SELAMAT TAHUN BARU 2008 – HAPPY NEW YEAR (1 JANUARI)  – FKUB DKI
JAKARTA ( www.infobuddhis.com  / www.fkub.or.id  )

Forum Komunikasi Umat Buddha  –  FKUB DKI JAKARTA

Mengucapkan

SELAMAT TAHUN BARU 2008 - HAPPY NEW YEAR (1 JANUARI)

Hormat Kami,
Forum Komunikasi Umat Buddha
FKUB DKI Jakarta

Budiman Sudharma, S.H.
Ketua

  Tanda Terima Pemberitahuan Keberadaan Organisasi Badan Kesatuan
Bangsa Pemerintah Daerah DKI Jakarta Nomor Inventarisasi :
03/SKT/ka/VII/2002 tanggal 24 Juli 2002, sifat kekhususan Keagamaan

(Website : www.infobuddhis.com  / www.fkub.or.id  )

Portal Infobuddhis.com – Indonesian Forum Communications Buddhist –
Online 1 Juni 2007

Portal InfoBuddhis.com is Indonesian Communication and Information
Buddhist  founded by  Indonesian Forum Comunications Buddhist - FKUB
DKI JAKARTA online on 1 June 2007 ( justing with Vesak 2551 )

Content :

NEWS BUDDHIST - News Kegiatan Umat Buddha Indonesia
SCHEDULE ACTIVITY BUDDHIST – Schedule Activity Buddhist Indonesian
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DIRECTORY BUDDHIS - Place of Ibadah and Links Website Buddhist
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FIGURE BUDDHIST - Figure Buddhist Indonesia
INFO BUDDHIST – Information Activity People Buddha
INFO PARAMITA - Information for People Buddha requiring the people aid
Buddha
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REGULATION - Religious Regulation in Indonesia
FORUM DISCUSSION – Forum Discussion Buddhist Indonesia

For Umat Buddha which wish to give Information / news of Buddhist  can
direct visit website www.infobuddhis.com , Email. info@...

Contribution Buddhist can be channelled passing :
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Contribution Free Books Buddha can be delivered to :
Forum Komunikasi Umat Buddha – FKUB DKI Jakarta
Forum Communications Buddhist Indonesian
Budiman Sudharma
Jalan Sili 3 No. 47, Jakarta Utara 14450
Indonesia

the January 2006  update to the Buddhist bibliography is now online at :
http://www.goldenwheelnet.com/buddbib.html

while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
http://www.goldenwheelnet.com/buddlinks.html

if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please do not
hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website you wish to see
listed, thanks !

Similarly the Buddhist pictures are now at :
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and the "important dates of Buddhist history" listing is at :
http://www.goldenwheelnet.com/buddates.html

Happy reading and all of my best wishes for a very happy and prosperous new year
2006  !

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France
This mail is in full compliance of the US Can Spam Act of 2003 (Public Law No.
108-187)
creator/moderator of the Buddhism mailing list on Smartgroups at :
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more information at http://www.golden-wheel.net/English1.html
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This was put together by me. Hope it is enjoyed.

===================================================
          Kuan Yin, The Compassionate Rebel
===================================================

It is unfortunate that Buddhism's most enduring (and universal)
contribution to the world has been insufficiently translated as
compassion. The original Sanskrit word is 'karuna,' which holds
within itself traces of the fragment 'ru,' meaning to weep. While
the Oxford dictionary describes compassion as pity bordering on
the merciful, karuna is actually our ability to relate to another
in so intense a measure that the plight of the other affects us
as much as if it had been our own.

The term karuna is central to the entire Buddhist tradition. It
is frequently described as a love for all beings, equal in
intensity to a mother's affection for her child. However, it is
quite unlike conventional love (Sanskrit: priya, kama or
trishna), which is rooted in dualistic thinking and is egoistic,
possessive and exclusive, in contrast to the all-encompassing
nature of compassion. The root meaning of karuna is said to be
the anguished cry of deep sorrow and understanding that can only
come from an unblemished sense of oneness with others.

In fact, the evolution of Buddhism in Asia and its spread
throughout the world is, from a spiritual point of view, none
other than the unfolding of karuna in history. Nowhere is this
more explicitly exemplified than in the Chinese assimilation of
Buddhism. Few would deny that the defining symbol of this
integration is the goddess, who with her sweet and merciful
disposition, has won the hearts of not only the Chinese, but also
profoundly affected even those who, belonging to a foreign
tradition, have only had a fleeting interaction with her. This
divine female is none other than Kuan Yin, beloved goddess of
over a billion people the world over. Her name too signifies her
compassionate nature, literally meaning 'One who hears the cries
of the world.'

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/wf11.jpg

It remains a historical fact that Kuan Yin is the Chinese version
of the male god Avalokiteshvara, whom the ancient texts eulogize
as the patron deity of compassion. It is fascinating however to
observe that nowhere in India (where he originated) or Tibet
(where he remains the most popular deity) is the latter ever
deified as a female figure. In China too, his worship began as a
male god, but over time, changed into a goddess and by the ninth
century her popularity had prevailed over that of
Avalokiteshvara's.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/en28.jpg

There are many reasons why this gender transformation took place.
As Avalokiteshvara evolved into the supreme personality of the
Buddhist pantheon, with this heightened pedestal came the
inevitable elitism. Karuna, however, cannot be and is not (as it
has become today under the pseudonym of compassion), the
exclusive preserve of a charmed circle, but rather a symphonic
identification with the masses, sharing their suffering and
pleasure alike. No wonder then that Avalokiteshvara shed streams
of tears observing the plight of his people. Now, any emanation
from a divine form is bound to hold a dynamic potential within
itself and indeed Indian mythology is replete with examples where
fluids emerging from deities have led to enormous consequences.
Tears similarly are a spontaneous emotional response to external
stimuli and represent the outward flow of Avalokiteshvara's
infinite karuna.

>From these pearls emanated a beautiful female as attractive as
she was compassionate. The goddess Tara, thus born, has continued
her upward spiral of popularity and remains one of the most loved
and widely recognized deities of the Buddhist pantheon today.
Truly, even though Avalokiteshvara retains his foremost status in
the gallery of Tibetan gods, in the popular imagination it is
Tara, who with her supple charm, has come to symbolize the
tenderness of karuna.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/ti63.jpg

It is relevant here to observe that Kuan Yin is often depicted in
art holding a leafy twig, derived from the 'weeping willow' tree,
known so due to its trailing leafy branches that droop to the
ground and along which raindrops trickle down like tears.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/weepingwillow.jpg

One of its distinctive characteristics is remaining green
throughout the year, pointing perhaps to the goddess' fertility
aspect, which is further echoed in images showing her with an
infant.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/infant.jpg

The willow also has a deeper and direct connection with Chinese
culture and it is believed that Lao Tzu, the author of Tao-te
Ching, loved to meditate under its shade (6th century BC). It was
under the same tree that the younger Confucius had his famous
interview with Lao Tzu, telling his disciples afterwards:

"I know how birds fly, fishes swim and animals run. But there is
the dragon - I cannot tell how he mounts on the winds through the
clouds, and rises to heaven. Today, having seen Lao Tzu, I can
only compare him to the dragon."

Over centuries, Kuan Yin's visual depictions have highlighted her
lithe, flowing form, much like the willow tree itself, which has
the ability to bend during the most ferocious winds and then
spring back into shape again. Indeed, who wants to stand rigid
like the tall oak that cracks and collapses in a storm? Instead,
one needs to be flexible like the willow, which survives the
tempest.

Or perhaps, Kuan Yin merely uses the willow branch to sprinkle
the divine nectar of life on her devotees, which is stored in the
vase she holds in her other hand.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/wf12.jpg

The Chinese (ever disposed to envisage friendly divinities in
idealized human forms), seem to have been initially perplexed by
Avalokiteshvara's complex iconography. Not for them his thousand
hands or even the seven eyes of Tara. Exposed for eons to the
essentially humanistic philosophy of Confucianism, such images
were alien and felt to be unsuitable for portraying the 'soft'
emotion of karuna, the yearning passion a mother feels for her child.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/bd99.jpg

The Tibetan mind solved the craving for a down to earth, visual
embodiment of karuna by envisioning the goddess Tara; the Chinese
genius did the same by enclosing this virtue in the graceful and
beautiful Kuan Yin, who was eminently human in appearance and
approachable by all. Indeed, she gradually became the favored
goddess of the peasants and fishermen of China, retaining her
place in their hearts to the present day.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/kuanyin.jpg

Additionally in China, not only had popular gods always been real
people who had once lived in specific times and places, even
mythical figures were turned into historical cultural heroes who
were then venerated as the founding fathers of Chinese
civilization. Unlike Greece, where human heroes were transformed
into Olympian gods, in China the reverse held true and if a god
or goddess was not perhaps originally a human being, there was
often an effort to turn her or him into one. Kuan Yin thus again
had to change from a goddess into a living woman, so that she
could be worshipped as a Chinese goddess. Truly, the human
character of Chinese deities is one of the most distinctive
features of their religion, and like ordinary mortals they too
have birthdays, ancestries, careers and titles. Therefore, even
though Kuan Yin is not given a date of birth in any of the
Buddhist sutras, her birthday is widely celebrated on the
nineteenth day of the second month of the lunar calendar.

The legend describing how Kuan Yin was once a woman gives a
fascinating insight into the working of the Chinese genius and
the process by which she was given a distinctively local flavor
and absorbed into their pantheon:

It is said that in the past, there once lived a king under whose
rule the people led a peaceful existence governed by Confucian
ethics. He had three daughters; the eldest two having already
married the grooms of their father's choice. The youngest
offspring however, was unlike any other normal child. Firstly,
when she was born, her body glowed with an almost unearthly light
so much so that the palace seemed on fire. She was thus
befittingly named Miao Shan (Wonderful Goodness).

Secondly, as she grew up, she wore only dirty clothes and never
did display any urge to adorn herself. Further, she would subsist
on only a single meal every day. In her conversations she would
talk about the impermanence of material things and how human
beings suffer because of their attachment to such objects.
Naturally worried about their daughter's detached inclinations,
her parents proposed that (as per the Confucian ideals of filial
piety) she too marry a husband of their choice. To this she replied:

"I would never, for the sake of one lifetime of enjoyment, plunge
into aeons of misery. I have pondered on this matter and deeply
detest this earthly union (marriage)." Nevertheless, when her
parents insisted, she agreed to comply with their wishes if only
her future mate would save her from the following three
misfortunes:

1). When people are young, their face is as fair as the jade-like
moon, but when they grow old, the hair turns white and faces
become wrinkled; whether walking, resting, sitting, or lying
down, they are in every way worse off than when they were young.

2). Similarly, when our limbs are strong and vigorous one may
walk as if flying through air, but when we suddenly becomes sick,
we are confined to the bed.

3). A person may have a large group of relatives and be
surrounded by his flesh and blood, but when death comes, even
such close kin as father and son cannot take the person's place.

Finally she concluded: "If indeed my future husband can ensure my
deliverance against these misfortunes, I will gladly marry him.
Otherwise, I vow to remain a spinster all my life. People all
over the world are mired in these kinds of suffering. If one
desires to be free of them, the only option is to leave the
secular world and enter the gate of Buddhism."

This narrative of course, is parallel to one of the most
significant episodes from the life of the Buddha when he
encountered the three maladies of physical existence: sickness,
old age and death.

Illustration:
http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/thangka/encounters_sm.jpg

Exasperated to no end, the king summoned an old and experienced
nun of his kingdom. He asked her to take the princess under
tutelage and expose her to as much hardship as possible in the
nunnery, so that she realize the futility of her desired path.
The instruction was tinged with a threat of annihilation if after
seven days Miao Shan was not 'reformed'.

Needless to say, all the travails she had to undergo at the
monastery, including hard manual labor, were insufficient to
deter her from the path of Dharma. However, Miao Shan did realize
that she was being thus subjected because the inhabitants of the
nunnery were under the threat of death. She addressed them,
saying:

"Don't you know the stories about the ancient prince Mahasattva,
who plunged off the cliff in order to feed the hungry lions, or
King Sivi's cutting off his flesh to save a dove? Since you have
already left the life of a householder, you should regard this
material body as illusory and impermanent. Why do you fear death
and love life? Don't you know that attachment to this dirty and
smelly leather bag (body) is an obstacle?"

At the end of the stipulated period, the monarch, in a mad and
frenzied reaction, ordered that Miao Shan be beheaded. As her
executioners approached the monastery gates, Miao Shan rushed out
of the building, eager to embrace her impending death. No sooner
had she kneeled at the stake and the deadly sword been raised,
than a blinding thunder rose. Before the assailants could regain
their composure, a tiger darted out of the darkness and carried
away the swooning girl into the nearby hills. The king, now
beyond the bounds of reason, ordered the hermitage to be burnt
down with all its inhabitants.

It was not long before his karma caught up with him and he fell
sick with kaamla (jaundice). He was restless for days on end,
finding no rest even in sleep. The disease spread all over his
body and the best doctors throughout the land were unable to cure
him. One day, a holy mendicant came to his door and predicted:
"If some person would willingly consent to give his or her arms
or eyes without the slightest anger or resentment, the elixir
made of these potent ingredients will surely relieve you from
your suffering."

"Where alas will I find such a compassionate being?" lamented the
king. "In this very land," said the monk. "Go southwest in your
dominion, on top of the mountain there is a hermit who possesses
all the characteristics which are necessary for your healing."

No sooner had he heard this than the king ordered his envoys to
hurry to the abode of the recluse. On being informed of his
plight and its prescribed remedy, the hermit readily agreed to
undergo the supreme sacrifice, requesting them to ask the
suffering king to direct his mind to the three treasures of
Buddhism and then very calmly proceeded to gauge out both the
eyes and asked one of the men to sever the two arms. The three
worlds shook under the impact of this terrible sacrifice.

When he had fully recovered, the king made haste with his wife to
pay homage to the one who had so miraculously saved his life.
After bowing low before the mutilated form, as soon as they
raised their heads they let out a shriek of astonished horror;
the hermit's true identity lay bare before them. She was none
other than their youngest daughter Miao Shan. Realizing what she
had done for him, despite all that he had done to her, the king
fell prostrate upon the floor and asked for forgiveness. Overcome
with emotion, the parents embraced her and the father said: "I am
so evil that I have caused my own daughter terrible suffering."
Miao Shan replied,

"Father, I have suffered no pain. Having given up these human
eyes, I shall see with diamond eyes. Having yielded the mortal
arms, I shall receive golden arms. If my calling is true all this
will follow."

Much sobered by this intense experience, the king returned to his
palace and ordered a statue to be made of her, which, emphasizing
her sacrifice was to be without eyes and hands. Now, in Chinese,
the sound for 'bereft' or 'deficient' are virtually identical
with 'thousand.' At some stage in the transmission of this
message, the two words were confused and the sculptor toiled
away, desperately seeking some way to capture the essence of the
king's wishes. He very imaginatively (or perhaps following Indian
or Tibetan models) placed one eye on each palm, making the number
of eyes equal to the arms,

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/tf61.jpg

giving rise in the process to an awesome and complex image of
breathtaking splendor.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zz04.jpg

Unable to relate to the thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara, the above
legend provided a rational explanation to the bewildered viewer
and helped integrate the goddess into the Chinese ethos.

The story of Miao Shan represents the fusion of the Buddhist
theme of the gift of the body and the Confucian concept of filial
piety. In the former tradition, giving is one of the six
perfections performed by a bodhisattva (would be Buddha). Amongst
the different forms of gifts, that of one's own body is the best.
The only difference is that while the bodhisattvas give up their
bodies in order to feed or save sentient beings regardless of any
formal relationship with them, the fact that Miao Shan does so
for her father is where the Confucian model comes in. In the
former context, a tale is narrated of the Buddha, who in one of
his previous births was a pigeon. He saw a man lose his way
during a snowstorm, driven to the point of starvation. The pigeon
gathered twigs and leaves, made a fire and threw himself
wholeheartedly into it, to become food for the distressed soul.
It is this lofty ideal that Kuan Yin was following, a
self-sacrifice par excellence, motivated by pure (selfless) and
indiscriminate compassion (karuna).

On the other hand, Kuan Yin as Miao Shan gives a bold and
provocative message, challenging Confucian value systems as
delineated in the 'Classic of Filial Piety' (published by the
emperor Xuan in AD 722). Her life glorifies austerity, celibacy
and renunciation, which, as per Buddhism, are highly valued
(against the householder, who is necessary in Confucianism for
creating offspring to perpetuate the lineage). In times of the
Ming for example, one could achieve religious sanctification by
performing one's domestic obligations to the fullest degree.
Eventually, Chinese of all social strata and both sexes came to
know Kuan Yin as the strong-willed yet filial girl, who refused
to get married and rebelled against stifling authority.

Conclusion:

The goddess Kuan Yin is a symbol, not only of the Chinese
assimilation of Buddhism, but also of the many hued flavor of
karuna, expressed through the softer wisdom of a woman. She is a
pointer to the re-emergence of the goddess and the gender
transformation of Avalokiteshvara in China represents perhaps a
universal imperative, which is similarly reflected in the
emanation of the goddess Tara from the compassionate tears of the
same bodhisattva. Though often images are encountered, which show
her sporting a moustache, emphasizing masculinity; this is
negated by the softness of her demeanor.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/moustache.jpg

Can anything be more subtly female than her graceful poise -
modest and inward looking, yet potent enough to generate and
compassionately nourish the whole outside world? In the words of
Martin Palmer: "The divine feminine cannot be suppressed for
long. In China, it emerged by the transformation of the male into
the female," only god (or the goddess) knows how it will
transpire in other cultures.

===========================================
     This article by Nitin Kumar
===========================================

References and Further Reading:

Blofeld, John. Bodhisattva of Compassion The Mystical Tradition
of Kuan Yin: Boston, 1988.

Boucher, Sandy. Discovering Kwan Yin, Buddhist Goddess of
Compassion: Boston, 1999.

Cabezon, Jose Ignacio. Buddhism, Sexuality, and Gender: Delhi,
1992.

Colin, Didier. Dictionary of Symbols, Myths and Legends: London,
2000.

Farrer-Halls, Gill. The Feminine Face of Buddhism: Illinois, 2002.

Jones, Lindsay (ed). Encyclopedia of Religion (Previously Edited
by Mircea Eliade) 15 volumes: MI, 2005.

Keown, Damien. Oxford Dictionary of Buddhism: Oxford, 2003.

Kinsley, David. The Goddesses' Mirror Visions of the Divine from
East and West: Delhi, 1995.

Palmer, Martin and Jay Ramsay, with Man-Ho Kwok. Kuan Yin Myths
and Prophecies of the Chinese Goddess of Compassion: London, 1995.

Phillips, Kathy J. (Photography by Joseph Singer). This Isn't a
Picture I'm Holding: Kuan Yin: Honolulu, 2004.

Watson, Burton (translator). The Lotus Sutra: Delhi, 1999.

Wright, Arthur F. Buddhism in Chinese History: Stanford, 1959.

Yu, Chun-Fang. Kuan Yin The Chinese Transformation of
Avalokiteshvara: Columbia, 2001.

------------------------------------------------------------

The illustrations along with the text can be read at the
HTML version:
http://www.exoticindia.com/article/kuanyin/

This article was send as a newsletter from the website:
http://www.exoticindia.com

Nitin G.

the December  update to the Buddhist bibliography is now online at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddbib.html

while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
http:///www.golden-wheel.net/buddlinks.html

if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please do not
hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website you wish to see
listed, thanks !

Happy reading !

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France
This mail is in full compliance of the US Can Spam Act of 2003 (Public Law No.
108-187)
creator/moderator of the Buddhism mailing list on Smartgroups at :
http://www.smartgroups.com/group/group.cfm?gid=3207570
more information at http://www.golden-wheel.net/English1.html
to subscribe/unsubscribe to any of our mailing lists :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/feedback.htm

the November  update to the Buddhist bibliography is now online at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddbib.html

while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
http:///www.golden-wheel.net/buddlinks.html

if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please do not
hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website you wish to see
listed, thanks !

Happy reading !

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France
creator/moderator of the Buddhism mailing list on Smartgroups at :
http://www.smartgroups.com/group/group.cfm?gid=3207570
more information at http://www.golden-wheel.net/English1.html
to subscribe/unsubscribe to any of our mailing lists :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/feedback.htm

the October  update to the Buddhist bibliography is now online at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddbib.html

while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
http:///www.golden-wheel.net/buddlinks.html

if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please do not
hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website you wish to see
listed, thanks !

Happy reading !

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France
creator/moderator of the Buddhism mailing list on Smartgroups at :
http://www.smartgroups.com/group/group.cfm?gid=3207570
more information at http://www.golden-wheel.net/English1.html
to subscribe/unsubscribe to any of our mailing lists :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/feedback.htm

the September  update to the Buddhist bibliography is now online at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddbib.html

while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
http:///www.golden-wheel.net/buddlinks.html

if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please do not
hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website you wish to see
listed, thanks !

Happy reading !

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France
creator/moderator of the Buddhism mailing list on Smartgroups at :
http://www.smartgroups.com/group/group.cfm?gid=3207570
more information at http://www.golden-wheel.net/English1.html
to subscribe/unsubscribe to any of our mailing lists :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/feedback.htm

the August  update to the Buddhist bibliography is now online at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddbib.html

while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
http:///www.golden-wheel.net/buddlinks.html

if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please do not
hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website you wish to see
listed, thanks !

Happy reading !

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France
creator/moderator of the Buddhism mailing list on Smartgroups at :
http://www.smartgroups.com/group/group.cfm?gid=3207570
more information at http://www.golden-wheel.net/English1.html
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http://www.golden-wheel.net/feedback.htm

I will be heading back to Zen Mountain Monastery on Friday for my
first sesshin.

You know they have "barrier gates" there to becoming a formal
student. A full week sesshin, tangyaro, etc.   I am not so much
concerned about becoming a student there yet, but it seems every time
I have planned a trip to ZMM something has happened which has tried
to prevent me from going.  I have barely enough money to make the
trip and I hope my car doesn't break down on the way there.  I sold a
stack of books to my landlord the other day for $75.  Otherwise I
wouldn't have been able to afford it. I have contacted ZMM about
payment arrangements and they will let me pay some later.

There's no point in figuring out what my problems "mean," since they
don't mean anything, but I can only think of them some test of my
resolve to practice.  It took me a long time to realize that words
like "resolve" and "determination" and "diligence" have their place
in Zen practice.  I think when people first get into Zen they reject
these ideas because they are using Zen to run away from something.
(See newsgroup alt.zen!)

Why sit for 7-8 hours?  Sitting is easy when it's easy, but is that
really sitting?  That's like a "fair weather sitter".  That's just
relaxing I think.  What about when it gets difficult?  Now you have
some idea of difficulty you have to deal with, or else you are not
sitting.  Now you can't sit to get away from something, because there
is something right there.

They interview you before sesshin, before they will let you come, to
make sure you have this kind of determination.  They asked me why I
wanted to practice Zen.  What would make me stay when it got
difficult?  You know you can never answer these questions when people
ask you, becuase you're trying to think of an answer.  The answer
always "comes to you" later when you are thinking of something else.
The thing that will make me stay when it gets difficult is the
practice, that's all.

The answer I did come up with was not in so many words, but I told
them that I had run a marathon and that I experienced the second
noble truth, firsthand there.  If I desired to be at the finish line
I felt miserable.  I just wanted it to be over, but it wasn't over,
so I was miserable.  But instead, if I just ran to run, not wanting
to be anywhere, I was ok.  I focused on my breath there alot, mostly
becuase everything else hurt.

So off I go, if I have to walk.  As long as my car only breaks 26.2
miles before the monastery it won't be anything new!

<gassho>

-DaveK

I do not know if Yahoogroups will let this message be broadcast since they
deleted my profile and therefore my mailiing lists, but now the "Buddhism"
mailing list is on Smartgroups :
http://www.smartgroups.com/group/group.cfm?gid=3207570

As for the July  update to the Buddhist bibliographyit  is now online at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddbib.html

while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
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if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please do not
hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website you wish to see
listed, thanks !

Happy reading !

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France

more information at http://www.golden-wheel.net/English1.html
to subscribe/unsubscribe to any of our mailing lists :
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the June  update to the Buddhist bibliography is now online at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddbib.html

while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
http:///www.golden-wheel.net/buddlinks.html

if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please do not
hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website you wish to see
listed, thanks !

Happy reading !

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France
creator/moderator of the Buddhism mailing list on Yahoogroups at :
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more information at http://www.golden-wheel.net/English1.html
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--- In sotozenbuddhism@yahoogroups.com, "dkotschessa" <dkotschessa@y.
..> wrote:
> --- In sotozenbuddhism@yahoogroups.com, Weasel Tracks
> <weaseltrax@e...> wrote:
> > Everybody in samadhi? Who's paying attention? Fudo? Sodaiho? I
know
> > Dharman's on retreat. You still here, David?



*zzzZZZZZZzzzzzz* I am not here as much as I used to be...teach me to
fall asleep. I do not use this Email much anymore.....but I do check
it once and a while.


Be Well

Fudo

>--- In sotozenbuddhism@yahoogroups.com, Weasel Tracks
><weaseltrax@e...> wrote:
>>  Everybody in samadhi? Who's paying attention? Fudo? Sodaiho? I know
>>  Dharman's on retreat. You still here, David?
>>
>>  Anybody answer, and I'll tell a few tales of visiting various
>centers
>>  and stuff.
>>
>>      ---Weasel Tracks
>
>{snore} Hmmm, what?  Hello? Oh hi!   :)  Hmm I wouldn't call that
>samadhi exactly...
>
>It would seem that I am still under the impression that yes, I am
>still here.
>
>I am heading back up to Zen Mountain Monastery next month for my
>first session.  Just a Friday through Sunday before they let you do a
>whole week or anything.  I might try to convince them to let me come
>on a Thursday.  My knees aren't so sure what to think yet.
>
>-DaveK

Grab your toes with your legs as straight as possible, one at a time
or together, for stretching. It really helps relieve the pain in the
knees.


     ---Weasel Tracks

If you go,
go with your whole being,
and leave behind all other.

Gasshτ
Mario

--- In sotozenbuddhism@yahoogroups.com, Weasel Tracks
<weaseltrax@e...> wrote:
> Everybody in samadhi? Who's paying attention? Fudo? Sodaiho? I know
> Dharman's on retreat. You still here, David?
>
> Anybody answer, and I'll tell a few tales of visiting various
centers
> and stuff.
>
>     ---Weasel Tracks

{snore} Hmmm, what?  Hello? Oh hi!   :)  Hmm I wouldn't call that
samadhi exactly...

It would seem that I am still under the impression that yes, I am
still here.

I am heading back up to Zen Mountain Monastery next month for my
first session.  Just a Friday through Sunday before they let you do a
whole week or anything.  I might try to convince them to let me come
on a Thursday.  My knees aren't so sure what to think yet.

-DaveK

Everybody in samadhi? Who's paying attention? Fudo? Sodaiho? I know
Dharman's on retreat. You still here, David?

Anybody answer, and I'll tell a few tales of visiting various centers
and stuff.

     ---Weasel Tracks

the May  update to the Buddhist bibliography is now online at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddbib.html

while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
http:///www.golden-wheel.net/buddlinks.html

if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please do not
hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website you wish to see
listed, thanks !

Happy reading !

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France

more information at http://www.golden-wheel.net/English1.html
to subscribe/unsubscribe to any of our mailing lists :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/feedback.htm

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
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the April  update to the Buddhist bibliography is now online at :
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while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
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if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please do not
hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website you wish to see
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Happy reading !

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France

more information at http://www.golden-wheel.net/English1.html
to subscribe/unsubscribe to any of our mailing lists :
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Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
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group.

   File        : /buddhistbibliography.zip
   Uploaded by : wangchuk37 <religare@...>
   Description : Buddhist bibliography April 2005

You can access this file at the URL:
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Regards,

wangchuk37 <religare@...>

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the sotozenbuddhism
group.

   File        : /buddhistbibliography.zip
   Uploaded by : wangchuk37 <wangchuk37@...>
   Description : Buddhist bibliography March 2005

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the March  update to the Buddhist bibliography is now online at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddbib.html

while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
http:///www.golden-wheel.net/buddlinks.html

if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please do not
hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website you wish to see
listed, thanks !

Happy reading !

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France

more information at http://www.golden-wheel.net/English1.html
to subscribe/unsubscribe to any of our mailing lists :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/feedback.htm

--- In sotozenbuddhism@yahoogroups.com, Weasel Tracks
<weaseltrax@e...> wrote:
> Bravo, David!
>
> Wonderful, isn't it!? And still it's nothing special.
>
> ZMM is unique. But so is every other place. Don't get me wrong, I'm
> glad they're there. But, for example,
> there's Sheng-yen's place just up the road from ZMM, by about 20
> miles. I was asked if I wanted to volunteer for the kitchen for a
> retreat there in March.

I seem to get a sense from your posts that you have visited quite a
few Sanghas though you do have your "own".   To me this seems like a
wise idea.  One can probably get attached to a Sangha just as well as
to anything else.  And then some people seem to be attached to the
idea of no-sangha.

>
> ZMM has the advantage of being more developed. You see what can be
> done with a number of people who all know what to do when.

Did you by chance get a copy of "The 8 Gates of Zen Training" book
while you were there?  We were given a copy as we walked in the
door.  I just started reading it last night.  It is a good discussion
to the how and why's of what they do there.

>  My own sangha is pretty ragtag in comparison. And we like it that
> way. Our retreats number barely more than 20. But still, the forms
> are clear, and most of the people are 3, 4, and 5 or more
returners,
> so there is a certain sense of "big body" to it. Newcomers have an
> easier time because of that. It took a while to get there, but we
> were lucky when we began in having a sufficient number of serious
> pilgrims willing to go on the walk together.

Could you tell me more about yours?  If not here then by e-mail.  I
might like to visit myself if that's possible.  (Same area?)

> So, it seems like you have had a great advance in your knowledge of
> what "Sangha" means.

I try not to think of it that way, but yes, I think I got it more or
less. hehe.  I think it's important to realize that Buddhists are
real people with lives and emotions and the same kind of drama, just
like everybody else, and it was very advantageous to see that play
out in such a community.

On Sunday I vacuumed the bottom floor of Dharma Communications.  It
was interesting to see an office environment with Buddhas and incense
holders and a room which I believe was called a "refuge room" or
something.  I heard a talk of Daido Roshi on WZEN about the
challenges of bringing Zen into a business.  Speaking of WZEN I met
Tenkei and told her that WZEN "IS MY FAVORITE RADIO STATION!"  I
don't think she got the reference but she appreciated it.  (For
anybody else that doesn't get the reference, I'm referring to any
sort of local jock-rock station where people are made to call in and
utter such things over the airwaves).


>     ---Weasel Tracks

Bravo, David!

Wonderful, isn't it!? And still it's nothing special.

ZMM is unique. But so is every other place. Don't get me wrong, I'm
glad they're there. But, for example,
there's Sheng-yen's place just up the road from ZMM, by about 20
miles. I was asked if I wanted to volunteer for the kitchen for a
retreat there in March.

ZMM has the advantage of being more developed. You see what can be
done with a number of people who all know what to do when.

My own sangha is pretty ragtag in comparison. And we like it that
way. Our retreats number barely more than 20. But still, the forms
are clear, and most of the people are 3, 4, and 5 or more returners,
so there is a certain sense of "big body" to it. Newcomers have an
easier time because of that. It took a while to get there, but we
were lucky when we began in having a sufficient number of serious
pilgrims willing to go on the walk together.

So, it seems like you have had a great advance in your knowledge of
what "Sangha" means.

     ---Weasel Tracks

My trip to Zen Mountian Monastery this weekend was my first retreat
experience.  I'm at a loss for any kind of simple phrase that would
sum up the experience for me.  It was enriching, exhausting, fun,
difficult, peaceful, akward, and I will use the term "enlightening"
but you know what I mean and don't mean by that.

There were 32 new people there out of the 35 possible registration
slots. There were many kinds of people at different points along the
path, including some poor folks who just wanted to learn about
meditation.  I say "poor folks" because I don't think some of these
people knew what they were getting into.  Many people, Americans I
guess I could say, have taken up "Meditation" in the same way they
have taken interest in Bonsai, green tea, little Zen rock gardens and
fung-shui.   On a superficial level of practice I guess this is OK,
but essentially the practice and the "philosophy" as they referred to
it are unseperable.

ZMM is a very tightly run, ritualized environment.  Why
the "attachment" to ritual and all this dusty old liturgy and
formalities?  This type of question was on the minds of many of the
new people.  My interpretation is that the rigid schedule and liturgy
and formalities are a temporal extension of the Zendo, whose purpose
is to create an environment conducive to the practice of liberating
one self.  That's all.  Nobody ever said this was going to be easy,
anyway.

The whole thing was carried out beautifully and you would not have
thought that they do this every month.  (They do.)  Expressed here is
the fundamental paradox that even the most repetitive aspects of
Buddhist liturgy can be carried out in a way that seems perfectly new
and spontaneous.  To me this is the great thing about ZMM; this
blending of old and new. And though I haven't been anywhere else, I
have reason to believe they are a little bit unique in that aspect.
They haven't made Buddhism into a sort of relic that modern people
can just dig up and study and see what they get out of it.  Dharma
communications with it's radio station (wzen.org) is a good example
of this.  It's a modern expression of ancient wisdom.  The monastery
itself almost seems to be alive, breathing in and out it's students
and liturgy with clockwork (but somehow organic) rigidity.

I arrived Friday and Left Sunday, but I feel as if I have been there
for days and days. Saturday is the day where you wake up and eat and
sleep and practice (all in one huge building) and are completely
immersed in the experience.  For me the weekend solidified everything
we "do-it-yourself-at-home" students of the Dharma sit and read
about.  I now have been officially "instructed" in Zazen and have a
way of practice that I am sticking too, rather than the kind
of "channel surfing" Zazen I have been doing up to this point.
(Count the breath, focus the breath..nah maybe I"ll count... maybe
I'll contemplate something like aggregates, those are interesting,
maybe I should try Vipassana?)  After coming back I can't seem to
break the habit of gassho-ing at my food, my cats, my meditation
cushion.  That's ok.  There are worse habits you can have!  It does
kind of keep you in check too.

The regular students and residents seemed very authentic to me and
all sort of seemed to have had their journey start at the same place
(Not Buddhism!).  I felt very welcome.  I anticipated the whole thing
being akward and wasn't disappointed, so I just decided to "be my
akwardness."  If I bowed too long or two short or simply gasshoed
when I should have bowed I tried to remain calm and non-apologetic
and keep in mind there is always another bow coming.   Just look at
what the people with robes are doing and you'll be fine. So I felt
very at peace with all of that.  A drastic cut in my caffeine intake
helped too.  I didn't know what they were going to have their and so
to avoid a possible caffiene withdrawl episode on saturday I was
cutting down throughout the week.

There were so many great details.  (Sorry Xin, I did not see Kirsten
in the kitchen.)  I could just keep writing and writing but it's
probably better for me just to absorb the whole thing into my
experience and let it pass like a thought.  It happened and now I'm
here.  I would like very much to go back for a sesshin when I can
afford it time and moneywise.  But there was definately enough there
for me to bring home into my experience and my practice is certainly
better for it.


Gassho,

Dave K

the February  update to the Buddhist bibliography is now online at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddbib.html

while  the Buddhist directory is now online  at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/buddlinks.html

if you know of a Buddhist web site which is not listed yet, please do not
hesitate to write to me with the url of the Buddhist website you wish to see
listed, thanks !

Happy reading !

Roger Garin-Michaud
from Saint-Priest near Lyon, France

more information at :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/English1.html
to subscribe/unsubscribe to any of our mailing lists :
http://www.golden-wheel.net/feedback.htm

Thanks, you can always trust a Weasel!  I sat with a local group last night.  Only two other people showed up and they sat in chairs.  I had the only zafu and just sat sort-of Burmese.  

I will look for that article as well. Thanks again.

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At 1:04 AM +0000 05/02/02, dkotschessa wrote:
>Of course when I go to sit with the group at Zen Mountain we will
>certainly be on Zafus on the floor, and I doubt I will be able to
>stay in Full lotus for long.  I'm just wondering about the general
>ettiquette with regards to sitting with a group, changing positions
>and such.  I am thinking I might just be better off sitting in half
>lotus or Burmese so as not to disrupt the stillness of the
>environment.

It's good to have concern for your neighbors. Another consideration
is that you legs tend to fall asleep faster and deeper in full lotus.
You will have to stand and walk for kinhin in between sittings. I
would suggest you start with a loose posture and see how it goes.

>I don't spend a lot of time on posture and I probably should.  I
>usually place more priority on the breath.  I'd like to read your
>replies to this, and, not to rush, but I am leaving Friday. :)

My opinions are pretty much as Brad Warner expressed them in an essay
on the topic, and he did it well enough that I would just suggest you
search for "Brad Warner" and "posture".

Getting back to zendo etiquette, you should avoid all gross motion
completely, like scratching your nose. It's amazing what you can
learn about yourself when refusing to give in to an irrefusible itch.
They really will go away without you doing anything about it.
Microadjusting your posture to sit more balanced is fine.  And if
your legs are just killing you, it's acceptable to change to seiza or
switch legs, but of course, you should try to avoid all gross motor
activity.

Like I wrote earlier, the guy next to me last Dec. at ZMM was
terribly unsettled. There will likely be at least one like that, and
let such people be whatever they are without thinking about them --
if necessary, the jiki or monitors will say something to them. Just
try your best to sit like a piece of dry wood.

Good luck. And I'm looking forward to hearing about it.

     ---Weasel Tracks

I have not yet sat with any type of group, except for a short 5
minute sit prior to a discussion last Wednesday with a local
meditation group.  We were just sitting upright in chairs.

I am able to sit in Full lotus for a short period if I do
it "correctly" on the floor on a stack of pillows.  Otherwise I do a
sort of lazy full lotus on the couch (I call it half-assed-full-
lotus) which I can maintain for quite awhile becuase I kind of sink
down into the cushions.

Of course when I go to sit with the group at Zen Mountain we will
certainly be on Zafus on the floor, and I doubt I will be able to
stay in Full lotus for long.  I'm just wondering about the general
ettiquette with regards to sitting with a group, changing positions
and such.  I am thinking I might just be better off sitting in half
lotus or Burmese so as not to disrupt the stillness of the
environment.

I don't spend a lot of time on posture and I probably should.  I
usually place more priority on the breath.  I'd like to read your
replies to this, and, not to rush, but I am leaving Friday. :)