Comments on: The Best Laid Plans…

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 21:14:55 +0000

Hi McAlpine and welcome to the JLR! Thanks for the kind mention on Alexa, too.

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 21:12:34 +0000

Thanks very much, Robert. It is hard to find the time, but it has a momentum of it’s own so hard to stop. That and life got easier when learned to write posts in a fixed schedule.

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 21:05:54 +0000

Hi kyoushin: that makes a lot of sense. I suppose if the practice gets established enough, then fifteen minutes or more becomes more and more feasible. Getting to that point is still a work in progress.

By: McAlpine

McAlpine — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 09:57:09 +0000

Keep posting. I like your vibe!

By: Robert

Robert — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:26:08 +0000

Hang in there!
I always find what you write interesting.
I don’t notice the mistakes in your Buddhism posts, (as I don’t know much about Buddhism!), but I can still draw inspiration from it. Likewise your Japanese posts. I see them as you sharing your experience of learning.

I’m surprised you can find the time for anything when raising a small child!

Your post made me think of ( and start to re-read) Zen 24/7 by Phillip Toshio Sudo.
http://users.maui.net/~zen_gtr/z247.html
Which expounds the idea of finding “practices” and meditation in everyday mundane tasks by being mindful when performing those tasks. Which in turn makes me think of the meditation inherent in the meticulous care that monks can take in tending temple gardens.

By: Kyōshin

Kyōshin — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:37:44 +0000

“been told by Zen teachers online that no Zen Buddhist worth his salt will meditate for less than 15min. a day”

It’s a shame if they expressed this in such a dogmatic way. However the reason that they stress this period of time is practical. It’s after roughly this period of time in zazen that the body-mind system starts to naturally settle down of its own accord. Discovering this is a real confidence booster but you do have to sit long enough to discover it ‘kicking in’. This is not to say though that one minute of zazen is without value, indeed I think just taking the posture of the Buddha is a precious ritual act.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:45:29 +0000

Hm, I’ll have to check that one out. There’s another really good book on Rinzai Zen I brought back from Japan (bilingual edition) that I wanted to write about, time permitting.

By: Tornadoes28

Tornadoes28 — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:25:56 +0000

I read a very, very good book called Living and Dying in Zazen. The Zen master’s from the book stated that even a minute of zazen is good. I don’t recall their names. I would have to go look it up but it is a very interesting book.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:22:47 +0000

Hello Everyone, and thank you for the warm replies. It’s very encouraging.

Johnl: Previously, I was fairly strict about re-reading posts days after writing them to ensure it still looked and sounded “ok”, but lately I’ve been remiss on that. I think I should still be a little more diligent, but indeed it’s not the end of the world.

Rev. Eijo Thanks very much. Your point about “sustainable” practice is very helpful, and good to bear in mind. The mind expects one thing, but reality is a whole other matter.

Marcus: I suppose I am not so much stressed (no more than usual), but more disappointed about my declining diligence with projects and blog. Good to take a break from time to time though.

Kyoushin: Thanks very much. Reading it in another person’s life is one matter, but seeing it in yourself is another, especially when you tend to be your own worst critic. I suppose that’s an issue we all face though.

Tornado28 Good point about the “do what you can do” with regard to zazen. I’ve been told by Zen teachers online that no Zen Buddhist worth his salt will meditate for less than 15min. a day, but I think more and more it has to be done as appropriate to one’s situation. Everyone has different karmic background and circumstances.

Speaking of “as appropriate”, that’s the topic of a blog post coming Sunday regarding Myoe Koben.

By: Tornadoes28

Tornadoes28 — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:27:20 +0000

I am definitely not an expert on the various forms of Buddhism and one of my biggest questions has always been how much practice and what type of practice is correct. I have read about various Zen masters who have stated regarding zazen that just do what one can, even if it is only a minute or two. Any zazen is better than no zazen. I believe this is the same with nembutsu as well. It is not the amount of practice but rather the faith or belief in your practice.

regarding your Japanese language training, you have accomplished far more than many who have wanted to learn the language, me included. Learning a language is extremely difficult, especially the older you are. And I would know.

So don’t feel too bad.