Great Love. Great Compassion. Only Helping. Page 1

Newsletter of the Original Root Zen Center June 2010

Grey Buddhas

By Anton Somlai

Looking in the mirror the other day I saw a reection of aman in his early sixties. This was quite amusing since theinside me really has no idea of time.

What time is it?

Outside world round midnight.Inside world just woke up.So I asked this older fellow how things were going in the autumn of his life. He seemed amused with the question andwondered why I asked. I thought, “Aha, this guy is quite clever in trying to hand the kong-an back to me.” Then, before Icould respond, he said, “Just accepting life as it is; how about you?” We both laughed.As we elders turn into grey Buddhas it seems that simple is enough. I nd that we are more at ease with each situation asit truly is. I remember the rst time a piece of tooth cracked off (twenty years ago) and thought, “Oh no, death will be heresoon.” One little fragment of enamel and it leads to the existential concern with being and nothingness. You cannot get muchmore stupid than that. And yet, there it was, stupid or not. With time and practice (and more practice) there is an ease with anolder, decaying body. The cocoon starts to take shape.Learn by direct experience that actions are more important than thoughts. Doingsomething for others, without hesitation, means that the big ego mind hasdisappeared. And with the disappearance of self you are no longer afraid. Youcan then function from an inner source that is not a daydream. In difcult timesyou can express gratitude simply and directly by appreciating the sacred space thatsurrounds you.

Do the practice

Take it seriously and do it consciously.Then enjoy the ordinary, everyday life.Engage each moment with intimacy.There is a woman that I know who is lost in her mind. There is a man that I knowwho is lost in his anger. They walk on this earth as if they were blind. I knowthis because I had also been blind. Then one day I asked myself, “Who owns your eyes?” and opened them for the rst time. So let’s take a look at what an open-eyedGrey Buddha can share.

GREY BUDDHAS continued on page 2

Photos by Dustin Block

Great Love. Great Compassion. Only Helping. Page 2

Sangha kids - teaching good crazy.

Hit the refresh

By Holly Johnson, SRT, and Abbot Mathew Somlai

Summer brings joyful exuberance, and groans of “How will I llthe time?” By the end of summer, parents look forward to kids going back to school, with pangs of guilt that they didn’t do enough or haveenough time together. So its time to hit the refresh button. You are taking summer vacation with allkids this summer, whether you have kids or not.We are going to give you our top 10 things todo. Come up with your own. Do them with your kids or borrow some kids or do it with your best bud and pretend you are 11 and back on summer vacation. But

schedule

these. Write them downon your daily planner. At least one per week, andnot during the weekend. Either do them after work, or play hooky. Make sure that the joy youcreate has longevity and explodes to all in theuniverse.10. Go shopping on the beach or in the woodsand nd nice decorations. Then make a creature.Papier Mache robots work well. Eat popsiclesas it dries. Then go and leave the creature onsomeone’s doorstep with a nice note. “Hi I amRobert, but the t is silent. Please feed me croissantwrenches.”9. Put up a tent in the backyard or living room and have a campoutadventure. Scary stories, s’mores, and rubber snakes in the sleeping bag. Invite everyone you know.8. Have a potluck where the attending kids get to decide what is onthe menu. They get to decide what games are being played too.7. This one we learned from Adi and Ami. Stand in front of theBuddha statue and sing and yell at it and then start laughing reallyhard and tell everyone how the Buddha is laughing at you.6. Senior Teacher recommendations. Come to the garden and play inthe dirt instead of guring out what job you have to do. Pull weedsas you tickle trees with dandelions. Also a half-day retreat with kidscould be fun. Any proposals?5. Beach potluck. Call everyone you know and tell them to raidtheir fridge and come to North beach. You supply paper plates andnapkins. Swim.4. Plan a group outing to the Modine-BensteadObservatory out on Highway A. Stop for icecream on the way. It will be a late night, so getgood naps in and sleep in the next day. Watch oldcartoons.3. Take the trip down to Kenosha and play in thefountains. Located right next to the lake, tuckedaway. It’s secret, and you have to have been thereto know how to get there. So ask a bud familiar with K town to take you. Then treat your buds tolunch at the Trolley Dog.2. Road trip anywhere! Play hooky. Call insick. Pack the car and go. Madison. Pike’s Lake.Efgy Mounds. Evanston (on the Metra out of Kenosha – only $5 over the weekend). Berry picking. Pick a direction and drive and blaremusic. Rotate through everyone’s favorite group.Call buddies and have them caravan with you.1. Invite a family or group of buddies or both and have a backyardOlympics. Complete with opening and closing ceremonies andmedals. Baggo. Freeze tag. Mini golf course. Carnival games likeknock down the pins or picking up a bottle with a string and hoop.Whife ball or kick ball. Paint your team colors on each other. Haveeach team pick out their anthem that will be played while they receivetheir medals. Mat would choose Neil Diamond, I am I said. Hollywould choose Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger.First, very simply, slow it all down. This is not a race and there areno winners and losers. Listen to how fast you talk. Pay attention tothe sounds you make. Look closely, and see how things really grow.To be a Buddhist practitioner is to be part of the slow life movement.Walk don’t run. A slow pace helps develop kindness, patience, andempathy. Slow it down and see what others need. Take a breath andreplace social media with a real dialogue. Chew and taste this liferather than trying to devour it all in one gulp.Second, apply what you have learned through direct experience. If you Google, “1957 Milwaukee Braves” try to nd a way to use thatinformation in the next article you write for the Root and Branch.Don’t think about how you will do it; just trust that the situation willappear. Direct experience tells you that you can stop lling your headwith useless information and use what ever is given to help.Finally, share your story by making it personal and intimate withthe stories of other people. Bring passion back to your relationshipswith others by simply being present to their stories also. You see thestory really isn’t about you. The story is a conduit of connection,relationship, and intimacy. Then, small acts of compassion becomewonderful narratives to share with each other.One day, a man sees the reection of a Grey Buddha and wonders,“Who is that?” So, he asks the reection, “Who are you?” And thereection responds with a smile, completely at ease. The dialogueis complete, simply as it is. Pay attention, the Grey Buddhas areeverywhere.

GREY BUDDHAS from page 1

Great Love. Great Compassion. Only Helping. Page 3

On Keeping aBird Sanctuary

By Anton Somlai

In the human-centric view of the world the smallest beings are oftenoverlooked. And yet, each of them is important for the continuationof life as we know it. I am not an aviary expert. However, I amfamiliar with the most common birds that come to their sanctuary inthe Original Root Zen Center garden.Much like Dogen’s simple advice to the kitchen master aboutmaking rice, I know little more than thistle, black-oiled sunower,oranges, suet, and no-waste bird seed. I know the sound of the late-feeders, the cardinals and redwing blackbirds. I delight in the shortspring visits of the orioles and grosbeaks. And I realize that thefeeding birds are also feed for the raptor hawks.Feeding the birds is joyful because it is unexpected. Think of itfrom the bird’s point of view. There you are ying along, hangingwith your posse, and WHOA - your beak makes a dive to bird buffet.Feeding the birds is not a job because it is our practice in action.

Secluded

The path through the garden never reaches the world.The winged beings live in True Suchness.Their sounds are perfectly transparent.At sunset, they oat in for one last meal.How wonderful, none of them know me.Birdbaths and sprinklers are especially important to our winged buddies. They seem to relish diving through the water on a hotsummer day. They also take dust baths to rid themselves of mitesand other little critters. The mating season is a bit difcult to watch because it is too reminiscent of how humans conduct themselves.After the mating season it is especially joyous to see our regular patrons bring their babies back to the bird sanctuary.

Bath

Splash, utter utter.Splash, utter utter.How I wish my human bath moved as quickly.The other day someone asked, “Why do you feed the squirrels?”One of our teachers went through the process of explaining that someof the birds are ground feeders and it’s important that we leave somefood for them also. The squirrels are a by-product of this bird feedingin that they also are hungry and benet from our feeding the birds.We are not sure that this person understood the concept. On occasion,we have children come into the bird sanctuary chasing and throwingstones at the birds. If the parents are aware enough they simplyscream at the children, “Don’t do that.” Seldom do we see parentstake the time to sit by the sanctuary with their children and simplywatch the birds. There doesn’t seem to be an appreciation for little beings. Perhaps we have forgotten how to teach our children aboutcherishing all life.

Feeding Time at the Bird Sanctuary

Today’s special is fresh thistle,a side of black-oiled sunower seeds with a cherry-nut suet,and the beverage of your choice from one of the three birdbaths.Please tell your friends and come again.

Oranges hang in ORZC’s bird sanctuary as a waiting treat for orioles passing through totheir summer homes in north-ern Wisconsin. Sanctuary-keeper replace the orangesdaily. Many types of birdsenjoy them.

Photo by Dustin Block