Living and Aging as Practice... Causing the Wind, Anchor Returning

[@sebastiank9175]

you are aging a lot better than many sensei and I will continue to pray for your good health so many people can benefits from your teaching and presence, we are world apart and I wish someday I would be bale to pay my respect to you in person.

[@Interiormythos]

🙏🙏

[@claresmith9261]

Could not believe this wonderful man is 73 , I genuinely thought he was about mid fifties and no need for effort as his example will be the message for us all, thanks 🙏

[@Interiormythos]

Clare, may we all explore the mystery of the entanglement of our personal physical manifestation with the depth interior journey we choose to engage…or not! GO Deep!

[@brunovanhove1832]

Als sporter,en actief mens, ben je inderdaad, meer bewust, van hoe je in uw jeugd groeit en sterker wordt, en omgekeerd hoe ik nu elke passerend jaar minder kan doen! Aanvaarden is een part van het leven, maar ook aanpassen, en verandering,en jezelf heruitvinden, eens je ouder bent! 🙏☯️

[@Interiormythos]

@brunovanhove1832, yes...yes! Aging is one of life’s great classrooms and especially so for those who have been life-long athletes. Thank you for these reflections. May we all stay awake as we “adapt, change, and reinvent” ourselves. We are grateful you have discovered this channel and hope you will return often. You will appreciate the mission of this channel to communicate the message of Abbot Okumura and other great teachers. Please consider an encounter with the Life Journey series, available on the home page of this channel. It provides a sequential, guided, experiential path for the contemporary contemplative practitioner. It can provide a helpful teaching tool for solitary inquiry or group discussion. Check it out. GO Deep!

[@28105wsking]

Okumura Sensei, Three bows. I would like you to go see an Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. Your throat difficulty is getting worse and I am worried about you. I remember you from Antei-ji in 1972-1974, when I was a young student 24 years old, from the University of Colorado, the first woman Uchiyama Roshii accepted to Antei-ji. I studied there for two years.. My time there completely changed my life. I owe my whole life to the opportunity to just sit down and be quiet at Antei-ji. From there I went to India to study with HHDL 14 and have been in the Tibetan tradition since then, but still prefer Zen. so I add it, tho its hard to say that! LOL! It's so nice to see you again. Now I am 74 and If I knew where you were, I would come to visit you.

[@Interiormythos]

Wendy, thank you for these heart-felt reflections and for connecting with this channel. Abbot Okumura currently resides in Bloomington, Indiana, USA, as part of the Sanshin Zen Community: www.sanshinji.org. A nurturing exercise you may wish to consider is to establish a regular personal practice of viewing the sequential modules of the “Life Journey” series. This interior guided journey nurtures deep solitarily exploration or a meaningful conversation with other practitioners. The series uses material from substantive teachers of depth; including Abbot Shohaku Okumura, Sister Joan Chittister, Kaira Jewel Lingo, Adam Bucko, and many others: East and West. All background music is provided by the cellist who accompanied the Dalai Lama in his public teachings. The initial five Life Journeys are available under the “Playlists” section of the Interior Mythos Journeys KZbin channel and a sixth will be released soon. Post a comment and someone will respond. Here is a link to a short context for the “Life Journeys” series: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHWmmad4j8mkn9k Keep in touch. GO Deep!

[@hear-and-know]

What an inspirational comment. Fills me with hope to go away and find a teacher for once :)

[@sharbotlake]

Aging is a very good practice.

[@Interiormythos]

@sharbotlake, yes! Thank you for this reflection. Embracing those elements of life that come with the package as practice, like having a body and aging, can be transformative. GO Deep!

[@richardofhearts3190]

Just his basic image of Aging as Practice frees me of all the noise of our culture to all those experiencing their aging or is it old age. LOL All our culture’s praying and preying over us who are aging doesn’t get to the heart of the matter as he does in this talk.

[@Interiormythos]

Richard, yes, aging can simply be a burden of physical deterioration or it can become part of our daily, hourly, and moment-by-moment practice; a practice capable of connecting us to the depth of our most-essential reality. May we discover the gift of this subtle turn of the dial in our consciousness. GO Deep!

[@benoitalcide3979]

Aging is becoming like a child, so, are we aging or getting younger?.

[@Interiormythos]

Benoit, It is good to have your Comments back on this channel. We affirm you are well. Yes, aging is a special kind of journey and perhaps one of the most profound privileges and opportunities for practice. Aging has the possibility of delivering our consciousness not just to a “state of mind” (young or old) but to the very gateway of Timelessness. This is a subject many of the modules of the “Life Journeys” series addresses. The “Life Journey” series uses material from some of the greatest teachers living today who are mostly unknown to the popular culture. These sequential cinematic art form modules guide one deeper and deeper into consciousness and the practices of a contemporary contemplative. We suggest doing one sequential module per day or on some regular schedule. The journey begins with “The Presence.” kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZbOl4Vnn9emodE This sequential contemplative journey is an excellent opportunity for solitary inquiry or shared group discussion. The top Comment listed under each module contains a link to the next sequential art form. We hope to see more Comments and reflections from you again soon. GO Deep!

[@williamcallahan5218]

I couldn't, can't understand why this video, the way it is presented? feels so off? It just feels wrong, diluted or misrepresented? It isn't anything Okumura Sensei said I suspect it's the context? Confusing for me.

[@Interiormythos]

William, thank you for these candid reflections. Your implication is also very correct that context is everything! Life, aging, and practice are very deep realities and certainly confusing to the staff around here! Which is probably why we are here and seeking some guidance from Okumura Sensei! Nonetheless, your reflection is registered and we hope you will continue to hang around this channel and explore some of its special content you will not find anywhere else. In fact, consider an encounter with the "Life Journey" series, available on the home page of this channel. It provides a sequential, guided, experiential path for the contemporary contemplative practitioner. Check it out! GO Deep!