I'm sure you are wondering why I don't post as regularly as I promised. The truth is I've tried to put up two posts in the last week and neither of them have stuck. Another truth is that I don't know whether anyone is reading this because I haven't gotten much feedback or questions.
Today I got a note from one of a recent precept recipient asking about the meaning of the names and I looked back at my posting and realized that it had gotten cut off in mid-sentence.  For all of this I apologize, and I also wonder why no one told me. Is anyone out there?
I'm leaning towards the idea of making this into a blog.
Kshanti in Buddhism has a few different translations. My teacher used the word "patience", but from the Japanese it can also be translated as "perseverance" or "forbearance". Thich Nhat Hanh translates it as "inclusiveness" and says we need kshanti "in order to be able to receive and hold great happiness". All of these translations are related of course.
In our busy world everything moves very fast. We know we should slow down, and we try to slow down, but it's difficult to find the quiet in the midst of constant movement. We naturally get pulled in. And this affects our attitudes too. We have developed the habit of thinking we should get everything instantly. If we don't get a quick result, or the result we desire, we give up, move on. This is not kshanti, this is dukkha.
Dukkha is that human tendency to always want something other than what we have. It is that feeling of "not enough" or "something else", a state of dissatisfaction. Kshanti is the opposite. It is a paramita, which is a practice of perfection in Buddhism. The core practice of all of the paramitas is no expectation. What does it mean to have no expectation? It means we take a deep breath, resist the tendency to rush into or out of anything, let go of ideas of success and failure... Let life unfold. If we feel we've succeeded it's a nice feeling and if we feel we've failed, it doesn't feel so great. But either way, the practice of kshanti means to both be with the feeling and recognize the impermanence of everything. This is to be in the present moment.
I hope you will all help me in the unfolding of this "blog which isn't really a blog". It will unfold over time and your patience and participation will help to evoke the Dharma, both in yourself and whatever I can offer.

I've been trying to get something up here for the past week, but it's
been a very busy time here at Great Tree. The good news is that the
busyness is all good - putting in the garden, cleaning up the yard,
tending the bees... In Family Meditation we're preparing the play of
the Life of the Buddha for Wesak on May 18. We can only manage a few
rehearsals, so I'm trying to make it as simple as possible. However,
sometimes making things simple takes a lot of time. Sangha discussion
group on Tuesdays is getting lively and sometimes challenging. The
Lotus Sutra is not easy to understand, so every week we have the
challenge of letting go of trying to understand it and just taking it
in. Thich Nhat Hanh calls this purifying your perceptions, i.e not
equating what is real with what we can see, hear, smell, taste, touch
or think. With our senses we tend to grasp on to our experiences and
lose the context of the bigness and interdependent nature of
everything. We label and judge without even noticing we're doing it.
When my dog Jasmine goes to the other side of the fence and rolls in
cow poop, I smell it and say "yuck". But the smile on her face helps me
recognize that the cow poop has other realities, and when I can step
back from my judgments I can appreciate that it represents the grass,
the soil, the sunshine, the rain and all the elements that made food
for the cow, as well as the cow itself and her process of eating,
chewing and digesting. What does this mean? If I think about the
meaning, I miss the experience of the inter-being of everything in
life. Just to step back is enough.



It's a beautiful spring! The broccoli in the garden is already quite
high and the kale is scrambling out of the soil to make an appearance.
Arugula seeds are popping out of the ground.  The onions may be
growing, but like meditation practice sometimes. their growth is
imperceptible. Recently I was told that gardeners in this area usually
wait until after Mother's Day to plant... Sometimes not knowing the
rules is okay I guess. It's all growing.



In Buddhism we talk about Seeds of Consciousness (sometimes called
"Storehouse Consciousness") or Alaya Vijnana. We all have seeds in us
that can produce different results. Some may be helpful and some
harmful to the harmonious inter-relationship of all beings in Life. So
which do we choose to cultivate. What kind of garden do we want to live
in? Getting clarity about this and making choices is part of what we call "Practice".



It may not always be clear what the results of our actions may be, so
intention is more important than action. And, while it's not possible
to define intention, I think that to recognize whether what we are
doing is altruistic or self-centered makes all the difference in terms
of results. First and foremost our Practice can't be for personal
benefit. While I cannot deny that it certainly is helpful to others if
we each discover our own delusions about life and thereby find more
clarity, even the motivation for personal clarity should be seen in the
context of our relationship with all beings in life This is because we
don't exist alone. And true clarity, true awareness is to recognize
this and act accordingly. Even though what we say and do might not be
received well, if we do it with awareness our awareness will be
received on some level. This is not only true of action, but also of
non-action.



I do wish this were said with more clarity. And I've been holding off
posting all week because I haven't had the time to edit my thoughts
properly. But perhaps to not say it is less altruistic. Perhaps someone
will understand and be inspired. Or maybe these remarks will trigger a
good question that can help me clarify. Either way, here it is.

"... visualize a Sangha body as a forest. Each member ... is a tree standing beautifully alongside the others. Each tree has its own shape, height and unique qualities, but all are contributing to the harmonious growth of the forest. Looking at the trees standing alongside each other like that, you can sense the beauty, solidity, and power of a sacred forest."
Thich Nhat Hanh, "Joyfully Together, The Art of Building a Harmonious Community"

Last Saturday we had a great Sangha Practice Day. I want to invite all of you to put it on your calendar for this Saturday to come and participate in some or all of it. If you would like to stay over on Friday night, let us know.

We'll be having these Sangha Practice Days on Saturdays during Practice Period (May & June) unless there is a retreat or sesshin. The dates are on the web site. I'm posting the schedule below in case you'd like to participate in some portion of it. It's enjoyable, and a great opportunity to get to know other Sangha members - and grow a Sangha!

6 to 8:00 a.m.   Early Morning Zazen, Morning Service and Short Temple Cleaning

9:30 - 11 a.m.   Short Zazen and Lecture

11 a.m.             Tea and Socializing

12 - 3               Lunch & Work Period

All are welcome!

   

Dear Sangha Friends,

The reason I started this so-called "blog" is that I've heard from some
of you that you would like to hear from me more. I don't like to send
all my thoughts out to the entire mailing list because some people may
not be interested in getting more email. So for me this is a place
where I can communicate with those who wish to be communicated with and
share some of my thoughts and ideas and experiences. But I'm learning
that my notion of a blog is different from the rest of the cyberspace
community.



A few of you have written to me wondering about comments and
discussions. As it turns out, that's what a blog is about, which I
obviously didn't know... So we've changed the name of this to "Teijo's
Thoughts" (If you can think of a better name for it, please let me
know). I do welcome your questions, insights and challenges, but I'm
not sure I want this to be a discussion forum. If you want to say
something I'd prefer that you write me directly at
teijo@greattreetemple.org  Your questions, thoughts and disagreements
may stimulate something in me that causes some response in this space
(I may even quote you, so be careful!) So please don't hesitate to send
me an email. (I do want to mention that someone recently told me that
he was getting my emails back. So if you have a problem like this, or
if you just don't hear back from me in a timely way, please call - 828
645-2085)



It has also occurred to a few of us around here that having a blog for
Great Tree might be a good idea. So that may get set up if we hear from
enough of you that it's something you want. And I would try to
participate in that as time allows (but no promises).



Gassho!

The Three Refuges:
Taking refuge in the Buddha
Taking refuge in the Dharma
Taking refuge in the Sangha

Three Collective Pure Precepts:
To avoid the unwholesome
To do the wholesome
To embrace and benefit all living beings

The Ten Grave Prohibitory Precepts:
Not taking life
Not stealing
Not indulging in sexual greed
Not speaking falsehood
Not giving or taking intoxicants
Not discussing the faults of others
Not praising self or slandering others
Not begrudging the Dharma and Material
Not indulging anger
Not disparaging the Triple Treasure