Atta Dipa

Atta Dipa

ATTA DIPA VIHARATHA ATTA SARANA ANANNA SARANA DHAMMA DIPA DHAMMA SARANA ANANNA SARANA

You are the light! Dwell.
You are the refuge.
Have no other as your refuge.
Light of the Dharma.
Refuge of the Dharma.
Have no other as your refuge.

These words were given by the Buddha to his cousin and student Ananda right before his death. Panicked and weeping, Ananda perceived he had lost his opportunity to awaken with the Buddha’s death. Ananda thought, “Who will lead and teach me?” The Buddha’s reply, his medicine, is beautiful and compassionate. Even upon his last moments, the Buddha comforted and empowered those around him. You are the light! These words are still spoken everyday by countless members of the Maha Sangha. These words still pacify and inspire countless students of the way. I invite you to not only speak these words but, to pass through the gate left by the Buddha, and KNOW, you are the light!

Zen Ordination at Blue Mountain

For those thinking of ordination, please consider the following. In the Rinzai tradition there are practices in place to test our dedication and metal. In more traditional Zen Center those tests range from being told over and over to leave or give up to a step-up process to gain admittance to the zendo. Our zendo requires a commitment of a one year period. The postulate must attend all activities and retreats for a solid year as well as dedicating time to temple maintenance. At other temples they require students to live at the monastery FT.  At Blue Mountain Zendo a student becomes a postulate after one year and an unsui after 2.5. As a postulate, the student wears the robes and trains as a monk but, is not yet truly ordained as a novice. There is good reason for these traditions. They help both the teacher and the student determine whether the life of a monk is a good fit or not. They allow the student to feel what will be required of them after ordination. One of the most eye opening experiences a postulate will encounter is the sacrifice of time. Practice must come first. This is a “life” commitment.  We can not put on and take off our robes as we desire. We wear the kesa wherever we go and whatever task we are engaged in. When we are called, we must be willing to say “hai”! There is no debating the call of the bell, however, this does not mean we do not set boundaries in our life. It just gives our life a primary direction, which is first and foremost our commitment to practice. There are also many examples of start and stop practice. We may begin at a time that is just not optimal for our endeavor and decide “not yet”. This does not mean that in the future we can not try again. Dropping out of ordination training and realizing that it is not a good fit, is exactly why there is an intense initial commitment.
At Blue Mountain Zendo, once we have dedicated ourselves to one year of training, there are only three exceptions: work obligations that can not be missed, sickness and a one week vacation ect. These to me are written in stone as they are a 25 year old compromise. A balance between the tradition I was introduced to, and the needs of the sangha I now serve. Believe me, originally there was no excuse to miss zazenkai or sesshin at Blue Mountain Zendo.  Some centers still adhere to the old guidelines to monastic entry, and I get it. I can’t say I don’t miss that hard core unwavering commitment but, in the west the reality of practice is different for many. All things change, and some who are called find themselves leaving home, without leaving home. Did I mention the tens of thousands of dollars spent on training? Yes, the teachings are free but, the space and its functions are not. So this is another sacrifice and sometimes one of the most difficult. With this being said, I have never heard of a zen center turning a student away due to an inability to pay. Work exchange or scholarships are many times offered. Asking for charity is another great lesson for a monk.
Today a student of one day said to me after a 15 minute sit, “This feels like home”. I remember saying those exact words. That feeling is what has guided me up unto this moment. I can’t begin to explain the gratitude I feel, and the debt I owe my family for supporting me. Today, every time I place the kesa on my head and recite the “Verse of the kesa” I remember how heavy it felt at one time. Now it feels like nothing other than “home”.

Uninvited Guest

Death is always an unexpected dinner guest. The table has long been set, and the candles are burning down. Best to enjoy the feast before it grows cold.

Giving

Dana “giving” is an important part of spiritual practice. Commonly we perceive the recipient as the blessed one, however, in Zen Practice we perceive both the recipient and the benefactor as equally blessed. They are interconnected and one. As the benefactor we are blessed with the feelings, thoughts and karma of giving. The apparent of giving is the sense of connection we form with the receiver (other) and the positive mental energy (nen) we experience and emanate. Our heart opens and our consciousness expands outward, infecting others as they too open. As the beneficiary, we feel held and loved. Our heart opens and we experience joy and gratitude. As with the benefactor, our gratitude and joy ripples outward and manifests within those around us. For example, we see a homeless man begging at a local intersection. We think for a moment, and then decide to offer charity. We wave the man over and give him money. He thanks and blesses us. Unbeknownst to us, others who are also debating what to do see us, and they too are inspired to give based on our example. These small acts are like casting a little stone within a large pond. The stone is cast, it strike the surface, and the ripples move outward enveloping the waters. Charity comes in many different ways. Holding the door open, allowing someone to go before us, listening to a friend, offering your time or just being fully present. It could even include doing nothing. The ways of giving are infinite. Please enjoy investigating them all.

Settle in

Zen Practice is one of those lifetime endeavors, it is not something we ever truly perfect. There are no “Zen Masters”, only students of the way. With this being said, it only makes sense that those senior Dharma bothers and sister help guide those with less experience. As with any endeavor, the longer and more diligent we practice, the more proficient we become at it. It takes a few years for a new student to begin to embody and experience the practice with any maturity. There is a lot of emptying and healing that must take place before we begin to see clearly. So for those students who have done a few zazenkai or sesshin and think they understand the practice…you don’t. Keep that “don’t know” mind and march onward. If you stay the course and apply yourself, the reward confirms your conviction. There are no shortcuts, and there are no formulations to learn and deploy. A few sits are a good start but, will not do. Relinquish your projections and settle into the form, and in the readiness of time, your roots will strike deep and the cool waters will nourish you. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Fear of Death

The fear of death is the great usurper of life. We dress death in infinite suffering and pain, swathed in a dark cloak of totality. We attempt to hide, yet it always finds us. We try to ignore it, yet its patience always surpasses our own. It is only when we open ourselves completely to life, do we also open ourselves completely to death. Two sides of the same coin, within death there is life and within life there is death. So I ask you, when death comes and your elements scatter to the four directions, what of you then?

Called forth, called home.

Unbridled waves playfully chase as they dance across the sands. Exhausted, empty, and vast, the ocean calls its own. Neither deep nor shallow, nor trench nor shore. Called forth, called home. A willows whisper, a lions roar.

Living Word

When I first started to chant the “Great Vows” I was concerned that I didn’t know exactly what I was chanting. Moreover, the chants were in another language. I spent a lot of time researching various translations and attempting to chant it in English to “understand” it better. “It surely would be better if it was done in English”, I thought to myself. Why then are we chanting in Japanese? This line of questioning would carry over to all the other chants, a preoccupation with conceptual understanding. Understanding has its importance but, is there more to it? There is something in Zen Practice I like to call the “living word”. The best way to convey its meaning is to point to the experience of the word(s) not just the conceptual understanding. This “Living word” is only realized amongst the swaying pines and the summer breeze. It is the Rosetta stone of the dregs of Zen. Not only Zen but, all awakened residual that was playful left by saint and sinner. These fragments hint yet remain closed off like an iron mountain. When we open heart and mind and step into the moment completely, we step though the conduit of the word. Stepping through, the living word becomes our own and we “…see with the same eye and hear with the same ear…” as our ancestors. The word dissolves and we completely feel and experience the source. We return home. Today when I chant the “Great Vows” there is no thought, no forced concentration but, a complete immersion into the limitless experience of the sound. There is no chant and there is no one chanting, there is just the experience of returning home amongst the swaying pines and summer breeze. The next time you chant or read, I invite you to let go of the word, open yourself completely and allow the gate to fall away as the living word washes over you.

Temple Sesshin (Day Retreat) June 06 21

Beginners Welcomed

Sesshin is a great opportunity to experience Zen Monastic practice. Come join the Blue Mountain Sangha for Summer Sesshin, and gain true and lasting insight.
“Sesshin”, literally “to collect the mind”, is the Zen Buddhist seclusion or intensive period, consisting of one to ten days of silent meditative practice. Included in these periods are daily Zazen, Dharma Talks/Teisho (sermons), Samu (work) periods, and private interview/meeting (Dokusan) twice daily with Ryuun Joriki Baker, Osho. During Sesshin, the Zen Student concentrates on nothing but collecting the scattered energies of the mind, so they may realize their true nature. For many, the awakened experience feels hidden and separate from our daily lives, in return, we seek it outwardly. It is only when we take a backward step, that we realize how intimate it truly is.

March On

I remember early in practice wanting change so badly. Buddhism was to be my refuge and surely magical things would follow. It was a rude awakening, and letting go of a headful of ignorance was no small undertaking. Oh, the patience and understanding of my teachers. Not to mention my stubbornness used for positive change for once. I knew there was something there, I knew I had to find change and I knew I would not give up. Thirty years later and here I am. There was no magical occurrence yet there was something unexpected, that is for another time. So for all those students out there who “know” there is something to this Zen thing, you’re right. Use that faith and do not waiver in this endeavor. Keep at it, and even if your practice is off and on, find a teacher you can relate to and a group you feel comfortable with. Big or small temple, known or unknown teacher, these matter little. Is the teacher filled with joy, and is the sangha supportive of each other? Trust yourself, you will find the way.