Anzenkai is a loosely knit community of friends practicing zazen every day, regardless of religious creed and on the basis of a few principles taught by Master Nishijima. This blog is a forum for sharing thoughts on teachings and activities related to Anzenkai. You are welcome to comment on the blog posts and to email me at: info@anzenkai.com
I am sorry for not having posted anything here for several weeks. It is my intention to write more often, but my time in front of the computer has been more limited lately. I will try to write posts more frequently, but I will not make any empty promises. Sometimes I have more time to write, and sometimes I have less. However, when I do have the time to write blog posts, I really enjoy it, and I am happy that you are here reading it!
All is well with the family. The baby is growing so fast, and learning to interact more and more with us and his surroundings. We are having a wonderful time, and - looking at his big smiles - he is too! His name is Björn Alfred Ericsson, with Alfred as his first name. In Sweden, the middle name can sometimes be first. Björn is my middle name, and also the first name of my father and my wife's brother. Alfred is an old Swedish/English name that we like.
Me and my friend Markus have been planning to arrange a sesshin together in Finland, 19-22 August 2010. Markus is the leader of Dogen Sangha in Finland, and he is a wonderful person doing a great job. I have been excited about our plans, and now I am even more excited because it seems that Peter Rocca will travel from his home in Japan and also join and lead the sesshin. Peter is Markus' teacher and my Dharma brother, but most of all he is a good friend and a wonderful inspiration to be around. Peter's website and blog, The Stupid Way, can be found under Links to my friends. The three of us will lead the retreat together, but Peter is most experienced and he will be the main leader of the sesshin. I am really looking forward to seeing both Markus and Peter in August, and you are all welcome to join us! We will probably arrange the sesshin in a retreat centre near Helsinki. Photos here: http://www.fwbo.fi/kuvia/ It is located near a lake and it has a sauna, so we can have the total Finnish experience! More info will be posted here later on.
A few weeks ago, it was my responsibility to lead the morning prayer together with my friend Sigrid at the priest training school in Uppsala. The morning prayer is very short, only about 15 minutes, and the following is what we did with those minutes: After a psalm, I had a short introduction to zazen with references to Christian concepts and beliefs. Then we all sat five minutes zazen on the chairs in the chapel. After that, Sigrid led a prayer, we sang another psalm, and we ended with a blessing. Maybe it was 20 minutes altogether, and I think most people enjoyed it. It is a different environment to present zazen in, because there are many different ideas about zazen practice in the congregation. Some like it, and some do not. However, I enjoyed the challenge, and here is a rough translation of what I said:
______________________________
In the Church calendar, we are in Advent. It is a time of expectation. I relate this time in the Church calendar in particular with silent devotion. We light candles in the darkness, and we rest more in quiet wonder. This is how I feel about this time of the year, and in today's morning service we will share five minutes of silence together. To begin with, because the posture of our body can be helpful for our mind, I would like to invite you to find a stable and upright posture, which is comfortable for sitting still. This can help us to be a bit more stable and aware in the silence and stillness. I would also like to invite you to keep your eyes open. The purpose is not to escape or to get lost in dreams, but rather to stay in, or return to, God here and now. Any thoughts and feelings that come are welcome just as they are. There is no need to analyze or categorize. We welcome everything, and then we let go of everything. We rest in God's peace, which is beyond our intellectual understanding. In the silence and stillness, there is both emptiness and fullness at the same time. Seeking God's kingdom can be like a person that is searching all over the world, and then sits down and finds that what he or she was looking for had been in his or her pocket all the time. God is in us, and we are in God. Whether we are living or dying, we are in God, and there is nothing that can separate us from this unity. Sitting in stillness can be a way to anchor our experience and awareness of this. Therefore, let us now find a good posture. We sit stable in our trust in God. We sit upright in God's love for us, just as we are. I will begin the silence with a quote from the Bible. In Psalms 46:11, it is written: "Be still, and know that I am God."
______________________________
Alright, last but not least, I would like to end this post by wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Me and Emmy are having a wonderful time with our new little baby! The other night he was sleeping next to me, while I was adding subtitles to a another video clip with Nishijima. In this short clip, Nishijima says that the only real time is the present moment. I looked at the sleeping baby and smiled, because he surely helps us see more clearly how real the present moment is! Now it is time for me to do zazen and prayers before the baby wakes up. Here is the video clip, followed by one of my favourite poems:
For thirty years, a traveller in search of a sword. How many times have leaves fallen and buds sprouted? After one look at the peach blossoms, I have arrived directly at the present and have no further doubts.
Poem from Master Dogen's Shobogenzo and Shinji Shobogenzo. Calligraphy by Gudo Nishijima, Tokyo 2007.
2009Posted by Gustav 26 Oct, 2009 22:37 Me and Emmy are now happy parents to a little son. He was born today at 1.30 pm. All three of us are well and very happy! This is why I have not replied to emails and comments lately. Sorry friends, I will write back to you soon. Here is a photo of our new little family member, about eight hours old. God bless you all. Peace
This is the second post about how to practice zazen. In this post, I will not write very much, but I will let a video clip of Nishijima speak for itself. In this video clip, he is talking about a common experience in zazen. Sometimes when we are sitting in zazen, strange thoughts, images and feelings appear. These can sometimes be very powerful. Nishijima is explaining these experinces whith Freuds theory of the unconscious part of our mind, and he says that it is a happy situation which we should not worry about. When these strange thoughts, images and feelings come, it can be tempting to try to hold on to and analyze them, but Nishijima recommends us to let it all evaporate into the sky. This recommendation has been helpful in my own practice, and I am happy to share this clip with you. I have added subtitles to the video, and I hope that helps. Please let me know if I have spelled something wrong or made other mistakes. Here is the video clip, enjoy!
Many thanks for your comments and question. I think your question about what Christianity relies on is very interesting. Just like Buddhism, Christianity is a huge tradition, and it is difficult to say something that is true for all Christians throughout time and space. However, here are a few thoughts from my limited perspective:
My theology teachers at the university said that there are two kinds of definitions of religion - functional and substantial. The first kind defines what religions does (gives a sense of meaning etc) and the second kind defines what a religion is (rituals, temples, priests, scriptures etc). Some definitions are a mixture of these two.
Another university teacher said that it is the story, the narrative, that is the unifying factor in the world religions. Although Christians may have different ideas and interpretations, we all relate to the same story about Jesus Christ and hold that story to be important. Similarly, Buddhists in different traditions all relate to the same story about Gotama Buddha. There are variations to the narrative too, but this is beside the point.
I would say that Christianity relies on the importance of the Jesus narrative. I think a substantial definition of Christianity would be the loving, forgiving and near image of God that the Gospels carry. A functional definition would be the peace, trust, hope, love and the perceived relation to God that is nourished by such an image of God.
These are my simple thoughts, and I do not know if this answers your question in any way. I would be happy to continue our discussion. Good luck on your path, and I hope you will find what you are looking for.
There is a teacher in Israel (which is where I live) who states in one of his books that Christianity has two pillars. The Main one is love and the second is humility. I thought of that after posting my last comment. It seems this is the beginning of the answer but it still isn't full.
As for Buddhism - Nishijima Roshi says Buddhism is just sitting Zazen and vice versa. I don't know what would Shinran Shonin say to that, but it is a simple principle. It seems understood.
I tend to believe Christianity might change a lot in the coming future. Someone claimed modern science is Christianity which has become the opposite of itself. Though still as materialistic as a child. (Science is - that is. This is a little bit of my interpretation.)
Now, Buddhism relies on Zazen. - Perhaps the question is: - on what does Christianity rely?
The following is the beginning of a series of blog posts describing zazen practice, based on Dogen and Nishijima’s teachings. It is an explanation of how zazen is done, and it is important to remember that any explanation and the actual practice itself are dimensionally different. As Dogen wrote in the 13th century:
In the time of explanation there is no trace of practice; in the time of practice there is no trace of explanation. (Shobogenzo, Nishijima & Cross, book 2, p. 145)
Zazen is a Japanese word. Za means to sit. Zen is more difficult to translate, but it is often translated as meditation. The word meditation is difficult to use because it has a very broad meaning. Nishijima simply said that zazen is zazen. It is not learning something new. It sounds paradoxical, but Zazen is returning to what we are. It is not necessary for us to travel around the whole world to search for something that we already have in our pocket. Zazen is not a technique to achieve some idealistic aim. There is no goal to strive for in zazen. This is called shikantaza in Japanese, which literally means only the act of sitting.
The purpose of zazen is to let body and mind return to a natural balance. At the same time, as Nishijima said, the purpose of zazen is zazen itself. We rest in God, or reality as it is, like small children coming home. Then we can bring our natural balance into our lives, relations, actions and experiences. Zazen can help us grasp our original peace and happiness, which will also have effects on those around us. This is not an achievement, but it is returning home. We do not sit zazen only for ourselves. We sit zazen for all and together with all. Dogen wrote:
The practice is not confined to the sitting itself; it strikes space and resonates, [like] ringing that continues before and after a bell. (Shobogenzo, Nishijima & Cross, book 1, p. 6)
When I teach how to do zazen, I usually say that there are four fundamental principles of the zazen posture. These are sitting comfortable, stable, upright and still.
In order to sit comfortably, we use a cushion, bench or chair that is adjusted to be high enough for each individual. We use another flat cushion, thick mat or folded blanket under our legs. According to Dogen’s instructions, we keep the room not too dark and not too bright, not too hot and not too cold, not too draughty and not too damp. A quiet room is recommended, but a little sound sometimes is no problem. It is better not to be too hungry, too full or too tired when we sit down for zazen. Loose, comfortable and not too colourful clothing are recommended. We should also be clean, not use too much perfumes and wear dark clothes. This is especially important if we sit together with others, in order to keep distractions and disturbances to a minimum.
Keeping our knees or shins on the floor, and not unsupported in the air, is stability. For sitting on a chair, stability is to have both feet firmly on the ground, with the legs in a 90 degrees angle. The traditional way is to fold the legs in the half-lotus or full-lotus position, with one or both feet on the opposite thigh. If these postures are too difficult, we can also put one foot on the opposite calf or simply lay one leg in front of the other. It is important that the legs are folded so that knees or shins are on the ground for stability. If we like, we can also fold our legs under us with our knees in front of us and our shins on the floor. If someone has physical disabilities, Nishijima recommended that he or she finds another similar posture.
In order to find the most stable, supportive, relaxed and upright posture, we slightly tuck in our chin, slightly tilt our pelvis forward to let the lower spine be naturally curved, and then we straighten our back like we were pulled up by a rope attached to the top of our head. We do not lean forward, backward, to the side or against any wall. It is important to remember that zazen is not a competition in sitting in a certain way for the longest time. Longer zazen is not better zazen. When we sit, we should forget about better and worse. It is also important to remember that zazen is not about enduring discomfort and pain. If we experience pain in the body, we should calmly stretch out, change position and then return to sitting upright and still. Struggling to endure pain can cause unwholesome tensions in the mind, and should be avoided. This does not mean that zazen is without effort. We do not move as soon as there is the slightest little disturbance. We can simply let go of most small disturbances, and after a while, they will not be disturbances anymore.
Traditionally, the mouth is kept closed. The eyes are kept naturally open, looking down about one or two meters in front of you. The shoulders are relaxed. One hand is laid in the other with the tips of the thumbs touching and forming an oval. The purpose of these recommendations is to keep body and mind relaxed and awake at the same time.
It may take some time and practice to get used to sitting in this posture. We can begin by just sitting a few minutes every day. Practicing every day is the key to zazen practice, not shocking body and mind with extremely intensive practice. We should not do too much zazen. Common periods of time for sitting zazen are 20, 30 or 45 minutes. Nishijima recommended us to develop the habit of sitting zazen in the morning and in the evening. Daily practice is important, even if we just sit for 10 or 15 minutes. If we do not do zazen one day, we should let it go and continue sitting again the next day.
Sitting stable, upright and still, it is easier for the mind to become more stable, alert and still. In zazen, we do not make efforts to think or feel anything. Also, we do not make efforts not to think or feel anything. When a thought comes, we do not label, categorize, fight with it or try to push it away. We just let it come and we just let it go. We just sit and let go. We stop all our striving and sit with everything as it is. This is emptiness and fullness at the same time. Dogen described it as dropping off body and mind. (Shobogenzo, Nishijima & Cross, book 1, p. 4; book 2, p. 179; and book 3, p. 213) He also wrote:
Cast away all involvements and cease the ten thousand things. Good is not considered. Bad is not considered. It is beyond mind, will, or consciousness, and beyond mindfulness, thought, or reflection. …//… Sitting in balance in the mountain-still state, think the concrete state of non-thinking. How can the state of non-thinking be thought? It is non-thinking. This is the real secret of Zazen. Sitting in Zazen is not learning Zen meditation. It is the great peaceful and joyful gate of Dharma. (Shobogenzo, Nishijima & Cross, book 3, p. 168)
Last week, the teachers at the priest training school in Uppsala assigned me to share a short reflection at lunch prayer. The theme for the week was children. The following is a rough translation of what I said:
This Monday, the Children’s Day was celebrated around the world. In just a few weeks, me and my wife's baby will arrive. It feels wonderful to welcome our child to the world, but it has also made me think more about what kind of world it is.
In my work at the prison, I have met too many lost and confused young people. Sometimes only 16 years old. There is often time to talk in the evenings, and I have been thinking a lot about how these teenagers’ lives became so destructive. Last Sunday in church, we read texts describing a struggle between good and evil. But what is evil, really?
I remember a young man who got a special permit to call his mother from his prison cell. I was instructed to sit with him in his room during the call. He used this opportunity to manipulate and threaten his mother. Every other sentence he said that he loved her, and every other sentence he said that she should put all his drugs in a bag and keep it somewhere safe, or else he would hurt himself in prison.
Another young man told me one evening how his father used to tie him to a chair and beat him when he grew up. I wonder how my life would have been if I had grown up like that. I also wonder what his father had been through. Sometimes, the pattern of evil and destructiveness can be seen clearly.
The artist Josh Ritter sings:
"If evil exists, it’s a pair of train tracks, and the devil is a railroad car."
I share this view.
I am certain that all the inmates I meet at the prison – murderers, pedophiles and rapists – they all have the same basic nature as you and me. They have also been little children. It is important to remember that it could just as well have been me sitting in the prison cell crying. Somewhere they got on the wrong train.
There is a personal responsibility to get off the train, but it is not easy when it is going fast. For our children’s sake, we must make sure that the destructive train stations are as few as possible. We also have to slow down those trains, making it easier to get off.
By sharing the stories of our religious tradition in a skilful way – the faith, hope and love they carry – we can forcefully contribute to limiting the routes of the destructive trains.
Together, and with God’s guiding light, we can make fewer children and teenagers get on the wrong railroad track. It is not only our opportunity to make this world a warmer and safer place. It is our duty.
Hello everyone! I am sorry for not having written any blog posts for several weeks. It has been a busy month, and now it is time for an update. Here we go...
Shortly after the sesshin in August, the final year of my Christian priest training for the Church of Sweden began. This means that I travel to Uppsala, about 600 km from Umeå, and stay there for a few days every week. This final year includes studies, but in general it is more practically oriented. If all goes well, I will be ordained in June 2010.
My wife, Emmy, is pregnant and we are expecting our first child in the beginning of November. We are both very happy and looking forward to welcoming our new little family member to the world! When I am not in Uppsala, I do my best to support Emmy and prepare for the arrival of our child. The staff at the training school in Uppsala are helpful and understanding. In November and December, I will mostly do homework, so that I can be in Umeå with Emmy and the baby.
There are cheap flight tickets to Uppsala, but it is expensive to travel every week. Therefore, I still do some night shifts at the prison every month. The church gives me a scholarship, and I can start working as soon as I am ordained. I am grateful and looking forward to that. Actually, I am writing from the prison night shift right now. When it is quiet here, it is a good time for writing.
In the weekends, I usually enjoy working a few hours with the Nishijima film. I am currently adding subtitles to the clips, and I think it will be finished before Christmas. When it is finished, I am looking forward to editing the dialog that I have had with Nishijima on Buddhism and Christianity. Maybe the text will be finished around the time for my ordination. That would be cool, but I do not want to rush it. I think I also need to be really lazy and relax a lot sometimes, to keep balance during this busy year.
I will keep on writing blog posts regularly, but perhaps not as often as before. Now it is time for me to walk the hourly round here in the prison corridors. Then my colleague will take over, and I can go to do zazen, say evening prayers and take a rest for a few hours.
The air is getting cooler here in Umeå. The sunsets are amazingly colourful, and soon the snow will come falling from the sky.
We had a wonderful zazen retreat on the island Holmön. I feel very grateful for the opportunity to practice together. We were seven people and one dog. Here are a few photos from our retreat:
The guest house where we stayed on the island. It was right next to a big beacon. In the nearby nature reserve we found a glade that became our zendo. Siri enjoyed the surroundings while we enjoyed zazen. Off-road kinhin. Eva spending some free time watching the waves. The Swedish mainland could be seen on the horizon. Gustav sitting in the zendo sunshine. Our zazen gong and kinhin bell. Fredrik on the way to take a bath. Fredrik and Siri in our shower room. Erik prefered to sleep in a tent... ...and he found some blueberries and chanterelles nearby. Getting ready for morning zazen. Richard and Siri doing morning zazen. Erik and Christer on the ferry back to the mainland. All of us under the bodhi tree in our forest zendo. Christer, Erik, Eva, Fredrik, Gustav, Malin, Richard and Siri. Thank you all very much!
Vi bor på vandrarhem som kostar 150:- per person och natt, men kommer i övrigt att vara mycket utomhus. Det är inga problem att vara med en kortare del av retreaten om man vill. Färjans tider finns på Holmöns hemsida: http://www.holmon.com
Packlista
Varma och bekväma kläder Regnkläder Sittkudde (säg till om du behöver låna) Liggunderlag Sovsäck eller lakan och filt Det du vill äta till frukost och kvällsfika (kyl finns) Kontanter till vandrarhemmet
Om schemat
Det kommer att finnas små häften som förklarar zazen (sittande meditation) och kinhin (långsam gående meditation). Enkel vegetarisk mat serveras till lunch och middag. Vi tar själva med det vi vill ha till frukost och kvällsfika. Vid tillfällena för samtal får de som vill dela med sig av tankar och frågor kring det vi gör eller annat som dyker upp. Förutom tillfällena för samtal har vi en retreat i tystnad.
My name is Gustav Ericsson and I live in Umeå, Sweden, with my dear wife, Emmy. I work as a prison officer while studying to become ordained 2010 as a priest in the Church of Sweden. I am a Christian, and at the same time the practice and teachings of zazen have also been at the center of my life since I was a teenager. I got Shiho, or Dharma transmission, in Japan 2004 from my zazen teacher, Master Gudo Nishijima. This was his kind encouragement for me to teach zazen, which I have been doing at Umeå University, at retreats and in churches since then.
For thirty years, a traveller in search of a sword.
In the nearby nature reserve we found a glade that became our zendo.
Siri enjoyed the surroundings while we enjoyed zazen.
Off-road kinhin.
Eva spending some free time watching the waves.
The Swedish mainland could be seen on the horizon.
Gustav sitting in the zendo sunshine.
Our zazen gong and kinhin bell.
Fredrik on the way to take a bath.
Fredrik and Siri in our shower room.
Erik prefered to sleep in a tent...
...and he found some blueberries and chanterelles nearby.
Getting ready for morning zazen.
Richard and Siri doing morning zazen.
Erik and Christer on the ferry back to the mainland.
All of us under the bodhi tree in our forest zendo. Christer, Erik, Eva, Fredrik, Gustav, Malin, Richard and Siri. Thank you all very much!