Last Celebration 2019
By Alberto Anzan Apalategui
Winter foreshadows the new year. It's incredible to think we are nearing the end of 2019, let alone a decade. Time swiftly passes ...Our last weekend retreat has come and gone. What an opportunity it was to practice. Before sesshin, it’s something you frequently think of, and if you’ve participated in long periods of meditation, you recognize the bitter-sweet challenges that await. From the pain in your knees, to the trivial irritation for others, sesshin brings on a special sort of practice. But the juice is always worth the squeeze.
Often, we don’t know what we walk away with. However, we immediately feel a sort of lightness and less weighs on you. And when someone speaks, you really, whole heartedly listen. This sesshin was no different. Well, maybe it was. Ironically, in the stillness of sesshin, there was a parade of trucks and cars honking for nearly four to six hours on the nearby road. Many struggled with the incessant blaring, and understandably so. Others were undisturbed and accepted the emitting joy. In fact, our year-end sesshin was a celebration. Rohatsu, which is celebrated by many other Buddhist sects, celebrates the Buddhas awakening which took place twenty-five hundred years ago. While Rohatsu is normally celebrated for longer than two nights, 4Vows Sangha wanted to recognize the awakening that brought this profound practice we call Buddhism into our world.
And everyone chipped in! Participants cooked, cleaned, and prepared in order to bring the sesshin together. In fact, one insightful conclusion surfaced while closing out the retreat. Sesshins in well organized establishments can be predictable, and seemingly complete. In a sense, after having done a few, you know what to expect (no sesshin is ever the same). However, and perhaps making Roshi Bernie Glassman proud, there was the recognition of practicing “The Three Tenets.” Because everyone contributed, the weekend retreat allowed participants, including Shinzan, the opportunity to practice with “not-knowing.” For those who are unaware, “not-knowing trains you to continually set aside fixed points of view.” Moreover, it has been described by Roshi Bernie “as a flash of openness or a sudden shift to being present in the moment” (https://zenpeacemakers.org/the-three-tenets/). All too often, as humans, we attach our concepts and perceptions to reality and so we limit the endless possibilities life has to offer. In addition, we practiced with blind faith that the sesshin would become the container to nourish us. What a chance to train with the unpredictability of life.
In the end, our short Rohatsu retreat was another one for the books. We sat together, we ate together, and we bared witness to the ordinary, simple phenomena of life. Thanks to all who participated and contributed so we could share this experience together. We look forward to 2020 and beyond. More to come
