East to West

The Buddha Dharma and Sangha are all empty.
What is there to treasure?

There is nothing to attain.
What can be transmitted?

Digesting entanglements,
Body and Mind are set free.

Nothing to do but listen to the thunder,
And follow the wind.

Verse by Genjo Marinello

Today marks a special day in America, as Eido Shimano Roshi will be giving Dharma Tranmission - Shiho Shiki to Genjo Marinello Osho, this very day. It is a Dharma lineage that travels back over two thousand years, through many notable lives such as Soen Nakagawa Zenji, Gempo Giyu Zenji, Torei Enji Zenji, Hakuin Ekaku Zenji, Rinzai Zenji, Bodhi Dharma Zenji and Shakyamuni Buddha.

While ALL beings have the Buddha Nature, there are so many of us that have slept through the alarm clock (I included). But on this day, it is the recognition that someone not only heard the buzzing bell to wake-up, but he has gotten up and is now, now, now awakened and living Life as a True Person Without Rank.

In this process, there is the genuine hope that we can and will at some point hear, taste, touch and feel the ceaseless Buddha Dharma through past, present and future time. But to do this we MUST exert and exhaust ourselves.

This is a good day to celebrate. Congratulations and thank you very much to Genjo Osho and all who have come before us. Your efforts in some way, shape and form, help us all.

May All Being Be Happy and Free,

Jaye Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

What do we gain?

I was talking with someone yesterday about a so-called "money-making" opportunity. They went on to describe what they'd have to do for the money which seemed somewhat questionable. After talking about the issue they asked me what I thought? Instantly I said, "short term gain for long term pain."

I went on to share with them an analogy. You get a credit card. with a thousand dollar limit. You see something that you want in the store, thinking "wow, I've got this credit card. I can get this thing for only 20.00 bucks a month, that's terrific." The truth is that, it's not really so terrific (depending on the interest rate on that card). Yeah you get it now, but there is the so-called "hidden cost." The interest. While you put 1000.00 dollars on your credit card, if you pay the minimum payments, without ever charging another thing, that object that you initially paid 1000.00 for really cost you 5000.00 by the time it's all said and done. That's short-term gain for long-term pain.

I then said "lets look at your situation. You're a grown-up. You could go ahead and do this thing that your talking about, but first let me ask you a couple of questions. What's the long-term impact on self-esteem? What about your friendships and relationships with your friends and family? What about starting down a questionable or difficult path and the problems with getting off that road, once you realize what it's really costing you? Will doing this sort of thing make deposits or withdrawals from emotional bank accounts? We can do things that are nothing more than instant gratification. It's only later that we realize that thing "instant-gratification" had some extra freight attached to it. There are always hidden costs with things.

"I didn't consider the things that you're saying. When you put it like that, it's like I'm going to set myself on fire, but like a slow burn," was the response. I replied "Yeah, but we always, always, always have a choice about setting ourselves and our life on fire. Amazingly enough, some people actually knowingly decide to do that. But remember this, when we don't feed in to the instant gratification stuff, show emotional and behavioral restraint, that's moment that we regain ourselves and we are *true."

Namaste'

Jaye Morris, Curator
digitalZENDO

Thinking about Burma

“If you assume that there is no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If; however, you assume that there is an instinct for freedom and opportunities to change things, there is a chance that you may contribute to making a better world. That is your choice.” -Noam Chomsky

In Burma the struggle to change and evolve into something new... hopefully better continues. Over the weekend, there where many marches and protests, hoping that it would be strikingly clear to the Burmese Military that the world is watching and expecting peaceful action.

Though it may often seem as though our efforts towards peace go unheard at this moment, that does not imply that they won’t be heard later one. The ever so critical key is that we repeat our message over and over, like a mantra, so that the flame of truth does

Gassho,

Jaye Morris, Cruator
digitalZENDO