Zen Sesshin with Kobun Chino Sensei

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "Zen Sesshin with Kobun Chino Sensei"

Transcription

1 Zen Sesshin with Kobun Chino Sensei Forewords In 1974, at Naropa Institute, Kobun accepted me as a disciple. It s almost like I can t speak for the person that I was, back then. It feels like I m speaking for someone else. But at that time, I think, I felt that my sitting was a true spiritual practice, that I was actually doing spiritual work, arriving at reality by my body and mind. I guess I could say that I was more idealistic than I am now. My sitting has become less busy, less focused on trying to arrive somewhere. When you do a sesshin, you have to come home to yourself, as you are. But your sense of your body and your mind is not just your located consciousness, or your particular bag of skin, but something bigger than that. So you could say that, back then, what I considered spiritual practice was endeavoring to come home to things as they are, bhu ta ta ya tha, as it isness, things as they are. I ve become interested in Sanskrit words, because their meaning is broader, bigger, more loaded, than most English words. In my understanding, what Sanskrit words mean and what they convey, compared to English, is like a paragraph, compared to a sentence. For instance, yatham bhutam, isasanskritword,anoldword. It means thusness, isness, nowness, unbound and unfabricated reality. When we are able to sit, and at other times, too, although when we sit we are setting up a deliberate situation, it is to make that experience accessible, or if the experience, itself, is not accessible, to make ourselves more pliable, to be able to be taught, to be able to receive reality, without fabrication. On the other hand, I can t say that I go into sesshin, or into practice, with an aspiration for that experience. I might say that I don t think of practice as a project or an assignment, to wake up, or to be a better person. I don t go into practice like that. I just sit down, to sit down. Sitting is kind of like taking a break, or taking a rest, but not the superficial kind of rest that we want when we are physically tired. When we are existentially tired, just tired of not being complete, of not really being a complete person, then it s a good time to take a break and be quiet. Sitting is not necessarily about finding happiness, either, although they say that when the Buddha awakened, he was happy, so thoroughly happy, that even his five friends who had rejected him when he renounced his ascetic ways, couldn t continue to reject him, because he appeared so complete, so happy, so real, that they had to inquire, What s going on with you? Why are you so happy?" They became his first disciples. The word happy in modern usage can be very superficial. It has to do with getting your immediate needs met, or believing yourself to be satisfied in one way or another, or 1

2 not being in pain, or having something given to you that gives you pleasure. Happiness in abuddhistcontextmightbetterbedescribedasthesanskritword,piti, orpithi. Commonly it gets translated as bliss." This meaning is often misconstrued because bliss," in English, means some sort of ecstatic state, but piti means a thorough sense of well being and completeness, composure, and confidence, a feeling of having arrived, being deeply happy, not just superficially happy. With piti there isn t a question of it lasting a short time or a long time, or that it has any duration. It s more that it s a feeling of completion, and being complete, not only is it not superficial, it isn t transitory. So the Buddha was happy in that way, and it not only affected him, it affected the people whom he encountered. People asked why he was so happy, and in answering, he started to teach. And what he taught, initially, was the reason why people were not happy, laying out four truths: Unhappiness exists, it has a cause, there can be cessation of unhappiness, and there is a path, which he called the Eightfold Path. But, thinking about my own happiness or unhappiness in meditation, I ve had experiences where I ve had insight, and where I felt good in meditation. I ve also had experiences when I struggled, and felt overwhelmed or defeated by the fullness and creativity in my mind, my mental production. At times I ve had trouble following my breath, when I have a busy mind. I have occasionally made a little scene for myself, in my mind. It goes, Okay, you re having trouble following your breath. What if you were breathing for another person, like arespiratorinahospital,andthatpersonneededyoutobeawareofeverybreath,orthey would die." This has helped me to be mindful, although often I don t quite believe the scenario I have set up, so my mind wanders! Idon tthinki mlookingfor,ornecessarilyreceiving,happiness,intheordinarysense, from meditation. One of many ways to understand the meditation experience is suggested by the meal ritual called oryoki." Interestingly, the term means, just enough" in Japanese. One could say, just enough food, just enough happiness." Related to this idea, just enough" is the notion of a complete" person. What does it mean for a person to be complete, to arrive at the totality of themselves, or, rather, to rest in the totality of themselves? What does it take for a meal, or a person, to be complete? One knows there is still plenty of food in the kitchen, lots of work to be done, a great deal of unfinished business to be taken care of, but, in this moment, there is enough. A complete person is one who brings all of himself, or herself, to the moment. For instance, when meeting with another person, it doesn t mean one may not have other concerns, worries about a partner, for example, at the same time he or she is meeting you. Such a person doesn t hold back from the present moment, lean to one side or another, cling to this or that view. A complete person is right in the middle of the situation, so that you experience meeting with a real person, a whole person. Further, it s not just that person meeting me and me meeting him or her, there is a feeling that that person meets everyone, meets a cup of tea, meets troubles, meets the tire pressure in their car, meets everything, with that same willingness to be upright. This is what I saw in Kobun, when I was face to face with Kobun. For the most part, he had no hidden agenda. He was willing to teach me, invited me to sit down with him, and I found it a kind of right place to be. I knew I couldn t be like him. I didn t have a personality that was similar to his, but I wanted to be affected by him. In Kobun, I saw a complete person. When talking about sesshin, more than once I heard Kobun say you should settle your life, make arrangements, and go into it, not like jumping off acliff, butwalkingintoashallow 2

3 incline. In other words, don t just jump into sesshin from the busyness of your life. Move into it slowly, gradually sloughing off the concerns of your busy daily life. And after sesshin, go slowly back into the world. Don t jump back into the world. Move slowly, and don t load yourself with some stimulating activity that you believe you missed while you were gone. A week before and after sesshin, move slowly into and out of it. For my whole life, I ve had intentions of doing that, and haven t yet done it! Sesshin is a device arranged to make things very, very simple, minimal, and direct, for sitting. It might be seen as an artificial situation which is set up to invite ourselves to notice that we re here. We re just here. The various forms included in sesshin are intended to support this effort. Most of us were brought up to have a goal, something to accomplish, whenever anything involves effort, so the supporting structure in sesshin is designed to let us just be, alone, and with a group of people. Being responsible for helping with the structure, is nothing more nor less than taking care of the whole, the group, and the experience, which has no goal. The Japanese meaning of sesshin" is to gather," to gather as one, to gather as one mind." Shin" is mind/heart," to gather together as one heart, one mind." It includes working together, sitting down and facing the wall together, walking in meditation together. The Buddha is often in the middle, in the traditional zendo. And then around that altar, like a circle, are the backs of all the people. And these backs become more like guardians for the Buddha, for the soft core; we become these strong backs. We also become a mandala around the center of wisdom. Sometimes I feel my back and the back of the next person are like a shield. It must be the way a soldier feels going into battle, supported by the others. I actually have sat next to people and, without saying one word, have felt this bond, this enormous connection, something even beyond love. Sometimes I feel absolute unity with the people I m sitting with. And then sometimes my knee hurts, and that s not so good! I was hungry, one time, with a friend. As I was remarking how hungry I was, talking about the pain of hunger, she said she was hungry, too. She said, Sometimes I really appreciate being hungry, because that feeling of hunger makes me feel that I m alive." I ll never forget that. A feeling of discomfort, or a feeling of pain, or of hunger, is a kind of marker that we re alive. It s kind of checking in... we can almost appreciate the pain, kind of perking you up, waking you up. Then, when the bell rings and the period ends, the pain is gone. You place your feet on the ground, and the contact of your foot on the solid ground feels good. Of course, for a lot of people, the pain isn t gone... Kobun defined our mudra as hokkai join," dharma realm, samadhi seal." It is an oval, with the right hand representing the Buddha realm and the left hand representing the human realm. So, in this image, the Buddha realm supports the human realm. The Buddha supports us, supports life. And the Buddha realm and the human realm touch and make a complete circle, over the hara. Ho" means dharma," and kai" means sphere, area, realm." So it s the realm of all dharmas. Dharmadatu means the same thing. When you put your hands together in this mudra, you make a universal gesture, a cosmic" gesture. You make the dharmadatu here. You make the realm of all existence, here. And you confirm it, it s acknowledged, by your samadhi, your sam a ta, your equilibrium, your settling where you are, which is your samadhi. So you confirm, you seal it, meet it, you acknowledge it by your samadhi. Your samadhi is inviting all things, all beings in the world to be here, or acknowledged to be here. In that sense, it is universal, cosmic. So as soon as you put your hands in this mudra, every one and every thing is here 3

4 with you. You sit with everything. And you sit in the service of everything, and you sit because of everything. Everything supports you and you support everything. You meet everything, and everything meets you. This is the center of the world. There are many, many centers, but when you have taken this mudra, this is the center of the world. And also all the fingers represent Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Shravakas, Prateka Buddhas, the deva realm, human realm, asura realm, realm of the jealous deities, the hungry ghosts, animals, the hell realm. They are maps, or categories, psychological states, or beings. So the symbology of the mudra, if you want to boil it down, basically says, Everything is here." It s universal. Everybody is with you. The hell realm is here with you, the heavenly realm is with you, the Buddhas are here with you, the Bodhisattvas are with you." So it s a really auspicious mudra, in a certain sense. As I get older, more familiar with sitting sesshins and daily sitting, they get less busy. It s not like I don t have thought streams, or flickerings of thoughts, or have periods where my mind is distracted. But definitely it s less busy in that I m not trying to meditate, or be a meditator. I just sit down, that s enough. I m happy to do it, sometimes! Michael Newhall k Asesshinisasittingmarathonlastingfromtwodaystoamonth. IntheSotoZentradition, the length of a sesshin is often seven days, in which sitting periods of 30 to 40 minutes are alternated with walking meditation, meals, sleep, and work. My approach to sesshin, in the early seventies, was first influenced by my experience with weekend psychodrama marathons." Webster s Dictionary defines marathon" as an endurance contest," referring to some kind of race, but anyone who finishes a marathon can be regarded as a winner! Moreover, when a group of people stay together in a room for a long time, it can be kind of like a pressure cooker. In Zen practice, the schedule, and silence, provide some protection against the pressures of group interaction. On the other hand, one s mind is free to play with itself, so to speak! At Haiku Zendo, Kobun introduced us to sesshin sometime in the early seventies with a one-day series of 40-minute sittings, telling us that if we could do that, we could do a sesshin. The impression I had from listening to him was that sesshin was a necessary part of Zen practice, certainly if one hoped to attain enlightenment. Sesshin loomed as a mountain to be climbed and Kobun implied that it was not going to be easy. To my knowledge, no one in our sangha had much, if any, experience with sesshin, so we were pretty excited about learning how to do it. There was so much to learn: Schedule, meals, work periods, keeping time, getting up at 5 AM, working together, and pacing ourselves in order to keep going. Sesshin jobs were explained and assigned by Kobun: Ino, Tenzo, Shika, Doan, etc. We needed instruction in oryoki," opening and putting away our eating bowls. For a couple of years our experience at Haiku Zendo included weekend sesshins which started Friday evening and ended Sunday afternoon. It has been more than 40 years, so what I can write about that time is based on brief glimpses into my faded memory. Practically, Tenzo had the biggest job, as cooking for 30 people was much harder than cooking at home! Naturally there had to be kitchen helpers, who did not always agree on how to get a job done, so if personalities were going to clash, 4

5 they clashed in the kitchen. And there was the serving job, which included kneeling to serve the sitters, carrying water for tea and washing bowls, and collecting the offering for hungry ghosts. One time I had an angry exchange in the kitchen after I discovered during outdoor kinhin that someone had disposed of the offering on a stepping stone in our host s well-manicured garden! I thought this was thoughtless and disgusting, complaining about it in the kitchen, so another student snapped at me, You don t have enough faith!" Well! We had different religious backgrounds, but these kinds of complaints and temper outbursts weren t part of our practice, needless to say! Also, some people maintained full-time jobs in their daily lives, supporting families, while many of us were unemployed or working part time, or housewives," and these differences in life style affected our relationships with each other. Myself, I had divorced, and lived with my boyfriend. Both of us were unemployed, devoting ourselves to spiritual" pursuits. We lived quite comfortably on $300 a month, as I recall. Before discovering Zen practice, I had trailed along with my boyfriend, going to India, visiting various gurus" there and in the Bay Area, without finding anything sensible or satisfactory to my skeptical nature. It was a huge relief to find a teacher and practice which allowed me some peace without insulting my intelligence. Once Tenzo (an engineering student) wanted me to wash each piece of spinach separately and I angrily refused, plunging all the spinach into a sink full of water. I assumed he was trying to preserve vitamins while I just wanted to get the job done. We were all such amateurs in this practice, with different attitudes toward and experiences with religion, cooking, housework, men s and women s roles, and money, to name just a few areas. We were living in California, in the seventies, and many of us had rebelled against what we saw as middle class values, while others seemed to combine them comfortably with Zen practice. Ifeltthatsesshinwasaveryspiritualthingtodo,andeveryacthadaspiritualsignificance. Surprising to me, being eager to sit zazen and follow a Japanese traditional practice did not guarantee compatibility! One of Kobun s jobs was to bring us together in spite of our differences. Facing the wall while sitting zazen seemed isolating, at first. Kobun told us this was actually facing the world, not turning away from the world, and eventually it felt like a safe way to sit. But then there was the kyosaku." Kobun had us take turns walking slowly around the zendo during zazen, carrying the wooden staff used for hitting on the shoulders to relieve tension. When someone wanted to be hit, they bowed as the kyosaku came behind them and would receive a blow on each shoulder. I can t remember when this practice was stopped, but vividly remember my own shame and mortification when I accidentally hit a woman on the ear! She actually wept from the pain, and I apologized profusely. Years later she said she had forgotten this incident, to my relief. But soon there was no more kyosaku. Also, years later, I found out that, when he was in charge of training at Eiheji, Kobun had stopped using the kyosaku with most monks. In spite of that decision, he must have decided we in America could benefit from the discipline which the kyosaku represented, but found out it was not efficacious in the wrong hands! Haiku Zendo sesshins were often held at a youth hostel in the foothills about an hour s drive away from Haiku Zendo. This facility had rustic cabins, few bathrooms, and a large garden. Work period usually involved cleaning or gardening. For me, these weekend sesshins seemed to last a long time. After those two days, I definitely felt that I had climbed a mountain. Sitting for 40 minutes could be grueling, and sleeping in a crowded room difficult, 5

6 on the first night. On the other hand, there were the kinds of rewards that come when everyone is practicing together. One of the memorable parts, for me, was being awakened in the dark by the tinkling of a small bell that traveled from room to room, calling us all to zazen. On Saturday this was a painful wrenching from my bed, but on Sunday morning, it was a delicious sound, as if I d traveled to a peaceful place somewhere far away, and now I could bring this peaceful feeling to the zafu. Coming home on Sunday, everything in daily life seemed so easy and luxurious, and free, and I had extra energy for the next day. A profound sense of accomplishment came with this new feeling, although nothing in my daily life had really been accomplished. It seemed that Kobun was able to instill this sense of accomplishment. But it was not just the zazen, rather, it was the whole experience which we shared. Sitting, chanting, working, learning, sleeping together in a new place, was an intimate experience of mutual effort directed toward the unknown experience of enlightenment. Iwaslearningtoappreciateordinarymomentsinmylife. Inowbelievethatzazenwasjust the centerpiece, and everything around it was part of a whole experience, everything equally valuable and important. For some people, the sitting was undoubtedly the most difficult part of sesshin. For me, sitting often seemed like a relief from the feeling of incompetence which attended all the other tasks. The last ten minutes or so of a 40-minute sitting period was sometimes hard, but the rest was like coming back home. It was cosy, just looking at a wall, just being with myself. That is what I appreciated the most, no pressure, no judging. And then there was silence. Work period and kitchen work did require talking, just to explain what needed to be done, but otherwise, silence was encouraged at sesshin. One did not need to greet others with, Hi," Hello," or even with a smile. A bow was enough. It was gratifying to trust that the other person would not be annoyed or disappointed if you didn t acknowledge them in the customary way. And it was not necessary to go out of your way to bow. And, of course, other sounds, especially birds, were easy to hear and enjoy. When surrounded by silence, there seemed to be a beginning, middle, and end to each sound. I was grateful for the sounds, when they had silence before and after them. It made the silence even more beautiful. One way of breaking silence is chanting, so the combination of meal chants and oryoki added to my pleasure in eating. The food tasted delicious to me. Once I brought home some leftover soup from sesshin and found that, at home, it tasted like dishwater! Seventy-two labors brought us this food, we should know how it comes to us." Chanting this appreciation before eating, part of the oryoki ritual, focused my mind and added to my hunger. I had to focus because it was so easy to make a mistake with oryoki, unlike zazen, where no one, hopefully, can see your mistakes! Oryoki also protected against greed, I painfully learned, as one had to eat everything in the bowl in a hurry, or suffer the humiliation of asking for a container to put in uneaten food. In the early days, we all struggled with oryoki, and that was okay. More recently, it has been a little humiliating for me that I can t remember where to place the spoon, or how to tie the knot! I learned that kinhin, walking meditation, also helped me to slow down my mind and move at the same time. Plus I could also leave the zendo to go to the bathroom or get something from my room with a minimum of disturbance to others practice. The idea was that, doing kinhin, a person watching from a distance could not see me move. Discovering how to approach tasks in work period was another new experience. Some jobs seemed pretty strenuous, like digging, or extremely delicate, like cleaning the incense urn. It was learning 6

7 and doing at the same time, also accepting that the job often took longer than the time alloted. Kobun taught that whatever we were doing was the most important thing we could possibly be doing, although I could never fully understand or explain why. Sometimes Kobun s lectures didn t make much sense to me, and sometimes even he seemed to share this confusion, as he spoke slowly, haltingly. I really had to slow down to listen to him. Partly because of his hesitating speech, but more because he managed, in spite of the limitations of language, to get across to me that he really knew what he was talking about, Kobun communicated a sense of wonder. Yet the pauses seemed endless, forcing me to let go of my eagerness to hear the next idea or conclusion. I was surprised to realize that this person, who was expressing in English what he was thinking in Japanese, really did feel connected to all life, and to realize that I was, too. Since sesshins led by Kobun were separated by long absences during which he traveled and lived and taught in other locations, his state of mind varied when it came time to give a talk. He did not conceal his emotions. He was sometimes sad or full of regret about his own flaws and mistakes, as well as his vulnerabilities. He never preached. And yet, even when he was fumbling with his English words, Kobun was still at ease. I could accept his teaching because he did not put it forward. It just poured out of him. Finally, it needs to be acknowledged that although Kobun encouraged all people to do zazen, he emphasized sitting on a zafu with crossed legs. Yet there is no doubt that he was just as committed to helping teach meditation in any position, including seiza and chair-sitting. Judy Cosgrove k There may come a time when sitting in a cross-legged position for zazen just doesn t work anymore. It may be your knees, your inner thighs, or some other delicate body part that just won t allow it. I used to sit Burmese style and had no problems until suddenly my hair started to turn a bit gray, and I was surprised to find my knees (after about fifteen minutes) were complaining. I tried meditating on the pain, tried meditating on mu to ignore the pain, but it just didn t work. All I could think about was, I can t do this. Yet meditation is one of the most important things I do for my own wellbeing (and hopefully the wellbeing of others). Fortunately I had two men in my Sangha at that time who sat in seiza, one using pillows and the other using a bench. It is possible to sit seiza without a pillow, kneeling, with the buttocks resting on the upturned feet, which form an anatomical cushion. Or you can use a pillow to keep the weight off your ankles. A third way of sitting seiza is to use the seiza bench. It keeps all the weight off your feet and legs and helps to keep your spine straight. I tried using pillows... the zafu under my buttocks or between my legs, but I could never get it quite right. Then I ordered a seiza bench and I ve never looked back. Seiza in Japanese means proper sitting. It is used in Japan for formal sittings, such the tea ceremony. Although it is probably easier if one has grown up with sitting in this position, still one can learn to sit this way and find relative comfort while meditating. (There will be some people who cannot sit in this position of course. There is some pressure on the knees and legs that might not be comfortable.) I do not find much difference sitting in a seiza position than sitting the usual cross-legged position. It may seem strange to be up a 7

8 bit higher than the meditators next to you, and if you like the feeling of being anchored to mother earth, that will change. However, I find sitting seiza easier to keep a good spinal position and stay straight with the shoulders lined up with the ears. I tend to slowly lean forward or to the side in the traditional position and this doesn t happen to me sitting seiza. Also for long all-day sittings or sesshins, it can be helpful to switch between cross-legged and seiza positions. I highly recommend a seiza bench. There are several kinds available, both flat and angled. What the bench does is take the weight of your body off your legs. If you don t use a bench it is easy for the legs and feet to fall asleep. Using a bench you slide your legs under the bench, sit back on it, legs a little bit apart and center your weight on the bench until you can lift your spine in a comfortable seated position. You should feel stable, centered and your spine should feel straight but not stiff. Itisquiteeasytokeepthespine nice and straight in this position. Tuck your chin in just a bit, and hands in mudra position or on your knees. Most people find that a bench which comes with a flat pillow is more comfortable. You might discover it is helpful to place a pillow in your lap to lift up your hands, although that will depend on your own body type. Also, if you are especially tall or short you might want to have a bench made to your comfort level. The most important thing is to try to sit in the seiza position. Borrow someone s bench or go to a shop that sells meditation materials and try one out. It might work for you. Kate Abbe k Chair sitting lacks the balance and stability floor sitting provides. Although feet are in direct contact with the floor, the body seems to sit in air, so all the natural small movements of floor sitting are slightly amplified in a chair, and one moves as a blade of grass moves slightly in a small breeze. At the same time, uprightness of spine, torso, belly, lungs, breath can be identical to floor sitting. With a thin cushion under us, we sit on the edge of the chair seat, feet flat on the floor, thighs at a slight downward angle, equal weight on the sit-bones. The classical instructions to tuck the chin, align the ears, relax shoulders, are the same in either position. Although at first, a new necessity to sit in a chair instead of a zafu can feel like a come down and a loss, knowing there is no need to stop practice when the body begins to falter, one can feel profound gratitude for a practice we can continue for a lifetime. Angie Boissevain Editor s Note As far as I am aware, sesshin talks given during the first couple of years with Haiku Zendo students were not recorded, or preserved. The basis of the present text is transcribed and edited recordings of Kobun s sesshin talks between 1974 and After 1980 these were held at Jikoji Zen Temple, although some of the material also presented here comes from Monday Morning Class, held during the early 70 s in various homes. Angie Boissevain, who has dedicated much of her life to preserving Kobun s teaching, transcribed most of the talks. Without her continuing effort in typing out the words from audio tapes, tapes which were difficult to decipher, there would be no record of his words. He never wrote them down in 8

9 English, and never spoke from notes, making frequent references to Buddhist history and stories from memory. Quick checks on spelling and references to Buddhist teachings involved many visits to numerous books and websites. Sanscrit or Pali terms were put in italics when first introduced, and romanized Japanese terms in quotation marks. It seemed to make sense to eliminate the italics and quotation marks if the terms were repeated many times. On the other hand, some terms, such as vipassana, and shamatha, which were not commonly used in Kobun s teaching, were more appropriately kept in italics. This text is divided into four sections, each representing a sesshin named for an aspect of Buddha s life and teaching. Rohatsu sesshin is in memory of Buddha s enlightenment, Denkoeisinhonoroftheteachingrelationship,Tanjo-ecelebratesBuddha sbirth,andnehan-e, the Buddha s final Nirvana. Subjects were organized within these broad themes, although Kobun, himself, often varied his lectures according to what struck him as appropriate for whatever was happening in his and students minds. Here, it made sense to focus on zazen practice more intensely in the text chosen for Rohatsu, and Buddha s teachings in the form of Precepts, for Nehan-e. Judy Cosgrove Introduction The way to yourself is the longest way and the hardest way," says Carl Jung. Everybody would pay anything, his whole fortune, to avoid going to himself.... The way to the self is amostpainfulandshockingthingandonedoesnotwonderatallthesedifficulties in the road...so many desires not to find the road. To sign up for the seven day silent retreat called, sesshin," is to travel this very road. Indeed, the guiding intention of sesshin is not to avoid, but to consciously, perhaps even courageously, choose the long, hard way to self-discovery. What is avoided, however, is any form of intellectual knowledge, theory, or accumulation of facts about the self. Sesshin is not designed as an opportunity to solve personal problems or even to attain a special state of mind. Life has to be freed and lived, instead of being known," said Kobun. Knowing never satisfies." Upon entering sesshin,, one deliberately leaves knowing behind in favor of not knowing, of direct, personal experience of just being. One of Jung s favorite stories, entitled, The Rainmaker," captures the spirit of sesshin. It tells of a severe drought in the Chinese city of Kiao -Chou where crops were shriveling, animals dying and citizens were on the verge of starvation. Rituals of all kinds were performed to induce rain, but without success. Rumor had it that there lived a Rainmaker in a distant province, reputed to have magical control over the weather; and so he was summoned to the city. A tiny, old and wrinkled fellow appeared to great fanfare. Alighting from the official carriage, he looked about, sniffed the air, pointed to a small cottage on the side of a distant mountain and asked to be allowed to reside there in uninterrupted isolation for three days. So it was agreed, and three days passed uneventfully. On the fourth day, however, torrential rains fell upon the city. In great jubilation, a huge crowd of townsfolk made its way to the Rainmaker s cottage to thank him. Puzzled, the old man replied that he did not have 9

10 anything to do with making it rain. What, then, have you been doing these three days?" he was asked. Oh, I can explain that," he responded, I come from a place where things are in order, where things happen when they re supposed to happen. Here, things are out of order, and so being in a disordered place, it was necessary for me to wait three days until I could come round to being with things as they are supposed to be. Having restored the order inside myself, naturally the rains came when they were supposed to; and they will stop when they are supposed to stop." Sesshin provides a kind of metaphorical (sometimes literal) cottage on a mountainside, a refuge for those, much like the Rainmaker, who in the face of some form of disorder, intend to come back into congruence with things as they are supposed to be - with themselves just as they are. It is certainly easy enough to find a variety of definitions for the word, sesshin." What may be more useful, as well as more interesting, is to consider Kobun s special understanding of its nature and function and his own style of conducting sesshin. He often translated the term from the original Japanese as setsu: yoga nen: attention to conscious thought and intuition zai: let it stay, let them dwell shin: mind (heart/mind) Thus, we might describe sesshin as a gathering or binding together in awareness of all that arises just as it is. Moreover, as sesshin is also a group experience, we might understand it as a gathering and binding together in sangha (spiritual community) of all that we are just as we are. Sesshin is often described as an intensive meditation retreat, suggesting that the experience is more concentrated, more demanding, more difficult, and thus, perhaps more advanced" than ordinary sitting. But Kobun preferred not to treat it as an intensive, claiming that the experience was broader" and more basic." If anything, sesshin can be considered an experience deliberately designed and structured to radically reduce intensity. The contents of each day are predictably the same. A simple schedule of waking and sleeping, seated and walking meditation, three simple meals and work practice, worked out to the minute, is distributed to all participants and publically posted. The schedule may also include a formal service with chanting, private meetings (dokusan) with, and public talks (teisho) by aguidingteacher. Variousofficers are assigned specific roles to relieve participants of routine responsibilities and opportunities for distraction. No need to watch the clock: Doan keeps time for everyone. No need to plan, cook or clean up after meals: Tenzo and Fukuten do that. No need to solve logistical or housekeeping problems: the Ino and the Shika take care of those. If there are rules" in sesshin, they can be found in the details of the schedule. Indeed, one often hears experienced retreatants claim that during sesshin they can release the demands of self-conscious control and just become the schedule." The considerable effort required to establish a schedule and conduct a sesshin is designed to create an effortless environment in which retreatants can turn their attention and energy 10

11 inward. Kobun s way of conducting sesshin included lifting all rules except those essential to supporting the way of each individual. Participants were permitted to freely enter and leave the zendo. There was no forcing, no external pressure to sit, no kyosaku. Sitting was to be totally self-motivated. Even if one were unwilling or unable to attend an entire sesshin, partaking in even a small portion of the experience could be rewarding. Stepping into the zendo where people sit day after day, one can feel welcome and share in the committed energy. A willingness to participate in the schedule and honor the structure is all that is requested. One may step in and then step out, having tasted something of significance. You must find the effort supported by an internal fire," said Kobun. This is the true sesshin." Certain conditions help to keep this fire burning. Silence is the first of these conditions. It is less a rule, and more a natural expression of the way to become intimate with oneself: being and living without the need to express opinions, preferences and judgments, without argument, interpretation or analysis, without deference to social protocols. When we sit and live together for a few days, without question we accept each other. Without asking others what s on their mind, we can sense where people are." And we can begin, also, to sense where we are. Stillness is a second condition. In the attempt to sit in one spot for hours and hours, day after day, there must be something you are working on. It is not a trifling matter! You are not a resting bird on a tree branch. You are not simply resting awhile on the cushion." In stillness one becomes available to everything that arises. In stillness there is no grasping and no resisting. In stillness one can observe an unfolding clarity, comparable to the way the sun, gradually rising, brings all things sharply into focus. Sesshin, says, Kobun, is a rare opportunity to confirm that your intuition is really there. There is much information on T.V., magazines, copied information, second hand, third hand, but it just makes your mind busy." Finally, safety, the feeling of being in a protected place, is essential. The Rainmaker knew this when he asked for a secluded cottage. Because the work he needed to do was radical, i.e., going to the root of his being, it carried many risks, vulnerabilities and unknowns which required trustworthy support. Similarly, those who choose to leave behind the responsibilities of caring for family, work and a wide range of worldly activities to commit precious time to making a long, hard inner journey need to be deeply supported. Thus, sesshin is most often held in a simple, secluded, peaceful environment, in an atmosphere of trust. Aguidingteacheriskeytotheestablishmentofsilence,stillnessandsafety. Without having to impose these as rules to be obeyed, the teacher embodies silence, stillness and trust such that his/her very presence constitutes their establishment. Sitting in the presence and energy of a fully realized person sets a palpable standard. Kobun did not regard himself as a guru." Though he had rigorous spiritual training from a very early age, and personally manifested the highest standards of practice, he was passionate in his commitment to opening the opportunity for everyone, not just an elite few, to sit - in their own way, on their own terms. Again and again, he insisted upon the importance of having faith in oneself, in one s individual life, as the only reliable authority. During sesshin, there are regular opportunities to meet privately in dokusan, a one-onone meeting with the teacher. Kobun spoke of his role in dokusan as someone who is waiting to meet the someone ready to be met. He encouraged private meetings only when there was astrongneedandastrongpresence. WithKobun,dokusanbecameanopportunitynotjust 11

12 for asking questions and addressing issues of practice, but also for experiencing an intimate and authentic meeting. Teisho, a teacher s formal talk offered daily to the whole sangha usually centers on the Dharma. Though he had a remarkable command of the history, language and principles of Zen, Kobun s talks tended to be less scholarly and more personal, inspirational and encouraging. He was more a socratic than a rabbinical teacher, more a kind of midwife helping his students to give birth to their own truth than an authority on truth whose students are privileged to receive it. He was not the kind of guru who Alan Watts described as someone who picks your pocket and sells you back your watch." Again and again, Kobun encouraged everyone to accept themselves and their lives just as they are. Indeed, those who practiced regularly with Kobun found what they characterized as an open container" atmosphere -awelcomecontrasttothe pressurecooker"atmosphereinmanydharmacenters. To have final, undestructive confidence about yourself as Triple Treasure is final recognition of receiving Buddha Precepts." In sesshin, the Zen teacher sits, walks, eats and works together with the sangha, maintaining the integrity of practice in every thing he/she does - providing not only a model of realization, but of the wisdom and compassion of spiritual friendship. A guiding teacher who is fully present with the sangha can exemplify the way to slow down, to stop and to simplify, teaching by example that, when sitting, if there is just sitting, there is zazen; that when walking, if there is just walking, there is kinhin; that in eating, if there is just eating, there is oryoki, and that in cleaning up, if there is just clean-up, there is soji. So sesshin unfolds in uninterrupted regularity day after day, hour after hour, moment after moment. Within this solid, simple framework, there can be, and often is, extremely fragile, complex inner activity. Those who have attended many sesshin eventually discover patterns - though not always predictable - in its unfolding. Many, including Kobun, have characterized these patterns in terms of a sesshin s seven day sequence. On day one, there may be much physical and mental agitation. Though we have chosen to retreat from the busyness of everyday life, the inertia of the racing mind and restless body takes over. Suddenly, we discover that we are an unstoppable train, separated from our grounding in the present moment and our connectedness with all things. The engine of discursive thought races on uncontrollably. We try, but the brakes don t work, and we are shocked at how difficult it is to adjust. The prospect of a restless, agitated week can feel overwhelming. On day two, we may become beginners again, realizing that we must start from scratch. Kobun describes this as realizing that you don t know what you are doing or where you are at." Finally starting to slow down, we begin to see, though dimly, the old, familiar stories, the ruts, the stuck places. On day two, a disparity between our inner and outer life can become more obvious which realization carries with it frustration at being unable to resolve it. On day one, the physical side of sitting may have seemed surprisingly easy. On day two, the legs, shoulders, lower back, neck begin to hurt. Some form of physical pain intrudes and disrupts. On day three, fatigue may set in, weariness from resisting bodily pain and holding on too tightly to self. With fatigue comes the arising of what we do not wish to see, what has taken great energy to avoid, deny or repress. We go round and round in emotional distress and/or physical restlessness, escaping regularly into pleasurable fantasies so as not to confront the 12

13 shadowy places. Great doubt may arise: This is taking too much time, nothing is being accomplished." We feel guilt at leaving so much undone at home, important responsibilities piling up. Physical pain may become so intense as to feel unbearable. But all of these hindrances can give way to a deeper sense of the rightness of sitting, that the pain can be fully embraced, that it is really the very basis of our life. Acertaineaseoftenarrivesondayfour,aconsequenceofhavingletgoofsomuchselfcentered thinking and resistance. Without the familiar stories, worries, fantasies and fears, we seem lost, having little to hang on to. Kobun calls this stage, passing the ridge of the high mountain." When the fog clears, we can see that instead of reaching the peak, there are still many even higher mountains to climb. This loss of bearings, instead of signaling defeat, brings a spaciousness of mind, openness to possibility and a surge of creative energy. There is a glimpsing of the fact that not only are we sitting, but that we are being sat." The senses often become more alive on the fifth day, and the experience of each moment becomes more vivid and nuanced. The focus shifts from ourselves to our surroundings. Subtle energies, small things are more noticeable because not filtered by thought. There is a growing sense of acceptance, even of gratitude, for things as they are, a settling of self in self, just as it is. Though ever-present, bodily pain no longer dominates awareness. More and more, the mind sits. On day six, a strong sense of self-confidence sometimes arises. The mind is stretched." It feels harder than ice, than a diamond, hotter than boiling water." At other times, the burning gives way to light and a boundless freedom. We find an ability to rest in total aloneness and in profound interconnectedness. Having persevered through many hindrances, we discover the power to accept and to integrate everything, absolutely everything that arises. Each person, individually," says Kobun, embraces the whole situation." The seventh and last day of sesshin is usually a quiet celebration. The experience completed, we can look back with a confirming and an embracing mind, a mind fully stretched." The body is tired but settled. The last few days, people don t sleep much. It s kind of resting with a very deep, short sleep. Still your mind was awake during that sleep. You noticed every single sound, and yet your mind was completely resting." Out of this deep place of rest comes an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. Much of the last day is devoted to expressions of gratitude to those individuals who made the sesshin possible. There is much embracing, bowing, gifts of incense and exchange of personal mementos. But the gratitude is far greater than can be exhausted in these particulars. People come together to sit together as a consequence of searching of ancestors, of all beings. All beings," says Kobun, come together." In the course of many days dwelling alone in silent stillness, one becomes aware of the profound support coming from a multiplicity of sources. Starting from Shakyamuni Buddha, and then radiating out to numberless buddhas preceding and succeeding him, our vast ancestral line transmits the way to each individual. We come to understand through direct experience what is meant by Zen as a special transmission outside the scriptures. No dependence on words or letters." A gift of such magnitude breaks the heart open and requires a sangha to receive and care for it. The ancestral line manifests in the very singular bodies of those who gather together in azendotositdayafterday. Whileasolitaryretreatcanoccurinahermitage,sesshinis a group experience. A deep, inexplicable bond develops between those who sit together in silence and stillness. Those who take their seats together, whether for one hour, one day or 13

14 one week, are supported on every side by one another. When fatigue, restlessness, doubt threaten to break resolve, those sitting firmly on every cushion in the room act as pillars to hold the integrity of practice. Ultimately, one is able to become the self which is connected on all sides not only with human beings, but with the entire community of life, with everything that is. The most profound experience of gratitude is directed to this vast sangha. The important thing is not the structure of zazen," says Kobun, or the idea or the material aspect. The important thing is each person s spirit and the coming together of these people. That is called sangha. Whether they gather on a mountain or a river, sangha exists. Actually, sangha exists alone, and when people appear and recognize it, sangha exists. In the same way, all beings are very beautiful existences, but recognition of the beauty of existence is very important for each existence. This is the difference between wisdom and ignorance. This recognition is called enlightenment." Whether sitting for an hour alone under a tree, or for seven days with twenty people in the basement of an old warehouse, the practice of Zen is the expression of enlightenment. The account presented here of the unfolding of sesshin can be considered one way to express enlightenment, the process of realizing awakening. It bears some resemblance to the famous Ox-Herding Story in which ten pictures and their accompanying verses use the relationship between a man and his ox to follow the various stages on the way to awakening - from its almost inconspicuous beginning, to its slow ripening, and finally, to its full culmination. While sesshin does not aim at a goal, and is not guided by any gaining ideas, it does affirm the truth of enlightenment. The culminating stage in both the search for the ox and the completion of sesshin is the same. That stage is variously called, Returning To Help Sentient Beings," In The World," Entering The City With Bliss-Bestowing Hands," Entering The Marketplace With Gift-Bestowing Hands." All of these formulations agree in one important respect: the awakened one naturally returns to the ordinary world to serve others, all beings everywhere, with wisdom and compassion. Sesshin ends. Retreatants pack up their sleeping bags and toiletries and travel the road back to family, friends and colleagues, to the full range of conventional roles and their attendant responsibilities, joys and sorrows. We came together like this, saying it was a sesshin, twenty people were to meet," says Kobun, Actually, something which we don t know, happened." Meido Barbara Anderson Table of Contents Section I: Tanjo-e Sesshin - Assembly on Buddha s Birth Chapter One: Something Brought You Here Summary: Kobun introduces students to sesshin by talking about the feelings that lead a person to practice. He draws a parallel between the Buddha s search and the individual s search for understanding. Beginning with the idea of basic ignorance, which is unavoidable 14

15 and not removed by conceptual knowledge, he directs us to place our faith in sitting practice, "trusting [our] whole presence as Buddha nature." Further, he states that silence is important for this practice, allowing the mind to "recover its nature," even as this practice is based in the body, which is not separate from mind. The Inner Battle of You Avidya Buddha Nature Silence Tapas Chapter Two: Why Buddha Left Home Summary: Buddha nature "drives us to practice," and is also the source of our ability to maintain balance in the face of the constant change in our lives. "The drive to seek enlightenment is like a fire," which causes some to go to a monastery and others to "keep a monk s mind" in daily life. It includes an awareness of independence, aloneness, within our interdependence. Kobun discusses some details of Buddha s birth and early life, and his discovery of the transiency of life, comparing the Buddha s experience to his own experiences in India, where he "felt Buddha s life very close." Transiency Bodhicitta Buddha s Birth Buddha and Others Suffering Chapter Three: Mara Summary: The third day of sitting is like "a person who is approaching the peak of a mountain...at the same time, one is very exhausted..." Kobun talks about trying to control breath, control pain, as part of long sitting practice, and Buddha s teaching that "life, itself, is in pain." He addresses personal problems as a form of pain, which can be faced with the right attitude. Relationships and transiency are sources of pain, so Kobun reminds us that "Buddha was a twisting teacher..." who pointed out "how fragile, how transient, and how impossible is the life we have got." He talks about the longing for perfection and the impossibility of attaining it. The difficulties we face are "armies of Mara" who tried to destroy Buddha, but failed. "All Beings are Nothing but Pain" Personal Problems 15

Introduction to Mindfulness & Meditation Session 1 Handout

Introduction to Mindfulness & Meditation Session 1 Handout Home Practice Introduction to Mindfulness & Meditation Session 1 Handout Create a place for sitting a room or corner of room. A place that is relatively quiet and where you won t be disturbed. You may

More information

San Francisco Zen Center Beginner s Mind Temple. PURE STANDARDS (Guidelines for Conduct) FOR RESIDENTIAL ZEN TRAINING

San Francisco Zen Center Beginner s Mind Temple. PURE STANDARDS (Guidelines for Conduct) FOR RESIDENTIAL ZEN TRAINING San Francisco Zen Center Beginner s Mind Temple PURE STANDARDS (Guidelines for Conduct) FOR RESIDENTIAL ZEN TRAINING All students should be like milk and water more intimate than that even, because we

More information

Introduction. Peace is every step.

Introduction. Peace is every step. Introduction Peace is every step. The shining red sun is my heart. Each flower smiles with me. How green, how fresh all that grows. How cool the wind blows. Peace is every step. It turns the endless path

More information

Dharma Dhrishti Issue 2, Fall 2009

Dharma Dhrishti Issue 2, Fall 2009 LOOKING INTO THE NATURE OF MIND His Holiness Sakya Trizin ooking into the true nature of mind requires a base of stable concentration. We begin therefore with a brief description of Lconcentration practice.

More information

A Starter Kit for Establishing a Meditation Practice

A Starter Kit for Establishing a Meditation Practice A Starter Kit for Establishing a Meditation Practice Practice Suggestions: Over the coming 3 or 4 weeks, practice mindfulness for 20 to 45 minutes every day for at least 6 days this week using the recordings

More information

MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS

MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS Page 1 of 14 MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS (For Loving-kindness Meditation and Vipassana Meditation) By U Silananda [The instructions given here are for those who want to practice meditation for an hour or so.

More information

Listen Well. Ajaan Fuang Jotiko. January A talk for Mrs. Choop Amorndham, her children and grandchildren

Listen Well. Ajaan Fuang Jotiko. January A talk for Mrs. Choop Amorndham, her children and grandchildren Listen Well Ajaan Fuang Jotiko January 1984 A talk for Mrs. Choop Amorndham, her children and grandchildren We re told that if we listen well, we gain discernment. If we don t listen well, we won t gain

More information

Breathing meditation (2015, October)

Breathing meditation (2015, October) Breathing meditation (2015, October) Purpose: Practicing focusing of attention using our breath. Principles: Breathing meditation allows us to train or practice our ability to focus our attention single-pointed

More information

Frequently Asked Questions. & Glossary

Frequently Asked Questions. & Glossary Frequently Asked Questions & Glossary Clouds in Water Zen Center is a community devoted to awakening the heart of great wisdom and compassion. What is Clouds in Water Zen Center? The Clouds in Water Zen

More information

Kwan Yin Chan Lin Zen Beginners' Handbook

Kwan Yin Chan Lin Zen Beginners' Handbook Kwan Yin Chan Lin Zen Beginners' Handbook Kwan Yin Chan Lin 203D Lavender Street Singapore 338763 Tel: 6392 0265 / 6392 4256 Fax: 6298 7457 Email: kyclzen@singnet.com.sg Web site: www.kyclzen.org Kwan

More information

MEDITATION CHALLENGE An Easy, Effortless Guide to Revive Your Mind + Body

MEDITATION CHALLENGE An Easy, Effortless Guide to Revive Your Mind + Body THE 7-DAY MEDITATION CHALLENGE An Easy, Effortless Guide to Revive Your Mind + Body Copyright Notice Copyright 2018. All Rights Reserved. Paleohacks, LLC retains 100% rights to this material and it may

More information

40 Ways. To Spend 5 Minutes With God

40 Ways. To Spend 5 Minutes With God 40 Ways To Spend 5 Minutes With God 40 Ways To Spend 5 Minutes With God Revision E October 2018 If you have found this prayer guide helpful, visit The Invitation Podcast invitationpodcast.org where you

More information

Week 1 The Breath: Rediscovering Our Essence. Mindfulness

Week 1 The Breath: Rediscovering Our Essence. Mindfulness Week 1 The Breath: Rediscovering Our Essence Mindfulness This first week of the course we will begin developing the skill of mindfulness by using the breath as an anchor of our attention. We mentioned

More information

Grounding & Centering

Grounding & Centering LESSON 6 Grounding & Centering Grounding Grounding and centring is a vital part of any spiritual work and should be a part of your daily routine. As you move about your day you brush aura s with many different

More information

Winter Retreat 2018: Cultivating the Five Super Powers of Avalokiteshvara Dharma Post #2-B Grounding Ourselves in the Present Moment

Winter Retreat 2018: Cultivating the Five Super Powers of Avalokiteshvara Dharma Post #2-B Grounding Ourselves in the Present Moment Winter Retreat 2018: Cultivating the Five Super Powers of Avalokiteshvara Dharma Post #2-B Grounding Ourselves in the Present Moment Dear Thay, dear brother Jerry, dear friends on the path, Apparition

More information

SESSION 2: MINDFULNESS OF THE BREATH

SESSION 2: MINDFULNESS OF THE BREATH SESSION 2: MINDFULNESS OF THE BREATH The present is the only time that any of us have to be alive to know anything to perceive to learn to act to change to heal. Jon Kabat- Zinn Full Catastrophe Living

More information

Stay Strongly Grounded

Stay Strongly Grounded Stay Strongly Grounded Be Strong, Stable & Centered In A Chaotic World Jonathan Parker, Ph.D Stay Grounded 1 Table of Contents What Does It Mean To Be Grounded Signs Of Being Ungrounded 9 Ways To Stay

More information

The Practice of Nyungne. A talk given by Ven. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche Translated by Ngodrup T. Burkar, rough edit Cathy Jackson

The Practice of Nyungne. A talk given by Ven. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche Translated by Ngodrup T. Burkar, rough edit Cathy Jackson The Practice of Nyungne A talk given by Ven. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche Translated by Ngodrup T. Burkar, rough edit Cathy Jackson Rinpoche is going to give a brief explanation on the Nyungne practice, the

More information

Welcome to the Port Townsend Sangha

Welcome to the Port Townsend Sangha Welcome to the Port Townsend Sangha These few pages are intended to offer support in learning how to meditate. In addition, below is a list of some books and online resources with other supporting materials

More information

Serene and clear: an introduction to Buddhist meditation

Serene and clear: an introduction to Buddhist meditation 1 Serene and clear: an introduction to Buddhist meditation by Patrick Kearney Week one: Sitting in stillness Why is meditation? Why is meditation central to Buddhism? The Buddha s teaching is concerned

More information

METTA (LOVINGKINDNESS) MEDITATION: BASIC INSTRUCTIONS

METTA (LOVINGKINDNESS) MEDITATION: BASIC INSTRUCTIONS METTA (LOVINGKINDNESS) MEDITATION: BASIC INSTRUCTIONS Metta is a Pali word that means good will, lovingkindness, and friendliness. Metta meditation is very helpful in checking the unwholesome tendency

More information

AWAKEN YOUR TRUE NATURE

AWAKEN YOUR TRUE NATURE AWAKEN YOUR TRUE NATURE Feel free to share this manual with others. You can print, copy, post, link to, or email it. Table of Contents Introduction pg. 1 Breathing pg. 2 Scanning pg. 3 Noting pg. 4 Listening

More information

ZCLA Normandie Mountain Lincroft Zen Sangha Valley Sangha Ocean Moon Sangha. October 4 to December 31, 2008

ZCLA Normandie Mountain Lincroft Zen Sangha Valley Sangha Ocean Moon Sangha. October 4 to December 31, 2008 FALL PRACTICE PERIOD COMMITMENT FORM ZCLA Normandie Mountain Lincroft Zen Sangha Valley Sangha Ocean Moon Sangha October 4 to December 31, 2008 Please Join the Practice Period Greetings, Bodhisattvas!.

More information

Dedication. Zen Practice Forms. May the merit of these practices extend to all sentient beings and free them from suffering. Bamboo in the Wind

Dedication. Zen Practice Forms. May the merit of these practices extend to all sentient beings and free them from suffering. Bamboo in the Wind Zen Practice Forms Dedication May the merit of these practices extend to all sentient beings and free them from suffering. Bamboo in the Wind 2 Zen Practice Forms at Bamboo in the Wind Zen Center How to

More information

Buddhism Connect. A selection of Buddhism Connect s. Awakened Heart Sangha

Buddhism Connect. A selection of Buddhism Connect  s. Awakened Heart Sangha Buddhism Connect A selection of Buddhism Connect emails Awakened Heart Sangha Contents Formless Meditation and form practices... 4 Exploring & deepening our experience of heart & head... 9 The Meaning

More information

About Meditation: Commonly Asked Questions and Answers

About Meditation: Commonly Asked Questions and Answers About Meditation: Commonly Asked Questions and Answers Q. When is the best time to meditate? Q. How long do I need to meditate? Q. How do I get past the mental chatter and the thoughts when I m meditating?

More information

THE ORIGIN OF POOR EYESIGHT

THE ORIGIN OF POOR EYESIGHT 13 Chapter 2 THE ORIGIN OF POOR EYESIGHT Anyone who wears glasses knows poor eyesight has to do with the curvature of their eyes. But why did the curvature change? An optometrist can explain the physical

More information

From: Marta Dabis Sent: Thursday, June 09, :28 PM. A Theology of Faith in Pastoral Care

From: Marta Dabis Sent: Thursday, June 09, :28 PM. A Theology of Faith in Pastoral Care Marta Dabis M.S., M.B.A., PBCC Chaplain Spiritual Care Department St. Joseph Mercy Health System Ann Arbor 5301 East Huron River Drive P.O. Box 995 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 tel: 734-712-3800 fax: 734-712-4577

More information

Thich Nhat Hanh HAPPINESS AND PEACE ARE POSSIBLE

Thich Nhat Hanh HAPPINESS AND PEACE ARE POSSIBLE Thich Nhat Hanh HAPPINESS AND PEACE ARE POSSIBLE Every twenty-four-hour day is a tremendous gift to us. So we all should learn to live in a way that makes joy and happiness possible. We can do this. I

More information

The Berkeley Buddhist Priory Newsletter March-April, Learning to Listen by Rev. Jisho Perry

The Berkeley Buddhist Priory Newsletter March-April, Learning to Listen by Rev. Jisho Perry The Berkeley Buddhist Priory Newsletter March-April, 2004 Do not chase after entanglements as though they were real things. Do not try to drive away pain by pretending it is not real. Pain, if you seek

More information

Sky Creek Dharma Center Basic Meditation Instructions. Why meditate?

Sky Creek Dharma Center Basic Meditation Instructions. Why meditate? Sky Creek Dharma Center Basic Meditation Instructions Why meditate? The purpose of meditation is to reduce suffering and increase happiness. Complete liberation from suffering is a fruit of what is called

More information

Why meditate? February 2014

Why meditate? February 2014 Why meditate? February 2014 From the start it is helpful to be clear about your motivation for wanting to meditate. Let s face it, learning to meditate requires patience and perseverance. But if you are

More information

Interview with Reggie Ray. By Michael Schwagler

Interview with Reggie Ray. By Michael Schwagler Interview with Reggie Ray By Michael Schwagler Dr. Reginal Ray, writer and Buddhist scholar, presented a lecture at Sakya Monastery on Buddhism in the West on January 27 th, 2010. At the request of Monastery

More information

Servants Ministry. President Handbook. Written by Samuel Kim. August President Handbook. Servants Ministry. August 2006

Servants Ministry. President Handbook. Written by Samuel Kim. August President Handbook. Servants Ministry. August 2006 Written by Samuel Kim Servants Ministry August 2006 August 2006 Handbook Preface Preface It is of utmost importance for you to know that the following handbook is not simply a how to manual, nor is it

More information

UPUL NISHANTHA GAMAGE

UPUL NISHANTHA GAMAGE UPUL NISHANTHA GAMAGE 22 October 2010 At Nilambe Meditation Centre Upul: For this discussion session, we like to use the talking stick method, actually the stick is not going to talk, the person who is

More information

Finding Our Way. October 14, Focus scripture Mark 10:17 31 Additional scriptures Job 23:1 9, Psalm 22:1 15 Hebrews 4:12 16

Finding Our Way. October 14, Focus scripture Mark 10:17 31 Additional scriptures Job 23:1 9, Psalm 22:1 15 Hebrews 4:12 16 Finding Our Way October 14, 2018 This week s scripture readings are about things that seem impossible. In one story, Jesus talks about something that is physically impossible. He also asks a man to do

More information

Notes from the Teachings on Mahamudra, by Lama Lodu, January 26 th, 2008

Notes from the Teachings on Mahamudra, by Lama Lodu, January 26 th, 2008 1 Notes from the Teachings on Mahamudra, by Lama Lodu, January 26 th, 2008 The lineage blessings are always there, very fresh. Through this we can get something from these teachings. From the three poisons

More information

In roughly 975 CE, a document, entitled the Regulations of the Chan School, was published.

In roughly 975 CE, a document, entitled the Regulations of the Chan School, was published. In roughly 975 CE, a document, entitled the Regulations of the Chan School, was published. This is the first known writing regarding the Chan School of monasteries that arose in China during the Tang dynasty.

More information

In light ~ Kim. 10 Practices to Empower Your Presence Page 1

In light ~ Kim.  10 Practices to Empower Your Presence Page 1 Being in service to self and others in any capacity begins with being present, grounded and centered. These qualities are cornerstones of wholeness and mindfulness. These simple practices are ones I have

More information

Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen (Fukan zazengi

Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen (Fukan zazengi Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen (Fukan zazengi ) The way is originally perfect and all-pervading. How could it be contingent on practice and realization? The true vehicle is self-sufficient.

More information

Mindfulness Meditation. Week 2 Mindfulness of the Body

Mindfulness Meditation. Week 2 Mindfulness of the Body An Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation Week 2 Mindfulness of the Body Joshua David O Brien Mindfulness of the Body Mindfulness of breathing is a wonderful beginning to cultivating awareness. It strengthens

More information

2016 Meditation and Mindfulness Course Handbook

2016 Meditation and Mindfulness Course Handbook 2016 Meditation and Mindfulness Course Handbook Where Should I Meditate? How Often Should I Meditate? Why Journaling & Keeping a Calendar Can be Beneficial Glossary of Terms Used in this Course When a

More information

The Great Perfection and the Great Seal Part 1 - establishing the basis

The Great Perfection and the Great Seal Part 1 - establishing the basis The Great Perfection and the Great Seal Part 1 - establishing the basis The summit of the Buddha s teaching is known as the Great Perfection in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and as the Great Seal

More information

To End All Suffering. Session Two: On-line Course on Meditation

To End All Suffering. Session Two: On-line Course on Meditation To End All Suffering Session Two: On-line Course on Meditation Foundations for meditation Meditation Theory 2018 Jack Risk 2 Threefold practice 1. Moral discipline Motivated by compassion Avoid creating

More information

Talk on the Shobogenzo

Talk on the Shobogenzo Talk on the Shobogenzo given by Eido Mike Luetchford. 11.5.2001. Talk number 12 of Chapter 22 - Bussho. So Bussho, page 24 paragraph 71. I read the preaching of Zen Master Daichi Hyakujo, but I didn t

More information

Start Meditating Today For Joy, Well Being, and Inner Peace! A Quick Guide for Beginners on How to Reap the Many Benefits of Meditation

Start Meditating Today For Joy, Well Being, and Inner Peace! A Quick Guide for Beginners on How to Reap the Many Benefits of Meditation Start Meditating Today For Joy, Well Being, and Inner Peace! A Quick Guide for Beginners on How to Reap the Many Benefits of Meditation Intro My name is Cecilia Kinzie and I m out to change people s minds

More information

Compassionate Movement

Compassionate Movement Compassionate Movement Compassionate movement is an informal mindfulness practice that you can use whenever you would benefit from being kind to yourself. When we are angry, our threat system becomes energized.

More information

Dear Friend, emily. Let s celebrate our smallness together,

Dear Friend, emily. Let s celebrate our smallness together, small group GUIDE Dear Friend, hank you for choosing Simply Tuesday to read with your small group! I love imagining you sitting around in living rooms, dorm rooms, classrooms, or break rooms; in coffee

More information

Silence Stephen Van Kuiken Community Congregational U.C.C. Pullman, WA October 15, 2017

Silence Stephen Van Kuiken Community Congregational U.C.C. Pullman, WA October 15, 2017 Silence Stephen Van Kuiken Community Congregational U.C.C. Pullman, WA October 15, 2017 Our awareness of God is a syntax of the silence in which our souls mingle with the divine, in which the ineffable

More information

Zen Practice Forms at Ancient Forest Zen

Zen Practice Forms at Ancient Forest Zen Zen Practice Forms at Ancient Forest Zen How to move and sit in the Zendo Welcome to the Bamboo in the Wind Zen Center, a quiet place that encourages a peaceful mind and heart. When in the zendo, move

More information

JOHN TARRANT ROSHI TEISHO. October 9, 1993 Cazadero Music Camp, California

JOHN TARRANT ROSHI TEISHO. October 9, 1993 Cazadero Music Camp, California 1 JOHN TARRANT ROSHI TEISHO October 9, 1993 Cazadero Music Camp, California This is Case No. 11 from the Blue Cliff Record called "Huang-po's Gobblers of Dregs". The Introduction is like this. The great

More information

Karma Is Relentless. Everyone Here Is Buddha.

Karma Is Relentless. Everyone Here Is Buddha. Karma Is Relentless. Everyone Here Is Buddha. Ken Kessel JDPSN From a question-and-answer session at the New Haven Zen Center on December 16, 2012. 20] Question: This is kind of a big one. I was having

More information

Story: A Special Morning

Story: A Special Morning Story: A Special Morning LIFELONG LEARNING >> Lesson 6: Developing an Inner Life Eight point: By calling ourselves progressive Christians, we mean we are Christians who commit to a path of lifelong learning,

More information

AFTER EATING THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT, Adam and Eve

AFTER EATING THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT, Adam and Eve 4 CHAPTER The Essential Self ymxih ynah AFTER EATING THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT, Adam and Eve hide among the trees in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8). They are hiding from God, of course, but also from themselves.

More information

LIVING REALIZATION Recognizing Present Awareness

LIVING REALIZATION Recognizing Present Awareness LIVING REALIZATION Recognizing Present Awareness Scott Kiloby 2011 The Kiloby Group The Living Realization text is copyrighted material. Please do not distribute, copy or post online. You have purchased

More information

Stages And Strategies For Healing Pain And Fear And Learning Authentic Forgiveness

Stages And Strategies For Healing Pain And Fear And Learning Authentic Forgiveness Stages And Strategies For Healing Pain And Fear And Learning Authentic Forgiveness Introduction Make no mistake concerning the importance of learning Authentic Forgiveness. Authentic Forgiveness will awaken

More information

Morning Service A. Heart Sutra (English) Hymn to the Perfection of Wisdom Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo Eko Merging of Difference and Unity Eko

Morning Service A. Heart Sutra (English) Hymn to the Perfection of Wisdom Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo Eko Merging of Difference and Unity Eko Heart Sutra (English) Hymn to the Perfection of Wisdom Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo Eko Merging of Difference and Unity Eko Chant book pages to announce: Heart Sutra p. 5 Hymn to the Perfection of Wisdom p.

More information

Where in our culture is the emotional and intuitive side to birth and parenthood preparation? A

Where in our culture is the emotional and intuitive side to birth and parenthood preparation? A What would the transition into motherhood be like if women were encouraged to build their own inner strength throughout pregnancy? What if a woman knew she already held her own answers, and that all she

More information

Who is my mother, who is my brother?

Who is my mother, who is my brother? Who is my mother, who is my brother? Pitt Street Uniting Church, 10 September 2017 A Contemporary Reflection by Ms Helen Sanderson Pentecost 14A Romans 13: 8-14; Interfaith Reading: To study the Buddha

More information

Section B. Case Study 3 - Upper limb affected

Section B. Case Study 3 - Upper limb affected Case Study 3 - Upper limb affected Section B ACTIVITY Cooking/preparing food Eating and taking nutrition EFFECT ON ME I am unable to prepare and cook a meal for myself from scratch, to do so would put

More information

Mountains Talking Lotus in the Flame Temple, Zen Center of Denver Fall 2010

Mountains Talking Lotus in the Flame Temple, Zen Center of Denver Fall 2010 Mountains Talking Lotus in the Flame Temple, Zen Center of Denver Fall 2010 Ascending the Mountain: A Ceremony of Dharma Transmission and Appointment of Abbacy To ascend the mountain is no mean accomplishment.

More information

Russell Delman June The Encouragement of Light #2 Revised 2017

Russell Delman June The Encouragement of Light #2 Revised 2017 Russell Delman June 2017 The Encouragement of Light #2 Revised 2017 Almost ten years ago, I wrote the majority of this article, this is a revised, expanded version. It is long, if you find it interesting,

More information

So we are in the process of going through an introduction to Integral Life

So we are in the process of going through an introduction to Integral Life Turiya: The Supreme Witness So we are in the process of going through an introduction to Integral Life Practice, one of the most complete and all-embracing practices of self-realization and self-fulfillment.

More information

Karen Liebenguth: Mindfulness in nature

Karen Liebenguth: Mindfulness in nature Karen Liebenguth: Mindfulness in nature Active Pause November 2016 Karen is a qualified coach, a Focusing practitioner and an accredited mindfulness teacher. She works with individuals and organisations

More information

Chapter 16 Learning About World Religions: Buddhism. What are the main beliefs and teachings of Buddhism?

Chapter 16 Learning About World Religions: Buddhism. What are the main beliefs and teachings of Buddhism? Chapter 16 Learning About World Religions: Buddhism What are the main beliefs and teachings of Buddhism? 16.1. Introduction Keith Levit Photography //Worldofstock.com These young Buddhist monks stand in

More information

THE WAY TO PRACTISE VIPASSANA MEDITATION

THE WAY TO PRACTISE VIPASSANA MEDITATION Panditãrãma Shwe Taung Gon Sasana Yeiktha THE WAY TO PRACTISE VIPASSANA MEDITATION Sayadaw U Pandita Bhivamsa Panitarama Saraniya Dhamma Meditation Centre www.saraniya.com 1. Which place is best for meditation?

More information

A Lecture on Genjo Kaan

A Lecture on Genjo Kaan Path to the bathhouse at Tassajara A Lecture on Genjo Kaan Shunryu Suzuki-roshi Sokoji Temple, San Francisco March 1966 J N OBSERVING YOUR PRACTICE, I notice it is just a small part of your life. You think

More information

Matthew 18:15-20/Romans 13:8-14--September 10, 2017 THE CHURCH IS FULL OF HYPOCRITES!

Matthew 18:15-20/Romans 13:8-14--September 10, 2017 THE CHURCH IS FULL OF HYPOCRITES! Matthew 18:15-20/Romans 13:8-14--September 10, 2017 THE CHURCH IS FULL OF HYPOCRITES! I ve heard the comment frequently; in fact, only a few days ago I read it while I was scanning my Twitter account for

More information

ânàpànasati - Mindfulness-of-breathing An Introduction

ânàpànasati - Mindfulness-of-breathing An Introduction ânàpànasati - Mindfulness-of-breathing An Introduction Today we would like to give you some basic instructions on how to develop concentration with ānàpànasati (mindfulness-of-breathing). There are two

More information

Copyright 2016 Lee Giles All rights reserved

Copyright 2016 Lee Giles All rights reserved A WEEK WITH JESUS Guided prayers through Scriptures to get to know more deeply the great, great love of the Father as shown us in the Person of Jesus Christ Copyright 2016 Lee Giles All rights reserved

More information

SPIRITUALLYHUNGRY.COM. Prayer Practices. ebook

SPIRITUALLYHUNGRY.COM. Prayer Practices. ebook P R SPIRITUALLYHUNGRY.COM Prayer Practices ebook A Y HELLO AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PICKING UP OUR FREE PRAYER PRACTICES EBOOK! Intro How many types of prayer do you incorporate into your everyday practice

More information

Loosening around the Instructions

Loosening around the Instructions 2 Gentle Intentions The limb of the Buddha s eightfold path that deals with intentions expressly states that two types of intention to develop in one s practice are those of nonharming and not killing.

More information

The Dharma that Belongs in Everyone s Heart

The Dharma that Belongs in Everyone s Heart The Dharma that Belongs in Everyone s Heart Spoken by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang We all know, intellectually at least, that the Buddha s Dharma is not merely a topic of study,

More information

Buddhism. Introduction. Truths about the World SESSION 1. The First Noble Truth. Buddhism, 1 1. What are the basic beliefs of Buddhism?

Buddhism. Introduction. Truths about the World SESSION 1. The First Noble Truth. Buddhism, 1 1. What are the basic beliefs of Buddhism? Buddhism SESSION 1 What are the basic beliefs of Buddhism? Introduction Buddhism is one of the world s major religions, with its roots in Indian theology and spirituality. The origins of Buddhism date

More information

The Treasury of Blessings

The Treasury of Blessings Transcription Series Teachings given by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche Part 2: [00:00:38.10] Tibetan Buddhist practice makes use of all three vehicles of Buddhism: the general vehicle, the paramita vehicle and

More information

Meditation. By Shamar Rinpoche, Los Angeles On October 4, 2002

Meditation. By Shamar Rinpoche, Los Angeles On October 4, 2002 Meditation By Shamar Rinpoche, Los Angeles On October 4, 2002 file://localhost/2002 http/::www.dhagpo.org:en:index.php:multimedia:teachings:195-meditation There are two levels of benefit experienced by

More information

Please Understand Me by Rev. Don Garrett delivered February 19, 201 at The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley

Please Understand Me by Rev. Don Garrett delivered February 19, 201 at The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley Please Understand Me by Rev. Don Garrett delivered February 19, 201 at The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley We all love to let our little lights shine, to radiate pure love like happy

More information

LEADERS WITH HUMANITY. A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR THE WELL BEING OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES By ADO in collaboration with Daniel King

LEADERS WITH HUMANITY. A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR THE WELL BEING OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES By ADO in collaboration with Daniel King LEADERS WITH HUMANITY A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR THE WELL BEING OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES By ADO in collaboration with Daniel King 1 In dedication to all the courageous beings that offer their

More information

Bodhi Day by Rev. Don Garrett delivered December 8, 2013 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley

Bodhi Day by Rev. Don Garrett delivered December 8, 2013 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley Bodhi Day by Rev. Don Garrett delivered December 8, 2013 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley Today is the traditional celebration of the Buddha s enlightenment, or Bodhi Day, so-called

More information

Debbie Homewood: Kerrybrook.ca *

Debbie Homewood: Kerrybrook.ca * Dealing with Loss: How to Handle the Losses that we Experience Throughout Our Lives. Grief is the pain we experience when there is a LOSS in our lives not just the loss of a loved one, but the loss of

More information

Reference Cards ENERGY HEALING. The Essentials of Self-Care

Reference Cards ENERGY HEALING. The Essentials of Self-Care Reference Cards ENERGY HEALING The Essentials of Self-Care Welcome to the reference cards for ENERGY HEALING The Essentials of Self-Care T hese reference cards highlight some of the most important teaching

More information

Chapter 2. Gentle Intentions

Chapter 2. Gentle Intentions Chapter 2 Gentle Intentions The limb of the Buddha s eightfold path that deals with intentions expressly states that two types of intentions to develop in one s practice are those of nonharming and not

More information

The Path of Meditation

The Path of Meditation Chapter Two Copyright 2017 - Project Garden Gate (rev 3) If you are living a fast-paced life and constantly trying to catch up, then hopefully you'll find the help you need in this chapter. Today too many

More information

SUTRA BOOK EMPTY BOWL ZENDO

SUTRA BOOK EMPTY BOWL ZENDO SUTRA BOOK EMPTY BOWL ZENDO I vow with all beings to join my voice with all other voices and give life to each word as it comes Robert Aiken Words do not convey the fact; language is not an expedient.

More information

THE PRACTICE OF GRIEVING

THE PRACTICE OF GRIEVING THE PRACTICE OF GRIEVING As I took my seat this morning and listened to Holger beat the Han, I remembered the verse that is often written on the wood: Great is the problem of birth and death. Impermanence

More information

LovingKindness Practices

LovingKindness Practices LovingKindness Practices Love Yourself Mayumi Oda Here are some examples of the phrases different teachers use: May I be happy. May I live in safety. May I be healthy. May I live with ease. May I be filled

More information

God Hears the Cry From the Heart

God Hears the Cry From the Heart God Hears the Cry From the Heart This talk was given by Master Kirpal Singh at the Cowan Heights Ranch in Tustin, California on the afternoon of December 12, 1963, just after arriving there. 1963 Tour,

More information

Dogen Sangha Winter Sesshin Czech Republic February 2009

Dogen Sangha Winter Sesshin Czech Republic February 2009 Dogen Sangha Winter Sesshin Czech Republic February 2009 Talk Number 3: Ceremony and Tradition By Eido Mike Luetchford (This talk was translated consecutively into Czech, and some of the questions were

More information

This is an extract of teachings given by Shamar Rinpoche. This section

This is an extract of teachings given by Shamar Rinpoche. This section Mastering the mind This is an extract of teachings given by Shamar Rinpoche. This section of the teaching was preceded by Rinpoche's explanation of the reasons for practice (why we meditate) and the required

More information

MorningSun Mindfulness Center

MorningSun Mindfulness Center MorningSun Mindfulness Center Interview with Fern Dorresteyn and Michael Ciborski As monastics, we learned to give everything to this beautiful way, to offer everything that is personal towards our collective

More information

Jewish Mindfulness Meditation

Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Jewish Mindfulness Meditation What Is It? How to Do It? And Why? MINDFULJUDAISM.COM Prepared by: Adam Fogel Jewish Mindfulness Meditation What Is It? How to Do It? And Why? Life is not always easy. In

More information

So begin by sitting in a way that is most comfortable and also most conducive for doing mediation.

So begin by sitting in a way that is most comfortable and also most conducive for doing mediation. The meditation So begin by sitting in a way that is most comfortable and also most conducive for doing mediation. And to help the body be more relaxed, we will go through the body with our awareness, and

More information

Legal Notice Introduction Open Your Mind to the Possibilities Who Are You? Rewrite Your Reality Give to Succeed...

Legal Notice Introduction Open Your Mind to the Possibilities Who Are You? Rewrite Your Reality Give to Succeed... Table of Contents Legal Notice... 1 Introduction... 2 Open Your Mind to the Possibilities... 9 Who Are You?... 24 Rewrite Your Reality... 26 Give to Succeed... 54 Silence Your Mind... 63 Believe It Now!...

More information

Affirmations. Manifestation Creation [Type the date] Peggy McColl

Affirmations. Manifestation Creation [Type the date] Peggy McColl Affirmations Manifestation Creation [Type the date] Peggy McColl http://peggymccoll.com Affirmations I am so grateful and happy my life is easy, relaxed, fun, happy and healthy. I am enjoying and grateful

More information

Great Plains Zen Center

Great Plains Zen Center Great Plains Zen Center Sangha Newsletter November, 2009 through January, 2010 November 6-8 A will be held at Myoshinji, Friday evening through Sunday morning, November 6-8. This one-day sitting, similar

More information

25 On the Great Realization

25 On the Great Realization 25 On the Great Realization (Daigo) Translator s Introduction: The great realization of which Dōgen speaks in this discourse does not refer to an intellectual understanding of what the Buddhas and Ancestors

More information

Everyday Life is the Way

Everyday Life is the Way Everyday Life is the Way Rev. Eido Frances Carney Olympia Zen Center March 7, 2012 We had two ordinations last week - Jukai (Taking of the Precepts for Lay Person) last Saturday and we had Tokudo (Taking

More information

Combo Prayer times. Activities. Prayer Weapons. Multiple Weapons = Hope. Multiple Activities = Time. 1. Meals. 1. Bible reading / study. 2.

Combo Prayer times. Activities. Prayer Weapons. Multiple Weapons = Hope. Multiple Activities = Time. 1. Meals. 1. Bible reading / study. 2. Combo Prayer times Prayer Weapons Activities 1. Bible reading / study 2. Cd Bible studies 3. Journaling 4. Quoting 5. Praying in Tongues 6. Armor of God 7. Worship 1. Meals 2. Bathroom 3. Driving 4. Exercise

More information

See The Good Challenge

See The Good Challenge GRATITUDE ACTIVITY FOR TWEENS & TEENS Lesson 2 See The Good Challenge Students discuss what gratitude means and why it is important. Time Required Grade Level Materials Learning Objectives SEL Competencies

More information

DR.RUPNATHJI( DR.RUPAK NATH )

DR.RUPNATHJI( DR.RUPAK NATH ) *Signals:- *Here are a few signals that indicate the presence of the higher energies: *Buzzing, clicking, humming, roaring or ringing sounds, tingling sensations, goose bumps, hair standing on end, floral

More information