do jhana: Back on track

25.11.11

Back on track

We've had some quite days here in the West of Denmark, no wind, no rain, so autumn could find its place, show its color, get really cold. The wind is back, howling at will in this flat landscape.

I was reading some of my old posts the other day. Then I found myself talking about the blog in different situations and contexts and, when looking for a place to "investigate things", I couldn't find a better place than this.

Again.

What I want to investigate is basically disenchantment. How in the course of these 16 years of practice, specially since my "return" to zen it has grown to a point of feeling almost disgust when I hear the words roshi, zen, mindfulness, free Tibet, and many others. I want to investigate and share where this disenchantment has its root and where it's taking me. I would also like to share what my role as an ordained member of the Order of the Boundless Way is, as it is a question people usually ask me.

Buddhism, in its many forms, has been adapting to the times and cultures that have adopted it. I have been unable to adapt to any of the forms it has taken in our time and I have stopped worrying about it.

Zeal in the practice has grown together with the disenchantment. Never have I been so clear as to what path I have to follow, never have I've been so confident in myself and the practice, never my practice has been more solid.

And please, remember, do jhana is not my name but an action. Do, to do, English, a verb, you know better than me. Jhana, Pali, related to fire, a small steady flame, meditation, concentration, practice.

3 comments:

Nacho said...: Suena como un buen camino...; 26/11/11 22:51
Roberto Poveda said...: Sobre el desencanto... creo que se trata simplemente de la naturaleza humana, ilusoria, egoísta, sobre todo ignorante. Se trata de algo que se descubrió hace algunos miles de años. Avidya le denominaban en sánscrito, hoy en día muchas veces el nombre que adquiere es business.; 16/12/11 22:35
David Daishin Garcia said...: Sí, otra prueba más de que samsara es samsara y nirvana es nirvana (y perdónenme los no dualistas) :/; 19/12/11 11:08

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Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun

Mission statement
The Zen Buddhist Order of Hsu Yun is an international clerical order consisting of individual practitioners, sanghas and practice centers throughout the western world. The Mission of ZBOHY is:

To make the study and practice of Zen Buddhism accessible to the West through approaches that remain in keeping with the classical lineage tradition as translated into terms and concepts that are readily understood within the context of our native societies;
To be available to all people interested in the teachings and practice of Zen, and to provide an international online resource center for the study and promotion of Zen Buddhist teachings;

The charter of our order directs the following mandates:

To sustain an international clerical order dedicated to the dissemination of the practices and teachings of Zen Buddhism;
To offer the benefit of an international Zen sangha to isolated groups and solitary practitioners;
To hold no bias toward any particular cultural expression of Buddhism;
To embrace varied and multiple approaches to practice and teachings according to the needs of the individual or group;
To assure equal access and provide clerical services to all people regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, previous religious background, or personal history;
To abstain from political and other discussions and debates that do not serve the Dharma;
To abstain from conflict with and among other individuals and groups

Clerical Members of ZBOHY are encouraged to:

Continually review and renew their commitment to Zen practice and their understanding of the Dharma;
Abstain from promoting Zen as a specific ethnic tradition;
Establish sustainable sanghas that directly serve people in their local communities;
Provide Dharma teaching sessions, meditation instruction and/or retreats for all wishing to learn and experience Zen;
Promote the Zen teachings of the founders of our tradition and lineage.

In Summary:
Members of our order understand that the practice and study of Zen is a personal pursuit of both the individual and individual sanghas. While our lineage began in China, it is not the intention of ZBOHY to demand strict conformity of practice, or to import Chinese or Asian cultural Zen practices to the west. It is our goal to present both classical and contemporary Zen teachings, methods, and principles in the Western idiom as a guide to those wending their own way along the Path.