This was written for the 6th week of fall practice period at Clouds in Water Zen Center.
We do zazen for all beings.
Lately with my son, I’ve been watching what I call “doomsday
movies” or movies in which the future looks pretty grim. This past Monday, I wrote out the
lineage papers for Gentle Dragon’s ordination. They are done in a very prescribed way that I learned from my
teacher. They have been done in
this certain way for hundreds of years.
As I stamped the three treasures stamp over Buddha’s name and Gentle
Dragon’s name, I had this poignant feeling that we are doing our practice for
ourselves, but also for the future generations. May the future generations have silence, boundlessness, and
deep meaning in their life so that the future people will have a basis for their
activities directed in a wholesome way.
When we actually stop our world and our busyness to sit
down in zazen, we enter into a boundless, timeless space that affects all times
and all places. We do zazen with
all beings and our effort is a contribution of this human activity of stillness which will strengthen
the transmission of the teaching and help it continue into the future.
Many of us in practice period are going into sesshin this
weekend. I look forward to letting
go of my achievement drive and just sitting with all beings, past, present and
future.
Please sit for all beings; past, present, and future.
Labels: Buddhist ordination, buddhist tradition, buddhist transmission, practice period, zazen