ZenLife Blog
Congratulations to Genshin and Ungo
Congratulations to Jacquelyn Genshin Weiner-O’Shea and Patrick Ungo O’Shea on their Jukai ceremony, on Sunday, September 24, 2023 at the Zen Life & Meditation Center of Chicago. Genshin means “Source of Truth” and Ungo means “Cloud Abode”. It was such a wonderful and joyous occasion to have these two dedicated practitioners take these Bodhisattva vows together in this rich Jukai ceremony.
Seeking Refuge
I drove down Lake Street in our worn, twelve-year old mini-van. Hot fury heaved in my chest and shoulders and transformed into a high-pitched scream that poured out of my throat for two whole blocks. I screamed until I had no more energy. I screamed until my voice was hoarse. Had I been a superhero, Wonder Woman say, the scream would have been a siren shattering every van window. But I was just a regular woman, terrified and furious and grieving, trying not to speed or do something reckless as I drove.
Staying Connected in the Midst of Conflict
I think that most of us are afraid of conflict because we donʻt know how to work with it wisely. Perhaps, weʻve had unpleasant experiences that have left us confused and irritated. But there are better methods to work with conflict. One of these is outlined in Marshall Rosenbergʻs book. He suggests a language of love in which giving and receiving compassionately is our only motive. Such a language encompasses deep love - respect and empathy for yourself and the other.
Complexity and the Pattern that Connects
Complexity, like the mandala principle, is about totality, a self-organizing principle without any reference point. It includes samsara and nirvana, chaos and order, death and life, confusion and clarity. Conflict arises when you fixate on a particular point of view and abstract it from the larger ecology where it lives and breathes. T
Mindful Speech
used unskillfully, in minutes they can destroy trust that has been built up over years and years of friendship. To be mindful about what you say and how you listen, is an important aspect of living a Zen-inspired life.
It is Recognizing of the Right Thing
How do we cultivate pono? We have to look deeper into the meaning of pono to be able to understand it. Pono means realizing your kuleana (responsibilities) which includes traditional and current protocols or procedures. Then we must follow these procedures with disciplined intention. Pono blossoms when we are mindful and aware of our actions and how they impact others.
Living by Vow
Someone once asked my root teacher, Maezumi Roshi, "Christians believe in a soul that continues after this life. Do Buddhist believe in something permanent that continues after death?" Maezumi Roshi thought about the question and said, "No" But then he added, "Rather, we believe in vow."
Ethics of Interdependence
So I’d like to articulate an ethics of interdependence, that dignifies difference by actualizing our capacity for creative, improvisational virtuosity and compassionate commitment to bettering our world, both personally, and publicly.