Letter From Our Guiding Teacher, March 2022

Dear Friends,

It is my honor and privilege to contribute to Long Beach Meditation’s first newsletter. Our Sangha has been on quite a journey over these past several years. What a wonderfully committed community of meditation practitioners we are! I sincerely thank you for staying the course. Throughout the pandemic, the members of Long Beach Meditation (LBM) have functioned as the living heart of the organization. I would like to express my genuine appreciation to each of you for your ongoing contributions and care. I trust that this new form of communication will enrich our connection to one another and expand our capacity to inquire, share, and reflect as a community.

Over the last several years many of us overcame our initial reluctance to participate in online practice, finding solid support in our virtual gatherings. Now, at last, we have returned to in-person meetings each Sunday and will be expanding our in-person offerings as we go forward. We are presently developing upcoming retreats, multi-week class series, and day-long practice sessions. Each offering is a unique reflection of the unity and diversity which characterizes so truly our community’s expression and collective gifts. LBM is blessed with teachers and practitioners representing many different lineages. At the root, we all practice the profound and timeless teachings of the Buddha’s path of awakening. 

The philosopher Heraclitus said, “You cannot step into the same river twice.” On the level of form, this mysterious world we live in is always changing. There are new and difficult challenges emerging. Our community has been a steady fixture in Long Beach for many years now. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of hands and eyes have helped keep this dharma expression alive. The cast of characters is ever-changing, but our collective practice continues without end. The life-changing practice of present awareness and meditation is invaluable, transformational, and essential.

There is a koan in the Zen Buddhist tradition which points to the true nature of compassionate action: 

“Ungan asked Dogo, "How does the Bodhisattva Kanzeon (Avalokiteśvara) use all those many hands and eyes?" Dogo answered, "It is like a person in the middle of the night reaching behind their head for a pillow." Ungan said, "I understand. “Dogo said, "How do you understand it?" Ungan said, "All over the body are hands and eyes. "Dogo said, "That is very well expressed, but it is only eighty percent of the answer." Ungan said, "How would you say it, Elder Brother? “Dogo said, "Throughout the body, are hands and eyes." 

Ours are the hands and eyes of awakening, of enlightenment, of compassionate action. Each of us is called to find our home within this truth. Our practice continues. Refinement is endless. Intimacy with all things is the standard. Dharma practice is inclusive of everyone and everything, without exception. As Zen Master Dogen said, “The boundaries of realization are not distinct.”

I look forward to where the path will lead this spring and beyond. LBM has so many unique and interesting voices. Please let us know how you would like to see our Sangha grow, and what you would like to study and explore. Your perspective is valued. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Bows,

Jokai

Letter From Our Guiding Teacher, January 2022

Dear Friends,

When the COVID-19 pandemic first entered our collective consciousness in February of 2020, we likely never imagined that the pandemic would still have a serious impact upon our daily lives two full years later in early 2022. At times we have seen conditions improve enough to resume in-person gatherings and regular events, only to see significant precautions and restrictions implemented again, the most recent example being the Omicron surge. Many of us have undoubtedly suffered a loss of morale amidst these trying circumstances. At Long Beach Meditation (LBM), it has been important to respond to the everchanging circumstances in a supportive and reality based manner. For many of us, online-only just doesn’t match the connection and vitality of face to face practice together. After careful consideration, the LBM board decided to continue with in-person hybrid Sunday meetings to support those who are comfortable gathering, as well as those who prefer to participate remotely, and in recent weeks, we have seen consistent attendance for both in-person and online offerings. There are always challenges, and our practice continues, whatever form these challenges take.

My sense is that we are living in a time of deepening division and polarity in our country. We may see and feel this division politically, socioeconomically, and in a host of other ways. This is not unique to the United States, but it is felt keenly and directly here at home. In times of strife, we are all are prone to fall into dualistic thinking and actions which follow suit. Whether individually or within a group, there is a real tendency to react to adverse situations by adopting simplistic and rigid perspectives. A closer look seems to reveal that fixed ideas and intractable beliefs around what or who is right or wrong result in separation and alienation. Our heartfelt practice at LBM is an antidote to this kind of profound disaffection. At LBM, our diverse lineages and traditions come together to inform and reinvigorate our collective path. The teachings of Buddhism are understood quite differently between the Theravadan and Mahayana schools. The spontaneity of Zen differs from the focused method of Vipassana. These distinctions serve to strengthen the dynamic whole. The dharma body is always evolving, adapting, and aligning with the present reality. The present reality is all-inclusive.

Looking forward into this year and beyond, I hope for a return to a more regular way of life. I’m optimistic that we will again see, smile, and laugh with one another in person. This continues to be a trying time for everyone; certainly, for some more than others. And, of course, all trials and tribulations included, just as it is, this is exactly our life. Perhaps it is not the life we would like, or the one that we would especially choose, but it is unequivocally, clearly the life that we have and the life that we are. Along the Eightfold Path, the Buddha’s prescription for a life of diminished suffering, the first step is Right View, also sometimes translated as Right Understanding—to see things as they truly are, to directly accord with what is real. This sight, this understanding, involves the entirety of our sense perception, thoughts, and feelings, the fullness of who we are, opening out of and into the wider sphere of this mysterious existence. If we continue to practice in this inclusive and straight-forward way together, we help to foster care in a world so sorely in need of the fruits of wisdom—presence of mind and compassionate action. Let us each of us continue to do our very best. It is an honor and a true gift to walk this path with you. 

I extend my sincere gratitude to each of you. As always, I welcome your reaching out to me directly at jokai@longbeachmeditation.org. Thank you for your continued presence and support. 

I look forward to continuing our journey together. 

Bows,

Jokai

Letter From Our Guiding Teacher, October 2021

Dear Friends,

Fall is here, cooler temperatures have arrived, and Halloween is just around the corner. At Long Beach Meditation (LBM) we have been slowly but surely finding our way forward, in recent months adopting a hybrid offering of conjoined in-person and online meetings. Looking back over the past few months there is plenty to celebrate. The Sangha has benefited from our continued partnership with the annual Long Beach Gives fundraising event. Thank you again for your generosity! Following the fundraiser, we held an in-person Serene Mountain weekend retreat at Yokoji Zen Mountain Center! For those who were able to join, this retreat was a particularly bright note of late. It was well-attended, and it felt particularly good to reunite and connect with friends face to face while enjoying the beautiful autumn weather in the San Jacinto Mountains. We received such excellent feedback following the retreat that after discussion within the LBM board, we have decided to offer this retreat twice in the coming year, tentatively in April and October with specific dates yet to be confirmed. 

At times it feels that the pandemic is slowly yet steadily abating; still, there is an underlying concern that it is doggedly persisting. Please continue to take care of yourselves and others. We are still wearing masks inside of Bay Shore Church. Many people are still justifiably cautious about returning to in person gatherings of this kind just yet. Lately, there seems to be a collective feeling of treading water as we wait to know more. I am incredibly encouraged and inspired that throughout many ongoing pandemic related challenges our members have continued to show up to sit, week after week, meeting after meeting, whether in-person or online. Some of us are experiencing Zoom fatigue and all of us, I think, look forward to putting this time of trial behind us. A positive quality of impermanence is found in the well-worn adage: This too will change. Still, the place of practice, the only place of true realization is this place. Always right beneath our feet; always right before our eyes.

As we move deeper into this year and the holiday season to come, I feel grateful for the special connections found in being part of a dharma community. Maintaining a gently supportive container for practice in our world helps each one of us enact and bring to life the wonderfully direct and subtle art of stillness. We foster an invaluable and rare opportunity. Through the revolutionary position of simply stopping, our hearts and minds are not fully governed by the unfolding content and chaos of the day to day; rather, we find the space to respond with freedom and creativity. Please reflect upon the fact that your continued practice is transmitted to all those in your many spheres of activity. Dharma practice is a vital practice, perhaps now more than ever. Let us continue to support and uphold our individual and collective commitments trusting that the positive effects ripple out far and wide.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your continued presence and contributions. As always, I welcome your reaching out directly: jokai@longbeachmeditation.org. I look forward to seeing you soon, whether online or in-person. Please continue to ensure that the fundamentals of your practice are nourished, seen, and felt. 

Bows and thanks,

Jokai

Letter From Our Guiding Teacher, June 2021

Dear Friends,

Summertime is officially upon us, and very soon we will be able to meet again in person at Bay Shore Church. This is simultaneously exciting and somewhat surreal! Dogen Zenji once said, “When you find the place where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point.” Throughout the pandemic and our lengthy hiatus from our physical meeting place, we continued our meditation practice together. This is no small thing. Dogen’s words remind us that wherever we are, whatever the circumstances, the ground of realization is always right under our feet and right in front of our eyes. Now, we embrace yet another transition, a time of reopening and connecting anew, a time of integrating all that has subtly changed and considering thoughtfully what this means as we enter a new chapter together.

Our online offerings resulted in the wonderful opportunity to reconnect with Sangha members who had moved away and to welcome new friends from across the U.S. and Canada. With this in mind, we have decided to combine our meditation halls—both physical and digital—into a shared space. We will offer online streaming during our regular Sunday and Monday in person meetings. Meetings on Wednesdays and Fridays will remain online only for now. This transition will involve some trial and error and adjustment as we strive to provide the best offering possible to serve and support the Sangha. Sangha is typically described as a community of Dharma practitioners who come together to support one another and to promote harmony. While this is a beautiful aspect of Sangha, in practice, Sangha can also be the place and space where we can all face what is uncomfortable together! Though we all appear differently in this world, we share common roots. The art of meditation and practice of present, mindful awareness draws us deeply into our shared inheritance. In the midst of obvious differences, we are indisputably united.

In the coming months we will be planning day-long and multi-day retreats to complement our regular meetings. We all look forward to the COVID-19 pandemic becoming a historical event. We are not there yet, especially in certain regions of the world, but my hope is that the negative impact upon people and communities is swiftly diminished and eventually completely relieved. Though we are slowly returning to normal, we cannot step into the same river twice. As a Sangha– thanks to the enormous efforts of founder Dr. Byrd, board members past and present, teachers, and many committed Dharma practitioners over the years– we have and continue to endure. We face an uncertain future with curiosity and optimism. Whatever life brings, we somehow always find our way forward together!

I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation for your continued presence and practice. I look forward to continuing our journey into the second half of 2021. As always, I welcome you reaching out to me directly at jokai@longbeachmeditation.org. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Bows,
Jokai

Letter From Our Guiding Teacher, March 2021

Dear Friends,

As we emerge from winter, we welcome warmer days, sunshine, and new growth. As Leo Tolstoy wrote in Anna Karenina, “Spring is the time of plans and projects.” At Long Beach Meditation (LBM) these plans and projects continue to take shape in the digital space for the time being. We are encouraged that progress is well underway with respect to the increasing availability of vaccines but have not yet set a firm date for returning to in-person classes. Even so, it is wonderful to see that this time draws nearer each day! We look forward to returning to our physical home at Bay Shore Church at some point later this year. At present, we maintain our meditation practice online, and though we may be feeling some Zoom fatigue, it is encouraging to see that participation remains high. Online meetings and events are now firmly established as an effective way of engaging and practicing with people from far and wide. When we return to in-person meetings we will be exploring ways to strengthen our online offerings in parallel. In the meantime, by popular request, we will be offering day-long online retreats in the coming months. In May, we will be launching a fundraising drive, and in early June, a multi-day online retreat. Details for these events will follow soon.

While plans and projects do abound, serious difficulties continue to unfold in our communities and our country. As we experience ongoing expressions of social, economic, and political challenge, we are called to respond. We cannot grasp or return to any sense of what may be been considered “normality” prior the COVID-19 pandemic, yet it is possible to engage opportunities for positive change now. The way forward is always right here. We live in a time of deepening division and heightened dualism. Our bodies and our minds reflect and express the disruptions of our shared life. In the midst of this, our steadfast practice of present awareness and meditation is evermore essential. It is a powerful antidote to any force which seeks to separate us from one another. Our human propensity to allow forms of fragmentation and fear to take root in our hearts must be acknowledged. During long periods of isolation and lockdown we have no doubt encountered the very best of ourselves, the very worst of ourselves, and everything in-between. Together we are finding ways to use the intensity of this time to reveal and engage what matters most.

As human beings we are all subject to our share of the human condition. In the Bodhisattva tradition, The Three Pure Precepts form the foundation for ethical behavior—first, Cease from Harm, second, Do Good, finally, Do Good for Others. Direct and profound in nature, as we navigate the unknown terrain ahead, these three precepts serve as a faithful guide. How do we cease from harm? Our willingness to examine the creation of “other” in our minds and hearts is a good place to begin. Our practice of meditation is an invaluable vehicle for dissolving this illusory sense of division. Do we know ourselves as one body, as one mind, expressed in myriad changing forms? As we embrace this understanding experientially, we are able to Do Good, meeting the challenges of our days with the kindness and empathy born of non-separation. As we broaden our sphere of self our field of activity grows without limit! Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.” The third of the pure precepts, Do Good for Others, is actualized as we take full responsibility for our common life. This includes the whole world and everybody in it.

I would like to extend my gratitude for your continued presence and practice. I wish you, your families, and our communities peace and good health as we continue our journey together. Please always feel welcome and encouraged to reach out to me directly at jokai@longbeachmeditation.org. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Bows,
Jokai