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1726 S. Olive St., Bloomington, IN 47401

SHIKANTAZA WHILE SHELTERED

4/27/2020

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​Local practitioner Mark Fraley recently conducted a two-day sit on his own at home.  He writes here about that experience and what he learned.

Thousands of miles away, a bat had a chance encounter with a pangolin and now residents of Indiana are sheltered in their homes.

This pandemic is a tragic reminder of the deep web of interrelations that form our reality and how inseverable our situation is from the causes and conditions that create it. The current crisis invites us to reflect on our Zen practice and consider the ways in which our distancing efforts need not separate ourselves from the suffering that pervades the interconnected world we inhabit. In this spirit, I was
inspired to convert my 150 square foot guest room into a makeshift zendo to prepare for a two-day sit in the style of sesshin practice cultivated by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi.

Following a 6am to 9pm schedule, I participated in twelve 50-minute periods of zazen (with ten minutes of kinhin in between each period) with one-hour breaks for meals. While the practice was solitary, I was not alone. Several acts of kindness conditioned my practice.
  • Hoko and the folks at Sanshin developed a web page where sangha members could share resources for maintaining our Zen practice at home. Hoko shared her experiences with intensive home practice and offered encouragement.
  • My wife supported my shikantaza by preparing meals according to a set schedule. She did this even while she was struggling with the news that an ailing colleague of hers had just contracted the virus at the hospital.
  • My supervisor and work colleagues encouraged my inclination to set aside my responsibilities for a time and commit myself to zazen.

Myriad other actors who I have never met provided invaluable gifts to support my zazen practice.  These include the people who grew and sold the food I ate, supplied the heat that warmed my home, and tended to the water supply that kept me hydrated. These people are essential to our well-being, regardless of the public health situation. Okumura Roshi reminds us that “we must appreciate that we can practice as a result of such interconnectedness” (Realizing Genjokoan).

Anyone inspired to engage in in intensive practice at home may expect some similar experiences as practice in a zendo -- hours facing a wall wading through passing thoughts, desires, and emotions with an acute awareness of boredom and backache. Practicing during pandemic may give rise to feelings of
frustration and sorrow sewn into storehouse consciousness. A solitary practice may not capture the intimacy of a communal sit. But a supportive community can enrich our mutual connections whether we sit solo or with a sangha. In the interdependent fabric of our reality, we never practice alone.

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WORLD  PEACE  CEREMONY  ON  SUNDAY

4/17/2020

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As the 19th is the third Sunday of the month, we'll be doing our usual World Peace ceremony following the dharma talk.  If you need a chant book for the Heart Sutra, you can download it from the link at the lower right of this page.  You may wish to think about whether and how you will do full bows during the ceremony.  Also, please be aware that sometimes the higher-pitched bells cut out over Zoom.  Chant leaders try to put themselves somewhere on camera such that their movements can be seen; you can sometimes also see other practitioners who know what to do.  If you can't hear the bells, follow along by sight.
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VIRTUAL RYAKU FUSATSU

4/17/2020

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Monday the 20th would be our usual day for ryaku fusatsu, our ceremony of renewing our aspiration to follow the precepts.  We're going to offer it virtually using the link for Sunday morning practice.  We'll start at 7:30 pm and should be finished by 8:30.  The chants are in the chant book which you can dowload at right, or you can just listen and repeat.  Everyone is welcome, whether or not you've formally taken precepts.
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ARE YOU A SANSHIIN SOLOIST?

4/13/2020

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More people than ever are practicing in Sanshin's style on their own these days. We've put up a page with tips and information for practicing by yourself at home.
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EVENING ZAZEN

4/3/2020

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Doju is leading virtual evening zazen for the IU Buddhist Study Association and extends the invitation to our local sangha.  We've posted the link in our listing of  virtual practice at right.  Doju advises, "We have been keeping our video on and muting our audio once we start in order to simulate a shared but quiet space, but we sit without looking at the computer screen so as not to be distracted. It's a little weird at first to meditate together online, but the idea is to help motivate people to practice at a particular time and for a particular length of time. Without a framework like this, it can be easy to get distracted or to stop maintaining a good schedule. If you aren't comfortable sharing your video, that's fine too, but I would encourage folks to if you are able."
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CHANTING FOR PANDEMIC

4/1/2020

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While we're doing virtual morning zazen and service from Hoko's house, Hojo-san is doing the same on his own in Sanshin's zendo.  (Because the building is closed to anyone other than the Okumuras, we can't send a technical producer in to run virtual practice from there.)  He's asked that we add the Enmei Jukku Kannongyo to the morning service on behalf of everyone affected by the pandemic.  He and we will be using the chant page we've just added for download at right under the regular chant book.  Please join us as your life permits, or use the sheet for your home practice on your own schedule.
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    See the official public announcement about our response to the pandemic here.

    Virtual practice
    ​Offered via Zoom; all times listed are Eastern time in the US

    When you click the links below for Sanshin activities. you may be asked for a password.  It was provided in the original email you received from Sanshin with the link to this page.

    Getting Started in Home Zen Practice, most Tuesdays 7:30 - 9 pm  More information is here.

    Weekday morning zazen and service (6:10 am)
    Please be in your seat and ready to go by 6:05, in time for the doshi's bows.
    click here to join
    March 5 only​: click here​​

    ​Weekday evening zazen with IU campus group (6:30 pm)click here to join

    ​
    Wednesday evening zazen and book discussion (6:30 pm)
    click here to join

    Ryaku Fusatsu: March 15, 7:30 pm:  click here to join

    Sunday morning zazen and dharma talk: (9:10 am)
    click here to join
    ​
    ​​
    • March 7: Okumura Roshi: Opening the Hand of Thought
    • March 14: Taiun Ellison, abbot of Atlanta Soto Zen Center, on Zen and the Arts
    • March 21: Gate 57: The four bases of mystical power​


    Missed a Sunday dharma talk?  Many recordings are available on our YouTube channel.

    Download Sanshin's chant book for morning services (but please chant with mic muted)
    sanshin_chant_book.pdf
    File Size: 204 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


    Download chant sheet for the Enmei Jukku Kannongyo
    enmei_jukku_kannongyo.pdf
    File Size: 90 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File


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