Rohatsu is Japanese for "eighth day of the twelfth month," so it always falls on December 8th. It's also known as Bodhi Day.
Today Japanese Buddhists observe the enlightenment of the Buddha.
Agenda today:
1. Zazen Meditation
2. Make rice kheer
3. Put up lights
4. Honor Mary
1. Zazen Meditation:
Here's the short explanation of Rohatsu:
After years of searching for answers, Siddhartha Gautauma finally vowed that he would sit under the Bodhi tree until he found the truth. Siddhartha fasted and meditated under the tree for a week, and on the morning of the eighth day he was enlightened by the principles at the heart of Buddhism. After that he was called the Buddha - The Enlightened One.
In Japanese Zen monasteries, Rohatsu is the last day of a week-long sesshin, an intensive meditation retreat. Participants maintain silent meditation at all times, even while eating and doing chores. And each evening's meditation period gets a little longer, until on this last night they sit up all night. The Rohatsu Retreat gives participants the opportunity to realize their own Buddha nature.
Most Buddhists don't go through such an intensive week-long process, but might spend part of Bodhi Day meditating, contemplating the Dharma, and chanting sutras. Many also choose to perform acts of kindness today.
Sometimes on Rohatsu I try some zazen (sitting meditation)- but I'm not very good at it. Here are a couple of zazen videos I've previewed: The first is very basic and the second is longer.
I'm not very good at zazen or meditation, though I've tried lots of different techniques. Today I decided to look at what the Stoic philosophers might do, and found Donald Roberston's post An Ancient Stoic Meditation Technique.
Here's what I gleaned:
2. Make rice kheer:
After his seven days of fasting and meditation, the Buddha was emaciated and very weak. A girl named Sujata from a nearby town came to offer him a bowl of rice pudding with honey to help him to recover his strength.
Eating rice kheer is a soothing way to end zazen practice, and making it is a meditation practice of itself. Make yourself a cup of tea, and prepare to stay near the pot to stir, to keep the milk from burning as it reduces.
Ingredients
3. Put up lights:
I found several mentions that Buddhist families with children may string lights today to mark the many pathways to enlightenment. It's also the day when lights are lit in Rome and in Spain for the Feast of Immaculate Conception.
I am ready today to bring a little more light to the dark of winter.
1. Zazen Meditation
2. Make rice kheer
3. Put up lights
4. Honor Mary
1. Zazen Meditation:
Here's the short explanation of Rohatsu:
After years of searching for answers, Siddhartha Gautauma finally vowed that he would sit under the Bodhi tree until he found the truth. Siddhartha fasted and meditated under the tree for a week, and on the morning of the eighth day he was enlightened by the principles at the heart of Buddhism. After that he was called the Buddha - The Enlightened One.
In Japanese Zen monasteries, Rohatsu is the last day of a week-long sesshin, an intensive meditation retreat. Participants maintain silent meditation at all times, even while eating and doing chores. And each evening's meditation period gets a little longer, until on this last night they sit up all night. The Rohatsu Retreat gives participants the opportunity to realize their own Buddha nature.
Most Buddhists don't go through such an intensive week-long process, but might spend part of Bodhi Day meditating, contemplating the Dharma, and chanting sutras. Many also choose to perform acts of kindness today.
Sometimes on Rohatsu I try some zazen (sitting meditation)- but I'm not very good at it. Here are a couple of zazen videos I've previewed: The first is very basic and the second is longer.
I'm not very good at zazen or meditation, though I've tried lots of different techniques. Today I decided to look at what the Stoic philosophers might do, and found Donald Roberston's post An Ancient Stoic Meditation Technique.
Here's what I gleaned:
- Engage in an excruciatingly simple procedure such as saying the alphabet.
- You should do that simple task with what the Stoics call excellence or virtue, to the best of your ability, with great patience, love, integrity (etc.).
- At the same time, dedicate your meditation to the benefit of the common good, because the closer we come to wisdom and virtue ourselves, the more able we are to benefit other people.
- View everything that automatically enters your mind with acceptance but total indifference. Everything except the alphabet itself, and the way you’re saying it, is indifferent to you right now.
2. Make rice kheer:
After his seven days of fasting and meditation, the Buddha was emaciated and very weak. A girl named Sujata from a nearby town came to offer him a bowl of rice pudding with honey to help him to recover his strength.
Eating rice kheer is a soothing way to end zazen practice, and making it is a meditation practice of itself. Make yourself a cup of tea, and prepare to stay near the pot to stir, to keep the milk from burning as it reduces.
Ingredients
- 1/3-c. white Basmati rice
- 4-c. whole milk
- 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8-c. honey
Yield: Serves 4-
1- In a large, heavy pot, bring the rice, milk, cardamom and salt to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to keep milk from burning.
1- In a large, heavy pot, bring the rice, milk, cardamom and salt to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to keep milk from burning.
2- Reduce the heat so that the milk is gently simmering and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, stirring often. The rice should be tender and the milk will be reduced by half, giving a porridge-like consistency.
3- Add honey to taste. Stir and turn off the heat. Serve warm or chilled.
3- Add honey to taste. Stir and turn off the heat. Serve warm or chilled.
I found several mentions that Buddhist families with children may string lights today to mark the many pathways to enlightenment. It's also the day when lights are lit in Rome and in Spain for the Feast of Immaculate Conception.
I am ready today to bring a little more light to the dark of winter.
4. Honor Mary:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women...
I have always held Mary in high esteem- she must have been a wise and tough woman. But I can't get too excited about her supposed immaculate conception; the church holds that Mary is the only person ever to have been born without ‘original sin,’ an idea invented by St. Augustine hundreds of years after Jesus was born. It's just not important to me.
From Patheos.com:
"How about instead of glorifying her for things that a bunch of men made up about her, we glorify her for being the badass single mother to a bunch of rebellious, activist children who changed the course of human history...?"
Today I prefer to honor Mary as a mother of God, and honor then myself, and all of us, as we hold God within our hearts.
We are all called to be mothers of God – for God is always waiting to be born. – Meister Eckart, 13th c. German mystic.
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