect all things within it. During the early evening, Siddhartha reflected on all of his former thoughts, words and deeds. He perceived within himself all of the many things that he had done and experienced in both the present lifetime and in all of the innumerable past lifetimes which became known to him in this state of clear calm awareness. He saw that he himself had created the destiny which had brought him to the point where he could sit beneath that tree at that time and to seek the answers to the great question of birth and death. During the middle of the night, his awareness expanded to include the lives of all sentient beings. He saw that his life was indivisibly involved in the lives of all other beings. He saw how his life affected the lives of all others and how their lives affected his. Furthermore, he perceived that they too were the creators of their own destinies through the consequences of their own actions. As the morning approached, Siddhartha contemplated the vast network of cause and effect itself. He saw how all beings were intimately connected to one another in this vast network of mutual influence and creation. Like a vast net of jewels reflecting each others' light and beauty he saw how all beings arose as part of an unending process of mutual creation. He also saw how ignorance of the true nature of reality was the cause of all the selfish craving which led to suffering, and he saw that this suffering could be ended through a life based upon the truth, the Wonderful Dharma.As the morning star appeared in the sky, Siddhartha’s contemplations were fully realized in the fullness of the living moment in which the Wonderful Dharma is expressed. In that moment Siddhartha became the Buddha, the fully awakened one who realized and could share with others the true nature of reality which could end suffering and open the eyes of all people to the selfless beauty which he had seen and now manifested in his own life. Like Siddhartha, we too, should find time to calm our hearts and minds and allow ourselves to clearly reflect the true nature of life. We too, should reflect upon our actions and their consequences, so we can humbly take responsibility for our lives. We too, should reflect upon the lessons that the lives of others hold for us, so that we can learn from their mistakes and receive inspiration from their successes. We too, should reflect upon the vast and marvellous workings of the Dharma which pervades our lives and in fact is our life. Above all, however, we should realize that the Dharma, the true nature of reality which is so difficult to perceive and understand, has been given to us by Shakyamuni Buddha. In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha stated, “For many hundreds of thousands of billions of countless eons, I studied and practiced the Dharma difficult to obtain, and [finally attained] perfect and complete enlightenment. Now I will transmit the Dharma to you.”
For Shakyamuni Buddha’s efforts and determination, his great generosity and compassion, and most importantly for his gift of the Dharma which he realized beneath that fig tree 2,500 years ago, we come together today in celebration.
Zen and Verbum Domini
This is designated as a “Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Benedict XVI on the Word of God in the Life and mission of the Catholic Church. It was released late in 2010 following a meeting of the bishops to discuss the use of the Christian Bible in the life of a Christian Community today. Although written clearly for those who are members of the Roman Catholic Church my attention was taken by the fact that it addresses the place the Bible has within the context of Interreligious dialogue. The section begins by saying that the “encounter, dialogue and cooperation with all people of good will, particularly with the followers of the different religious traditions of humanity” is an essential part of communicating the Christian message. Obviously studying the sacred texts of any religious tradition is an essential part in coming to engage in serious dialogue with them. Pope Benedict’s text goes on to point out the fact that the various religions make their own specific contribution to the common good. With regard to the Jewish tradition there is of course clearly a considerable sense of common ground in the use of much of the same biblical material. To a certain extent it points out that this is also true of the dialogue between Christians and Muslims. It begins a section on such dialogue by saying, “the church looks with respect to Muslims who adore the one God.” As followers of Abraham they “above all worship God through prayer, almsgiving and fasting.” More importantly for me as and ordained Catholic priest whose personal commitment to interreligious dialogue is with members of the Zen Buddhist community is the positive assessment given to this area of dialogue. Pope Benedict writes “I wish to voice the church’s respect for the ancient religions and spiritual traditions on the various continents. These contain values which can greatly advance understanding between individuals and people. Frequently we note a consonance with values expressed also in their religious books.” He then goes on to say specifically of Buddhism that we can learn from their “respect for life, contemplation, silence and simplicity” In my own case and for many I have found that a great many people are searching for the deeper personal experience of God in their lives that can only come precisely through the practice of meditation or contemplation, silence and simplicity. It is because of this that I personally want to share my own experience of the riches of Zen in giving a way of practice hinted at but not explained or reinforced for the ordinary person in the Christian tradition. Because Zen in its essence is not a belief system with a theology it is perfectly suitable for a Christian to use its practice as a way of experiencing what all the great Christian theologians down through the ages have written about so eloquently. This for me is a blessing and a truly practical demonstration of interreligious dialogue.
Book Reviews
Zen practitioners of whatever faith tradition or none do well to read any of the material by Eithei Dogen the great Japanese Zen teacher from the thirteenth century. His Shobogenzo is lies right at the heart of Zen practice and is rated as one of the most outstanding spiritual and literary works ever written. Having said that most of us need some help to penetrate his text and get help from the riches to be found there. To this end I have two books that I thoroughly recommend.
Francis Dojun Cook. How to Raise an Ox: Zen Practice as Taught in Master Dogen’s Shobogenzo Wisdom Publications, Boston, 2002.
The Forward to this book is written by Taizan Maezumi Roshi the founder of the White Plum Asangha which is the lineage to which we belong. He writes in his forward “Dogen’s expression is like an inexhaustible stream that gushes out of the ground naturally and without impediment.” With those few words he reliably informs the reader on the greatness of Dogen who wrote ninety five chapters in the Shobogenzo. Cook has worked through these chapters himself and out of his own experience of sitting Zazen has chosen ten chapters to translate. He has found that these chapters most particularly express the fact that the “Zen of Dogen is the Zen of practice.” As an introduction to the chapters Cook provides six essays that help the practitioner to make the best use on Dogen in their own practice. To my mind this is one of the best and concise introductions to Dogen’s Zen. I personally have benefitted much from the essays and from the following clear translations. I commend the book as a really good place to start on reaping the riches of Dogen and as an encouragement to your own practice.
Shohaku Okumura. Realizing Genjokoan: The Key to Dogen’s Shobogenzo Wisdom Publications, Boston. 2010.
This book was recommended to me by Dave Keizan Scott Sensei the resident teacher of the Stonewater Zen Sangha in Liverpool. Genjokoan is one of the most important chapters in Dogen’s Shobogenzo and probably the one that has been most translated. Okumura with his excellent translation not only gives us a translation of the text but a most insightful commentary that is particularly helpful to Zen practitioners. The author has obviously not only spent much time in reflecting on the text out of his own experience but has also spent many hours sitting on the mat breathing it. Taigen Dan Leighton in his forward a great Dogen scholar in his own right in his forward to the book writes” I have been considering Genjokoan for thirty five years, and still enjoyed the many helpful revelations in the book.” I have only been studying Dogen for a few months now and this book is challenging me deeply in a most rewarding way. But like all reading material on Zen I always ask myself, ‘Is this merely stimulating my intellect or is it deepening my practice?’ With is book I find that it does both and would encourage serious Zen students to use it as part of their own Zen study.
With regard to the Wild Goose sangha we have begun to make some strong commitments ourselves to providing the necessary opportunities to help people grow and consolidate their practice. Most of us find that much of the time our sitting Zazen is done on our own so we often need to come together with others to give a boost to our practice. Such meetings can be for a day or for a weekend. Many of our programmes you will see are provided at the Ammerdown Centre. You can fine the year’s programme for those listed in the Flyer or in the Ammerdown Centre programme. The most immediate one is the Zazenkai at Ammerdown on February 26th. A Zazenkai is a day of Zen practice which gives us an opportunity to have some solid sitting Zazen together with a time of teaching and an opportunity to meet for a personal interview with the teacher. You will also see that there is a weekend Zen Sesshin to be held at Minster Abbey near Canterbury March 18 – 20. This again is a great opportunity to deepen one’s practice and to get encouragement. You can see details of how to register for these events on our calendar of events section. As it usually gets booked up very quickly you may want to consider registering for the weeklong sesshin with myself and Fr. Kennedy Roshi May 27 – June 2.
So will all my best wishes for a good year of silent sitting and personal peace.
Rohatsu December 2010 Although the normal day for the celebration of the awakening of Siddhartha Buddha is usually on December 8 the Wild Goose sangha at Cirencester kept the celebration on Thursday December 9. It was a very lovely celebration where we sat zazen, chanted some of the sutras, listened to a Teisho by Patrick Sensei and then feasted around a tree lit decorated with fairy lights on angel cake and tea.
We found the teisho very interesting so here it is for you all to read.
Bodhi Day or The Buddha's Enlightenment is celebrated by Mahayana Buddhists on 8th December each year or on other dates in some parts of the world. Among Mahayana Buddhists, this holiday celebrates the Buddha's attainment of understanding of the truth of existence, freeing him from all human suffering, and finding perfect happiness. The date, 8th December, is based on the Japanese Buddhist calendar.
Tradition tells us that the prince, Siddhartha Gautama, left his home and family and all his possessions behind at the age of 29 to discover the meaning of life, particularly its hardships. After six years of rigorous discipline and ascetic lifestyles under the guidance of a number of spiritual teachers, he still hadn't found what he was looking for.
Eventually then after trying many spiritual paths about 2,500 years ago, the young prince of Northern India Siddhartha Gautama sat beneath a fig tree and declared, “Even though the flesh falls from my bones and the bones themselves crack, I will not get up from this seat until I have attained supreme and perfect enlightenment!” This determined young man then faced down all of his inner demons, defying and finally taming all of the temptations and distractions of greed, anger, restlessness, laziness and self-doubt. He finally attained a state of calm awareness. His mind had become like a clear and still pool which could perfectly reflect all things within it. During the early evening, Siddhartha reflected on all of his former thoughts, words and deeds. He perceived within himself all of the many things that he had done and experienced in both the present lifetime and in all of the innumerable past lifetimes which became known to him in this state of clear calm awareness. He saw that he himself had created the destiny which had brought him to the point where he could sit beneath that tree at that time and to seek the answers to the great question of birth and death. During the middle of the night, his awareness expanded to include the lives of all sentient beings. He saw that his life was indivisibly involved in the lives of all other beings. He saw how his life affected the lives of all others and how their lives affected his. Furthermore, he perceived that they too were the creators of their own destinies through the consequences of their own actions. As the morning approached, Siddhartha contemplated the vast network of cause and effect itself. He saw how all beings were intimately connected to one another in this vast network of mutual influence and creation. Like a vast net of jewels reflecting each others' light and beauty he saw how all beings arose as part of an unending process of mutual creation. He also saw how ignorance of the true nature of reality was the cause of all the selfish craving which led to suffering, and he saw that this suffering could be ended through a life based upon the truth, the Wonderful Dharma.As the morning star appeared in the sky, Siddhartha’s contemplations were fully realized in the fullness of the living moment in which the Wonderful Dharma is expressed. In that moment Siddhartha became the Buddha, the fully awakened one who realized and could share with others the true nature of reality which could end suffering and open the eyes of all people to the selfless beauty which he had seen and now manifested in his own life. Like Siddhartha, we too, should find time to calm our hearts and minds and allow ourselves to clearly reflect the true nature of life. We too, should reflect upon our actions and their consequences, so we can humbly take responsibility for our lives. We too, should reflect upon the lessons that the lives of others hold for us, so that we can learn from their mistakes and receive inspiration from their successes. We too, should reflect upon the vast and marvellous workings of the Dharma which pervades our lives and in fact is our life. Above all, however, we should realize that the Dharma, the true nature of reality which is so difficult to perceive and understand, has been given to us by Shakyamuni Buddha. In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha stated, “For many hundreds of thousands of billions of countless eons, I studied and practiced the Dharma difficult to obtain, and [finally attained] perfect and complete enlightenment. Now I will transmit the Dharma to you.”
For Shakyamuni Buddha’s efforts and determination, his great generosity and compassion, and most importantly for his gift of the Dharma which he realized beneath that fig tree 2,500 years ago, we come together today in celebration.
Zen and Verbum Domini
This is designated as a “Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Benedict XVI on the Word of God in the Life and mission of the Catholic Church. It was released late in 2010 following a meeting of the bishops to discuss the use of the Christian Bible in the life of a Christian Community today. Although written clearly for those who are members of the Roman Catholic Church my attention was taken by the fact that it addresses the place the Bible has within the context of Interreligious dialogue. The section begins by saying that the “encounter, dialogue and cooperation with all people of good will, particularly with the followers of the different religious traditions of humanity” is an essential part of communicating the Christian message. Obviously studying the sacred texts of any religious tradition is an essential part in coming to engage in serious dialogue with them. Pope Benedict’s text goes on to point out the fact that the various religions make their own specific contribution to the common good. With regard to the Jewish tradition there is of course clearly a considerable sense of common ground in the use of much of the same biblical material. To a certain extent it points out that this is also true of the dialogue between Christians and Muslims. It begins a section on such dialogue by saying, “the church looks with respect to Muslims who adore the one God.” As followers of Abraham they “above all worship God through prayer, almsgiving and fasting.” More importantly for me as and ordained Catholic priest whose personal commitment to interreligious dialogue is with members of the Zen Buddhist community is the positive assessment given to this area of dialogue. Pope Benedict writes “I wish to voice the church’s respect for the ancient religions and spiritual traditions on the various continents. These contain values which can greatly advance understanding between individuals and people. Frequently we note a consonance with values expressed also in their religious books.” He then goes on to say specifically of Buddhism that we can learn from their “respect for life, contemplation, silence and simplicity” In my own case and for many I have found that a great many people are searching for the deeper personal experience of God in their lives that can only come precisely through the practice of meditation or contemplation, silence and simplicity. It is because of this that I personally want to share my own experience of the riches of Zen in giving a way of practice hinted at but not explained or reinforced for the ordinary person in the Christian tradition. Because Zen in its essence is not a belief system with a theology it is perfectly suitable for a Christian to use its practice as a way of experiencing what all the great Christian theologians down through the ages have written about so eloquently. This for me is a blessing and a truly practical demonstration of interreligious dialogue.
Book Reviews
Zen practitioners of whatever faith tradition or none do well to read any of the material by Eithei Dogen the great Japanese Zen teacher from the thirteenth century. His Shobogenzo is lies right at the heart of Zen practice and is rated as one of the most outstanding spiritual and literary works ever written. Having said that most of us need some help to penetrate his text and get help from the riches to be found there. To this end I have two books that I thoroughly recommend.
Francis Dojun Cook. How to Raise an Ox: Zen Practice as Taught in Master Dogen’s Shobogenzo Wisdom Publications, Boston, 2002.
The Forward to this book is written by Taizan Maezumi Roshi the founder of the White Plum Asangha which is the lineage to which we belong. He writes in his forward “Dogen’s expression is like an inexhaustible stream that gushes out of the ground naturally and without impediment.” With those few words he reliably informs the reader on the greatness of Dogen who wrote ninety five chapters in the Shobogenzo. Cook has worked through these chapters himself and out of his own experience of sitting Zazen has chosen ten chapters to translate. He has found that these chapters most particularly express the fact that the “Zen of Dogen is the Zen of practice.” As an introduction to the chapters Cook provides six essays that help the practitioner to make the best use on Dogen in their own practice. To my mind this is one of the best and concise introductions to Dogen’s Zen. I personally have benefitted much from the essays and from the following clear translations. I commend the book as a really good place to start on reaping the riches of Dogen and as an encouragement to your own practice.
Shohaku Okumura. Realizing Genjokoan: The Key to Dogen’s Shobogenzo Wisdom Publications, Boston. 2010.
This book was recommended to me by Dave Keizan Scott Sensei the resident teacher of the Stonewater Zen Sangha in Liverpool. Genjokoan is one of the most important chapters in Dogen’s Shobogenzo and probably the one that has been most translated. Okumura with his excellent translation not only gives us a translation of the text but a most insightful commentary that is particularly helpful to Zen practitioners. The author has obviously not only spent much time in reflecting on the text out of his own experience but has also spent many hours sitting on the mat breathing it. Taigen Dan Leighton in his forward a great Dogen scholar in his own right in his forward to the book writes” I have been considering Genjokoan for thirty five years, and still enjoyed the many helpful revelations in the book.” I have only been studying Dogen for a few months now and this book is challenging me deeply in a most rewarding way. But like all reading material on Zen I always ask myself, ‘Is this merely stimulating my intellect or is it deepening my practice?’ With is book I find that it does both and would encourage serious Zen students to use it as part of their own Zen study.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Things happening
Wild Goose Sangha Action
At recent meetings of the Sangha at the Ashcroft Centre and at the recent weekend sesshin at the Ammerdown Centre we begun to realise that we are now well enough established with some good all round support from many people so we can now begin to look at ways in which we can further our commitment to helping people discover the value of Zen practice whatever their faith belief. As a result these are some of decisions that have been made.
1. The Flyer rather than being an occasional newsletter will from this issue become quarterly with an issue each November, February, May and August.
2. We are hoping to apply for charitable status registration which will mean that it will be possible for any donations to be gift aided. The board will be made up of those members who regularly attend the meetings at the Ashcroft centre plus maybe some others. We have yet to find however someone who will act as treasurer.
3. We intend to produce a tri-fold brochure detailing the aims and activities of the sangha. We will use this and other means to advertise the Sangha and its objectives.
4. We are planning to have a “Zen Taster day” somewhere in Swindon sometime in the New Year. Please let us know if you and anyone you know might be interested.
5. We are going to appeal for financial donations either large or small towards our work by those who are willing to become “Friends of the Wild Goose Sangha.” Readers can already start to make contributions either by cheque or by direct debit. For further information call 01793 759452 or email Patrick@northwall.plus.com
Readers may have other suggestions so please feel free to contact us on anything you think would be helpful.
Just recently for my annual retreat which is required as a Catholic priest I attended a week-long sesshin with the Stonewater Zen sangha at Crosby Hall, Liverpool. It was a wonderful experience and it gave me some welcome time for some solid sitting and reflection without having to hold a position of responsibility. I was especially helped by their teacher Keizan Sensei and one of the sehior students Ron Bell. They have even since spent some time helping me by email and I am hoping that a group from Stonewater will be able to come to one of our Zazenkai or Sessins at the Ammerdown Centre.
During my time at the sesshin I spent some of the time in deepening my study of the great thirteenth century Japanese Zen master Eithei Dogen. His Shobogenzo is rated as being amongst some of the best religious writings ever. He has so much depth that even a short piece can give much food for thought and can be deeply challenging. (I have especially been helped by a book by Francis Dojun Cook "How to raise an Ox" - people who saw me reading it thought I was taking up farming but it's an outline of Zen practice at taught by Master Dogen in his Shobogenzo - I recommend it to you as well if you are interested in Dogen or Zen practice.) This study though did make me stop and ask myself though why on earth should I as a Catholic priest of many years want to spend time studying a thirteenth century Buddhist writer. It was surely because if the Vatican II document on other faiths was serious in saying that we should accept and learn from “all that is good and true” in other faith traditions then it would surely be found in the writings of some of their greatest teachers. My study soon began to challenge me about my role as a Catholic priest. After all the whole of Christian orientation in the west seems to be orientated towards “Salvation” which simply put is the awareness of human sinfulness and the fact that “Jesus Christ died upon the Cross in order to save us from our sins.” Buddhism however is primarily orientated towards the liberation that comes from awakening to one’s own true inner nature which in turn is an awareness of the Oneness of all reality which incidentally equates well with the teaching of the Christian scriptures of all being one with God in Christ. The question however was still whether these two objectives were able to be reconciled in some way. My thoughts first went to the writings of some great modern women theologians like Mary Grey in England and Rosemary Radford Ruether who examine the whole concept of salvation starting with the fact that the word itself means “healing or “making whole.” In this way it is very close to the idea of liberation or setting free – in the case of Buddhism it is a freedom from the false idea of a totally separate self that causes us to be self centred and lacking compassion. Further reflection brought me to realise that the central teaching in the Eastern traditions in Christianity that tend more towards the Incarnation rather than the crucifixion. It is also worth noting that most of Jesus teaching was about how to live life. This seems much like the Zen masters who teach that “Zen is about life.” For Christians then our identity is made clear by the Incarnation and ratified in our baptism. The death of Christ and the resurrection are the positive assurances that nothing can annihilate who we truly are. In this way we are set free/liberated/saved from any need to achieve an identity but to live a life of compassion. I was able now to relax confidently not only into the Zen of Dogen which is the “Zen of practice” or the “Zen of Life” but into the practice of the early Christian Apophatic tradition of prayer. I was able in this way to enter fully, without question, into my Zazen and, like so many Catholics, Jews and Sufis as described by Kennedy Roshi; I found it not just a way of deepening my prayer life but of sitting in contemplation with people of other beliefs.
Right after I returned from this sesshin I lead a weekend Sesshin at The Ammerdown Centre for 20 people. It was a mixture of beginners and those who had been before. It was a solid time of practice and it seems to have done a lot to give The Wild Goose Sangha a real sense of identity and solidarity. It's true that there were some wjho found it very challenging though whcih made me remeber the difficulties that I had to start with way back in 1990 with Dr. Ruben Habito Roshi - and now I am a Sensei (teacher) myself!
Today I have my good friend Fr. Cyprian Consiglio, a Camaldolese Benedictiine Monk from Big Sur CA ( where I am an Oblate) to visit for a couple of days. He is a great admirer of Fr Bede Griffiths so I will take him to Prinknash Abbey tomorrow to visit where Fr. Bede began his monastic life before setting up his Ashram in India. Then in the evening he will do an evening of music, meditation and teaching at my church in Tetbury under the title "The Universal Call to Contemplation."
Here's something I got from Friends of Silence recently: When you think of the concept of "time" what comes to mind? Usually it is schedules and deadlines and rushing around! But there's another perspective...think of mountains, oceans rivers, ancient trees, those things of this world that suggest words like "eternal" and "everlasting". For we know that the concept of time is our idea, not our Creator's and there's no such artificial construct in eternity. Even if we have to schedule it by this world's idea of time, we can step into that stream of eternity by going within, entering the Great Silence. There we become part of it, and while we are there time no longer exists. Turning inward, becoming part of no-time, being just present to THIS MOMENT , refreshes us and often colours our perceptions so that when we return to this world of deadlines and time constraints, we are more able to "go with the flow" and view our world with new vision.
At recent meetings of the Sangha at the Ashcroft Centre and at the recent weekend sesshin at the Ammerdown Centre we begun to realise that we are now well enough established with some good all round support from many people so we can now begin to look at ways in which we can further our commitment to helping people discover the value of Zen practice whatever their faith belief. As a result these are some of decisions that have been made.
1. The Flyer rather than being an occasional newsletter will from this issue become quarterly with an issue each November, February, May and August.
2. We are hoping to apply for charitable status registration which will mean that it will be possible for any donations to be gift aided. The board will be made up of those members who regularly attend the meetings at the Ashcroft centre plus maybe some others. We have yet to find however someone who will act as treasurer.
3. We intend to produce a tri-fold brochure detailing the aims and activities of the sangha. We will use this and other means to advertise the Sangha and its objectives.
4. We are planning to have a “Zen Taster day” somewhere in Swindon sometime in the New Year. Please let us know if you and anyone you know might be interested.
5. We are going to appeal for financial donations either large or small towards our work by those who are willing to become “Friends of the Wild Goose Sangha.” Readers can already start to make contributions either by cheque or by direct debit. For further information call 01793 759452 or email Patrick@northwall.plus.com
Readers may have other suggestions so please feel free to contact us on anything you think would be helpful.
Just recently for my annual retreat which is required as a Catholic priest I attended a week-long sesshin with the Stonewater Zen sangha at Crosby Hall, Liverpool. It was a wonderful experience and it gave me some welcome time for some solid sitting and reflection without having to hold a position of responsibility. I was especially helped by their teacher Keizan Sensei and one of the sehior students Ron Bell. They have even since spent some time helping me by email and I am hoping that a group from Stonewater will be able to come to one of our Zazenkai or Sessins at the Ammerdown Centre.
During my time at the sesshin I spent some of the time in deepening my study of the great thirteenth century Japanese Zen master Eithei Dogen. His Shobogenzo is rated as being amongst some of the best religious writings ever. He has so much depth that even a short piece can give much food for thought and can be deeply challenging. (I have especially been helped by a book by Francis Dojun Cook "How to raise an Ox" - people who saw me reading it thought I was taking up farming but it's an outline of Zen practice at taught by Master Dogen in his Shobogenzo - I recommend it to you as well if you are interested in Dogen or Zen practice.) This study though did make me stop and ask myself though why on earth should I as a Catholic priest of many years want to spend time studying a thirteenth century Buddhist writer. It was surely because if the Vatican II document on other faiths was serious in saying that we should accept and learn from “all that is good and true” in other faith traditions then it would surely be found in the writings of some of their greatest teachers. My study soon began to challenge me about my role as a Catholic priest. After all the whole of Christian orientation in the west seems to be orientated towards “Salvation” which simply put is the awareness of human sinfulness and the fact that “Jesus Christ died upon the Cross in order to save us from our sins.” Buddhism however is primarily orientated towards the liberation that comes from awakening to one’s own true inner nature which in turn is an awareness of the Oneness of all reality which incidentally equates well with the teaching of the Christian scriptures of all being one with God in Christ. The question however was still whether these two objectives were able to be reconciled in some way. My thoughts first went to the writings of some great modern women theologians like Mary Grey in England and Rosemary Radford Ruether who examine the whole concept of salvation starting with the fact that the word itself means “healing or “making whole.” In this way it is very close to the idea of liberation or setting free – in the case of Buddhism it is a freedom from the false idea of a totally separate self that causes us to be self centred and lacking compassion. Further reflection brought me to realise that the central teaching in the Eastern traditions in Christianity that tend more towards the Incarnation rather than the crucifixion. It is also worth noting that most of Jesus teaching was about how to live life. This seems much like the Zen masters who teach that “Zen is about life.” For Christians then our identity is made clear by the Incarnation and ratified in our baptism. The death of Christ and the resurrection are the positive assurances that nothing can annihilate who we truly are. In this way we are set free/liberated/saved from any need to achieve an identity but to live a life of compassion. I was able now to relax confidently not only into the Zen of Dogen which is the “Zen of practice” or the “Zen of Life” but into the practice of the early Christian Apophatic tradition of prayer. I was able in this way to enter fully, without question, into my Zazen and, like so many Catholics, Jews and Sufis as described by Kennedy Roshi; I found it not just a way of deepening my prayer life but of sitting in contemplation with people of other beliefs.
Right after I returned from this sesshin I lead a weekend Sesshin at The Ammerdown Centre for 20 people. It was a mixture of beginners and those who had been before. It was a solid time of practice and it seems to have done a lot to give The Wild Goose Sangha a real sense of identity and solidarity. It's true that there were some wjho found it very challenging though whcih made me remeber the difficulties that I had to start with way back in 1990 with Dr. Ruben Habito Roshi - and now I am a Sensei (teacher) myself!
Today I have my good friend Fr. Cyprian Consiglio, a Camaldolese Benedictiine Monk from Big Sur CA ( where I am an Oblate) to visit for a couple of days. He is a great admirer of Fr Bede Griffiths so I will take him to Prinknash Abbey tomorrow to visit where Fr. Bede began his monastic life before setting up his Ashram in India. Then in the evening he will do an evening of music, meditation and teaching at my church in Tetbury under the title "The Universal Call to Contemplation."
Here's something I got from Friends of Silence recently: When you think of the concept of "time" what comes to mind? Usually it is schedules and deadlines and rushing around! But there's another perspective...think of mountains, oceans rivers, ancient trees, those things of this world that suggest words like "eternal" and "everlasting". For we know that the concept of time is our idea, not our Creator's and there's no such artificial construct in eternity. Even if we have to schedule it by this world's idea of time, we can step into that stream of eternity by going within, entering the Great Silence. There we become part of it, and while we are there time no longer exists. Turning inward, becoming part of no-time, being just present to THIS MOMENT , refreshes us and often colours our perceptions so that when we return to this world of deadlines and time constraints, we are more able to "go with the flow" and view our world with new vision.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Michaelfest
Life has been very hectic in the parish and in my life. We have just finished our second annual Michaelfest at Tetbury Catholic Church. We had a good musical recital on Friday evening (September 24) but the attendance was sparse and the art exhibition was on Saturday with Tetbury Art Society contributing much of the artwork. In church we had an exhibition of the wonderful art of a parishioner Pat Sampson. The festive masses went well with Fr. Paul Lyons from the seminary at Wonersh preaching his theme was on the discipleship that stems from our baptism. The conclusion was an ecumenical Vesper service which included all the churches in Tetbury including St. Mary's Anglican church choir that contributed a psalm and an anthem. Fr. John Wright the vicar preached and without any previous consultation he also preached on discipleship and our common baptism which unites us all. I feel that my Zen work has taken a bit of a back burner with all the time I put in preparing for and at Tetbury for the Festival. My health doesn't seem to have been too good either what with sciatica and the a very heavy cold. But life goes on relentlessly. The Pope's visit went much better than expected and he did well to play to the crowds. However I personally still feel somewhat concerned that there is still the lack of implementation of the Vatican II teaching on collegiality and the power structure of the church to the diminishment of the authority of local bishops. I still feel that the Pope and the bishops have not really taken responsibility for their share in the child abuse scandal or done enough to help the victims. I also feel for all those theologians who have been so censured by the Curia without due process. There still seems so much injustice when we are supposed to be the champions of justice.
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