Japan: Land of the Disappearing Buddha (video)

Wisdom Quarterly; World Geographic Channel

(The Long Search) "The Land of the Disappearing Buddha"

10 Easy Steps to "Zen"

Amber Larson (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly; WikiHow.com

Here are 10 easy steps to a "zen" (jhana) state of mind. Zazen (just sitting) is a type of meditation unique to Zen Buddhism. It functions at the heart of the practice. Zen (Chinese Ch'an, Sanskrit Dhyana, Pali Jhana) is the Japanese word for "meditation," so Zen Buddhists could be called "Meditation-centric Buddhists." This outlines how a beginner can practice zazen, which literally means sitting meditation.

ZEN: Who in the world is Alan Watts?

Dhr. Seven and CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; AlanWatts.org

Zen Birthday Card: "Not thinking of you." (Piraro/bizarro.com)

  

Early Alan Watts, London (colorized photo)

Alan Watts was born in London in 1915, at the start of World War I. At a young age he became fascinated with the Far East, and at 14 he began to write and was published in the Journal of the London Buddhist Lodge before writing his first booklet on Zen in 1932. He moved to New York in 1938 and then to Chicago, where he served as an Episcopal priest for six years before leaving the Church. In 1950, he moved to upstate New York before going on to San Francisco to teach at the Academy of Asian Studies. Among Alan Watts' earliest influences were the novelist Sax Rohmer and Zen scholars D.T. Suzuki and Christmas Humpreys. In late 1950, he visited with Joseph Campbell and composer John Cage in NYC.

 

Worldview

Alan Watts was profoundly influenced by the East Indian philosophies of Vedanta [the "best of the ancient Vedas"] and Buddhism, and by Taoist thought, which is reflected in Zen poetry and the arts of China and Japan.
 

"Why cats are awesome" (RantsRavesT)

After leaving the [Anglican] Church, he never became a member of another organized religion. And although he wrote and spoke extensively about Zen Buddhism, he was criticized by American Buddhist practitioners for not sitting regularly in zazen. Alan Watts responded simply by saying, "A cat sits until it is done sitting, and then gets up, stretches, and walks away."

• Don't be like Alan, kids. Here's how to zazen
• VIDEO: Be like Alan, kids: Watch cartoons

Expect the unexpected, and you won't be disappointed ("Zen Comics"/Ioanna Salajan)

  

1950's and early '60's

Later wild-eyed Alan Watts, Berkeley

After teaching at the Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco, he became Dean and began to give regular radio talks on KPFA FM, the Berkeley free radio station. In 1957, he published his bestselling Way of Zen, and in 1958 returned to Europe where he met with C.G. Jung. He was an early subject in pioneering psychedelic trials and, after recording two seasons of the public television series "Eastern Wisdom and Modern Life," traveled to Japan several times in the early sixties. By the late sixties, he had become a counterculture celebrity, and traveled widely to speak at universities and growth centers across the US and Europe.
 

The adventures of a doctoral candidate in "PHD ZEN" (phdcomics.com/Jorge Cham)

 
Later Years

The animated Alan Watts is not just for kids

By the early seventies, Alan Watts had become a foremost interpreter of Eastern thought for the West and was widely published in periodicals including Earth, Elle, Playboy, and Redbook. He appeared on CBS television's "Camera Three" in 1969, and in 1971 he recorded a pilot for a new show titled "A Conversation with Myself" for NET, the precursor to PBS. When the series was not produced, he recorded the shows with his son Mark and his long-time audio archivist Henry Jacobs in 1972. Overall, Alan Watts developed an extensive audio library of nearly 400 talks and wrote more than 25 books during his lifetime, including his final volume, Tao: The Watercourse Way. Alan Watts died in his sleep in November of 1973, after returning from an intensive international lecture tour. More

(Wiki featured article, May 15, 2014) Mycena aurantiomarginata, commonly known as the golden-edge bonnet, is a species of agaric fungus in the family Mycenaceae. First formally described in 1803, it was given its current name in 1872. It is common in Europe and North America, and has also been collected in North Africa, Central America, and Japan... More

ZEN: The Buddha's Birthday (Sunday, April 6)

Wisdom Quarterly; Jeff Albrizze (PasaDharma.org); Zen Center Los Angeles

ZCLA Gateless Gate entrance, residential area near Wilshire district (Wisdom Quarterly)

 

Boy mesmerized by baby Siddhartha (ZCLA)

Join in celebrating the birth of the Buddha, and all of the baby future buddhas, in the Zen Center garden. A small arbor house decorated with flowers will be erected, and Dokai Dickenson will officiate the special service. Afterwards, the Birth Story of the Buddha and his first steps in the world will be told.

 

Birth of the Bodhisattva

Everyone is invited to bring a small bouquet of flowers as an offering for the service. Children, friends, and family are all welcome. The Sunday schedule will include a chanting service, sitting meditation (zazen), and a celebration of the Buddha’s birthday, followed by a light lunch. Plan on arriving at ZCLA by 8:15 am to get a parking space and be ready for the Sunday schedule:

• 8:30am-9:00am Chanting Service – The Gate of Sweet Nectar (please bring a can of food for the altar offering to help local needy families)
• 9:00-9:35 Zazen (silent seated meditation)
• 9:35-9:45 Kinhin (walking meditation)
• 9:45-10:20 Zazen (silent seated meditation)
• 11:00-12 noon Buddha’s Birthday Celebration in the garden
• 12:15-12:45 Snack

Lunch during sesshin, ZCLA dining hall, main building next to gift shop (zencenter.org)

 

If driving, make sure to arrive at ZCLA early, as parking is at a premium. Attend any or all of the activities, and leave at any of the activity change breaks, or stay until the end (about 12:45 pm) for lunch.

Please wear loose, comfortable clothing, preferably dark in color, with no distracting colors or logos. Please refrain from wearing excessive jewelry, perfume, or cologne. Participation is FREE. Donations at the Center are accepted. The ZCLA bookstore will be open for books, incense, and meditation cushions.

Zen Center of Los Angeles 

Secondary rear meeting room (WQ)

The Center was founded in 1967 by Taizan Maezumi Roshi. ZCLA Buddha Essence Temple has provided the teachings and practice of Zen Buddhism to all who come and go through its temple gate. Its mission is to know the self, maintain the precepts, and serve others. It serves by providing the Dharma, training, and transmission of Soto Zen Buddhism. Its vision is an "enlightened world" in which suffering is transcended, all beings live in harmony, everyone has enough, deep wisdom is realized, and compassion flows unhindered.

The Center affirms its intention to honor diversity and actively welcome all people, regardless of religion, age, ethnicity, gender, physical or mental ability, race, sexual orientation, or socio-economic background.

ZCLA observes a daily schedule of zazen, Buddhist services, and mindful work. The Center's programs include introductory classes, sesshin, workshops, and training periods, as well as face-to-face meetings with Abbot Wendy Egyoku Nakao and other Center teachers. The practice of zazen and koan training is in the Maezumi-Glassman lineage.

ZEN: Roshi Joan Halifax (video)

Wisdom Quarterly; Krista Tippett (onbeing.org, 12-26-13), Roshi Joan Halifax (upaya.org)

"The craft of loving-kindness is the everyday face of wisdom and the ordinary hand of compassion. This wisdom face, this hand of mercy, is never realized alone but always with and through others." - Roshi Joan Halifax (upaya.org)

 

Joan Halifax on Compassion's Edge States and Caring Better

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by all the bad news and horrific pictures in the world. This is a form of empathy, Joan Halifax says, that works against us. The Zen abbess (Upaya.org) and medical anthropologist has bracing, nourishing thoughts on finding buoyancy rather than burnout -- or compassion fatigue -- in how we work, live, and care.

• Unedited interview: Joan Halifax
• Radio Show/Podcast (MP3, 51:06) 
• Learn More about the Show

(Library of Congress) Joan Halifax talks about empathy and compassion

on the part of caregivers who are tending to the ill and dying. 

Joan Halifax Roshi is a Buddhist teacher, Zen priestess, medical anthropologist, and author. She is founder, abbess, and head teacher of Upaya Zen Center, a Buddhist monastery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has worked in the area of death and dying for over 30 years and is director of the Project On Being with Dying. For the past 25 years, she has been active in environmental work.

• Free energy will transform and save the world
• Guardian angels (devas) or psychological aberration?
• Padmanadi vegan restaurant Edmonton, Alberta

ZCLA: Field trip to Zen Center Los Angeles

Roshi Jeff Albrizze (PasaDharma.org), CC Liu, Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; ZCLA video 

The Los Angeles/Mexican Day of the Dead/Japanese Obon Festival, ZCLA, 2012 (filmed and edited by Nicholas Tana and Denise Acosta, posted Oct. 29, 2013).

ZCLA

PasaDharma Zen sitting group will carpool from Pasadena (Del Mar at Hudson) at 7:45 am, Nov. 10, 2013, to the Zen Center of Los Angeles (ZCLA, 923 South Normandie Ave., 90006-1301) in the Miracle Mile district just west of downtown to see the British-born Abbot Charles Tenshin Fletcher Roshi (Yokoji Zen Mountain Center, California).

• 8:30-9:00: Chanting "The Gate of Sweet Nectar" (please bring canned food offerings for hungry ghosts and to benefit needy families in the area)
• 9:00-9:35: Zazen (silent seated meditation)
• 9:35-10:20: Kinhin (walking meditation)
• 10:45-12:00: Dharma Talk by Roshi Fletcher
• 12:15-12:45: Snack (usually bagels and locks)

ZMC

Drive or carpool. Wear dark, loose, comfortable clothing free of distracting colors or logos. Please refrain from wearing excessive perfume, cologne, or jewelry. FREE. No fee for participating but donations to the center are accepted.

(ZMC.org) Year-round Zen Buddhist training center located in SoCal mountains east of LA

Tenshin Roshi (zmc.org)

Zen Center Los Angeles (ZCLA), Buddha Essence Temple, founded 1967 by Taizan Maezumi Roshi, has provided teachings and the opportunity to practice Japanese-style Soto Zen Buddhism in an American context for all who come through the temple's (gateless) gate. The mission of the institution is to know the self, maintain the precepts, and serve others by providing the teaching, training, and transmission of Zen Buddhism with a vision of an enlightened world in which suffering is transcended, all beings live in harmony, everyone has enough, deep wisdom is realized, and compassion flows unhindered. ZCLA honors and actively welcomes diversity with regard to religion, race, gender, age, mental ability, physical ability, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic background. ZCLA programs include introductory classes, sesshin (sitting intensives), workshops, training periods, and face to face meetings (dokusan, interviews) with Abbot Wendy Egyoku Nakao and other center teachers. Zazen and koan training in the Maezumi-(Bernie) Glassman lineage is practiced.

(ZMC.org) Short film: "Yokoji Zen Mountain Center" day-to-day life prior to the forest fire and flooding at Yokoji ZMC in the San Jacinto Mountains, Southern California.

KOAN: Beiko's No Enlightenment

Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly with Roshi Jeff Albrizze (PasaDharma.org), Book of Equanimity, Case 62; ZCLA (ZenCenter.com); Alan Watts(KPFK.org/Pacifica Radio)

Zen is a Mahayana school that developed in China during the 6th century as Chán (jhana). Zen spread south to Vietnam, northeast to Korea, and east to Japan (desktopc.com).

Kipp Ryodo Hawley (left), Lorraine Gesho Kumpf, John Heart Mirror Trotter, Mark Shogen Bloodgood, George Mukei Horner, ZCLA at special open house service (Wisdom Quarterly)

  

PREFACE TO THE ASSEMBLY

(photographybydavidmcmeekin/flickr.com)

The primary meaning of Bodhidharma's principle muddled Emperor Wu's head.

The non-dual [Mahayana Buddhism adopted the Brahminical, Vedic, Hindu concept of Advaita rather than keeping to what the historical Buddha taught] Dharma gate of Vimalakirti made Manjushri's speech go wrong.

Is there anything here of enlightenment to enter and use?

MAIN CASE

Attention!

Master Beiko sent a monk to ask Kyozan, "Do people these days have to attain enlightenment?"

Kyozan replied, "It's not that there's no enlightenment,

But how can one not fall down into the second level?"*

The monk related this to Beiko, who wholeheartedly approved it.

• *How can one not remain stuck in "the second level," that is, in one's foundational serenity (zen) practice rather than ascending to final liberating-insight (vipassana)?
• AUDIO: Alan Watts explains Zen, koans, "Haiku" (Pacifica)

APPRECIATORY VERSE

Kwannon in the garden (WQ)

The second level divides enlightenment and rends delusion.

Better to promptly let go and discard traps and snares.

Merit, if not yet extinguished, becomes an extra appendage.

It is as difficult to know wisdom as to bite one's navel.

The waning moon's icy disk; autumn dew weeps.

Benumbed birds, jeweled trees, dawn's breeze chills.

Bringing it out, great Kyozan discerns true and false.

Completely without flaw, the splendid jewel is priceless.

 

Outside the "Gateless Gate" of the uber urban Zen Center, Los Angeles (WQ)

KOAN: Shuzan's Three Phrases

Wisdom Quarterly, Roshi Jeff Albrizze (pasadharma.org), Book of Equanimity, Case 76

PREFACE TO THE ASSEMBLY

One phrase clarifies three phrases.

Three phrases clarify one phrase.

Three and one do not interact.

Clear and obvious is the path of the utmost.

Tell me: Which phrase is first?

MAIN CASE

Attention!

Shuzan addressed the assembly: "When you are awakened by the first phrase,  

You become a teacher of buddhas and ancestors.

When you are awakened by the second phrase, you become a teacher of humans and devas [advanced beings from space].

When you are awakened by the third phrase, you can't even save yourself."

A monk asked, "Osho, by which phrase were you awakened?"

Shuzan replied, "After the Moon sets in the third watch, one penetrates through the city."     

 

APPRECIATORY VERSE

Withered skulls of buddhas and ancestors skewered on one stick.

The water clock's drop after drop moves the pointer minutely.

Essential activity of devas and humans.

Firing a thousand pounds by catapult.

Thunderheads glistening and glowing swiftly shoot down lightning.

You, over here! See the transformations. 

When meeting the humble, be noble. 

When meeting the noble, be humble.

Leaving the finding of the jewel to Mosho, the ultimate Way stretches endlessly. 

Letting the butcher's knife sort freely in the dead ox, there's implicit trust each moment.

MEANING?

A koan (Zen riddle, puzzle, aphorism -- a question or statement meant to provoke "great doubt") is a means of stopping discursive thought, not of instigating it. For when the mind stills, it may be possible to know-and-see. So long as it is moving (vibrating like Patanjali's vrittis), there are distortions. The way to know, the way to see is to sit (zazen), and to walk (kinhin), and to wash dishes and so on (zen). A koan study group and meditation is available every Thursday night, FREE, in Pasadena, California at PasaDharma.org.