Phenomenal

Love him. Thank you

Gassho🙏🙏

Rest in peace Nishijima 🙏

Thank you 🙏

Nishijima is very pragmatic and compassionate in his presentation 👏must have been wonderful to know him 👏

🕊🙏🏻namaste Sylvia uk

What is the goal when i am dying, dying......dying ? Are endless dying moments to be cherished or is re-birth to be looked forward to ?

Typical Westerners (U.K, U.S.A etc.) want to hear spiritual teachings at par with Quantum Mechanics. 'Why are you there & we here, come on , give us some real meaty stuff.....' is always you're pre-disposition; so you don't listen properly ! For gods sake !

Старый ютуб это что то с чем то

I’ve learned so much from this man!

8:35

It's strange that he doesn't talk about focusing the mind on the navel, or anything about how to observe the mind. All he says is 'keep you spine straight'

TRANSCRIPT: "At the beginning when we practice Zazen, we bow down to our own seat. This salutation means, the salutation for two men, on the right side and on the left side. Then turn around and bow down again, and second salutation means the salutation for all members in the room. Then we sit on the cushion at the center like this. If we wear socks or such things, we take them off. First, there are two postures of the legs. The one is half lotus posture and the other is the full lotus posture. In the half lotus posture, we place our legs like this, this part of leg should touch the cushion, and then put the left leg like this. In this case, both the knees should touch the floor, or the zafuton. This cushion is called Zafuton. Both knees should touch the Zafuton. In the full-lotus posture, first place left leg like this, then put the right leg like this, and then put the left leg like this.. This is called the full-lotus posture. Both the half-lotus posture and the full-lotus postures are traditional. So if people are not so accustomed to the full lotus posture, to have the half lotus is also permissible. The most important matter in Zazen is to keep the spine straight vertically. Therefore first we straighten our lower spine straight vertically. It is a very important point. Then the back bone and neck bone should be also be kept straight vertically. This is very important point. Therefore master Dogen says in Fukanzagenzi, the spine shouldn't reclined forward or backward, right side or left side. Keep the spine straight vertically is the most important matter. If we put the spine straight along the line of gravity, we can identify ourselves with the universe. In such situation, we can know what the universe is by keeping our spine vertically. Therefore in such meaning, the most important matter in Zazen is to keep the spine straight vertically and identify our spine with the line of gravity. The hands should also be kept also in the traditional method. In the case of half lotus posture and full lotus posture, the left leg is upper. Therefore first we put right hand like this in front of our body, then put the left hand on the right and put the top of thumbs like this. Because of such posture, we can make the shoulders relaxed. So keeping the elbow a little separate from the body and to keep the arms like this is the posture of arms. Mouth should be closed and eyes should open naturally. In some sects, they insist that the eyes should be half closed, but according to master Dogen's instructions, he said, eyes should be open naturally. Not too wide, not too narrow. This is the criteria for eyes. Our shoulders should be kept on the horizontal line and the two ears also kept on the horizontal line. Our shoulder should not be like this, should not be like this. Ears should not be like this, should not be like this. To keep the shoulder in the horiontal line and ears in the horizontal line is a very important point. Master Kotosaki, who taught me Buddhism, instructed that our spine should be pierced through the ceiling. It is just a figurative expression, so in Zazen, we should set our spine vertically as if the spine pierces the ceiling. When we degrade our posture, we have depressed breath. Then swing the body right and left and stop the spine at the center and begin Zazen. During Zazen, we need not think about anything. We need not feel anything. Just keep the spine straight vertically is Zazen. Therefore Zazen is not thinking. Zazen is not feeling. Just keeping spine vertically is Zazen. Therefore we can think thta Zazen is a kind of gymnastic without motion. Such attitude can be called "Act". Not thought. Not perception. Zazen is action. Buddhist philosophy is based on the philosophy of action. Therefore when we want to study Buddhism, first we should practice Zazen. By practicing Zazen, we can experience the universe itself in our body and mind. We can study what universe is. We can study what reality is. We can study what this world is. We can what our life is. Those studies are not intellectual. but practical research and the reason why Buddhism needs such practice comes from that. Buddhism is philosophy of act. Philosophy of reality. Buddhism is just reality. This idea is very important to study Buddhism."

There are no captions, but I made a transcript: Question: Two days before [someone I know at] university is 51 years old and yesterday she died suddenly, maybe a heart attack. I don't have a special feeling about this, but I have a question: In general, almost [all] religions have a [opinion] about the death of people, In Buddhism [how] would you explain about concept of death. . . Nishijima: In Buddhism, death is a state at the present moment so that even though people usually think that when we are living we are happy, and when we have died it is very sad, but Buddhism thinks that life and death are just the state at the present moment. Therefore, when we are living ... now I’m living, now I’m living ... such a condition continues, and if I died ... I have died, I have died I have died ... such a moment continues. So that according to Buddhist theory, life and death are not so different. It is just the state at the present moment. That is the Buddhist idea. So according to Buddhist theory we do not love life to live so much, [and] we do not fear to die so much. They are in common. Therefore, when we are living we enjoy living, when we die we can enjoy [to] die. Question: In what way can we enjoy to die? . . Nishijima Because [to assert that] life is always happy or pleasant is a little doubtful. I have experience to run rather long distances [as a runner], and thinking about the existence of a goal, he [a runner] can run to the goal. But if there is no goal and I have to continue running endlessly, this [would then be a] very serious condition. Therefore, fortunately we have the end of life that is the entering of the goal. So in such situation, the existence of death is also a kind of benevolent condition. That fact is death. . . Question: If someone dies, we can assume that the universe continues. But for the person who dies the universe no longer exists. Nishijima: So, if we use a simile of foam on a river, sometimes foam appears on the surface of the river and flows for awhile, and [then dissolves and] breaks down ... And in such situation, the foam comes back to the water of the river. So both exist, but the foam has vanished. That is the human life I think. Therefore, the water really exists, however the foam disappears and doesn't appear again. So, a simile of foam is rather a good explanation of human life.

He loved the word ‘Therefore’

Dogen's teacher's phrase "drop off body, drop off mind" is so poetically beautiful, so simple and so profound- it's a poem of one line....

Autonomo nervous system

TRANSCRIPT: "Before Buddhism, there was a religious training called Yoga, and among many postures in yoga, and among many postures in yoga, the best posture, as Gautama Buddha selected, was Zazen. He practised zazen everyday. One day, in the morning, when he looked at the ### in the eastern sky, he noticed that he was living in reality, He was not living in ideas, He was not living in matter. he was just living in reality, and such truth is the basis of Buddhism. Therefore Buddhism is a just realistic philosophy, and to study such realistic philosophy, we practice Zazen. Therefore without practising zazen, there is no Buddhism. When we practice zazen, we can become Buddha himself at once. This is Gautama Budhha's teachings and Master Dogen's teachings, who was a Japanese buddhist master in the 13th century. So, deriving on such theory, we practice zazen everyday. So it is necessary for us to practice zazen everyday, 2 times daily atleast. Master Dogen recommended 4 times practice zazen practice everyday, but in modern times, we have to work to make money during day time, so atleast in the morning and the evening, we should practice zazen everyday. The time of zazen is not necessary to be so long, but to practice frequently is very important, because since the twentieth century, we can find the scientific reason to practice Zazen. In the twentieth century, modern psychology and modern physiology have developed so much and relying upon such scientific innovation, we can know this, "Why we practice Zazen to study Buddhism?". According the modern physiology, there is the nervous system called The Autonomic Nervous System, and it is of two parts. The one is Sympathetic Nervous System and the other is Parasympathetic Nervous System. When Sympathetic Nervous system is sronger, we are prone to be spiritual. When Parasympathetic Nervous System is stronger, we are prone to be materialistic. Therefore, according to Buddhist theory, we should make the two autonomic nervous systems equal. When Sympathetic Nervous System and Parasympathetic Nervous System are equal, our consciousness of mind vanishes, and our physical consciousness vanishes. We are just sitting. We are just active, and such situation is called "dropping body and mind". These words come from Master Dogen's Shobogenzo. To get rid of body and mind was very difficult to understand before 20th century, but just in 20th century, there was so enormous developments of scientific innovation, we can know this. "What's the meaning of zazen?", from the viewpoint of Science. Therefore practice of zazen is to keep the spine straight vertically, and keeping the spine straight vertically, our autonomic nervous systems become balanced, and in the balanced autonomic nervous system, we can throw away miscellaneous considerations. We can throw away miscellaneous painful conditions. We are just sitting. We are enjoying sitting. We are enjoying quietness. We can enjoy natural conditions. We are enjoying reality. We can enjoy our life. That is the meaning of the practice of Zazen."

Holy shit, I just finished reading Hardcore Zen and wanted to look up a guide to make sure I do Zazen correctly, and *this is the guy that taught the author of that book*! Gudo Nishijima! Much respect.

Dogen is in pain get him vegetables

Everyone keep going! Sit sit sit every day! Hoka!

This is what Jiren does 🙂

full or even half lotus will destroy your knees if your hips aren't already very flexible. Do not sit through pain in your knees. Your knees do not stretch.

His English using so bad, he has to improve that!

If you want to practice really intense and deep Zazen head to Gyobutsuji Zen Monastery

I have knee replacements and cant sit like this can it be done from a chair thank you

great Master

Thank you!!!

I can't make any sense. Pls reply to this do that I get notification

Dogen is a great read for any mystical bookworm. Sugoi, domo arigato gosaimasu.

Is it formal that I started to see faces of people whilist the first time practicing zazen?

Life is not the same it tuff.

Arigato Gosaimasu.

svadisthana chakra

i practice zazen, in a messy room, the floor is uneven, but i am nondual, it bends to become balanced dream shapes the matter, theres a blanket and books, the empty pipe that i smoke pot from is like my mind, burning away thoughts all things fill with a miraculous light and disappear into the deepest compassion life as a river the meaning of the word Spirit forest growing soul growing wanti

Well done, Roshi!

Nice - he makes it so simple. Just don't lose your balanced state and you'll stay cool.

He looks like my grand father.

I am among those people. I will probably never sit in full lotus again...

gratitude

lets all just have world peace!

jewish angels and how to contact them, how they defend the universe and protect all beings from Nazis, how any being of any race can be an angel, and how must who are do not know it, jewish angels and how they encourage breaking from the tradition, including all plants and animals as jews, and ending slavery and the fighting of battle, to learn the wisdom of the tree of life and live in it, without killing it, break the tradition of torah, find the deeper tradition of inner wisdom it encourage

"To keep the spine straight vertically is zazen, a kind of gymnastics without motion" Thanks Gudo.

No more videos of everything more creative writing especially magic and fantasy, I don't like all the videos, still photographs can be very zen though, haikus, no more tv no radio, hermit life, no more judgemental forums just stream of consciousness an it harm none no ego

Dana's blessing, kundalini awakening

Thank you

One can do this siting in a chair or even standing.

hard to understand.... but happy to see it!

And last but not least: thumbs straight up!