Friday, October 30, 2020

October 30, 2020

 

Question from Pamela Ayo Yetunde: How have you been conditioned to recognize what is true, legitimate, and valid and deny what is false, illegitimate and invalid?


Response by Dainuri Rott:  

Great question, I view my whole life as a pursuit of truth and a good point to start the review 
would be high school.   I had the very best teachers then, much better than in college, 
and while I did learn from them, sadly, I did not appreciate them enough.  Most of the important true things in life came through those great teachers: math, physics, machine shop, English and typing (yes, a very practical and useful life skill.)

Some of the biggest learning experiences subsequently came from adversity, in particular, becoming a member of the armed services during the Vietnam war.   This was not something I was counting on doing and it deeply influenced my life…..I remember one incident in the middle of the insane profane process of boot camp, where I went into the base library and read a New Yorker article about military service among the American political elite and it really opened my eyes: even though externally I had “no freedom” as a low level enlisted man, internally I was still free, my thoughts were free.  I realized I had to use those free thoughts as best I could to discover what was true, legitimate and valid.  50 years later at a sesshin conducted by ZHS I experienced a similar epiphany upon reading Bodhidharma’s “Breakthrough Sermon” as compiled and translated by Red Pine.   That truth is simple: the outer world is illusion and all real “truth” takes place in the timeless, spaceless, unchanging inner spiritual world.   The three treasures are the gate to that world, practice lets you in.

How have the political rhetoric, change in policies against “political correctness”, protests against colonization by tearing down Columbus and Confederate statues, as well as  the armed defense of war heroes, impacted what you value?

Ayo, I think you answered your question well: if you are Italian, you might revere Columbus because of your heritage and you’ll value the ostensible qualities of courage, exploration, and persistence.   Then I am reminded of a poignant cartoon in the New Yorker where an older Chief with feathered headdress is sitting with a child while a parade is taking place in the background.   The Chief says to the child: “We don’t celebrate Columbus Day.”

Can one practice the Zen mind of equanimity, nonduality, nonpolarization and nonpolemics and still act as a franchised citizen?  

An emphatic YES because Zen practice gets us closer to sanity starting with our fundamental recognition of worldly delusions.

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Our ZHS on-line schedule

  • Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
  • Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
  • M-F: 7-7:30am - zazen
  • Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
  • For more information:  www.zenheartsangha.org) 
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Special bows for today: 
  • Please offer bows for all those families who have lost their lives or their homes in the recent fires in Oregon, California, and Washington
  • Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:   
    • Phyllis Merrill, Misha's mother, who died on 10/18/20
    • Charles Kennicott Leech, Nancy's father who died on 10/9/20
    • David Shaw, who suffered a stroke on 9/30/20
    • Takiko Kawakami, Fumiko Arao's mother who died 9/2/2020
    • Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home undergoing chemotherapy
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Wonderful links shared by sangha members and friends:

 












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