2020/10/03

초기불교 공부 | 希修 매일 할 수 있는 수행의 예 Mettā Meditation

초기불교 공부 | Facebook


希修   매일 할 수 있는 수행의 예
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(얼마 전에 또 명상에 대해 물어 보셔서.. 어디선가 영문으로 되어 있는 것을 제가 좀 고쳐 쓴 게 있는데, 일단 올려 드리고 나중에 말로 설명 드리도록 하겠습니다.)
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Mettā Meditation
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  • While meditating, the less movement (twitching, rocking or changing posture), the better. 
  • Sit with your spine straight on a cushion such that your hips are higher than your knees. 
  • Both of your knees should touch the floor. 
  • This way your body can stay stable for a long time. 
  • Discomfort and minor pains get better over time, so try to stay equanimous about them. 
  • But you should take care of extreme untolerable pains appropriately. 
  • Put the subtlest Buddha smile on your lips. Smile also from your eyes and your mind.
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Remember a time when you were calm and happy, which is different from 'excited' or 'exhilarated'. Take that feeling and radiate it first to yourself, thinking 'May I be wise and happy'. Say that sentence in your mind a few times.
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Second, think of family members or friends whom you like a lot and say in your mind 'May A be wise and happy'

Third, think of people you feel indifferent about and say in your mind 'May B be wise and happy'. 

Fourth, think of those you don't like too much and say in your mind 'May C be wise and happy'. 

(If you cannot genuinely wish for that person's happiness, remind yourself of the two things. 
First, wishing for other people's unhappiness is a bad karma for yourself. 
Second, we don't wish that someone will get happy just by a good luck; this is not even possible in Buddhism. 
We wish anyone and everyone will act skillfully and wisely to be able to 'earn' happiness through their own good karmas. 
If someone acts skillfully and wisely, it will benefit the entire world including yourself as well as the person him/herself.) 

Fifth, say in your mind 'May all beings in all planes and realms be wise and happy'.
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Whenever your mind wanders away while meditating, recognize as quickly as possible the fact that you have been distracted. 
Release the distraction and bring your mind back to your meditation. 
Whenever you acknowledge that you have been distracted, your observation power and your integrity grow that much. 
The time lag (between the moment your mind starts wandering and the moment you notice that you got distracted) is the shorter, the better. 
If we can recognize the mind's wriggling at the same time it starts wriggling, it is a pretty big progress. 
Along with a higher degree of concentration and investigation in meditation, which you will practice later, this is how we start cultivating wisdom, which is only one of the purposes of meditating.
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늘 기억하기 위해 하루 한 번씩 읽어야 하는 것
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1. Refuges (Recite 3 times)

I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the Dhamma.
I take refuge in the Sangha.
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2. Precepts

a. I undertake to keep the precept to abstain from killing or
harming living beings
, on purpose.

b. I undertake to keep the precept to abstain from taking what is not given.

c. I undertake to keep the precept to abstain from any wrong sexual activity.

d. I undertake to keep the precept to abstain from telling lies, harsh speech, gossip, or slander.

e. I undertake to keep the precept to abstain from taking drugs and alcohol.
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3. Dhammapada

a. Mind is the forerunner of all evil states. Mind is chief; mind made are they. If one speaks or acts with an unwholesome mind, because of that, suffering follows one, even as the wheel follows the hoof of the draft-ox.

b. Mind is the forerunner of all good states. Mind is chief; mind-made are they. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, because of that, happiness follows one, even as one’s shadow that never leaves.

c. “He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me”, in those who harbor such thoughts hatred is not appeased.

d. “He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me”, in those who do not harbor such thoughts hatred is appeased.

e. Hatred is never overcome by hatred in this world. Hatred is only overcome by love. This is an eternal law.

f. In the unessential we imagine the essential, in the essential we see the unessential, anyone who entertains such wrong thoughts never will realize the truth.

g. What is essential we regard as essential, what is unessential we regard as unessential, anyone who entertains such right thoughts will realize the truth.

h. Here one develops a mind that rejoices now, and in the future one rejoices. In both states the well-doer rejoices. One who rejoices a lot will be able to see the purity of their own deeds, speech and thoughts.

i. When one is happy now, they will be happy in the future. In both states the well-doer is happy. Thinking “I have done good in the past” one becomes happy and will easily experience a blissful state of mind.

j. Though a person recites sacred texts, but doesn’t act accordingly, that heedless person is like a cowherd who counts others’ cows. They have no share in the fruits of the holy life.

k. Though a person recites the sacred texts very little, but acts in accordance with the teaching, they give up lust, hatred and delusion. They truly know what is good and this leads to a mind that is free from suffering. They cling to nothing here and in the future. In this way, one shares the fruits of the holy life.



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3You, 崔明淑 and 1 other
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希修


위 내용은 시간 날 때마다 조금씩 말씀 드리도록 하겠습니다.
우선 'sangha (僧伽)'라는 것은, 대개 수행자들의 공동체라고 생각하는데.. 


정확히 말하자면, 깨달음의 4단계 중 어디라도 들어간 사람이 최소 4명 이상 속해 있는 공동체만을 가리킵니다. 



그러니, 부처님 말씀을 잘못 이해하고 있는 사람들의 집단이라면, 일반 스님 아닌 주지스님들 수백 명이 모여 있어도 'sangha (僧伽)'가 아닌 것이죠. 

초기불교에서는 이렇게 정의합니다. 승복을 입고 있느냐 아니냐가 중요한 것이 아닌 셈이죠.

希修


자비희사라는 사무량심과 용서에 대한 타니사로 스님의 가르침을 제가 정리한 것입니다.
https://www.facebook.com/keepsurfinglife/posts/1095805154124900


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< 용서와 자비희사 - revised >
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* 사회적 아닌 개인적 차원에서의 얘기 *
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(A) khanti / forgiving / 용서:

'정의 실현'은 karma가 할 것이므로 내 손으로 복수/처벌하고 싶은 마음은 깨끗이 버림. 재발 방지를 통해 타인을 보호하기 위한 목적의 법적 처리가 필요하다면 하되, 미움이나 恨같은 personal한 감정은 갖지 말라는 뜻. 관계 회복이나 화해와 별개의 문제.
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(B) mettā / goodwill / 慈:

상대방이 지혜를 통해( =업의 인과관계를 이해하고 탐진치를 줄여 나감으로써) 스스로! 진정한 행복에 도달하기를 기원하는 마음. 상대방을 내 행동의 수혜자로 대우해 주는 것이 아니라 본인 운명의 주체로서 존중해 주는 것. 아비담마를 번역하신 각묵스님은 mettā를 '성냄 없음'으로 정의하셨음. 즉, 누군가를 좋아하거나, 긍정적으로 평가하거나, 원하는 대로 해 주거나, 편한/친한 관계를 유지하는 등의 일은 mettā의 핵심과는 무관하다는 얘기. 서로를 옭아매는 온갖 기대, 원망, 집착, 소유욕 등으로 귀결되기가 너무나 쉽고 본질적으로 감정적인 pema / love / 사랑을 부처님은 전혀 긍정적으로 평가하지 않으셨음. 밥을 먹으면 똥이 남고 사랑을 하면 미움과 고통과 흐려진 정신이 남는다고 말씀하셨음 (b1). (mettā를 'lovingkindness'로 번역하기 보다, Thanissaro 스님처럼 'goodwill'로 번역하는 것이 적확하다고 내가 생각하는 이유. b2) 하지만 동시에, 강도가 자신의 팔다리를 하나씩 잘라내고 있는 와중에도 상대에 대해 유지해야 하는 태도가 mettā임. "네 행복은 네 손에 달렸으니, 업/윤회로부터 벗어나는 지혜로운 삶을 니가 살기 바란다"라는 진심만 유지한다면, 누군가와의 인연을 놓아 보내더라도 慈인 것.
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(b1) #10~30: Unsentimental Goodwill. What the Buddha said about 'love'. Emotional/sentimental love or naive positive thinking about human nature is not the way.
(b2) "If you truly feel mettā for yourself and others, you can’t let your desire for warm feelings of love and intimacy render you insensitive to what would actually be the most skillful way to promote true happiness for all."
(C) karuṇā / compassion / 悲:

상대방이 지혜를 통해 스스로! 고통/불운을 종식시키기를 바라는 마음 or 그 과정에서 상대방을 돕고자 하는 의지. 즉, 고통 속에 있는 사람에게 적용한 mettā. 아기가 죽어 울고 있는 여인 Kisa Gotami에게 부처님은 따뜻한 위로 대신 "마을에 내려가 일가 친척 누구 하나 죽은 적 없는 가문을 찾아 내어 그 집에서 겨자씨를 빌려 가져오라"는 말씀을 하셨음. 그동안 윤회해 온 억겁의 세월에 비하면 이승에서의 100년은 찰나에 불과하고 앞서거니 뒤서거니 비교하는 자체도 무의미하니, 이런 괴로움이 싫다면 더이상 헤매지 말고 어서 해탈하라는 뜻. 불교의 karuṇā는 상식적 의미의 '연민'/'공감'과 다름. 틱낫한 스님은 karuṇā는 환자를 대하는 의사의 마음( =상대방의 고통이 그치기를 바라는 마음)이라 하셨고 (c1), 에크하르 톨레 역시 함께 슬퍼하거나 괴로와하는 행위는 공감이 아니라고 말함 (c2). 환자의 질병을 질병으로 정확히 진단하고 처방을 알려 주는 것이 의사가 환자에게 보일 수 있는 최대의 연민/공감이지, 환자의 질병에 속상해 하고 함께 울어 주는 것이 의사의 역할이 아님. (물론, 상대가 나의 소견/처방을 원하는지를 먼저 확인해야.)
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(c1) 'Compassion' usually means that you suffer together, but 'karuṇā' does not. A physician needs to understand his patients, but, if he suffers with his patients, he won't be able to help them. ... ... A bodhisattva should be able to have the kind of love (such) that (she) can (be) happy for her and understand the suffering of other people, in order to be able to help them out ... ... If you are a psychotherapist and if you have enough joy, love, patience and understanding in you, ... you won't be overwhelmed by the suffering of those who come to you. -- Thich Nhat Hanh
(c2) A true compassion is not about commiserating. Avoid commiserating with other people’s problems, so that you don’t get caught in their mental construct. -- Eckhart Tolle
(D) mudita / empathetic joy / 喜:

상대방이 지혜를 통해 스스로! 지은 행복에 대해 함께 기뻐하는 마음. 즉, 행복 속에 있는 사람에게 적용한 mettā.
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(E) upekkha / equanimity / 捨:

현재의 노력만으로 당장 달라질 수 없는 부분 (현재에서 최선의 노력을 기울여도 더이상 희석되지 않는 과거 업의 결과, 타인의 선택 등)에 대한 인내심, 어리석음을 고집하는 이에 대한 평정심. 예를 들자면, 도박 끊을 생각조차 아예 없는 사람에 대해서는 평정심을 유지하고, 대신, 도박을 끊으려는 노력을 하기는 하는데 아직 못 끊고 있는 사람이나 도와 주라는 말.
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(F) 31 윤회계의 모든 존재들에 대해 무한정으로 베풀어야 하는 마음이라는 뜻에서 자비희사의 넷을 四無量心이라고 부르는데, 이 넷과 용서는, 우리가 흔히 생각하는 '사랑', '공감', '착함', '좋은 관계' 등과 일치하지 않음. 우리는 또 부처님을 한없이 온화한 분이셨을 거라 생각하지만, 사실은 달랐음. 부처님과 대화중 자기 자신의 모순을 깨달아 민망하여 부처님의 질문에 대답않고 우물쭈물하는 사람에게 "여래가 물을 때 대답 않으면 그 머리가 7조각으로 쪼개질 것이다"같은 무시무시한 말씀도 하시고 (f1), 자신의 질문에 대답하시는 부처님의 말씀을 Udāyin이 중간에 끊자 옆의 제자 Ānanda에게 "Ānanda야, 이 쓸모 없는 인간 Udāyin이 내 말 끊는 것좀 보렴"같은 말씀도 하심 (f2). 상대방이 당장 감정적 '상처'를 입더라도 잘못된 견해/태도는 분명히 지적하여 바로잡아 주는 것이 진정한 자비요 연민이라고 생각하셨음 (f3). 바로 이것이, 당신의 말씀을 이해할 수 있는 인간이 극소수에 불과할 거라는 사실을 알면서도 부처님이 장장 45년동안이나 때로는 야단을 치고 때로는 더없이 신랄한 비판을 해 가면서 상세한 가르침을 펼치신 이유.
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(f1) "If you don't answer, or evade the issue, if you keep silent or go away, your head will split into seven pieces." -- DN3, Ambaṭṭha Sutta.
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(f2) "Look, Ānanda, at how this worthless Udāyin interrupts." -- MN136, Maha Kammavibhanga Sutta.
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(f3) #68~69: Compassion.
(G) 사무량심과 용서는,

업의 인과관계를 정확히 이해만 하면 의식적으로 노력하지 않아도 자연스레 귀결되는 태도. 따라서 "불교 수행의 두 축은 지혜와 자비"라는 얘기에서 '지혜'와 '자비'는 사실상 동의어나 다름 없음 - 자비는 지혜의 당연한 결과이기에. 한 사람의 업과 관련한 문제들은 그 자신의 수행에 달렸을 뿐, 그 누구도, 심지어 부처님조차 어떻게 도와 줄 방도가 없다는 것이 불교의 기본 전제.
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希修
 added 484 new photos to the album "The Unexcelled Wheel" by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.


1etS pAiuaongnseahoruseledt

 
#2~6: Generosity First.

#7~9: Dedicating Merit.
#10~30: Unsentimental Goodwill. What the Buddha said about 'love'. Emotional/sentimental love or naive positive thinking about human nature is not the way.
#31~34: For the Good of the World.
#35~45: Gratitude & Trust.
#46~52: A Post by the Ocean.
#53~59: Accepting the Buddha's Standards.
#60~64: Vows.
#65~76: Admirable Friendship.
#77~82: The Dignity of Restraint.
#83~101: The Grain of the Wood.
#102~126: Meditation Prep(aration).
#127~139: Precept Meditation.
#140~153: Goodwill as Restraint.
#154~171: The Meaning of the Body.
#172~179: To Be Your Own Teacher.
#180~203: The Breath All the Way.
#204~212: One Step at a Time.
#213~220: Levels of the Breath.
#221~243: Sensitivity All the Time.
#244~255: The Mind's Song.
#256~263: Endurance Made Easier.
#264~281: Permission to Play
#282~283: Bathed in the Breath.
#284~296: A Home for the Mind.
#297~309: How to Feed Mindfulness.
#310~323: Knowing the Body from Within.
#324~335: The Uses of Concentration.
#336~353: Always Willing to Learn.
#354~358: Perfections as Priorities.
#359~377: The Steps of Breath Meditation.
#378~385: The Interactive Present.
#386~408: Abusing Pleasure & Pain.
#409~414: What's Not on the Map.
#415~424: When Things Aren't Going Well.
#425~451: Dealing with Limitations.
#452~465: Tuning-In to the Breath.
#466~469: The Observer.
#470~477: Producing Experiences.
#478~482: Boring.
#483~484: What's Getting in the Way.







You, Sungsoo Hong and 3 others














2020/10/02

Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki

 Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki eBook: Chadwick, David: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store


Shunryu Suzuki is known to countless readers as the author of the modern spiritual classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.  This most influential teacher comes vividly to life in Crooked Cucumberthe first full biography of any Zen master to be published in the West.  To make up his intimate and engrossing narrative, David Chadwick draws on Suzuki's own words and the memories of his students, friends, and family.  Interspersed with previously unpublished passages from Suzuki's talks, Crooked Cucumber evokes a down-to-earth life of the spirit.  Along with Suzuki we can find a way to "practice with mountains, trees, and stones and to find ourselves in this big world."
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Review

"Suzuki left a lasting legacy as the man who introduced the spiritual discipline of Zen to the West . . . and Crooked Cucumber affords a wonderful opportunity to meet him."
--Los Angeles Times
"A generous glimpse of the humanity and message of one of the great spiritual teachers of the modern world."
--Publishers Weekly

"A moving and eloquent biography of that quiet man who was to become the most widely revered Zen teacher in this country. Conveying his spirit lovingly and well, it becomes in itself a wonderful manifestation of his gentle teachings."
--Peter Matthiessen, author of At Play in the Fields of the Lord and The Snow Leopard

"It's impossible to imagine a better book about Suzuki-roshi. Its precise picture of Suzuki's values, hopes, and problems makes it a major primer of Zen itself."
--Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

"A touching account of Suzuki-roshi's life, full of funny stories, brave and generous."
--Robert Bly, author of Iron John and The Sibling Society

"Shunryu Suzuki comes to life through these pages to a degree I would not have thought possible. Chadwick has produced a remarkable biography of a truly remarkable man."
--Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions --This text refers to the paperback edition.
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From the Inside Flap

Shunryu Suzuki is known to countless readers as the author of the modern spiritual classic Zen Mind, Beginner's MindThis most influential teacher comes vividly to life in Crooked Cucumber, the first full biography of any Zen master to be published in the West. 

To make up his intimate and engrossing narrative, David Chadwick draws on Suzuki's own words and the memories of his students, friends, and family. Interspersed with previously unpublished passages from Suzuki's talks, Crooked Cucumber evokes a down-to-earth life of the spirit. Along with Suzuki we can find a way to "practice with mountains, trees, and stones and to find ourselves in this big world." --This text refers to the paperback edition.
Read more


Product details

File Size : 3710 KB
Word Wise : Enabled
Print Length : 465 pages
Publisher : Harmony; Reprint Edition (5 January 2011)

Customer Reviews: 4.9 out of 5 stars    70 ratings

Top reviews from other countries
Retiredguy
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Biography
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 March 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a warts and all biography of Suzuki.
Great teacher for sure, maybe not such a good family man.
The early background in Japan was fascinating.
Temple Zen as a family 'father to son' business.
Chadwick interviewed lots of people but the book really comes 'alive' after Chadwick joins the Zen centre and reports events through his own eyes.
First class, highly recommended.
One person found this helpful
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Merlin
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 May 2008
Verified Purchase
Have really enjoyed reading about this man. Perhaps some areas could have been written in a better order as it gets a little bit confusing in places.

However this would not stop me buying this book. You come to love a great personality. Every time I put the book down I had a smile on my face. It is also a great account of the times Suzuki lived in, particularly the Second World War in Japan. An intriguing Man not failed at all by his biographer who gets across the motivations and flaws of Suzuki very well indeed.
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 May 2013
Verified Purchase
For those of us who didn't get the opportunity to meet Shunryu Suzuki, this book is a captivating read about how Soto Zen became a World religion, rather than a purely Japanese practice.

----


Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki eBook: Chadwick, David: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store

Shunryu Suzuki is known to countless readers as the author of the modern spiritual classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.  This most influential teacher comes vividly to life in Crooked Cucumberthe first full biography of any Zen master to be published in the West.  To make up his intimate and engrossing narrative, David Chadwick draws on Suzuki's own words and the memories of his students, friends, and family.  Interspersed with previously unpublished passages from Suzuki's talks, Crooked Cucumber evokes a down-to-earth life of the spirit.  Along with Suzuki we can find a way to "practice with mountains, trees, and stones and to find ourselves in this big world."
---

Review

"Suzuki left a lasting legacy as the man who introduced the spiritual discipline of Zen to the West . . . and Crooked Cucumber affords a wonderful opportunity to meet him."
--Los Angeles Times
"A generous glimpse of the humanity and message of one of the great spiritual teachers of the modern world."
--Publishers Weekly

"A moving and eloquent biography of that quiet man who was to become the most widely revered Zen teacher in this country. Conveying his spirit lovingly and well, it becomes in itself a wonderful manifestation of his gentle teachings."
--Peter Matthiessen, author of At Play in the Fields of the Lord and The Snow Leopard

"It's impossible to imagine a better book about Suzuki-roshi. Its precise picture of Suzuki's values, hopes, and problems makes it a major primer of Zen itself."
--Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

"A touching account of Suzuki-roshi's life, full of funny stories, brave and generous."
--Robert Bly, author of Iron John and The Sibling Society

"Shunryu Suzuki comes to life through these pages to a degree I would not have thought possible. Chadwick has produced a remarkable biography of a truly remarkable man."
--Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions --This text refers to the paperback edition.
----
From the Inside Flap

Shunryu Suzuki is known to countless readers as the author of the modern spiritual classic Zen Mind, Beginner's MindThis most influential teacher comes vividly to life in Crooked Cucumber, the first full biography of any Zen master to be published in the West. 

To make up his intimate and engrossing narrative, David Chadwick draws on Suzuki's own words and the memories of his students, friends, and family. Interspersed with previously unpublished passages from Suzuki's talks, Crooked Cucumber evokes a down-to-earth life of the spirit. Along with Suzuki we can find a way to "practice with mountains, trees, and stones and to find ourselves in this big world." --This text refers to the paperback edition.
Read more


Product details

File Size : 3710 KB
Word Wise : Enabled
Print Length : 465 pages
Publisher : Harmony; Reprint Edition (5 January 2011)

Customer Reviews: 4.9 out of 5 stars    70 ratings

Top reviews from other countries
Retiredguy
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Biography
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 March 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a warts and all biography of Suzuki.
Great teacher for sure, maybe not such a good family man.
The early background in Japan was fascinating.
Temple Zen as a family 'father to son' business.
Chadwick interviewed lots of people but the book really comes 'alive' after Chadwick joins the Zen centre and reports events through his own eyes.
First class, highly recommended.
One person found this helpful
---
Merlin
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 May 2008
Verified Purchase
Have really enjoyed reading about this man. Perhaps some areas could have been written in a better order as it gets a little bit confusing in places.

However this would not stop me buying this book. You come to love a great personality. Every time I put the book down I had a smile on my face. It is also a great account of the times Suzuki lived in, particularly the Second World War in Japan. An intriguing Man not failed at all by his biographer who gets across the motivations and flaws of Suzuki very well indeed.
2 people found this helpful
---
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 May 2013
Verified Purchase
For those of us who didn't get the opportunity to meet Shunryu Suzuki, this book is a captivating read about how Soto Zen became a World religion, rather than a purely Japanese practice.
-----

Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki eBook: Chadwick, David: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store

Shunryu Suzuki is known to countless readers as the author of the modern spiritual classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.  This most influential teacher comes vividly to life in Crooked Cucumberthe first full biography of any Zen master to be published in the West.  To make up his intimate and engrossing narrative, David Chadwick draws on Suzuki's own words and the memories of his students, friends, and family.  Interspersed with previously unpublished passages from Suzuki's talks, Crooked Cucumber evokes a down-to-earth life of the spirit.  Along with Suzuki we can find a way to "practice with mountains, trees, and stones and to find ourselves in this big world."
---

Review

"Suzuki left a lasting legacy as the man who introduced the spiritual discipline of Zen to the West . . . and Crooked Cucumber affords a wonderful opportunity to meet him."
--Los Angeles Times
"A generous glimpse of the humanity and message of one of the great spiritual teachers of the modern world."
--Publishers Weekly

"A moving and eloquent biography of that quiet man who was to become the most widely revered Zen teacher in this country. Conveying his spirit lovingly and well, it becomes in itself a wonderful manifestation of his gentle teachings."
--Peter Matthiessen, author of At Play in the Fields of the Lord and The Snow Leopard

"It's impossible to imagine a better book about Suzuki-roshi. Its precise picture of Suzuki's values, hopes, and problems makes it a major primer of Zen itself."
--Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

"A touching account of Suzuki-roshi's life, full of funny stories, brave and generous."
--Robert Bly, author of Iron John and The Sibling Society

"Shunryu Suzuki comes to life through these pages to a degree I would not have thought possible. Chadwick has produced a remarkable biography of a truly remarkable man."
--Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions --This text refers to the paperback edition.
----
From the Inside Flap

Shunryu Suzuki is known to countless readers as the author of the modern spiritual classic Zen Mind, Beginner's MindThis most influential teacher comes vividly to life in Crooked Cucumber, the first full biography of any Zen master to be published in the West. 

To make up his intimate and engrossing narrative, David Chadwick draws on Suzuki's own words and the memories of his students, friends, and family. Interspersed with previously unpublished passages from Suzuki's talks, Crooked Cucumber evokes a down-to-earth life of the spirit. Along with Suzuki we can find a way to "practice with mountains, trees, and stones and to find ourselves in this big world." --This text refers to the paperback edition.
Read more


Product details

File Size : 3710 KB
Word Wise : Enabled
Print Length : 465 pages
Publisher : Harmony; Reprint Edition (5 January 2011)

Customer Reviews: 4.9 out of 5 stars    70 ratings

Top reviews from other countries
Retiredguy
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Biography
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 March 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a warts and all biography of Suzuki.
Great teacher for sure, maybe not such a good family man.
The early background in Japan was fascinating.
Temple Zen as a family 'father to son' business.
Chadwick interviewed lots of people but the book really comes 'alive' after Chadwick joins the Zen centre and reports events through his own eyes.
First class, highly recommended.
One person found this helpful
---
Merlin
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 May 2008
Verified Purchase
Have really enjoyed reading about this man. Perhaps some areas could have been written in a better order as it gets a little bit confusing in places.

However this would not stop me buying this book. You come to love a great personality. Every time I put the book down I had a smile on my face. It is also a great account of the times Suzuki lived in, particularly the Second World War in Japan. An intriguing Man not failed at all by his biographer who gets across the motivations and flaws of Suzuki very well indeed.
2 people found this helpful
---
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 May 2013
Verified Purchase
For those of us who didn't get the opportunity to meet Shunryu Suzuki, this book is a captivating read about how Soto Zen became a World religion, rather than a purely Japanese practice.

----





Plum Village Tradition - Wikipedia



Plum Village Tradition - Wikipedia



Plum Village Tradition
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The Plum Village Tradition is a school of Buddhism named after the Plum Village Monastery in France, the first monastic practice center founded by Thích Nhất Hạnh. It is an approach to Engaged Buddhism mainly from a Mahayana perspective, that draws elements from Zen and Theravada. Its governing body is the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism.

It is characterized by the application of mindfulness to everyday activities (sitting, walking, eating, speaking, listening, working, etc.). These practices are integrated with lifestyle guidelines called the "five mindfulness trainings", which bring an ethical and spiritual dimension to decision-making and are an integral part of community life.


Contents
1Mindfulness Practices
1.1Daily Practices
1.2Physical Practices
1.3Relationship and Community Practices
1.4Five Mindfulness Trainings

4See also
5References


Mindfulness Practices[edit]

The sangha is built around a common set of practices to be performed with mindfulness applied to sensory experiences (like listening to the sound of a bell) or activities, such as walking or eating in community. There are also formal ceremonial practices normally performed by the monastics (prostrations, recitations, chanting). Community practices are aimed at facilitating the release from suffering, increasing joy, and experiencing fully the present moment.

The mindfulness practices of the Plum Village Tradition are described on the Plum Village website[1] and the book Happiness by Thich Nhat Hahn.[2] To help cultivate these practices Plum Village encourages the use of Mindfulness apps, including its own for Android and IOS devices. These practices include:

Daily Practices[edit]

  1. Breathing: focusing the attention on the breathing sensory experience.
  2. Waking up: a daily vow to live fully the awake cycle of consciousness after exiting the sleep cycle.
  3. Sitting meditation: suspension of bodily movements to focus on the inner cognitive processes through metacognition, and eventually transcend that.
  4. Walking meditation: focus on the experience of the body movements when walking. Steps and breathing can be synchronized, or a simple mantra recited.
  5. Bell of mindfulness: stopping to focus on the breathing sensory experience upon hearing a sound, normally of a bell.

Physical Practices[edit]

Resting: recognizing the natural needs of the body and take the necessary steps to attain rest.
Mindful Movement: ten body movements practised with conscious breathing to unite mind and body. Based on yoga and tai chi movement.[3]
Deep relaxation: a practice of lying down and totally letting go, using the breath as an anchor.

Relationship and Community Practices[edit]

Sangha body: learning to recognize what each individual needs to feel part of a community.
Sangha building: awareness of organic growth processes of communities.
Dharma sharing: express experiences as they were felt and cognized.
Service meditation: volunteering to menial maintenance tasks.
The Kitchen: food preparation as a meditative practice.
Eating together: focusing on the several aspects of consuming food (provenance, ethics, purpose, etc.) together with other people.
Tea meditation: being aware of all aspects of socializing (inner and interpersonal) while drinking tea.
Noble Silence: suspend or reduce verbal communication to focus on inner processes.
Beginning anew: reconciliation process after a conflict.

Five Mindfulness Trainings[edit]

The Five Mindfulness Trainings are Thich Nhat Hanh's formulation of the traditional Buddhist Five Precepts, ethical guidelines developed during the time of the Buddha to be the foundation of practice for the entire lay Buddhist community.[4]

In southern schools of Buddhism these precepts are typically expressed as undertakings to refrain from harm - not to kill, not to steal, not to lie, not to manifest inappropriate sexual behaviour and not to consume intoxicants. Nhat Hanh's innovation was to express these precepts with an emphasis on the cultivation of virtues on the one hand and as a practice of mindfulness on the other. Each "Mindfulness Training" has the form "Aware of the suffering caused by ----, I am committed to cultivating ----". Each training is thus an undertaking by the practitioner both to cultivate non-harming, generosity, responsible sexual behaviour, loving speech, and mindful consumption and to be mindful of the suffering caused to self and others when these virtues are absent.


Plum Village movement[edit]

As of 2017, the Plum Village movement comprises 589 monastics in 9 monasteries and 1271 communities of practice worldwide.[5] An important component of this tradition is the Order of Interbeing, which is a social network of monastics and lay people who have undertaken the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings.[6] There is also a community inspired by this tradition, aimed at young people between the ages of 18 and 35, called Wake Up.[7] Other initiatives include Wake Up Schools[8] and the Earth Holder Sangha.[9]


Monasteries[edit]

As of November 2018, there are 9 monasteries in the Plum Village Tradition.

United States
Blue Cliff Monastery, New York
Deer Park Monastery, California
Magnolia Grove Monastery, Mississippi

Europe
Plum Village Monastery, France
European Institute of Applied Buddhism, Germany
Healing Spring Monastery (and Maison de L'Inspir), France

Asia/Australia
Thai Plum Village, Thailand
Asian Institute of Applied Buddhism, Hong Kong
Stream Entering Meditation Center, Australia

Distinguishing Characteristics[edit]

40 Tenets of Plum Village[edit]

The 40 Tenets of Plum Village are an attempt by Thich Nhat Hanh to identify and define the teachings that are maintained, taught and transmitted in the Plum Village Tradition. They focus on the key relationship of this tradition to the various Buddhist schools and their teachings. [10] These tenets serve as the foundation for the Plum Village teachings for the Mindfulness Trainings undertaken by lay and monastic practitioners.

Community Structure[edit]

Another distinctive feature of the Plum Village Tradition is the community structure offered by the Order of Interbeing, whose aim is to apply the Bodhisattva ideal in daily life. Both monastic and lay practitioners who undertake the 14 Mindfulness trainings - an extension and modernization of Bodhisattva Precepts by Thich Nhat Hanh - can be members of the Order. In addition both monastic and lay practitioners can receive the Dharma transmission to become Dharma Teachers in this tradition.


References[edit]

  1. ^ "Plum Village - Mindfulness Practice".
  2. ^ Thich Nhat Hanh (2009). Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices. Parallax Press; 1st edition. ISBN 9781888375916.
  3. ^ Wietske Vriezen, Thich Hanh, Mindful Movements: Ten Exercises for Well-Being, Parallax Press, Jul 28, 2008
  4. ^ "מה זה מיינדפולנס (Mindfulness)". Saturday, 21 December 2019
  5. ^ "2016-2017 Annual Highlights from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation". Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  6. ^ "14 Mindfulness Trainings on the Order of Interbeing Web Site". Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  7. ^ "WakeUp". Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  8. ^ "Wake Up Schools". Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  9. ^ "Earth Holder Sangha". Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  10. ^ "40 Tenets of Plum Village". Retrieved December 16, 2018.
Categories:
Plum Village Tradition