D.T. Suzuki was quoted as saying that "before studying Zen, mountains are mountains. While studying Zen, things become confused. After studying Zen, mountains are mountains." This was one of the first Zen sayings I heard, and it continues to resound in me. This title is attached to a 4 minute slide show(below, you may have to view on the website if using a feedreader) summing up essentially 3 months of Zen monastic practice. This time was spent as a guest student mostly in Zen Mountain Monastery, with some time also spent in San Francisco Zen Center. The posting of this video is the wrapping up of my trip, and a way of displaying some of what it was like with you. There's many more stories to be written, many more lessons to be learnt, and many things that will never leave my heart, but now, the externals of my "Dharma Tour" are over. If you have questions or comments about any of the slides, please leave a comment. Next up, eSangha, sharing some new found blogs from the Spread The Love NOW! Group Writing Project, and then back to your scheduled programming.

D.T. Suzuki was quoted as saying that "before studying Zen, mountains are mountains. While studying Zen, things become confused. After studying Zen, mountains are mountains." This was one of the first Zen sayings I heard, and it continues to resound in me. This title is attached to a 4 minute slide show(below, you may have to view on the website if using a feedreader) summing up essentially 3 months of Zen monastic practice. This time was spent as a guest student mostly in Zen Mountain Monastery, with some time also spent in San Francisco Zen Center. The posting of this video is the wrapping up of my trip, and a way of displaying some of what it was like with you. There's many more stories to be written, many more lessons to be learnt, and many things that will never leave my heart, but now, the externals of my "Dharma Tour" are over. If you have questions or comments about any of the slides, please leave a comment. Next up, eSangha, sharing some new found blogs from the Spread The Love NOW! Group Writing Project, and then back to your scheduled programming. http://themiddleway.net/2007/12/21/spread-the-love-now-group-writing-project/.

D.T. Suzuki was quoted as saying that "before studying Zen, mountains are mountains. While studying Zen, things become confused. After studying Zen, mountains are mountains." This was one of the first Zen sayings I heard, and it continues to resound in me. This title is attached to a 4 minute slide show(below, you may have to view on the website if using a feedreader) summing up essentially 3 months of Zen monastic practice. This time was spent as a guest student mostly in Zen Mountain Monastery, with some time also spent in San Francisco Zen Center. The posting of this video is the wrapping up of my trip, and a way of displaying some of what it was like with you. There's many more stories to be written, many more lessons to be learnt, and many things that will never leave my heart, but now, the externals of my "Dharma Tour" are over. If there's any questions or comments about any of the slides, feel free to leave a comment. Next up, eSangha, sharing some new found blogs from the Spread The Love NOW! Group Writing Project, and then back to your scheduled programming. http://themiddleway.net/2007/12/21/spread-the-love-now-group-writing-project/.

D.T. Suzuki was quoted as saying that "before studying Zen, mountains are mountains. While studying Zen, things become confused. After studying Zen, mountains are mountains." This was one of the first Zen sayings I heard, and it continues to resound in me. This title is attached to a 4 minute slide show(below, you may have to view on the website if using a feedreader) summing up essentially 3 months of Zen monastic practice. This time was spent as a guest student mostly in Zen Mountain Monastery, with some time also spent in San Francisco Zen Center. The posting of this video is the wrapping up of my trip, and a way of displaying some of what it was like with you. There's many more stories to be written, many more lessons to be learnt, and many things that will never leave my heart, but now, the externals of my "Dharma Tour" are over. Next up, eSangha, sharing some new found blogs from the Spread The Love NOW! Group Writing Project, and then back to your scheduled programming. http://themiddleway.net/2007/12/21/spread-the-love-now-group-writing-project/.

In Zen Buddhism there's a lot of bowing. The idea of bowing to an image, idol, or godhead, to many brings up a lot of resistance and hesitation. When bowing, however, you aren't bowing to a Thing. You bow to yourself, the world, the ideas, the concepts, nothing fixed. There's something about bowing, that seems a bit off to you. Everyone around you constantly seems to be bowing at walls, at each other, at random times, at meal times, at statues. Occasionally you follow them, feeling your own way, seeing if it feels right for you. Sometimes it feels interesting, and sometimes you feel a bit weird about it. Whilst staying in the monastery you have plenty of time to talk to people, to understand the what's and why's. You start seeing through the cult like-constant-action of bowing, and begin to see it as something alive, something designed for your investigation. When you bow to another, you say thanks to them, you honour them, you also bow to their inherent perfect nature. This is the same nature that you yourself also have. In this way, when bowing to another, you bow to yourself. They bow back to you, completing the symmetry. It's in this moment of reciprocal bowing, you forget the concept of self. You become enveloped in a mutual interaction of stillness, gratitude, and compassion. When you bow to a Buddha, you begin to ask what your really bowing to. There's no inherent thing, and Buddha is no mystical being. Bowing to a statue of Buddha becomes a form of representation, a form for that which is uncontainable, for that which is beyond. You bow to the practice, to the virtues, to the qualities, to the states, to the understanding. You bow to buddha-nature and buddha-dharma, you bow to self and Sangha, in this way you bow to the whole universe by bowing to a guy sitting cross legged on an alter. Bowing, is part of liturgy, which is considered one of the 8 gates of zen. What this means, is that this starts as a closed door, but a is remains path of developing your direct experience, or wisdom. By 'entering into the practice' by doing without thinking, this door begins to open to us. By accepting our fears, and feeling weird about doing it, we enable ourselves to do it, and work with it. You begin to investigate the bows, and what is being bowed to. The distinctions of the time of bowing and the time before the bowing. Please feel free to leave a comment with your experiences of bowing. "May we exist in muddy water with purity like a lotus, thus we bow to Buddha."

In Zen Buddhism there's a lot of bowing. The idea of bowing to an image, idol, or godhead, to many brings up a lot of resistance and hesitation. When bowing, however, you aren't bowing to a Thing. You bow to yourself, the world, the ideas, the concepts, nothing fixed. There's something about bowing, that seems a bit off to you. Everyone around you constantly seems to be bowing at walls, at each other, at random times, at meal times, at statues. Occasionally you follow them, feeling your own way, seeing if it feels right for you. Sometimes it feels interesting, and sometimes you feel a bit weird about it. Whilst staying in the monastery you have plenty of time to talk to people, to understand the what's and why's. You start seeing through the cult like-constant-action of bowing, and begin to see it as something alive, something designed for your investigation. When you bow to another, you say thanks to them, you honour them, you also bow to their inherent perfect nature. This is the same nature that you yourself also have. In this way, when bowing to another, you bow to yourself. They bow back to you, completing the symmetry. It's in this moment of reciprocal bowing, you forget the concept of self. You become enveloped in a mutual interaction of stillness, gratitude, and compassion. When you bow to a Buddha, you begin to ask what your really bowing to. There's no inherent thing, and Buddha is no mystical being. Bowing to a statue of Buddha becomes a form of representation, a form for that which is uncontainable, for that which is beyond. You bow to the practice, to the virtues, to the qualities, to the states, to the understanding. You bow to buddha-nature and buddha-dharma, you bow to self and Sangha, in this way you bow to the whole universe by bowing to a guy sitting cross legged on an alter. Bowing, is part of liturgy, which is considered one of the 8 gates of zen. What this means, is that this starts as a closed door, but a is remains path of developing your direct experience, or wisdom. By 'entering into the practice' by doing without thinking, this door begins to open to us. By accepting our fears, and feeling weird about doing it, we enable ourselves to do it, and work with it. You begin to investigate the bows, and what is being bowed to. The distinctions of the time of bowing and the time before the bowing. Please feel free to leave a comment with your experiences of bowing. "May we exist in muddy water with purity like a lotus, thus we bow to Buddha."

I've been so touched with all the love being shared in the Spread The Love NOW! Group Writing Project, that I felt I should share a compassionate act that happened to me recently. The Situation; I'd just gotten out of hospital and was back at the monastery, still wasn't eating, and was very dehydrated. I was constantly dizzy, but I still had my pride. In the condition you're in, staying in a mountain cabin doesn't make any sense. Thankfully the residents know this and decide to move you into the main building. Salisha offers to drive you up to your cabin, and offers to help you pack. Reluctantly you accept the offer up to the cabin. Upon arriving you dizzily rush into your room, knowing exactly how things are and try to pack. You're unable to, you couldn't pack your stuff up. You knew what you're trying to do, but it just doesn't happening. Your dirty clothes are everywhere, sheets a mess, whole room, also a mess. What a state to be caught in. Salisha offers a hand, again reluctantly, you accept. Continuing to try be the man, you allow her snippets of work, pretending it's all under control. She can see the truth you deny, she knows how hard this is, and how close you are to collapsing. After what feels like the longest time you give up, knowing your unable to do this. Unable, yet pride still stands out. It was here that Salisha speaks to you. She tells you to accept her gift. She is sharing her love with you, and you are refusing to take it. She understands what's going on, she knows your not well, wants to help, wants to show her love, and constantly you deny it, pretending you're fine, when it's obvious to both, your not. She talks of her grandfather, an amazing man, the embodiment of compassion his whole life. Near the end of his life, for the first time he was unable to look after himself and was taken to a nursing home. The self-dependant man, who's life had been nothing but compassionate, was unable to be helped. The last memories Salisha and her family have of her grandfather are that of a cranky man, unwilling to accept the love of his direct family. This man died, they say, still earlier than he should, he gave up on his situation, the medicines didn't work, they think he didn't take them, as he didn't see his need for help. Salisha tells me this and I collapse on the bed, cracked. Tears flow, and I understand that receiving is sometimes giving. I experience and feel compassion, having been studying Kannon for a week, working with the text for a month, I didn't understand compassion's function in my life. I am ever grateful to Salisha, and I hope to, and continue to work on my ability to receive help when it really is needed. Real Life, Post Monastery Experience Today, I went to the beach for the first time in 3 months. I'm usually a pretty good swimmer, and am also a surf life saver of 10+ years experience. Jumping into the water and catching a few waves in seas so big they've made news, I got tired pretty quickly. I knew I was in trouble- big waves and low energy levels. I started making my way in but was stuck in a rip, making it very difficult. A life saver came out, offering me and those around me who were also caught a ride to the shore. We all had too much pride to take the offered help. I saw my resistance, I saw my pride, and I saw Kannon shining in this woman offering me a lift back. I remembered Salisha, I called the woman over saying I'd like help please. I easily got on the board, as I'm usually the one saving others, but not this time. We waited for a bit of a calm and caught the next wave in all the way. One fun ride and 15 seconds later, I was back on the shore, gratefully thanking the woman for her assistance and smiled. It took those who were unwilling to get a lift over 10 minutes to reach the shore. 10 minutes of struggling against help, due to pride. I am constantly thankful for the teachings I received from Kannon and Salisha. I am still working with compassion, and still working on my ability to receive. (image)

I've been so touched with all the love being shared in the Spread The Love NOW! Group Writing Project, that I felt I should share a compassionate act that happened to me recently. The Situation; I'd just gotten out of hospital and was back at the monastery, still wasn't eating, and was very dehydrated. I was constantly dizzy, but I still had my pride. In the condition you're in, staying in a mountain cabin doesn't make any sense. Thankfully the residents know this and decide to move you into the main building. Salisha offers to drive you up to your cabin, and offers to help you pack. Reluctantly you accept the offer up to the cabin. Upon arriving you dizzily rush into your room, knowing exactly how things are and try to pack. You're unable to, you couldn't pack your stuff up. You knew what you're trying to do, but it just doesn't happening. Your dirty clothes are everywhere, sheets a mess, whole room, also a mess. What a state to be caught in. Salisha offers a hand, again reluctantly, you accept. Continuing to try be the man, you allow her snippets of work, pretending it's all under control. She can see the truth you deny, she knows how hard this is, and how close you are to collapsing. After what feels like the longest time you give up, knowing your unable to do this. Unable, yet pride still stands out. It was here that Salisha speaks to you. She tells you to accept her gift. She is sharing her love with you, and you are refusing to take it. She understands what's going on, she knows your not well, wants to help, wants to show her love, and constantly you deny it, pretending you're fine, when it's obvious to both, your not. She talks of her grandfather, an amazing man, the embodiment of compassion his whole life. Near the end of his life, for the first time he was unable to look after himself and was taken to a nursing home. The self-dependant man, who's life had been nothing but compassionate, was unable to be helped. The last memories Salisha and her family have of her grandfather are that of a cranky man, unwilling to accept the love of his direct family. This man died, they say, still earlier than he should, he gave up on his situation, the medicines didn't work, they think he didn't take them, as he didn't see his need for help. Salisha tells me this and I collapse on the bed, cracked. Tears flow, and I understand that receiving is sometimes giving. I experience and feel compassion, having been studying Kannon for a week, working with the text for a month, I didn't understand compassion's function in my life. I am ever grateful to Salisha, and I hope to, and continue to work on my ability to receive help when it really is needed. Real Life, Post Monastery Experience Today, I went to the beach for the first time in 3 months. I'm usually a pretty good swimmer, and am also a surf life saver of 10+ years experience. Jumping into the water and catching a few waves in seas so big they've made news, I got tired pretty quickly. I knew I was in trouble- big waves and low energy levels. I started making my way in but was stuck in a rip, making it very difficult. A life saver came out, offering me and those around me who were also caught a ride to the shore. We all had too much pride to take the offered help. I saw my resistance, I saw my pride, and I saw Kannon shining in this woman offering me a lift back. I remembered Salisha, I called the woman over saying I'd like help please. I easily got on the board, as I'm usually the one saving others, but not this time. We waited for a bit of a calm and caught the next wave in all the way. One fun ride and 15 seconds later, I was back on the shore, gratefully thanking the woman for her assistance and smiled. It took those who were unwilling to get a lift over 10 minutes to reach the shore. 10 minutes of struggling against help, due to pride. I am constantly thankful for the teachings I received from Kannon and Salisha. I am still working with compassion, and still working on my ability to receive. (image)

The Three Monks present Spread the Love NOW!

The Three Monks present Spread the Love NOW!