Rohatsu
- 21 dec 2015
- 2 minuten om te lezen
From december 1st until december 8th we had Rohatsu sesshin here at Upaya. Rohatsu means 'eighth day of the twelfth month' in Japanese. On this day Zen buddhists (and other Mahayana buddhists) worldwide commemorate [NL: herdenken] and celebrate the awakenening of the Buddha, at seeing the morning star after sitting the night in meditation under the bodhi tree.
Rohatsu sesshin is the most intense sesshin (silent meditation retreat) of the year. The schedule is a more intense than during other sesshins. And this year we sat with 79 people in the Upaya zendo, which is fully packed then [NL: bomvol]. The teachers were Roshi Joan Halifax, Roshi Pat Enkyo O'Hara and Sensei Kaz Tanahashi. Roshi Joan's presence and style of teaching further added to the intensity of the retreat. Along with a spirit of compassion and a big heart, she really embodies a spirit of fierceness [NL: felheid/woestheid/heftigheid]. She emphasizes that in her teaching also, for instance by saying that "we need tigers and dragons", and "let's not be weenies" [NL: watjes/zeurpieten]. Yeah!
I had a great sesshin, I was totally motivated and energized. It was my first Rohatsu sesshin, and I did find it special and different from other sesshins. At first the extra intensity felt a bit overwhelming [NL: overweldigend], but that soon changed and I started to love it. I also loved sitting with 79 people. Although it can get hot in the zendo, together we generated a powerful field of energy and concentration that really fueled my meditation.
It is somewhat customary [NL: gebruikelijk] to (at least attempt to) sit in meditation the whole night before december 8th, like the Buddha did according to legend. At Upaya this was also encouraged [NL: aangemoedigd], and although most people went to bed after the last normal sit, some people did stay up to do sitting and walking meditation. I myself lasted until 2:30 am, then slept for two and a half hours to start my usual morning routine at 5 am.
That morning of the 8th we were greeted and awakened by a special New Mexico surprise: the most AMAZING sunrise!!! The sky just seemed to be on fire, producing the most incrediblle and exuberant [NL: uitbundige] shades of red, pink, orange, gold and purple all over. As if nature was celebrating with us. Oh, my Buddha!
It was so beautiful and extraordinary [NL: bijzonder] how well this fantastically colorful sunrise seemed to fit with my inner landscape on that morning (and I think with that of many more sesshin participants). I felt so emotional, open, tender and grateful [NL: teder en dankbaar]. We concluded [NL: sloten af] the sesshin with a council [NL: luisterkring] where everybody was invited to shortly share something about their sesshin experience. All I could say was: "I think tears are coming". And they did come!
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