tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69534901788913830652024-03-13T21:02:20.093-07:00the dharma centrehome of contemporary Zen in AfricaHeila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-38535532816480080342010-09-22T07:10:00.000-07:002010-09-22T07:10:44.392-07:00Zen group in JohannesburgOn Monday September 22, 2010 The Weltevreden Park Zen Group, Johannesburg held their first weekly practice meeting. The group will be guided by Johannes de Villiers – Dharma Centre Teacher in training.Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-45956955706418041912010-08-15T23:46:00.000-07:002010-08-15T23:50:06.718-07:0010 - Day Retreat July/August 2010<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CHeila%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CHeila%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CHeila%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> 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0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; color: navy;">Some comments from our recent 10-day retreat:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; color: navy;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; color: navy;">Thank you thank you for wonderful retreat …. Quite a difference having that longer time….. and for all the work and effort and warmth and constant care and disciplined teachings……<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; color: navy;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; color: rgb(23, 54, 93);" lang="EN-ZA">Very many thanks for the retreat, for the tremendous effort made by yourselves in its preparation, its hosting ,and for your teachings during the retreat.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; color: rgb(23, 54, 93);" lang="EN-ZA">We have both returned feeling sure that we have seen signs of footprints, we are now sure that the Ox is somewhere in the forest. We are now both in hot pursuit! <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; color: rgb(23, 54, 93);" lang="EN-ZA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; color: rgb(23, 54, 93);" lang="EN-ZA">We are also both sold on the longer retreat, the impact is so much more than <span style=""> </span>shorter ones, as valuable as these also are. We hope that the longer retreats will again become a regular feature on the Dharma Centre annual calendar.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; color: rgb(23, 54, 93);" lang="EN-ZA"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; color: rgb(23, 54, 93);" lang="EN-ZA">If you were unable to join this retreat - be sure not to miss the next one!
<br /></span></p> Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-18015782746235569272009-06-27T00:24:00.000-07:002009-06-27T00:51:11.154-07:00the great unlearning<span style="font-style: italic;">by Shim Kwang,<br /></span><br />zen, the great unlearning<br />all your answers questioned<br /><br />sometimes I wonder, what is happening to me?<br />is it happening to others?<br />great frustration, great confusion, great doubt<br /><br />then I stop - me? what am I?<br />who is asking these questions?<br />who wants to know?<br />who or what is it that is aware of this "I"?<br /><br />a torrent of thoughts appears<br />return to the breath, one says<br />watch, witness, observe, says another<br /><br />sun’s rays beam through an open window<br />a cat asleep on the sofa<br />birds chirping in the trees<br />hungry<br /><br />Is this it? KATZ!!!Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-80649769534271737562009-06-27T00:22:00.001-07:002009-06-27T00:24:26.231-07:00Zen Retreat<span style="font-style:italic;">by Kevin,<br /></span><br />This retreat was a practical learning experience for me. I learned about the effects of emotional pain, how emotional storms rage in the mind and how they can lead to potentially insane actions. I learned however that these storms pass. I learned to deal with the storm, by firstly acknowledging it, and then by bringing my attention to my breath.<br /><br /> I learned that the mind can only fully concentrate on one thing at a time. During an emotional storm my full concentration is on the endless circulating thoughts, thoughts about difficult or unpleasant past experiences or thoughts anticipating future difficulties. As each bad thought arises I experience emotional pain, and the emotional pain builds up. These thoughts, if not seen and arrested, can drive us almost mad. I learned however that if the mind comes to its senses, by fully focusing on a sense object, the circulating thoughts are quietened and the storm starts to abate. <br /><br />I learned that when sitting meditating on the cushion, the most powerful sense tool we have is the breath. I found that the mind can be calmed by concentrating fully on the sense experience of breath Feeling the air going in, feeling the lungs expanding, and at the top of the breath, ONE, then releasing, feeling the air escaping, feeling the lungs relaxing, and then at the bottom of the breath TWO, and then on. Outside, at end of the sitting I notice that the storm has passed.<br /><br /> But what did the storm teach me? Well three things, firstly that they pass, secondly that they are the result of my mind concentrating on something unpleasant , and thirdly that the mind can be stilled by shifting its awareness fully into the sense world, or to use the popular expressing “ coming to my senses “, and this is most simply done by following the breath, in and out.<br /><br />On the way home from the retreat, my mind once again started to drift towards a difficult family situation, my mind started to dwell on it and once again I started to go down the emotional hole. At this stage I remembered another important everyday practice which is “don’t dwell in the drama”. But how do we stop dwelling in it? Again, come to the senses, follow the breath!<br />So, what is Zen practice, both formal and informal? What is a Zen life all about? For me, the object of a Zen life is simply to awaken to life as it is, as it is without a story. Zen practice is that set of tools I use to pluck me out of mind and to bring my awareness back to now, to awaken me to the present moment as it is without a story.<br /><br />During this retreat four of us took Precepts. Thomasz took his first five. Johannes and Kevin took their next five, leading them into their lives as a “Dharma Teacher in Training”, and Ron took his next six as a “Senior Dharma Teacher”.<br /><br />Since taking my next five Precepts, life has turned into a Kong-An, continuous Kong-An work in progress. And as with trying to solve a Kong-An, I keep finding out NOT THAT, and the Kong-An gets presented again.<br /><br />This was a very strong retreat. Fifteen of us walked out after the four days of formal practice. May life bless us all with the lessons we need, may we be awake enough to see them, and may we learn to keep coming to our senses.Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-88754790786409182522009-06-22T11:31:00.000-07:002009-06-22T11:33:13.771-07:00Zen retreat June 2009<span style="font-style:italic;">by Jane,</span><br /><br />My head is clear of muddled thoughts, my heart is light … one week after the 4 day Zen retreat … and this is what I notice, but am learning not to hold on to!! the acceptance of what is, and knowing that this is changing all the time.<br /><br />4 days in Robertson at the Dharma centre – welcoming the silence, feeling at home with the smells of incense, delicious food cooking, rosemary and lavender from the garden, the comfort of the rituals and the discipline, the discomfort of my knees after the first day of sitting, the calms and the storms that flow through the mind, the love and compassion, the pain of thoughts. <br /><br />My “mind” goes over and over the answer to a koan and then I think “This is it”, I have the correct answer – but no! and back to the cushion, keep it simple.<br /><br />My love and thanks to Heila Soen Sa Nim and Rodney and all the members of the Sangha, and all sentient beings.Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-37803092745276340932009-06-22T11:21:00.000-07:002009-06-22T11:27:52.699-07:00taking precepts, by 'Shim Kwang'<blockquote>One minute of zazen, one inch Buddha.<br />Like a lightning flash, thoughts just come and go.<br />Look once into the ground of mind and nothing else has ever been.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Manzan Dohaku (1635-1714)</span><br /></blockquote>The June 2009 retreat holds a special place in my heart. It started out like many others, but ended very differently.<br /><br />The retreat was very well attended; with a superb head Dharma teacher and his running commentaries; outstanding moktak masters; evening chant solo’s and exquisite food.<br /><br />On Sunday we had the precepts ceremony, where Ron took on the Senior Dharma teacher precepts, Kevin and Johannes took on the Dharma teacher-in-training precepts. And six years after joining, I eventually also took a big step in my life and took the five precepts. <br /><br />What made the precepts ceremony more meaningful was the fact that a few outside people and loved ones joined us. The ceremony itself was also very moving, and while sitting there, a sudden realisation took place: I was no longer doing this for myself; I was doing this for everyone else. What a responsibility! What a daunting task! What did I get myself into!<br /><br />At the end of the retreat, in our typical circle talk, everyone had very insightful comments and a great sense of togetherness prevailed.<br /><br />The retreat left me inspired and excited to go back to the world and practice – and patiently await the next retreat encounter.<br /><br />Lastly I would like to thank Heila Soen Sa Nim and Rodney for their teaching, time and patience!Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-1741012577483472322009-04-16T00:06:00.000-07:002009-04-16T00:07:46.567-07:00Easter Retreat<span style="font-style: italic;">by Sangha member Ryan,</span><br /><br />A small group of old students and first-time retreatants gathered for<br />our Easter retreat. It was intimate enough to allow for<br />Moktak training and "improvisation". Ronel was the Maestro, with Gerry and Ryan as the Moktak stooges. Ronel's teaching pearls were inspiring, but hard to reach: "you gotta loosen that grip", "it's not a baseball bat"...<br /><br />The role of Moktak master was rotated throughout the retreat, and extra attention was required for remembering where we were sitting, let alone where our minds were.<br /><br />Future retreatants will surely benefit from our training, and should know that the following people selflessly offered their ears to the cause: Dairin, Theo, Rebecca, Ronel, Christine.<br /><br />Thank you to Heila Soen Sa Nim and Rodney for their teaching!Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-45814194493517892572009-04-12T23:30:00.000-07:002009-04-15T12:41:29.116-07:00Shuzen Sensei Retreat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDA3hfiozRvJLNjxt8ZaS3c8Q69F4_MipRTFSh-VEuVODgRvXBCHpS8rpbRNLI9u4YuLaf94JE8ak7m3wvK-gdktdl-XuBZa32gK6_q-q7EmSz9cQ-1YK1dF6uO0xw4kUMOCmdixP2QSos/s1600-h/DSC01547.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDA3hfiozRvJLNjxt8ZaS3c8Q69F4_MipRTFSh-VEuVODgRvXBCHpS8rpbRNLI9u4YuLaf94JE8ak7m3wvK-gdktdl-XuBZa32gK6_q-q7EmSz9cQ-1YK1dF6uO0xw4kUMOCmdixP2QSos/s320/DSC01547.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325004856525152786" border="0" /></a><br />by Sangha member, Ryan<br /><br />We had a full house in March with Shuzen Sensei, assisted by Jinshin, leading a Zen retreat in Roberston. The form was quite familiar to those accustomed to the Korean style of Zen: sitting, chanting, noble silence...<br /><br /><br />After we'd all had some time to quiet our minds, Shuzen conducted a workshop dealing with the I-System. For a change, we were asked to open our mouths on retreat! The workshop was a fusion of Western psychology and the Eastern Wisdom. It was an insightful experience that shed some light on the mechanisms of our delusion and causes of our suffering.<br /><br />Shuzen's sense of humour shone bright and undermined each of our attempts to take our Identity System too seriously!<br /><br />His way of being was the core of his teaching.<br />We look forward to Being Here with him again.Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-17915464448808004762009-02-21T08:23:00.000-08:002009-02-21T08:29:26.774-08:00Yoga-Zen retreat - feedback<span style="font-style: italic;">by sangha member Johannes de Villiers,</span><br /><br />(<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/heila.downey/YogaAndZenFeb2009?feat=directlink">click here for retreat pictures</a>)<br /><br />Zen students are often exasperated when they hear of the mystic acrobatics the uninitiated ascribe to them: "Do you guys levitate while on retreat?" one is sometimes asked. "Can you hover above your body?" "Does meditation make you feel a floaty feeling as if you are dangling from a cosmic cord?"<br /><br />Fortunately, after a weekend recent retreat, some of our members can answer these questions in the positive. A group of retreatants at the Robertson Dharma Centre spent a large part of Saturday and some of the next morning contorting themselves into yogi-esque postures and worked themselves into a state of blissful semi-weightlessness. One member – retreat co-leader and yoga teacher Brett Wearne – gave a yoga demonstration at the foot of the dharma room altar during which he flew his legs around in a series of hand-stands, did splits while standing on his head and elicited gasps with a few more circus-style maneuvers.<br /><br />The Yoga and Meditation retreat combined a slightly less formal style of zen practice (five sittings a day and informal meals) with an array of yogic arts (two daily sessions of yoga exercise – mats, straps, blocks and all). The usual morning bows were changed for a session of pranajama breath work. And although not a new chant, retreatants were encouraged to share the merit of their practice through a dedication at the start and finish of each yoga session.<br /><br />Brett, a sangha member of many years and currently physiotherapist and yoga teacher in Canada, took time off from a South African visit to guide retreatants through the asanas and give handy lectures on the physiology of yoga.<br /><br />All yoga starts as meditation, our teachers reminded the aspiring yogi's, and as retreatants gasped and sighed on their mediation mats, it was easy to recognise that it is indeed easier to be mindful of your body while you are knotted like a cook sister, and that it is hard to lose track of your breath when you are doing the "bellows breath". Soon we were striving to move with the focused mind of zazen, and to sit with the fluidity of yoga. Moving practice. Breathing practice. It’s all one thing.Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-88079639179508920892009-01-26T00:49:00.000-08:002009-01-26T00:58:31.264-08:00SHUZEN SENSEI – visiting teacher<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkqkk-4ySrJCB_mE3VT_bl_RYk7nuXBFXWu2qKPmFuDjwZnk-H8hEi4MxX3pzNIcFBl27j6hHf-P_8C7ZsR6K-uOD_DCO1qVOofFZI8L-iU8oCqhkjJBis0Z2s-sQTnDxGVAH86btKl0x/s1600-h/shuzen_sensei.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkqkk-4ySrJCB_mE3VT_bl_RYk7nuXBFXWu2qKPmFuDjwZnk-H8hEi4MxX3pzNIcFBl27j6hHf-P_8C7ZsR6K-uOD_DCO1qVOofFZI8L-iU8oCqhkjJBis0Z2s-sQTnDxGVAH86btKl0x/s320/shuzen_sensei.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295522708430300258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">PUBLIC TALK<br />Tuesday 3 March 7:00 pm<br /></span>Novalis Ubuntu Centre, 39 Rosmead Ave, Wynberg (Donation R50)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />ZEN RETREAT<br />Thu 5 March (6:00 pm) to Sun 8 March (2:00pm)<br /></span>Robertson Dharma Centre<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />(For further information and cost, call 023-626 3515 or email DHARMKEN@worldonline.co.za</span>)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Shuzen Sensei is a Soto priest who has been practicing Buddhism for more than 25 years. He is the founder and Resident Teacher of Soji Zen Centre in Pennsylvania, USA and his teaching brings together elements of Japanese Soto and Rinzai traditions.<br /><br />Shuzen Sensei teaches meditation practice and koan study (Zen questions) to cultivate clarity and mindfulness in both beginners and experienced students of Zen Buddhism. He holds a degree in applied human development and uses creative methods to synthesize Western psychology and Zen.<br /><br />Shuzen Sensei also focuses on the relationship between Zen and the martial arts, holding black belts in Iaido (traditional samurai swordsmanship) and Kendo (Japanese fencing). He founded two Japanese swordsmanship schools in Albany and Salt Lake CityHeila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-1997065838804513482008-09-13T07:14:00.000-07:002008-09-13T07:16:54.916-07:00why the ego does not want to change<span style="font-style: italic;">written by a prison-Sangha member</span><br /><br />Our unchanging true self knows of its unchanging powers that are within us all the time. The ego mimics this same attitude in self-perception, as a measure of self preservation. The ego pretends to possess the same unchanging powers as the true self has, by creation and attachment to the perception of self.<br /><br />This perceived self is not our true self, it is merely the path of awareness of the ‘I – ME – MINE’ thinking.<br /><br />Our unchanging true self does not have to try to cling and attach to anything. Its nature is unchangeable anyhow, so to speak. It’s awareness remains active and unchanged by thoughts. Therefore we can differentiate between active and passive awareness.<br /><br />Can we plan anything but still stay in active awareness? Since planning is done to get a needed reaction and to bring forth a desired change into our lives, the influence of our ego in our actions determine whether we can experience, what is termed mindful awareness in action MAIA.<br /><br />When planning is done with an unchanging mind (Zen mind) and the ego is not the driving force anymore, there is no more attachment to the perception of self as in ‘I – ME – MINE’.<br /><br />What is making it so difficult for us to change our ego, is that our true self has to realize its powers in active awareness first.<br /><br />(from ‘inside’!)Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-86001866562022911232008-09-02T09:58:00.000-07:002008-09-02T10:02:50.609-07:00Reflections on the Kido Retreat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwDKVyV40ZV5SPGZyJDLc0uGuwLmTAQ9nOH0xiu97OLjBciWw3LIs1KKT8P5DB1wnIRPhirZB2ZcwJurzbJc_P4E4PwJ52irhnpIRtrwsuEs_fnfbdOg2_L_5Y-Fc-RiV8csnIB72q9pn/s1600-h/kido_retreat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwDKVyV40ZV5SPGZyJDLc0uGuwLmTAQ9nOH0xiu97OLjBciWw3LIs1KKT8P5DB1wnIRPhirZB2ZcwJurzbJc_P4E4PwJ52irhnpIRtrwsuEs_fnfbdOg2_L_5Y-Fc-RiV8csnIB72q9pn/s320/kido_retreat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241470461824733682" border="0" /></a><br />by Sangha Member Ron Schiff<br /><br />What is it that makes anything memorable? Clearly there is the activity itself, but without the mindful connection of "being there", it would just become another brush-stroke in our everyday lives. I think too that when something stands out in relief, it is far more noticeable. And that is how I recall the Kido retreat last week.<br /><br />Without wishing to make “same” or “different”, it was in many respects unlike our usual form of retreat – slightly later start, no morning bows and a noticeable shift from black cushions to straw bales in a much bigger Dharma Room out there beneath the open skies above Tamasine’s and Michael’s Natural Horsemanship Centre at Long Valley Farm behind Robertson.<br /><br />But that was not the only difference. Perhaps the most significant transformation for all of us who commented on it later, was something in the practice itself that marked a tangible shift from the first to the second day of the retreat. For some reason, I personally found that first day a little strange and was unable to relax into the practice. Everything seemed somewhat theatrical and in hindsight I recognise my own checking mind. So on day two as we quietly took our places on the cushions in a darkened Dharma room surrounded by the soft glow of candles and joined in chanting the Om Nam mantra led by Heila PSN, everything was exactly the same as day one. Except that it wasn’t!<br /><br />Something inexplicable happened that allowed us to connect at a deep level. Sitting there in the flickering candlelight, I remember fully immersing myself in the soft chanting and I had such a profound sense of sharing the moment with friends - Rebecca, Lauren, Dion, Darryl, Jane, Kevin, Ian, Tamasine and of course our wonderful teachers Heila PSN and Rodney. I am reluctant to explore the reasons for this change any further but I truly believe that it came about by attaining "no attainment with nothing to attain".<br /><br />Later that day as we sat on straw bales in the garden, the sunlight just catching the tops of the mountains with the playful frolicking of the horses and bubbling of the nearby stream in the background, we struck an assortment of drums, moktaks, bells and even an upturned cooking pot, chanting for hours - sometimes with energy and sometimes just a quiet pulse. Heila PSN observed how passing the responsibility of leading the chants from one person to the other was just like handing over the baton in a relay race – that momentary shift in tempo before everyone settled down again to the new rhythm.<br /><br />During this retreat, I was strongly reminded what my practice is all about – the awareness and the mindfulness are of course not ends in themselves but merely tools that help us to connect with something “bigger” than ourselves – to feel that profound sense of total engagement in what we instinctively know to be true and authentic - intangible and yet very palpable. Something that I recognised is already part of me. I had just forgotten it!<br /><br />So finally, in deference to that old question about how many Zen monks it takes to change a light bulb, a recent psychology article agreed that it takes only one, but added that the light bulb really has to want to be changed. And there is no doubt in my mind that all of us who attended the retreat definitely wanted to be there.<br /><br />In this regard, my love and warmth go out to our dearest friends Tamasine and Michael for so graciously opening their home to us - and to Heila PSN and Rodney, who make this all possible. My deepest respect also to all of you who were there, and likewise to those who were not able to physically join us. Michael who was on the sidelines mentioned how profoundly he was affected by simply witnessing our chanting, and I have no doubt that our practice in and of itself does indeed make a big difference to this world. I am reminded of something I once read by Thich Nhat Hanh who said "if you do not give yourself peace, how can you share it with others”?Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-89428812735278271272008-07-28T13:32:00.000-07:002008-07-28T14:11:29.164-07:00Horsemanship and Mindfulness practice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMPonKr4Y5jemw6sjCMVsG-OqLdA4nZhMIaBFvpxYk_-TS0zWCHNchK32u6OV7jdvOMIDFFrmVqa9xu070ikAcpTJCmLprXoYFjgXYg9GhykQz78cfspETMi4mV29OAfEJ7in1iGJZofc/s1600-h/IMG_2172.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMPonKr4Y5jemw6sjCMVsG-OqLdA4nZhMIaBFvpxYk_-TS0zWCHNchK32u6OV7jdvOMIDFFrmVqa9xu070ikAcpTJCmLprXoYFjgXYg9GhykQz78cfspETMi4mV29OAfEJ7in1iGJZofc/s200/IMG_2172.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228173537548626402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">by Sangha member Tamasine Smith,<br /></span><br />Horsemanship practice and mindfulness practice, while it may be possible to separate them on paper and for the purpose of discussion, they become in-separable when put into actual practice.<br />When I was asked to write this I thought that it would be easy, however, when I sat down to write, it was much more challenging. When asked to describe one I find that the other is automatically there - I guess horsemanship is mindfulness in action as opposed to sitting practice. Suddenly “sitting is just sitting”, “reading is just reading” made more sense.<br /><br />When I started studying horsemanship I heard a lot of phrases like “<span style="font-weight: bold;">it is more about who we need to be (for the horse) than the method of training</span>”, that we might need to be “many different people in one training session” in order to help a horse and that we would need to change from moment to moment. I also heard that we need to be “in the moment” because that is the only place that the horse resides - he does not live in the past or worry about the future, he is only intent on the here and now.<br /><br />Teachers explained that “<span style="font-weight: bold;">horses are our mirrors</span>” and that the emotions they bring up in us when we work with them reflect us. At first this did not make a lot of sense, but over time, in particular once I started teaching, I noticed that when someone is ineffective and lacks leadership - the horse pushes them around and takes over because it does not know where it stands, if someone is too busy around a horse and can’t be still their horse tends also to be full of energy, maybe even a bit scared and erratic and if someone can’t pay attention theirs is the horse that is unfocused.<br /><br />My teachers also spoke about compassion and how it is important when working with a horse to <span style="font-weight: bold;">“ask and allow” not “demand and make”</span> and that when compassion is not fuzzy and ill defined but firm and effective. Just be-ing “nice” does not get us anywhere, the leadership required must be reliable and consistent without buying into anger and frustration or getting emotive. I also learnt that we are human and that those kind of emotions do arise, often more frequently in our early practice, and that when they do, we should “let them go”. I was taught to become “aware of them” and attempt not to buy into them. It was made clear that such emotions are “OK” it is acting on them that can do harm to ourselves and our horses. I also heard how we should not beat up on ourselves if we have made a mistake - because “there are no mistakes - just opportunities to learn”.<br /><br />Just as with Zen practice though, until I “did” rather than just “studied” horse-manship, I did not really “know” these things and once I had enough knowl-edge and experience to start teaching, things became even clearer. My hu-man teachers were (are) still wonderful and continue to guide me, but <span style="font-weight: bold;">the greatest teachers have been the “horses”</span> because they have given me direct experience. They showed me these things in practice and they showed me how mindfulness really is. They never miss anything.<br /><br />I watch new students learning and it is very difficult. Often what they face in themselves is hard and <span style="font-weight: bold;">it is easier to give up and return to old habits than create new ones</span>. Often, when I am with a horse there is nothing else, we are at one and there is no beginning and no end. I have no idea how to explain it - there are no words that make sense of it - it just is. When I first attended the Centre in Robertson I was asked how do I know what “sweet” tastes like? We have to actually taste it and when we do, we just know. It often works like this with horsemanship - when we “taste it” we just know.<br /><br />I was recently re-reading the stories about the students who wanted to attain Kensho in “The Three Pillars of Zen”... The writers all describe how they want it, that they must get it at all costs and that they will strive for it... The way they describe it and their journey to it is very similar to what happens to students of horsemanship.<br />“Feel” is the horseman’s “Kensho”. We wish to attain this “feel” and have it for ourselves. We understand that the only way to work with a horse is with feel but when we start out we don’t “know” exactly what it is. We have a theoretical idea of course, we can read about it and listen to lectures on it - but everyone’s individual experience, even when they “get it” will be different. No two people’s feel is exactly the same.<br />Students start to ask things like what is feel and how do we get it? How do we know when we have got it?! Students search for it, strive for it, work hard at it, get stressed about it, get frustrated for it, demand it, try for it... yet when they let that go and have a softness about them, when they let go of the reins and old habits, when they trust that it will happen and let go of their rigidity of trying - it appears. It’s the “ah ha moment”. When it happens there is the most amazing feeling of clarity and “knowing” - but often it is gone in a flash because the student tries to grasp onto it and the old rigidity comes back. However, once glimpsed, they know it is there. The trying harder, the getting rigid again is all just part of the journey. This is nothing to worry about though, because as one trainer puts it “<span style="font-weight: bold;">It often gets darker before it gets dawn!</span>”<br />With horsemanship it can be frustrating for the student receiving instruction because things change from moment to moment. In one instance they are being asked to do one thing and in the very next, something completely dif-ferent and maybe the opposite! Horsemanship is the essence of change! When this is accepted and the student goes with it rather than trying to hold on to the past (even if that was a microsecond ago) then everything starts to flow.<br /><br />The more I attend the Dharma centre, the more these themes come up and I could as easily be in a horsemanship lesson as in the Dharma Hall - in fact they are the same thing. There is a thread that joins the practice to the horsemanship and the horsemanship to the practice and they can not be separated.Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-71037672970212536922008-07-10T03:46:00.000-07:002008-07-10T04:31:03.424-07:00Upcoming Kido Chanting Retreat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRAHSRweF6wNfLJXgcOIODdMhX-o6E7y3ckNcWKHDF3FNBkG12VDrmyYS4iszA9PFGuP-PZeiTHJaPVY25gO9uZm54cegaM8UCusAQTtGQM-DOLQygfwTOp71Vee-p7ojhIsZa3s9YaD5/s1600-h/nhza.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWRAHSRweF6wNfLJXgcOIODdMhX-o6E7y3ckNcWKHDF3FNBkG12VDrmyYS4iszA9PFGuP-PZeiTHJaPVY25gO9uZm54cegaM8UCusAQTtGQM-DOLQygfwTOp71Vee-p7ojhIsZa3s9YaD5/s200/nhza.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221346403461878386" /></a><br /><br />Chanting is a dynamic and energizing practice that is commonly used and form part of many religious and spiritual traditions. In chanting meditation we try to keep a not-moving mind – cutting off all thinking and just perceiving the sound of our own voice and that of others. With regular chanting, our sense of being centered gets stronger and stronger. When we are strongly centered, we can control our feelings and emotions, and thus the way we live our lives. Chanting meditation is a medicine to aid us in living a focused, centered and clear life – ultimately freeing us from the attachment to illusions and further suffering. <br /><br />During this retreat we will practice at the Dharma Centre until after breakfast and work period when we will drive into the mountains to LongValley Farm - the home of <a href="http://www.nhza.com/">Natural Horsemanship in South Africa</a>. Here we will do two hours of continuous chanting - returning to the Dharma Center for lunch and a period of rest, followed by another two hours chanting in the mountains. Supper and evening practice will be at the Dharma Centre and will include more chanting. This routine will be repeated until lunchtime on Sunday.<br /><br />In addition to bringing warm clothing, footwear, beanies, and neck scarves, participants are encouraged to bring percussion instruments to use during the chanting sessions. For those not used extended periods of chanting some throat lozenges might be advisable.Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-21727178956726735982008-07-02T03:03:00.000-07:002008-07-10T03:57:22.180-07:00MAIA in Helderstroom Prison<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtz_L5at9oqZqLoI67cqH824JJR7GFIOOfDTRxp47VHohS467Sh6qa7H4xOctgJTjmBWK2X8OIA8NGZrPUEj2aD4dlxKXbwSkR9y6FmIRVClrglNSuShM5GBnO5cw-pYC91n43SyW21ONq/s1600-h/Prison+pics+020.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtz_L5at9oqZqLoI67cqH824JJR7GFIOOfDTRxp47VHohS467Sh6qa7H4xOctgJTjmBWK2X8OIA8NGZrPUEj2aD4dlxKXbwSkR9y6FmIRVClrglNSuShM5GBnO5cw-pYC91n43SyW21ONq/s200/Prison+pics+020.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218356885323270402" /></a><br />On Monday the 30th of June, we presented the third one-day module of the MAIA Program - Mindful Awareness in Action at Helderstroom Maximum Prison. The workshop was attended by 39 participants, all incarcerated for serious/violent crime.<br />During the first module participants were left with the question - WHO AM I? as homework for the next session. It is exactly this question, their understanding and interpretation of it that once again reminded us of Zen Master Seung Sahn’s repeated admonishment: “Try, try, try for 10,000 years nonstop!” <br />Some participants felt threatened by this question and thought it pertained to details of their crime, or perhaps even involvement in the Numbers gangs – prevalent in most correctional facilities. Once this misperception was dealt with, and they were given some guidance as to how to approach the question they were left to explore it in whichever way they felt most comfortable.<br />In most cases, participants gave details of their name, place and date of birth and levels of education or lack thereof. They also mentioned likes and dislikes with regards to music, food and clothing. One participant simply said that he could not write anything about who he was, as that would be a lie - because he really did not know!<br />The question “Who am I?” is truly inexhaustible and it’s underlying meaning cannot easily be transmitted and attained after only two sessions of Mindful Awareness instruction and working with I, ME and MINE! Hence Ven. Seungh Sahn’s encouragement “Try, try, try for 10,000 years nonstop!”<br />During the second module participants were again left with a question as homework. This time: “if you could give anyone a gift, what would it be and who would be the recipient of this gift?”<br />95% of the participants approached this question from a purely materialistic perspective and mostly said they would give ‘this gift’ to their mother in acknowledgment of her gift of life, as well as her ongoing suffering as a result of their incarceration. A few participants approached this question from the perspective of their personal lack of education and said they would give themselves the gift of a higher level of education, as they truly believed that their crime/ incarceration is as a direct result of their lack of or low level of education.<br />The emphasis of the first three modules of the MAIA program is to introduce participants to the concept of moment to moment awareness or present time awareness and working with ‘I’, ‘ME’, ‘MINE’ versus ‘i’, ‘me’, ‘mine’ using various forms of meditation to facilitate this process: i.e. Sitting and walking meditation, listening and pausing meditation, breathing and eating meditation etc. <br />Bringing attention to eating meditation elicited lively discussion and detailed descriptions of the smell and color of food they eat on a daily basis. “We eat as quickly as possible to get it over as quickly as possible,” was the common thread of this interaction. <br /><br />A teaching from - S. N. Goenka, The Art of Living called: JUDGEMENT, concluded this session and set them on their way (hopefully!) to approach their meal times with a different mindset:<br />“A sensation appears, then liking or disliking begins. This fleeting moment, if we are unaware of it, is repeated and intensified into craving and aversion, becoming a strong emotion that eventually overpowers the conscious mind. We become caught up in the emotion, and all our better judgment is swept aside. The result is that we find ourselves engaged in unwholesome speech and action, harming ourselves and others. We create misery for ourselves, suffering now and in the future, because of one moment of blind reaction.<br />But if we are aware at the point where the process of reaction begins--that is, if we are aware of the sensation--we can choose not to allow any reaction to occur or to intensify . . . in those moments the mind is free. <br />Perhaps at first these may be only a few moments in a meditation period, and the rest of the time the mind remains submerged in the old habit of reaction to sensations, the old round of craving, aversion, and misery. But with repeated practice those few brief moments will become seconds, will become minutes, until finally the old habit of reaction is broken, and the mind remains continuously at peace. This is how suffering can be stopped.”<br />In July, during a two-day module, we will begin to explore the levels of consciousness – intellectual, emotional, psychological and spiritual in an attempt to make available some tools and processes to further explore the question: “WHO AM I?”Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-25987886602417387032008-06-17T02:57:00.001-07:002008-06-18T05:22:00.371-07:00June Retreat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJThPvTxLLISGt60-GzYavLyk3NBYQvMvim7Pxb9dd8yaRoESu_dmi2TeDR5SY2fRes8OAp8or4o1zoTISsPome-ACBpe9ytTmy16469NjvK5dKu2cj0tjWelwbijsEr4lqlA6rYPYMar/s1600-h/Retreatants+July+retreat+1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJThPvTxLLISGt60-GzYavLyk3NBYQvMvim7Pxb9dd8yaRoESu_dmi2TeDR5SY2fRes8OAp8or4o1zoTISsPome-ACBpe9ytTmy16469NjvK5dKu2cj0tjWelwbijsEr4lqlA6rYPYMar/s200/Retreatants+July+retreat+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212793727764543250" /></a><br />Our 1st winter retreat for 2008 was attended by 19 participants. The richness of Dharma, simplicity of together practice, tenacity and 'try mind' of the newcomers were an inspiration to all - serving as a reminder of the incredible importance of 'beginners mind'. As Head Dharma Teacher, Christine brought a strong and settled energy to the the dharma room, supported by Tamasine in the role of Moktak Master - who gently lead the chanting and called all to practice at the appropriate time - never to early or ever late! Join us for our chanting (Kido) retreat - August 22 - 24, 2008!Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-2842256950935106712008-06-15T23:15:00.000-07:002008-06-15T23:47:58.109-07:00Present-time AwarenessHenepola Gunaratana (from <span style="font-style:italic;">Mindfulness in Plain English</span>)<br /><br /><blockquote>Mindfulness is present-time awareness. It takes place in the here and now. It is the observance of what is happenning right now, in the present moment. It stays forever in the present, perpetually on the crest of the ongoing wave of passing time. <br /><br />If you are remembering your second-grade teacher, that is memory. When you then become aware that you are remembering your second-grade teacher, that is mindfulness. If you then conceptualize that process and say to yourself, "Oh, I am remembering", that is thinking.</blockquote>Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-42710133881877262192008-06-15T00:14:00.000-07:002008-06-15T00:35:44.201-07:00Collage from our Prison RetreatDuring our Five-Day retreat in the Malmesbury New Prison, we asked a question each day, and allowed all present to reflect upon the question before writing it down. Some notes were anonymous, others had names. Sometimes we read our own notes, other times the notes were shuffled before redistributing them. It was a random decision – not allowing anyone to hide behind anonymity, encouraging accountability and honesty. Following are but a few of the comments – drawn in no particular order: <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Maybe this will sound a little impossible, but I would like to be mindful in all aspects of my life. </span> <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">To hold my child for just one day, to see him smile and to just be a little happier.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />I came here to find myself. As an orphan I never found love, a home or stability. Through meditation I believe, by just being silent I will find comfort and peace of mind within myself, for the future. NOTHING will stop and deny me the opportunity to live again. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I regret that I am unable to support my ageing mother whilst in prison. That when I had a perfect partner I didn’t realize it until it was to late. That I ever started to use drugs. That I am such an attention seeker! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I would really love to change all my BAD habits into GOOD ones. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I regret not telling my father that I loved him, also the mount of time that I have wasted thinking about the past and worrying about the future. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I want to seek truth – to see things as they really are. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I sincerely wish to stay focused at all times, so that when anger and frustrations arise, I can deal with them in a way that I will not offend others. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I wish to attain the Truth. I know so little about myself. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I would like to stop making other people see things only my way, and stop getting carried away in excitement. I would like to be free from my habits. I would like to stop being controlled by my thoughts and to stop watching so much T.V. and sleeping late! </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I regret not trusting my instincts at times, as this is one of the many reasons that I am in prison today. I also regret having too much pride – even when it is not necessary. This has led to the loss of so many things. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I would like to look at aspects of how to deal with temptations. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I would like to change my attitudes towards other people, to accept things as they are and to get rid of ‘I’, ‘Me’, ‘My’. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I commit myself to do a minimum of 1 hour of hard practice each day, developing mindfulness and to expand my practice by making use of a list of 20-activities which I have compiled, so that I am able to take this development of mindfulness into everyday life. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />5-Days of pain and discomfort. An invaluable experience which I have no intention whatsoever of wasting by stopping now. The realization that practice is my life and that life can only be lived one moment at a time. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">To stop moving from A to Z without enjoying what’s in-between. In short – living for the moment, and not letting my past determine my future. To let go of my baggage and bad memories. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I want to be less judgmental and be more meticulous. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I want to stop worrying so much about what other people feel and start worrying more about how and what I feel. In short, I want to be more sensitive to my emotional needs. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I regret not being there to walk my son to school. I have not seen him since he was born. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Sitting for four days, and only today I came to the realization how important it is to keep ‘Don’t know’ mind. So, in the future I want to commit myself to keep this ‘don’t know’ frame of mind and to be able to experience that fantastic one moment of before thinking! <br /></span>Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-8715551533043058922008-06-15T00:13:00.000-07:002008-06-15T00:20:14.764-07:00MAIA - What is Mindfulness?The essential tool of MINDFULNESS is attention – not the weak, unstable reactive attention that is part of our autonomic functioning, but a strong, stable and volitional attention cultivated in such disciplines as meditation. <br /><br />Active attention = mindfulness and awareness, and this is the key. Attention in this sense, is not intellectual or physical. It is energy based - the same kind of energy that powers our emotions. <br /><br />ACTIVE Attention is used to dismantle the wall that separates us from who/what we are. This wall consists of conditioned patterns of perception, emotional reactions, and behaviors. This wall has many components: conventional notions of success and failure, the belief that: “I am a separate and independent entity”, reactive emotional patterns, passivity, an inability to open to others, and misperceptions about the nature of being. <br /><br />Dismantling these habituated, conditioned patterns, will not necessarily be a smooth or easy process – as a result of the fact that things don’t unfold in a neat, structured progression. Attention is the one principle on which we can always rely. Abiding in active attention, we meet every problem/experience we encounter in life and in practice in the same way and bring attention to that which arises in each moment with each breath. <br /><br />Attention then, acts on the wall of habituated patterns in the same way that the energy of sunlight acts on a block of ice. Heat from the sun raises the level of energy in the water molecules, until they can no longer remain in the compact crystalline structure of ice. The crystal breaks up, and the ice melts into water. In the same way, ACTIVE attention penetrates habituated patterns and raises the level of energy so that these patterns have to break up. The energy locked up in these habituated patterns is released and is then used to power attention to higher levels. Step by step, moment by moment, breathing in, breathing out - ACTIVE attention increases in energy until even the sense of separation dissolves and we open to the mystery of being. <br /><br />This process lies at the heart of all religions, but unfortunately through institutional settings, the vitality and immediacy of the lived experience is gradually covered over and lost. <br /><br />A Catholic contemplative David Steindl-Rast, once pointed out: “dIrect experience of the mystery of being manifests in three ways: a practice that supports opening to the mystery, a celebration of the experience, and a way of life that arises out of understanding and insight. <br /><br />When we are awake and present to the mystery of being, intention is determined by direct awareness that knows the situation, not by conditioned patterns and agendas. Thus, direct awareness code involves knowing and acting on the intention of the present.Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-29489762768058088492008-06-14T23:23:00.000-07:002008-06-14T23:25:34.334-07:00What is Zen?<div id="main"> <img class="pi" style="float: right;" src="http://www.dharmacentre.org.za/images/tower.jpg" alt="Though originally from India, Zen was forged in the Chinese, Korean and Japanese cultural environment" height="213" width="300" /> <p> Zen is very simple. It is about the true essence of all things, without attachments or opinions. It is not a belief system, nor is it a dogma. Zen is a system of doing. Doing what? It is a doing which imbues a rare sense of dignity- free from attachments, balanced, self-reliant and open. Zen enables us to wake up to the delusions and attachments of human existence. </p> <p> Dogen Zenji, a great 13<sup>th</sup> Century Japanese Zen Master, wrote: "To learn the way of Zen is to learn about oneself. To learn about oneself is to forget oneself. To forget oneself is to perceive oneself as all things. To realize this is to cast off body and mind." </p> <p> Zen means finding my True Self: Who am I? Why was I born? Why will I die? Zen points directly to our True Nature through mindfulness practice, using each moment as a tool, a teacher, enabling each and everyone to embark on this exciting journey of exploration into fully understanding the nature of self. </p> <p> Zen practice requires a BIG question alongside great determination. The formal aspect of Zen training includes periods of seclusion called retreats, during which time we do prostrations, chanting, sitting Zen, walking and working Zen, as well as consulting and Kong-An interviews, meditation instruction and talks related to practice. </p> </div>Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-26848878349494812722008-06-14T23:10:00.001-07:002008-06-14T23:10:20.614-07:00DanaDana or generosity is intrinsic to the 2500 year old Buddhist tradition. Since the time of Buddha, the teachings were considered priceless and thus offered freely. In keeping with this spirit, the teachers (resident and visiting) do not receive any payment for leading retreats even though they give generously of their time, energy and understanding. The daily accommodation tariff for retreats is set to cover expenses without profit. As the teachers receive no remuneration, they rely on the generosity of retreatants and friends who, appreciating the guidance that they receive, wish that this valuable work may continue.<br />There is a tendency in our culture to view giving as a personal loss or sacrifice. We sometimes give from a superior position to help those 'below' us in various ways. It is another perspective to see giving as an opportunity to cultivate the generous heart, and as a way of connecting with that which is good. In the Buddhist teachings the practice of dana is the foundation for awakening. There is no "right" amount that can be calculated in this spirit of giving. It is a response of heart, a personal choice that is entirely voluntary according to one's wishes and means.Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-33896904179894528162008-06-14T23:09:00.001-07:002008-06-14T23:09:55.196-07:00Precepts<p> Taking precepts is a strong statement of our intention that right now we will cut through our ambivalence in order to live with clarity and generosity. As such, the precepts are not strict moral rules but signs pointing toward how to keep just-now mind. </p> <p> In order to take the five precepts, you must have participated in at least four days of retreat with the guiding teacher. If you would you like more information on the precepts, please refer to our separate pamphlet which is available from the centres.<br /> The five precepts are: </p><ul><li>I vow to abstain from taking life.</li><li>I vow to abstain from taking things not given.</li><li>I vow to abstain from misconduct done in lust.</li><li>I vow to abstain from lying.</li><li>I vow to abstain from intoxicants, taken to induce heedlessness.</li></ul>Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-39605403919374872152008-06-14T23:08:00.002-07:002008-06-14T23:15:26.241-07:00The 4 Vows<img class="pi" style="float: right;" src="http://www.dharmacentre.org.za/images/monks.jpg" alt="monks practising zazen" height="250" width="166" /> At the start and end of daily practice we recite the following 4 vows: <em> Sentient beings are numberless, we vow to save them all<br /> Delusions are endless, we vow to cut through them all<br /> The teachings are infinite, we vow to learn them all<br /> The Buddha's way is inconceivable, we vow to attain it</em>Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-83509030121205640422008-06-14T23:08:00.001-07:002008-06-14T23:15:07.273-07:00Kong-An<img class="pi" style="float: right;" src="http://www.dharmacentre.org.za/images/heila.jpg" alt="Heila teaching" height="250" width="170" /> <p> Kong-an practise (Jap. Koan) is one unique teaching tool that the Rinzai tradition of Zen uses. Kong-an practice is an ancient form of question and answer. The actual word means <strong>public record</strong>. So these are the public records of past Zen Masters. The answers are based in the reality that is beyond time and space, likes and dislikes. Kong-an practice is also known as "looking into words," or using words to cut off all thinking. In a private interview your teacher will ask you a question that cannot be answered by rational thought. To use such a kong-an as a teaching tool you must perceive what it is pointing at. It is like a finger pointing at the moon. You don't examine the finger, the point is, do you see the moon or not? Because the teacher has already worked with the Kong-an, a special kind of relationship is able to develop in which the Kong-an is the bridge, whilst the result of the practitioner's practice is that which crosses over the bridge. </p> <p> Form and ritual play a vital role in Zen practice. They help us to deepen our spirit and to extend its vigor to our daily lives. Applying our practice of mindfulness to ritual and form is an opening for the experience of forgetting the self as the words or the action become one with you, and there is nothing else. Wearing our robes in the Dharma room, eating a meal in traditional temple style during a retreat or bowing to the sangha at the end of a meditation session can all become powerful tools for awakening when viewed in this light. </p>Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6953490178891383065.post-1655712754944618442008-06-14T23:07:00.001-07:002008-06-14T23:07:54.956-07:00BowingBowing practise or prostrations are an extension of formal practice and yet another way to cut off all attachment to thinking and "just do it". Prostrations could be likened to the 'emergency measure' for clearing the mind. They are a very powerful technique for seeing the karma of a situation because both the body and the mind are involved. Apart from being an energetic and dynamic form of meditation, prostrations also bring great health benefits.<br />Bows are a gesture of humility. We do not bow to another, but rather in the face of the 'other'. On the Buddhist altar is a figure of Buddha, this is the other. Bowing acknowledges the other, but not as something separate. The bow, and prostration come from the most profound depths of our aliveness.Heila Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08418691668361517432noreply@blogger.com0