Monks talk at Chuang Yen monastery

Yogi report
Dateline: Chuang Yen monastery, 4/22 & 23

Venerable Master Fa Tzang and Reverend Heng Sure
talk about the Tien Tai school of Buddhism as the first
Chinese essential formulation of the Buddha's teachings.
Described as the broadest school of Buddhism, it had to be
able to absorb other Buddhist perspectives such as Mahayanna,
Zen, Tibetan and Ayurvedic schools and also encompass older
Chinese Taoist principles as well. All these Buddhist schools
were growing at that time, when about 2,000 years ago the
formulation of the Tien Tai school began.

The founding Tien Tai teacher came from Tibet. Over the next
500 years and five subsequent bodhisattvas, what is called
Chan meditation developed using the Lotus Sutra (a scriptural
narrative of the Buddha's teaching).
The ability of accomplishing three contemplations within a
single thought thru Chan meditation releases one into an
enlightened freedom from birth and death.
The monks used Tien Tai as an example of how this control
naturally leads to influence over your own living and
further beyond death. (Buddhists are very concerned about
making the leap from this existence to beyond.)

The monks' viewed current Buddhism in the west, saying that
it's been here only about one hundred years. And that, after
all, it took 500 years for Tien Tai to entrench into Chinese
everyday living. They see the progression in understanding of
Buddhism as being still an early stage and they recognized the
necessity for teachings to adapt to contemporary circumstances.
(Perhaps there is a way of not having to give up all 5 desires
in this western version).

meditating from the inside out #1

back from the monastery seminar last weekend,
perhaps i was operating on a broader wavelength.
later i found myself in the vicinity of starbucks,
walking through the frenetic yet static spillover
of the roasted coffeebean air, a friend telling me
about capoiera, the brazilian martial art and dance.
the following day the explanation was still fresh...

"we focus from inside of ourselves.
our mind takes notice of our physical interior
where vibrations from that sparkling animation
of energy we call prana, are felt."

use this exercise designed to move faster:
think of any simple movement.
where does the movement come from?
it may come from somewhere in your hand or your leg.
think of doing it again one hundred times faster,
imaging the force originating from deeper
within your being. from that depth,
the momentum of force over distance
explodes into movement.
it is like tapping spirit from body and mind.

we can read or otherwise understand this interesting
trinity of (1) life, (2) form and (3) awareness.
we can also play with it using hatha yoga or meditation
or chi gung or other practice.
imagine relaxing completely, physically and mentally,
so that you fall asleep.
now, wake up!
now, relax, fall asleep.
wake up!
upon waking,
follow the cast of that inner spark
back to the plexus' within.
:-)oh~

What do I do at meditation?

For those of us coming to the meditation
service at Chuang Yen monastery:

Yoga friends,

I would consider this as just sitting with my eyes
closed.
"Well, what do I do while I'm sitting with eyes
closed? Is there a procedure, something step by
step, to hang my hat on?"
We've heard about letting go of our thoughts. Not
thinking about anything and letting our mind be
empty sounds all well and good, but how is that
done? Thinking about no thought is like scraping
a rock to experience a soft breeze.
Don't worry about it. That's the first thing. At
worst, I can always fall back on my thoughts. In
case I should find myself in a thoughtless void and
panic sets in, I can always just think about stuff.
Problem solved because I know how to do that.
Or else, if I'm not meditating attentively, maybe
I'll fall asleep.
At least it will be an interesting experiment in
trying to detach my brain from activities outside
of myself and seeing for how long I can do this.
At best, without all the external information
pouring in thru the senses, the electrical circuitry
in my brain quiets down enough for me to look /
listen inside, down past that watery surface of the
self and see a glimpse of what the Buddhists call
my original face.
Come and exercise by trying not to move,
physically or mentally, on Sunday morning.

)ohn

Upcoming Chuang Yen monastery visit, 4/30/06

Yoga friends,

On Sunday, April 30, we are taking our class to
Chuang Yen Monastery to join the morning
meditation service. We are meeting at 8:30 am
at 17 Main St, in Mt Kisco and plan a ride/share
arrangement for whomever wishes to come.
Bring a friend!

The monastery is located about 45 minutes away,
right on Route 301, two miles east of the exit off
the Taconic Parkway, in Kent, Putnam county.
The monastery is also open on weekends for the
general public to visit so there is the option to
walk around the naturally wooded setting, over
short trails, past ponds with bridges and tour the
Great Buddha Hall with the largest indoor Buddha
in the western hemisphere.

Meditation service consists of approx. 30 minutes
of sitting, either on benches along the wall or on tall
cushions on the carpeted floor, inside the second
large Buddha hall. Then there is a 5 - 10 minute
walking meditation, followed by another sitting
meditation. A bell chimes, meditation ends and the
host monk gives a short talk. Everyone is invited
and no prior experience is required. The Buddha
hall is unheated, dress accordingly with warm socks.
See the following blog for thoughts on what
to do in meditation.

For those who like to stay, afterwards is a good time
to visit the grounds or join the dharma talk held for
an hour following the meditation. At 12 noon, there
is a vegetarian lunch for $5, all you can eat, in the
large cafeteria building. There is no requirement to
stay this long.

Call )ohn at 589-0964 for other details or show up.

If this field trip meets with success we might try it
again as a summer picnic, including lake swimming
down the road at Fahnstock State Park.

)ohn

How to do Uddiyana Bandha exercise

Uddiyana Bandha

Can start standing w/ knees bent, feet parallel,
leaning forward w/ a broad back and hands resting
on the thighs, fingers and thumbs inward.
OR
Can be seated in cross legged position, broad back,
leaning slightly forward w/ hands pressing on the
knees, fingers and thumbs facing inward.
OR even
Can lay on the back.

Breath slowly, fully in and w/ an active exhale,
pull in the abdominal muscles to completely expel
air from the lungs.
Without inhaling (it may be helpful to close nostrils
w/ thumb & forefinger)
-- relax abdomen
-- pull up and expand thru the upper chest as if taking
a deep breath.
This causes a vacuum effect on the belly, stretching it
long and pulling the abdominal organs up to the ribcage.

To accomplish this exercise effectively, the lungs must
be empty, after that relax the abdomen, then the
diaphragm is raised up high by the mock inspiration of
the chest. The back should be slightly rounded and
shoulders may hunch up.

Hold for 5 seconds to start, increase time with practice.
Allow belly and chest to lower before breathing in so
that air doesn't rush into the lungs.

While in this state of apnoea (empty lungs), besides
holding the breath for 5 or more seconds, one can also
do a series of rapid retraction and release of the belly,
making sure to keep the abdomen relaxed. Start
gradually and work up to a rhythm of one retraction
per second, doing as many as the suspension of breath
will allow. This additional part of the exercise is known
as Agnisara Dhauti, a purification exercise.

Of course one should not have eaten recently prior to
exercise. :-)oh~

Announcement: retreat at Chuang Yen monastery

-----Forwarded Message-----
From: BAUSCYM

WEEKEND RETREAT

On April 22 and 23, Dharma Master Fa-Tzang will be conducting a retreat on the
teachings of the Tien Tai School (Based Upon the Teachings of the Lotus Sutra).
Rev. Heng Sure will be providing a translation for the two days.

The retreat is during the day on Sat. 22 & Sun. 23.

Location: Chuang Yen Monastery, 2020 Route 301, Carmel, NY 10512
Fees: There is no fee, but we accept donations.

Saturday: 9:30AM-11:30AM - Dharma Talk and Q&A.
11:30Am-2:00PM - Lunch
2:00PM-5:00PM - Tien Tai Discussion and Practice.

Sunday: 9:30AM-5:00PM - Tien Tai Practice.
Tien Tai Contemplation and Q & A.


Dharma Master Fa Tzang Bio

Master Fa Tzang, a renowned teacher of Tien Tai Traditions, was ordained in Taiwan, in 1987. He has a degree in physics from Chern Kong University in Taiwan, where he also studied
Tien Tai tradition with the 45th patriarch of the Tien Tai School, Master Hsien Ming, the former Abbot of Chuang Yen Monastery.
After serving as Dean of the Buddhist Institute in Taichung, Taiwan for six years, Rev. Fa Tzang went into a three-year solitary retreat in mountains to deepen his Tien Tai practice. He recited the Lotus Sutra and practiced cessation-and-contemplation and the Repentance of Lotus Samadhi. He has accomplished the Annotation for Repentance of Lotus Samadhi.

Venerable Fa Tzang has published over 50 works on the Buddhadharma.” He is President of Sangha Forest Publisher, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sangha Magazine, President of Buddhist Compassion TV Station, Dean of the Sangha Eduacation Institute, and Abbot of Chien Hwa and Yong Jin Monasteries.

Rev. Heng Sure, Ph.D.

Rev. Heng Sure ordained as a Buddhist Bhikshu (monk) at the City of Ten Thousand
Buddhas, Talmage, California, in 1976. A native of Toledo, Ohio, Heng Sure was finishing his M.A. in Oriental Languages at the University of California, Berkeley when he met his teacher in religion, the late Ven. Master Hsüan Hua. After receiving full ordination in the Mahayana tradition of Chinese Buddhism he commenced a "Three Steps, One Bow" pilgrimage dedicating his efforts to World Peace, traveling up the of California coast highway from South Pasadena, a distance of over six hundred miles in two years and nine months. During the pilgrimage and for three years following he kept a strict vow of silence.

A journal of the pilgrimage, With One Heart, Bowing to the City of Ten Thousand
Buddhas, was subsequently printed, including translations into Chinese and Vietnamese. Two volumes of correspondence, Letters From True Cultivators, were published by the Buddhist Text Translation Society. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, French, and Japanese, he speaks on Buddhism's encounter with the West.

Rev. Heng Sure currently serves as Director of the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery holds
a Doctorate in Religion from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California,
where he co-teaches a class on Buddhist-Christian Dialogue. He also represents Buddhism on the Global Council of the United Religions Initiative and serves on the Board of Directors of the Interfaith Center at the Presidio. A vegetarian since 1969 and a vegan since 1980, Rev. Heng Sure regularly speaks on the topic of compassionate eating to audiences around the world.

Class, 4/12 : Uddiyana Bandha

Yoga friends,

Since I, and many of us, spend sedentary hours
in front of a computer, or driving, or other
seated tasks during the day, this past class
was particularly attentive to Uddiyana Bandha
exercises, which through their deep massage
action, stimulate the whole digestive tract and
keep our visceral organs healthy.

More praise for Uddiyana Bandha exercise:

It keeps the large part of our blood located in the
viscera moving, preventing blood stasis in our
abdomen which saps our vitality.
Digestion is expedited, preventing constipation.
Uddiyana Bandha stimulates organs by detoxifying
the liver, helping to empty the stomach and also
reversing prolapses, promoting our body's insulin
sucretion in the pancreas, and increasing diuretic
action in the kidneys.
Adrenal glands and spleen are invigorated.
Genital tract / urinary tract are massaged.

Nervous health is maintained by stimulation of
various plexuses, especially the solar plexus.
And through action on the pneumogastric nerve,
the involuntary nervous system is balanced.

The diaphragm's range of motion is encouraged.
The heart and lungs are vigarously massaged by
the diaphragm, and lungs are strengthened by the
action of holding our breath as well.

----------------------------------------------------------
Maybe some of us noticed, even after just the one
Uddiyana Bandha class, an affect on body functions.


Coming up on the last Sunday in April, 4/30/2006,
instead of our usual yoga class,
I am planning a class trip to the Chuang Yen Monastery
in Carmel, NY. There are several interesting activities,
especially the english language meditation practice
which doesn't require any experience and is in one of
the beautiful large Buddha halls, sitting either on tall
cushions or chairs, so it is available to everyone.
More details to follow and all folks are encouraged to
invite a guest to come along. Let me know if you are
interested.

Hopefully I'll soon get to post the steps to the mechanics
of Uddiyana Bandh exercise as a refresher for personal
practice. (see 4/15)

)ohn

driving into tree pose

yoga friends

...I'm driving on my way home, guiding the steering wheel
with one hand while thinking about how my yoga students had
been able to focus during class the day before. how had we
managed to center ourselves? it is a challenge to be in the
moment. we try by bringing attention to our body. to get
inside that moment, we observe our lungs fill on inhale,
opening along one side of our ribs by revolving our arms
and torso in co-ordination with our breath, noticing that
increased space on the expanded side, feeling where the
lung's surface is stretched to expose myriad of alveoli to
the direct exchange of oxygen. we compare the same revolving
motion with empty lungs, stretched after exhaling. we are
perceptively tuned in to what's going on inside of us.

then i look out over the hood of my car and onto the road
going by and i realize, all of a sudden, that i have no clue
to what road i'm actually driving on. where was i going? so
much for being aware of the moment.

)ohn

Thoughts from Wednesday's yoga class:

Sleeping tiger pose starts us centering from our lower tan tien. This initially easy pose gradually brings our awareness to that energetic location of our second chakra where we store so much and such a variety of forces. We engaged our lower abdomen, leading thru bridge pose, a few different twists, and an introduction to wheel pose. we glided along the edges of boat pose with several other abdominal exercises. By the end meditation, savasana, we are sensitive to emotional flurries trapped in the lower tan tien. Having tested our core boundaries physically during class, the literal intent of yoga, as union of mind, body and spirit, leaves us smiling.


This coming sunday, 4/9, I've arranged a substitute teacher to lead class. It's the first time i'm intrusting our intimate sangha to someone. It's not a big deal, but it is nice to experience another person's approach to using yoga postures.