Greetings to and from Stan

[Admin note: This thread was split from the topic "Should the option to approve/disapprove posts be removed?", which is listed under the Announcements category, in order to let the greetings to Stan continue. The other thread will be locked now that the issue about +/- voting has been resolved.]

Hello Stan Giko,

I know this isn't the proper thread, but I just wanted to say hello to Stan. We've never met, but I know you from your sister. I would love to read your introduction when you have time. I'm very curious to know your perceptions of the OBC then and now especially since your dear, sweet, talented sister is still a monk, unless she recently resigned along with Koshin.

Anyway welcome, and thank you in advance for your insights.

Warm regards,
mokuan

mokuan wrote:

I'm very curious to know your perceptions of the OBC then and now especially since your dear, sweet, talented sister is still a monk, unless she recently resigned along with Koshin.

Anyway welcome, and thank you in advance for your insights.

Warm regards,
mokuan

I don't think she has resigned, mokuan. North Cascades has been missing from the list of temples in the OBC Journal for the last few issues, but Mokugen's temple is still there. I'd have been surprised if she'd followed Koshin just because they were friends; Mokugen was always very much her own person. But then, I haven't seen either of them for over 25 years....

Hi Mokuan,
Thanks for your welcome ! I still haven`t done a proper introduction as I`m
very busy with house renovations till the end of the month. I don`t know how
many last renovations, never again, I`ve done now !!
You`re right in thinking that I am no longer a monk and my sister still is.
My sister has not recently resigned " along with Koshin" as you put it. She runs
her own small temple in Wales as she has been doing for years now and does
not act `along wth Koshin` or anybody else as far as I know.
I`ve read pretty much all the posts on this forum as I`ve struggled a bit to get
a balanced view as to what this forum is about and my views have changed as I`ve gone along. There are some pretty strong and polarised opinions on this
site and I`ve decided to share my experiences nevertheless.
My initial first reaction was not positive about this forum but am now convinced of it`s usefulness and the sincerity of all the participants. It`s almost like being in the monastery in so many real ways but without having to
actually go. Hey...if OBC Connect formed a Monastery, Who would Join LOL.

Whilst we are doing a few quick introductions, I`d love to say a big hello to
Mark and Mike ! It seems so long ago....I`m glad you both seem to be doing
so well.

Thanks again for your welcome Mokuan...I`ll catch you later.

Best wishes to all, Stan.

Yes Stan i think it was 43 years ago when we hung out as kids, doing the things we would not approve of our kids doing.
I think we had even at that early age a strong desire to follow the Buddhas path, and indeed we did, trips to East Sheen Vihara, listening to Ven Dharasubi,I remember Bill Prince who became a monk for a while,he too made sincere efforts to reach the depths of zazen before his untimely death.
I believe you came with me to Gandalfs Garden and did mantras with Dr Mishra. Remember Muz Murray he is still doing his Hindu practice, and with his great efforts managed to supply a village in India with fresh water
Like you I find I have little spare time, my practice is trying to practice within the increasing pressures i find myself in. I look after my mum who has alzeimers , I make furniture to support my self, Not small anymore I now have a factory, and because of the internet,we sell all over the Uk, amazingly we are considered large buyers of wood from Scandinavia,and not amazingly find the business has completely outgrown our skill levels, I am also trying to secure a property for a zendo on the cliffs here. Oh for those carefree days of sitting in Bradgate Park.
Nice to say hello again, give my love to Chris and Mary

Hello Stan
From one fellow dust chewing practitioner "this is my last house reno" to another.

My best trick for making indoor renovations easier is installing a 6" computer fan blowing out 24/7 through a sealed window opening to create just enough of a low pressure zone in the reno space to remove away any dust that is light enough to travel into the rest of your home's living space.
Any how......

My question here is that if you are still in contact with your sister, I wonder if you can you say if she shares any of your views about this forums usefulness? I've heard about a few evolving views within the OBC about this but don't know how local it is.

Cheers

Hi Howard : fellow house renovator !

Many thanks for your house renovating trick...pretty sneaky one too.
By the time I`d finished reading line two of your trick description, I was starting
to get confused and a little bit worried. Is he trying to wade straight into me
with one of those " Where is there for the dust to alight ?" Zen Doodads ?

Phew, All`s well for now.

Regarding your question....

Yes, I am still in contact with my sister. We are very close but oddly enough
throughout our lives we have not actually seen enough of each other. We
were put into boarding schools from an early age and have been too often
separated by great distances.

I don`t know what views she would share with me regarding the forum. It was
she that mentioned it to me originally quite a while ago and I have only recently started to get involved. My views about the forum have evolved and
changed as I delved deeper and she does not know what my views are at this
point in time as this is all still pretty fresh to me.

She must have views on it as I know she has seen at least some of the postings and I presume it must have been talked about by her OBC associates.
I look forward too seeing her when conditions allow again . I shall ask her
view when I see her. In the meantime I shall not press her as I myself have
had a bit of a time coming to grips with the forum. I don`t intend to put any
more on her plate for my benefit. I will respect her private views as private
but will be glad to come back to you if there is something I can share with you.

I hope you can appreciate my stance on this. I have stated my view of the
forum which is favourable but even I have been dragging my heels regarding
my introduction here. There are lions and tigers and bears in this OBC Connect forest....well, I`ve seen a bear. seems to have fluffy ears though.

I hope this answer goes some way towards what you need to know Howard.

Best wishes for now, Stan.

The Bear, it's me! I'm clear spoken, and get impatient at times, but I am a very cuddly bear, really.
Does Stan stand for Stanislaw by any chance? Czy pan mowi po polsku?
Ol'ga

O-Oh, The bear`s got me in it`s sights ! Glad it`s friendly.
Hi Ol`ga, Yep...you`ve got me sussed. Stanislaw is what I was christened as.
Polish parents but I was not born there. I`ve spent all my life nearly in the U.K
apart from my first year. Tak, Mowie po polsku ale nie po czesku. Your
Polish is definitely better than my czech.

My wife and I came back from Poland a year ago where we had spent six years
in a beautiful hunting lodge in the polish mountains. It was in Szklarska Poreba.
just over the Czech border was the ski resort town of Harrachev in the
Krkonossky Narodni Park if you know where I mean.

We used to travel back and forth to the U.K via Prague and always enjoyed the
journey. Better roads than Poland and it made a change.

Pleased to meet a fellow slav Ol`ga. We`re a funny lot but we have that sense
of soul...don`t you feel ?

Catch you later. Stan.

Chisanmichaelhughes.

Hi Mike. I have to say I`ve got a big grin on my face writing this. 43 years ?
good grief...I reckon I could do another 43, don`t you.
" Doing things we would not approve our kids doing" ?? SIR, You are casting
aspertions on my good name. It was just a little herbal tobacco and suchlike
officer..honest ! Kids..not me. Never found out how you do it. That`s my story
anyway.
I do remember the ` bright eyed and bushy tailed` eager days of learning about
the Buddha dharma. It was the Ven. Chao Khun Sobhanna Dhammasudhi I think
at East Sheen vihara. He later disrobed and married and taught as Dhamasudhi.
Still very inspiring.
All that theravada stuff we wrestled with. The four this, The twelve that, the
umpteen factors of the other. Just tell me how to get to the enlightened bit.
Do you remember when we agreed that we`d settle for a couple of states of
bliss and a higher state of absorbtion now and then.

Good job we managed to get onto the " Effortless way" of Zen I reckon. It was
all downhill after that.

I too have spent most of my life in self employed business together with my
good wife Maggi. We had a factory with close on 40 employees at one time.
Nightmare....Not easily small and not big enough to have managers. We used
to screenprint textiles. mostly cut pieces of cloth before they sew them into
garments. We would print multi-thousand piece contracts for M & S and suchlike. You mess up any pieces and they debit you for the retail price of the
garment they lost. Stress all the way. We were darn good however and
specialised in impossible jobs for higher money and demanded instant payment.
they hated that and it cheered me up no end. I did love the arty side.

So good luck with your factory mike. You will always outgrow your skill levels
till you find your ultimate point of incompetence. Don`t get me wrong, You
can make good loot. We had the houses, cars, toys etc. I remember times
when I would spend £6000 on a whim to buy a Les Paul that caught my eye.
I also remember a few times whe the bank manager would ring me at lunchtime
on a friday and say.....Stan, What money are you putting in today. You realise
that you`ve got nothing for the wages !!! So glad I`m retired now. Not rich
but no debts and we own everything.

I read about you bringing up the kids and looking after your poor mum. Big respect to you mike. We looked after Maggi`s mum who had cancer. She died
in our arms. Long difficult times all round. When she actually died, it was a
very moving and uplifting experience. It felt like a huge privilege to share a
person`s humanity stripped of all frills. I pray that your mum gets a good
passing on.

As you say, " oh for those carefree days of sitting in Bradgate park ". Well,
you know what ? We`re still sitting arn`t we !

I`ve enjoyed bumping into you again after all this time. Age seems to have made you nice and soft. If we ever take opposing views here at any time, it
doesn`t change a thing.

I`ll pass on your best wishes to Mary and Chris.
All the best, Stan.

Stan, great to see you here and hear your news and pleased that things are well with you. Give my regards to Mary and Chris when you are in contact. I still have fond memories of the Mercedes. I can definitely understand Mary fleeing to a monastery was it to escape the dreams of mushrooms; and did it work? Oh and by the way don't be taken in by the bear I have just got back from a holiday in the US and in Grand Teton two nights running saw a grizzly, with a couple of playful cubs in tow, trying to be 'cuddly' with a herd of elk - they were distinctly unimpressed!

Hi Stan,
So we are fellow Slavs, God help us...we were born to suffer, ha ha. Or not, I refuse!
Btw, I am a Slovak bear (3/4; the other 1/4 is Moravian); never hiked in Krkonose. But we have the better part of the High Tatras, sharing them with the Poles. Years ago I straddled Rysy, one of the highest peaks - the border with Poland runs right through the peak, disfigured with a plaque "Lenin was here" or such.
I travelled in Poland as a teenager, even hitchhiked a good part of the journey. Where are the snows of yesteryear.
Polish is close enough to Slovak to understand a good deal with some effort.
It's nice you are making yourself at home here - we need new blood, and someone to spar with when your reno's finished.
O.

I have been laughing Stan, as memories from long ago have been triggered by our posts. I am very pleased that you have had a good life. Mark always knows where I am if ever I dissapear for a bit, and you find your self in the West Country. Laugh a lot Stan and take care of your health

Hi Ol`ga,

So yes. We are fellow slavs.."God help us" as you say. I had to laugh about that one.
...why do I know exactly what you mean ?? I can`t believe you said that. I`ve heard it so often from fellow ex-pat Poles.
I somehow thought you must be Slovac when I assumed you were Czech. Sorry about that.

Thank you for welcoming my "new blood" to the forum even though it`s 64 years vintage.
AS for sparing with you, I don`t know about that momma bear...I`m
going to try and keep on your good side. Riled bears ? FEMALE ??.....oops,
I`m out of here .
Stan.

Chisanmichaelhughes.

Flippin heck Mike, My Polish surname is shorter than that ! Reminds me of a joke
but I reckon I`ll save it for the lounge sometime. I think we`re starting to clutter
up the corridor here and I reckon I can hear Lise coming.
I`ll catch you over there sometime. Curious about your business...is the main
problem staff related ? Might have a suggestion.
Cheers for now, Stan.

ha! Isan's moderating this one, not me

p.s., can't tell you how much I love it when old friends reconnect -- it's a privilege to share the moment with you, as an observer. I read these posts and go off to work happy.

Lise,

Hi Lise. Glad it`s o.k to hang out and go over old times with old friends. One
advantage of this forum is now that there are so many ex monks about, you
start getting some friends back in lay life...love it. Lise, you sound like you`re
one Reeeeel nice lady ! Did you say you were going to put up your foto ??
So Isan`s moderating today.....

Hi Isan,
Very long time no see. You sure look well on your vids, great voice too.
I`ve got you down as the `catalytic converter` on this connect vehicle if you
know what I mean. I really like your posts. Hope to catch you down the road.

Best wishes to all, Stan.

MStrathern.

Hi Mark, Your moderatorship and my old boss man ! What a pleasure. I so often
wondered how you were and what you were doing.
I always thought you would end up as some sort of business man/entrepreneur
or something after you left. Somebody said that you had died. That news was
obviously a bit premature ! If you`re as well as you look, then I`m very glad.
Got my grin on again...
I too now have fond memories of that merc...we got around a bit. I remember
also ferrying around RM Jiyu and a bunch of seniors in it a few times. Black Merc,
full of seniors...felt like I was a chauffeur in the vatican. Plenty more Mercs since
then. Lexus now...used of course !

I remember, before I was ordained, coming back from a good hard seshin in my
old Bedford van full of fired up and right there seshiners. Fast lane of the M1
motorway at 70 mph and both back doors blew off and sailed off down the
motorway. Nobody even blinked or even said anything. Silence. We just went
straight on. Half our later, everyone broke up in hysterics !! I got a better
car when finances improved further down. Love a duck ! ( English saying).

They were tough times I recall. Impoverished priory struggling to survive but
the spirit was priceless. Minimal comforts, tough work periods, tough sitting,
breaking the ice for washing in...we laughed at it. Loved the lectures and
lived for the Dharma one and all.

I recall a couple of times we all scoured the hillside desperately searching for
wild kale for making soup out of. not even a solitary potato to chuck in. Wish
I could do that diet now...could do with it.

This reminds me of my one claim to fame at throssel for a while. not one I`m
proud of. I was cook at the time and you came back with a wonderfull choice
selection of vegetables and salad greens. You told me to do a huge vat of
salad for lunch for everyone. I was proud of the job and when the vat was full, I decided to cut in a load of beetroot. I duly stirred it in and two assistants heaved it off to the dining room. It sat there waiting for work period
to end and I carried on in the kitchen...as you do.
Everyone starts lunch and I`m still in the kitchen and you fly in with a face
like thunder. What the hell do you think you are doing etc. what ?? I don`t
know what you mean.
You march me off to the dining room and nobody`s eating. Glum stares all round. I look into my wonderfull vat of salad and all the beetroot juice, bright
crimson, had coloured the salad. It looked like a giant tub of Road Kill !

Anyway, everyone ate it of course. Later on, surrounded by the community
at break time i was quizzed as to what that was all about. whereon I came out
with my famous saying " Remember chaps, It`s quantity not Quality" Wimps.
I heard that my quote survived a few years after my departure.
Ah well, Happy days.

My sister did actually have nightmares once about the mushrooms ! However,
yes, she did go to Shasta and yes " it did work" for her. I`ll pass on your kind
regards.

I myself left with my demons still chasing me as you may recall. I felt somewhat defeated but nevertheless further down the road. I went to Shasta
to confront my demons..hounds of heaven as Jiyu called them. In a nutshell,
I chased after them and could not catch them...still no respite. I left to return
to so called normal life to put the whole thing on that back burner and take a
long term view. I decided there must be a middle way somewhere.

Well, a few years ago, having paralleled the hounds of heaven book with my
life, I met those pesky hounds in stillness and broad daylight and put my heart
at rest. only took 40 years !

I know you did your sincere best for me Mark and I will always be grateful to
you. I say this with tears in my eyes. I will always be grateful to Mokurai,
Jiyu and all the monks and people I trained with.

I remember talking to you once when things were really tough. I said I would
still risk my sanity and my life If I could reach the truth. You said, Yes, I`m
a great believer in sticking your head round the corner. If you get it kicked,
well, at least you know you`ve got a head ! What say you now Mark Old Friend ?

Stan.

Stan Giko wrote:

Hi Isan,
Very long time no see. You sure look well on your vids, great voice too.
I`ve got you down as the `catalytic converter` on this connect vehicle if you
know what I mean. I really like your posts. Hope to catch you down the road.

Hello Stan, and thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you like the sound of the videos, but as far looking well in them you must be pulling my leg! (the coloring did not work out quite as I had hoped). "Catalytic Converter" is a good description of where I stand - I'm trying to clean things up, not burn the house down.

Stan Giko wrote:

Well, a few years ago, having paralleled the hounds of heaven book with my
life, I met those pesky hounds in stillness and broad daylight and put my heart
at rest. only took 40 years!

Best wishes to all, Stan.

Only 40 years?

"Even should there be a great fire my heart is always safe and calm and filled with angels." Keizan Zengi

Stan Giko wrote:

Hi Isan,
" Even should there be a great fire, my heart is always safe and calm and filled
with angels". Very beautiful quote Isan..Thank you. I can feel it churning in my
hara. I can almost hear RM Jiyu say....Not " is always safe" but Was, Is, Will be always safe..... Where is that quote taken from ?

I still reckon you look well in the vids. Colours ? Yes, a bit odd.
Do you still prefer Gibsons to Fenders ? Please don't say that Zen has whittled you down to telecasters ?

Stan.

Im quite sure the quote is from the Denkoroku, but I can't find which chapter at the moment, sorry.

I currently own a stratocaster for the occasional jam session, but I can't hold Zen responsible LOL. The guitar I'm playing in the vids is an Ibanez acoustic/electric with a nice natural tone and good electronics, but it's not a Gibson. If money were not a concern I guess Gibsons would be my choice, but guitar collecting has taken a backseat to other things. In lieu of collecting I plan to get a T-shirt which is covered with really nice pictures and says "the guy with the most guitars wins".

:-) Hi Stan!

I saw your name on my perusal of the OBCC website today and could not resist saying a hello. You may well not remember me as I think you were about to shed your monastic robes just as I was in the process of becoming/being a postulant at Throssel. Bro' Chris was a contemporary of mine in-the-black-Trevira, so my good wishes to him too, should he recall me at all...I remember him looking wistfully into the hills and expressing a wish to go "over the hills and far away"...

...On the matter of bears, I recall Caroline saying, in counterpoint to in-the-black-leather talk, that she thought you were really a big teddybear. I hope this has not tarnished your online image...

All best wishes to you (-:

Stan - yes they were goodtimes, "beginner's mind". Tough, but I think that most of us thought that Zen was a tough path. Forty years to catch up with the chasing hounds, congratulations, now real training. All best wishes.

MSTRATHERN

Hi Mark, Thank you for your kind words. Always stepping into those bigger
shoes it seems . They do feel a bit more like slippers now..... which is nice !
Tough path ? I don`t remember having to offer my severed arm for the
truth !...girls could do it at your place !! That`s looking backwards mind, and
no offence to the girls.
Best wishes to you, catch you down the road. Stan.

Ann.

Hi Ann, thanks for your welcome here and the reminiscenses .

My bro` chris, who was a postulant at the time, did indeed i go over the hills
and far away. He went on a temporary posting to teach English in Poland and
never came back. He`s with us now on vacation and says `Hi` to you.

" in black leather ". Yes, I had to find out what you meant by that one. it was
that large motor bike I had at throssel for a while and the black leathers. Daiji
didn`t approve exactly...not the image.
As for Caroline/jitsuyu thinking I was a bid teddybear.....I think she must be
mistaken and thinking of some other stan !

Getting a bit close for comfort these reminiscenses. People might have thought that i have a rather `interesting`wardrobe.

Really nice to hear from you Ann, Catch you later.

Stan.