It Blogisattva season, again, Ry. Would blogging more have hurt you? Hmmm?

This is a great blog, and I truly don’t think there is a better design anywhere. But I do think you should ratchet up the volume! Turn your speakers past ten, to eleven! Oop. That’s not it. Ratchet up the quantity! More words, that’s what we want. No stinting!

Tom Armstrong, Blogisattva Administrator

I hope it is okay if I pass this on. If you know someone who may be appropriate, please let them know.

Gassho, Jundo

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ANNOUNCEMENT

We would like announce that the doors are ‘officially’ open on our ONLINE ZENDO & SANGHA, and our VIDEO-BLOG. We also soon will begin LIVE online-video broadcasts of weekly Zazen sittings, talks and multi-day Sesshin:

treeleafzen.blogspot.com/

The website, blog and broadcast sittings are meant for people who cannot travel to sit and be with others, perhaps due to health concerns, or not driving at night, having to take care of kids, or their living in a place without a Sangha close by. Our Zazen sittings and Sangha will always be close by.

For now, we have recorded Zazen sittings and talks, such as this “Sit-a-long Zazen”:

treeleafzen.blogspot.com/2007/04/sit-long-zazen.html

We also have online and Ipod-ready Zazen timers. Although our online Sangha is meant mainly for people who cannot travel far from home, we hope anyone and everyone will feel free to use and download our timers and broadcast sittings. They are our gift to everyone who finds them helpful (for example, who might wish to use the Ipod/Mp3 version for some Zazen at work).

http://www.treeleaf.org/meditation.html

We are a Soto Zen Sangha in the lineage of Gudo Wafu Nishijima, with teacher Jundo Cohen (who resides in Ibaraki, Japan and, sometimes, Florida with wife and son). Our focus is on a very down-to-earth, ‘Just Sitting’ Zazen practice (not much for ceremonies, statues, beads, costumes or other bells and whistles).

http://www.treeleaf.org/aboutus.html

We hope to establish a true community, and questions or comments can be sent to Jundo at any time, or posted on the blog or community forum (www.treeleaf.org/meeting.html).

If you know anyone who, due to health concerns or the like, cannot commute to sit with others, please introduce them to our site.

Like life and the universe, it is all Free! Everyone is always welcome, and there is no being “far away.”

Gassho, Treeleaf Zendo

http://www.treeleaf.org

Now give me my award. I mean *our* award! :)

(Thanks for running these awards, Tom — I’ve found a bunch of great blogs that I didn’t know existed.)

Sometimes it is what you don’t do that is of as much value as what you do.

The award, in the “Best Achievement in Clean, Straightforward, Unaffected Design” category particularly, is for the result, not the buckets of sweat you pour into the effort.

The design of your blog is pretty damn spiffy. Don’t you think so? Besides, the award is going TO YOUR BLOG and all the MILLIONS OF PEOPLE who have worked at bringing it here, including the inventors of the Internet.

Remember, you, me and everyone and everything “inter-are.” No man is a island.

Tom Armtrong, Blogisattva co-ordinator

[The announcement of the winners has been delayed until the 25th, btw.]