A MIND LIKE WATER SEMINAR/GERMANY

Kitabu Roshi performing "WingSpan" from Zen Mushin Ryu:The East Sea/Germany

Hamburg, Germany, March 2010 a weekend of   transformation.

A MIND LIKE WATER/seminar

Sadguru Sant Keshavadas paved the way. The video below was an introduction to the event. Videos to follow reflect a successful mission.

 

Another session in Germany

It is  said that "travel expands your mind." Travel also opens my heart and spirit. In the different environments and diverse cultures I not only see the rich contours and variations of the land itself but I feel the kinship of other people. I sense our inherent connectedness beneath the layers of skin and the separation of language. Each country is different. Each people have a uniqueness. All cultures have their place. That place, I find, is in my soul.

Many years ago, Sadguru Sant Keshavadas, my own teacher and spiritual father was told that he would go to the West. The  messenger  was the famed and legendary Yogi, Babaji. Sant Keshavadas did not know when or how this mission would unfold. He did not know where he would go. When an invitation finally arrived he discovered that his first trip to the Western Hemisphere from India would be to Germany.

Recently I sat outside of the magnificent Town Hall building in  Hamburg, Germany.  Admiring the  imposing building which was no less impressive than the Parliament edifice in Britain, it was easy to remember my teacher's story. I was wearing a shawl like he wore. It was presented to me by Soul Sword sangha member, Karma Pema Shakti, who felt she had to present it to me. At the time, she did not know that my guru, Sant Keshavadas, always wore the same type of shawl. The message was suddenly clear. My visit was in a way the return of my teacher. It was where he began his Western ashram and planted the seeds of the Vishwa Dharma ministry to the West. Germany was the birthplace of The Temple of Cosmic Religion (Ashrams). Remembering this and feeling it. I knew that Germany was important to my own Dharma.

Some years ago It was suggested that I attend a Zen retreat established by Roshi Bernie Glassman in Germany. The purpose of that retreat was a healing one dedicated to the souls of Auswitz. I did not make it during that time. My journey was far different. I did not land in the Germany of old but the Germany of right now. Germany citizens attended my seminars in Switzerland and Holland. The attendees made their presence known in such a way that I could not forget their faces. There was intensity of purpose. They also reached out.  I  felt something, a hint of the light within them. Suddenly Germany had a new face to me,the old Historical Germany gave way to something fresh and different.

From the transportation systems to the layout of the cities, I could see the technological genius, charm and discipline of the people of Germany, and I saw much, much more. I saw that there was much to learn from them and somethings to be taught that could come only from The Spirit, from No-Mind.
I mingled with the people, visited farmlands and had dinner with the people in their homes. I meditated by the great sea and met German yogis in the park. I chatted with a Nigerian musician, on the streets of Hamburg.
I lived the experience and my heart was filled with love for the people.

In the courtyard of Hamburg's Town Hall, an archaic celebration demands that an unmarried 30 year old toil until freed by the kiss of a  passing virgin.

And so, as Sant Keshavadas planted the Dharma seed in Germany so long ago, I felt compelled
to water that seed by establishing a link to American Vishwa Dharma Zen (Soul Sword) on German soil.
It was Zen Mushin Ryu, my "Mind Like Water" Warrior Zen, that fanned people's interest in my teachings. Guruji saw that connection before I did. It is fitting that the seminar I will be doing grows from Warrior Zen because True warrior-hood is a path to peace. It is a way to heal the conflict within oneself. When that conflict vanishes there is no violence to be found. There is balance and restoration of balance.

The Dharma Wheel has many spokes radiating from the center of No-Beginning. Sadguru Sant Keshavadas expressed its East Indian flavor. My Dharma is decidely Afro-Asiatic/American, a natural reflection of my own cultural influences. Like water, The Dharma is beyond such designations. It has no given taste of its own, no form to cling to. I  honor my ancestors before the Hamburg seat of goverment.

Human beings need to adapt to varying situations, environments and circumstances.

Many people become awed by what other people achieve, even more so when there is a hint of spiritual or supernatural ability. This other-directed appreciation is due to a general misunderstanding of what MAN is. What MAN is, you are. You are THAT also. There are experiences beyond the intellect, yet they are still accessible. THE MIND LIKE WATER SEMINAR has been created to help you discover the essence of your being in a real way. The warrior frame-work will permit you to embrace form, movement, mind, spirit, conflict and resolution by various means. It is not a linear practice but a means of Self Realization. It is holistic in nature but also a fun way to learn a cosmic secret.

This is not a path for everyone. Do not be deceived. There must be a longing in your spirit to answer this call. The quest for mere information or knowledge is not strong enough to pass through these barriers. If you feel that urging you will be right where you need to be. Faith in the unknowable, "the ungraspable", The Divine, is a vital key. This is not blind faith. It is a very inter-active power

Go to Soul Sword Radio to hear an interview with Sabine Kleftogiannis, Director of Zen BodyMind Works, sponsor of A Mind like Water Seminar Germany