Thoughts About Shohaku Okumura

Shohaku Okumura on American Zen - • Shohaku Okumura on Ame...
Zen & Yoga Retreat May 1-3 - www.aczc.org/shop-1/qjaplt6sp...
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[@blakepridgen3615]

Okumura's daughter made a neat little documentary about him called "Sit" and it can be found here on KZbin. It mainly centers on the relationship between Okumura and his son, as well as the challenges he's faced in raising him. It offers a window into a side of a Zen master, that being his family life, that does not often receive much attention.

[@Zengotim]

The first time I met Shohaku Okumura, I was arriving on day #2 of a 5-day sesshin (due to work) and arrived right before the evening meal, which was oryoki-style, and was advised to drop my things and shoes and hurry into the completely silent zendo to join them. In the zendo, my seat was directly opposite this great teacher, who I was meeting for the first time, so I quickly took me seat, crossed my legs, leaned forward to adjust my cushion...and farted loudly! So much for first impressions!!

[@MusicFreddy]

Pairs great with your Avatar!

[@derekkase7884]

And that fart was enlightenment for many people

[@chrislasagna]

I love Okumura's books. They are like textbooks in how high quality the information you get is.

[@HardcoreZen]

I agree. They should be taught in universities.

[@Invisible_Hermit]

Great message, Brad, thanks! I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only over 50 Buddhist who thinks all this will probably take more than one lifetime, especially since I'm a late bloomer! That retreat sounds great! I live in San Diego, so I'll have to talk this over with the wife and see what we can figure out. And now, I have more books to add to my reading list...Yayyyy! Incidentally, I've recently taken up playing the shakuhachi flute, after playing the Native American flute for nearly a couple years. Might take a few lifetimes for that one as well!! 😉🙏 Reading a great book on the subject called "Blowing Zen. "

[@shujoK]

Brad, you are doing fine job, very valuable for the American Zen community. Gassho, Hojyo

[@DavidFerguson62]

Besides you, Okumura Roshi's my favorite teacher/author of Zen. I've learned much about practice by reading his books and watching his videos. He was interim head teacher at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center when Katagiri Roshi died. He has a great video about zazen.

[@sammavaca5714]

Thanks Brad for listing so many links. I will check them out.

[@domyobodhisattva7839]

Shohaku is an excellent and honest teacher of Dogen Zen. I have supported his teaching and Sanshin Zen Center for a number of years and I would still attend but my body simply cannot handle 50 minute periods of zazen. I sat through several 8 day Rohatsu sesshins and that is serious business which should not be lightly undertaken. Great review. I would also highly recommend “Opening the Hand of Thought.”

[@GreenMorningDragonProductions]

KZbin should give Buddhist channels the option of "like" buttons, "dislike" buttons, and "neither like nor dislike" buttons.

[@HardcoreZen]

Plus a "both like and dislike" button!

[@parimenides]

The Google sent me here when I searched for "Shohaku Okamura." I found this review quite helpful; straightforward, informative, and without apparent pretense. Thanks for that. I think I'll follow through and get Realizing Genjo Koan and Uchiyama Roshi's book Opening the Hand of Thought. I'm very interested to read another teacher with East/West lived experience comparable to Shunryu Suzuki. Thanks for your continued teachings/practice!

[@otorishingen8600]

Great stuff man Im surprised i never heard about mr. Okumura since i "fan" of kodo sawaki roshi. Thank you for the info ✌

[@jme7474]

"People seem to like opinions" ...and there's the rub

[@EvanBerry.]

I just finished reading It Came From Beyond Zen! a couple of hours ago, and, in in deciding what I'd like to read next, I took notes from your Suggested Reading section at the end and paid special attention to Shohaku Okumura and Dainin Katagiri. Then I ordered my next book: Letters to a Dead Friend about Zen. I am very eager to read it.

[@HardcoreZen]

Thank you!

[@AmericanShia786]

I also quite like Okumura Roshi as you call him very much. I have read Living By Vow, and quite liked it. Your remarks are interesting.

[@AndyAcker]

"No Toys" sesshins are my favorite! It's almost like tangaryo. (Well, almost...).

[@benhorner8430]

Its getting hard to keep up with all your videos. :)

[@jeffmallory3907]

Okumura Roshi's 20+ year talk series on Uchiyama Roshi's book "Opening the Hand of Thought" is a superb example of his deep ability to speak to western audiences. He reads and comments on two paragraphs per talk, there will be ~250 talks to cover the whole book and he hopes to complete the series before he retires later this (2023) year. Can't recommend this series highly enough. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWq8gJKKg8SFoJo

[@timholden8007]

can you recommend more books

[@macdougdoug]

Okay - so I just ordered "Living by vow" (because thats enough Dogen for now) If it blows my mind I'll let you all know (Just so there's no hard feelings - I also read my first intro to Dogen a few months ago : "It came from beyond Zen")

[@odettegregoire4140]

Hi Mr. Warner, i have a question,, what is the difference between long zazen retreat where you do nothning but zazen all day long and vipassana ? thanks for ansewring .

[@HardcoreZen]

I've never been on a Vipassana retreat. I think you mean those 10-day retreats they do. To me, it seems like a 10-day silent retreat might not be the best way to start in meditation. The longest Zen retreat I've been on was seven days. I've done several of those, but they always had work periods and chanting sessions. Nishijima Roshi's retreats had work periods and rest breaks, but no chanting sessions. I don't think I have enough experience to make the comparison you're asking for.

[@macdougdoug]

If you mean the silent 10 day Goenka Vipassana silent retreat - its solid all day sitting, with a bit of time for eating and theory - but its not zazen or shikantanza - they teach a rather active style of "meditation" where you're supposed to spend your time doing stuff : concentrating on breath to start with and finally graduating to the full blown ritualised body scan. Its Hinayana, Krishnamurti would not be pleased.

[@michaellyle8769]

Pretty sure the only thing I could do for fourteen hours a day is eat prosciutto. Thanks for the tip though, my brain needs lots of new text input right now.

[@ChasRMartin]

Can you do some videos of opinions that are not opinions

[@jacobl7451]

You are like the John Green of Zen

[@BoulderHikerBoy]

So, apparently, it's fair to make requests. So I'd love to hear about Direct Path Buddhism, the idea that there is a path to awakening or enlightenment that doesn't require a lot of meditation. I just got, "The Way of Effortless Mindfulness" and, so far, it seems to suggest that quick (but frequent) exercises in becoming aware of awareness can function as something of a substitute for regular mindfulness training -- he says, same mountain, different path. I've heard similar things (about a direct path to enlightenment) from Sam Harris. Sounds a bit too good to be true, but maybe I'm just not as quick a study as these guys. Anyway, thoughts?

[@HardcoreZen]

I'm sorry, but I have never heard of Direct Path Buddhism before and I haven't read The Way of Effortless Mindfulness. But based on your description, I think it sounds very different from the style of Zen that Dogen taught.

[@TheTarutau]

Zazen is easier and from what I gather from Sam Harris he has a bit to go on the path. A new age atheist to quote others. Shinzen young might be a better teacher for such a path. Again zazen is easier. It is also more thorough in so far as it reaches more people. Otherwise it is my opinion that awareness of awareness is dependent on environment as much as on the individual while zazen you never have to leave your house. The nature of don't know mind is tricky and comparison mind makes it harder. I myself attained kensho without meditation but found it was because my life circumstances forced the situation. That and it would also require certain settings and actions to be in play for kensho to arise. Zazen also forces the situation but without having to go through life and death decisions or complete absorbtion in certain activities. It also did not involve as much self inquiry. Carlos Castaneda also speaks on it. I will leave two links discussing it.

[@TheTarutau]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZmUpqKNgNSlmtU

[@TheTarutau]

I'm going to add another video but I picked this one in order to show the importance of Brad's answer to your question. He could have recited dogen and said such things are foolish. He did not. Instead he looked deep within his experiences and arrived at an answer that exemplifies don't know mind. Dogen is awesome but he lived in the 12th century and did the same as Brad did he gave his answer based on his experiences which makes sense for his period in time. I'm finding dogen to be a truly experienced individual but he had little contact with other cultures other then India China and Japan so his answer reflects that reality. By telling you he can only tell you what he has experienced himself he pointed to a state of mind few achieve and even fewer respect. This to me highlights the importance of zazen. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHqXpJiMnJWroM0

[@TheTarutau]

Bit long but quite informative. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXykmZ6BmMqifLM

[@TheTarutau]

Oh I will have to look that up as well. Still on the shobogenzo nc translation so might be a while but definitely adding it to my list. And yes it will take a while for zen to spread sometimes I wonder if I should head to Puerto Rico but it was always my intention in my youth to teach in the city I grew up in so I devoted much study to the English language. Great for being in America but crappy for Puerto Rico since my Spanish barely passes as conversational. Still it is a part of the US. I have a few friends that meditate in Puerto Rico so at least I know there are zen centers down there. That will have to suffice for now.

[@garudajingong]

What's your reaction to Bernardo Kastrup's view of "reincarnation"?

[@paulmitchell5349]

Doing plenty of zazen is no guarantee of anything except a sore butt.

[@berrycrawford5579]

Your next review: Charlotte Joko Beck?

[@gypsy4932]

I would very much enjoy this! I really enjoy her ideas.

[@odettegregoire4140]

@@gypsy4932 i love mrs Beck writing so much !!

[@gypsy4932]

@@odettegregoire4140 I wish there were more! Both are wonderful. Hope to hear Brad's thoughts ;)

[@HardcoreZen]

You just want to get me in trouble, don't you? I liked Joko Beck's books Nothing Special and Everyday Zen when I read them a long time ago. I never really followed her career, though.

[@berrycrawford5579]

@@HardcoreZen You dont have to give an overview of her career, just your impressions of her teachings. I think in alot of ways, here down-to-earth ideas about practice that include psychological dynamics instead of ignoring them have been pretty influential in American Zen. Here is an interview with her: dianafilms.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/06/charlotte-joko-beck-on-breakthrough.html . Here is a documentary on her: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqiWqKlsapyaqrM . Also check out the chapter on her in www.amazon.com/Meetings-Remarkable-Women-Buddhist-Teachers/dp/1570624747