Dear Zen Friend
1) Zendo is surrounded with most comfortable environments these days.
It is warm, is sunny most of days, and rains occasionally.
These are best conditions for sesshin.
Yet social and medical uncertainty is everywhere.
September sesshin ( 09/11 – 09/13) is unlikely to take place.
Corona pandemic is an unprecedented event.
More unknown things in unknown areas would happen.
It is better to stay home and wait for a time in which a solution would come out.
We have to live with corona virus.
2) There are zen words ‘Zadatsu Ryubo,’ mean dying sitting and dying standing.
The words are understood that a great priest can die sitting or standing with the power of zazen practice.
Uchiyama Roshi cast away the common sense and said no one knows how to die.
Power of zazen does not mean physical miracles.
I had vertigo few times, which was very uncomfortable.
I sat on a couch and waited for the relief each time.
Bad feelings usually persisted for days.
And the couch became scared.
On a couch large surface of bodily skin is pressed when sitting or lying.
Blood circulation is easily prevented from smooth running.
In zazen posture, 3 physical points touch zabuton, in standing only 2 feet touch the floor.
The blood more freely runs in our body while standing or sitting than lying like couch potato.
When asked what good posture is, in general standing and sitting are better than lying.
Ancient people who had to work hard daily may have known that blood circulation is the key for survival.
I am not sick now, just recall wisdom of zen words.
Regards.
Eishin Ikeda
Valley Zendo
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