Tohoku Earthquake Memorial Sutra Mound

Rieko Sekine, who is one of the representatives of the project (10,000 shakyo for Japan / Tohoku Earthquake Memorial Sutra Mound Executive Committee) requests that people around the world to participate in the making of shakyo, which is the hand-copying of the Heart Sutra for the victims of the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident.

The participants of the Committee will recite each of the shakyo one by one in a Buddhist ceremony (Gongyou). After that, they will bury all the collected copies at the top of Mt. Gassan (literally "Moon Mountain" in Japanese) which represents the three sacred Mountains of Dewa where the souls of the victims of the Tohoku Earthquake are to rest in peace, and at the same time they will erect a "Tohoku Earthquake Memorial Sutra Mound" at the site on October 9th. In addition, they plan to broadcast the ceremony on either ustream or youtube.

The Committee’s aspiration would chant together with the people around the world that the devastated area will be reconstructed as soon as possible and that all the victims can be relieved from terrible sufferings and hardships.

To download the template for hand-writing the Sutra click on this link for the pdf :
http://homepage.mac.com/ssxlh1200/10000sfj/dl/hannyas_in_dl.pdf
or the website on facebook "10,000 Shakyo for Japan"
http://www.facebook.com/pages/10000-Shakyo-for-Japan/20026808000397

They are anticipating to collect 10,000 shakyo by the end of August.

your faithfully,
Rieko Sekine

10,000 Shakyo for Japan / Tohoku Earthquake Memorial Sutra Mound”

Executive Committee Chairman: Hoshino Fumihiro
(Dewa Sanzan Haguro-san Shokubo “Daiseibo”)
Yamagata Prefecture, Tsuruoka City, Haguro Town, Toge 99　

Head of the Secretariat: Sekine Rieko
Tokyo, Kiyose City, Noshio 1-348-5

seki-hase@mail.goo.ne.jp

Adviser and Translator: Sekine Yasumitsu
jack_yasumitsu_sekine@yahoo.co.jp

address:

10,000 Shakyo for Japan
Poste Restant
Kiyose Noshio PostOffice
kiyose,Noshio 204-0004
Japan

e-mail: 10000shakyoforjapan@gmail.com
10,000 Shakyo for Japan

Zen 2009 Dogen Movie

I gave myself a treat last night after finishing my year end Book Keeping and the Corporate Taxes for my Business and all of our partners and watched the movie "Zen" which is about the life of the great Soto Master Dogen. Takahashi’s Zen (2009) not only gives you an opportunity to learn about a clear-cut history of Zen Buddhism in Japan in just over two hours, but also captivates you with unsullied spiritual insights.

I must say that I am always up for any movie about Buddhism and especially Zen Buddhism, yet I seem to be always disappointed. I must say that I enjoyed the movie at times, but as is the case with many of these endeavors, it seems that the producers seem to attach to romantic engagements rather than accurate representations of history. When Dogen visited China in search of his authentic Zen Teacher I found it strange that all of the Chinese Monks, including his future teacher, all wore Japanese Robes. Also, the temples he visits in China all have a Japanese flair and look nothing like any of the Chinese Temples I have visited all over China over the last 15 years.

It isn't a huge shortcoming, not as much as the CGI shorts which were meant to represent Dogen's Awakening experiences. They were more like shorts from an LSD trip or even an early 1960's representation of transcendence, anyway I could have lived without the visual references which will just serve to make people think that enlightenment has something to do with flying across the universe on a giant Lotus Flower.

There is also a weird reference to a story that is originally attributed to Sakyamuni Buddha about a young woman who's son is dying. He tells her to visit all the houses and find some mustard seeds collected from homes where they have not experienced death. It is common for Zen Teachers to use these old analogies to teach student, but I have never read that Dogen used this specific teaching. There is enough history on this seminal figure that the writers could have discovered something more of a personal insight that Dogen gave us.

There is too much use of the "E" word (enlightenment) in the movie as if it really exists. Teachers don't address this directly, and even if it does exist the experience isn't contained in the word.

The scene where Dogen passes into Nirvana (he dies in the Dharma Room) and everyone continues sitting in meditation after knowing their master has died is just too much for me to handle. If meditation means that we lose our original job then I am not interested in that type of practice.

The movie is worth watching, and I recommend it. Just see it for what it is, a romanticized view of a very seminal figure in the advancement of the Dharma. Some of the Cinematography is wonderful and some of the Dharma talks are inspiring. Anyway, you must find your own opinion on the movie.

Interesting Japanese Rapping Monk

Zen Monk Hip-Hop Rap & the Monk Bar in Japan


January 22, 2010 — Authentic Zen Buddhist monks use some new twists to appeal to young Japanese. How about discussing Dharma over Heaven & Hell cocktails. From CNN & cnn.com

Bodhidharma and Japan's Upcoming Election

Japan: Political Lucky Charms for Upcoming Election

Candidates for Japan’s upcoming general election are using a bit of supernatural help to win. Lucky Buddhist dolls or “daruma” are popular among politicians. These dolls are modeled after the founder of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma.[Seiishi Hirose, Buddhist Monk, Daruma Temple]:"Using a daruma is in part to gather the cooperation of a lot of people, so candidates will put it in their political office in order to win. Everyone then makes dedications to the daruma and makes some sort of goal such as 'Let's win!'" Daruma dolls are made in a small factory in the outskirts of Tokyo. They were introduced as part of the electoral campaign traditions in the 1930s. The dolls represented a saint that could roll back upright even if pushed down repeatedly. It symbolized the road to success despite repeated failures. [Junichi Nakada, Daimonya Owner]:"Candidates up for election put in one eye on one side, and then if they win, put in the other side. This has becomes a kind of traditional thing to do in relatively recent history." Demand for these dolls has increased due to the upcoming general election.When these dolls are no longer in use, they are laid to rest at Daruma temple. Once or twice a year, most are blessed before being burned. But a few of the more popular dolls are kept in a museum, such as those that belonged to former prime ministers.