"Go out and breathe God!" - instructed Sasaki Joshu Roshi. That's precisely what i've attempted to bring to the Westerners notion of Personal Fitness.
Although i could wear my Naropa monks robes for you,
i find that if i wear them, too many people bow superficially and it sets up difficulty with
my SvaDharma of bridging Western Fitness to the Eastern Enlightenment Sciences...
...so i dress in the robes of a what a Western Fitness Monk should wear; breath and elegant posture in all circumstances...
...the robes of a Western Fitness Monk should change with the multi-disciplined application of Big Mind, Small Ego, and Tons of Sweat, Stillness, Focused Fun,and most of all: Inspirational Kindness To All Beings In All The Realms. Sometimes we can inspire others to breathe and move just by going for an inline ski skate!
i hand over the DL Dharma Pulpit to my MOST BELOVED and BRAVE and BEAUTIFUL Shishya Leslieh whose Engaged Practice in every moment that i am near Her, is a radiant ember of Roshi's Gleaming Dharma Sword...
Dear Coach,
I find myself deeply pondering your teaching today. Although, you are "dressed" as Teacher Ilg, I found myself "hearing" the actions of many of my early "old" zen teachers attempting to get through the intellects of students like myself. My "first" teacher Sasaki Joshu Roshi is now 100 years old. He kindly, ruthlesslly, methodically worked decontructing my intellect for many years - a thankless task I am sure- I remember the day (actually it after midnight) at a seven day practice period under Sleeping Ute Mountain- four times a day we came into Roshi's interview room and did our thing....intellectually trying to impress him with our understanding of our koan...finally with me, Roshi began ringing the dismiss bell BEFORE I even got in there. I can still here him laughing and ring the bell More zazen he bellowed. Finally, my intellect could stand it no longer and I gave up trying to have an answer for Roshi that was slick, clever, cute. I arrived at Roshi's door fully expecting to be rung away. He invited me in, and I will never forget his eyes looking into mine. Gone was the laughing bellowing chastising Roshi. he said to me...
DON'T BE A DHARMA DUMMIE: SUBSCRIBE TO DL TODAY FOR A FEW MEASLEY BUCKS AND GET YOUR APPROPRIATE WARRIOR(ESS) SWORD SHARPENED!!!!! this Teaching holds BIG MEDICINE plus, see Coach's Haiku loving answer!
photos by Ananda of coach during an inline ski skate session, Sunday.
