November Okugyo Retreat Cancelled

Sadly the Okugyo retreat that was scheduled for November has not had
sufficient registrations and so has to be cancelled. Those who have sent in
deposits will receive refund checks soon.

After talking with Bill Sensei this weekend, we have decided to not schedule any
further Okugyo retreats save one in the summer of 2009 in Toledo. If we have
the required 20 participants registered and prepaid a month before hand the retreat
will happen, but not otherwise. The exact dates for this are yet to be determined.

Hopefully with the publication of Senseis new book there will be a renewed
interest in the Okugyo project.

Bill Sensei and I offer my deepest apologies to those few who had made the
commitment to setthe time aside to practice, hopefully others will share your
feelings for the retreat in the summer and Okugyo will continue.

Sincerely,

- Jay

The Virtue of Non-Doing

New Drinking Gourd Podcast

Jay Rinsen Chikyo Weik presents a talk and leads a discussion at the Toledo Zen Center on March 5, 2008.

"The wise have nothing to do, while the unwise tie themselves in knots." —Relying on Mind, Seng-ts'an

This talk works with some of the similarities of Taoist teachings with those of Zen.

A Letter from Bill Sensei

Dear Friends of Okugyo,

As we enter into the new year the yang spiritual ki of our
environment continues to grow in intensity. Nature is attempting to
purify the earth and all beings upon it. Unless we empty ourselves of
everyday concerns and self-centeredness, no amount of training will be
sufficient to merge with the times we are now living in.
We are living with the problems of global warming and natural
disaster, the general lack of clarity and awareness of the world
population, a worldwide instability of the financial markets, and the
population of people who are, for the most part, sleeping at the helm.
The ki of nature and the universe is pushing each of us towards
awakening, yet when we resist this natural power of evolution, the
result is only greater difficulty.
In these times it is especially important to live intentionally and
take responsibility for our own spiritual evolution. The rest of
nature evolves at the dictates of natures law and order, yet it is
natural for human being to become free and that requires intentional
practice with a definite purpose. First of all it is important to
become really clear exactly what that purpose is and then put it at
the forefront of our everyday lives.
I hope that more and more people, especially aikidoka, will take it
upon themselves to go beyond the mere study of technique and seek the
deeper meaning and potential behind this incredible training. In this
spirit I welcome each of you to attend Okugyo as often as possible in
this New Year.
If you are planning on attending a retreat, please sign up online as
soon as possible to it is easier to prepare for the number of people
attending. On the other hand, if you are not attending also, please
answer this email and let us know that you will not be attending. In
the same way this makes our planning much easier. Thanks and I hope to
see you in Vermont in February.

Sincerely,
Bill Gleason

Bodhidharma's "Two Entrances and Four Practices" (part 1 of 3)

The Drinking Gourd Podcast presents a retreat workshop with Jay Sensei at the Toledo Zen Center on January 20th, 2008.

This workshop begins with a historical overview of Bodhidharma's time and the teachings ascribed to him as they relate to other spiritual teachings of the day. After this, Chikyo begins working with the text: "There are many avenues for entering the Way, but essentially they all are of two kinds: entering through Principle and entering through Practice..."

Available on iTunes as "The Drinking Gourd Podcast" or Here.

Jays talk at the Toledo Zen Center March 16. 2008.

Jay Sensei Aiki Jo Seminar 3.1.08 Part 1

From a seminar at Shobu Aikido of Ohio with Jay Sensei.

New Drinking Gourd Podast Available: Obstacles to Practice (3 of 3)

Jay Chikyo Weik offers a presentation entitled "Obstacles to Practice (part 3 of 3)" given at the Toledo Zen Center on December 2, 2007.

"There are four basic ways that a bodhisattva will guide or help or engage sentient beings to the purpose of helping to relieve suffering. The first one is called Giving, the second one is Kind Speech, the third one is Beneficial Action, and the fourth one is called Identity Action."

Okugyo Video

Jay Sensei's Nov 07 Okugyo Keiko Video

This is a compilation of Jay Senseis Keiko held at the Shobu Okugyo retreat in Vermont with Bill Gleason Sensei in November of 07. Often, Bill Sensei leads the morning class, and Jay Sensei leads the afternoon class to help us digest and retain what Bill Sensei presented that morning. Enjoy!