At Treeleaf, you can "book" the Zen Hall, meaning commit to firing up the webcam and having your zazen period viewable during a certain time frame.
I just noted that one of the odd perks of this is that you can look back at the times you've recently booked and see how much a little sitting adds up.
For example, this isn't all the sitting time I've done lately (no webcam in the local sangha dojo, and doesn't count time spent during non-booked periods), but it's encouraging to see that I've been consistent with my practice in a "matter of record" way.
Thursday May 21st, 02:00 > 03:00 AM
Thursday May 21st, 11:15 > 11:45 AM
Friday May 22nd, 02:30 > 03:00 AM
Friday May 22nd, 11:30 > 12:00 PM
Saturday May 23rd, 02:00 > 03:00 AM
Saturday May 23rd, 11:30 > 12:00 PM
Sunday May 24th, 01:30 > 03:00 AM
Sunday May 24th, 11:30 > 12:00 PM
Monday May 25th, 02:00 > 03:00 AM
Monday May 25th, 11:30 > 12:00 PM — Every Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu,Fri for 4 weeks
Tuesday May 26th, 02:00 > 03:00 AM
Wednesday May 27th, 02:00 > 02:30 AM
Thursday May 28th, 02:00 > 02:30 AM
Friday May 29th, 01:30 > 02:00 AM
Saturday May 30th, 11:00 > 12:30 PM
Sunday May 31st, 03:00 > 03:30 AM
Sunday May 31st, 11:00 > 12:30 PM
(Note: All times are listed in UTC - I'm in Central Standard Time)
Sunday, May 31, 2009
working toward the lotus position
I've been sitting in the seiza position for years, because back when I was in my twenties and used some of the "pretzel leg" sitting positions, it seemed to lead to soft tissue trouble as much as anything else.
But I've been doing some stretching over the last few weeks (some of which I believe led immediately to more soft tissue trauma) and I aim to try and get to half lotus or full lotus within the next [?] months.
Although I've seen the basic reasoning why these positions are supposed to be better than seiza, I confess to a bit of skepticism.
But dharma practice is, at least in part, about resolving doubt through personal learning experience. So I'm giving it a go.
A month ago I was capable of sitting in a position sort of like a Burmese posture on a tall zafu, but I'm still recovering from last weekend's tree fall and the aforementioned soft tissue trouble. So I'm currently less capable than I was just a month ago.
Whether sitting in these double plus good good postures of old is really better for zazen or not remains to be seen. But working on becoming more limber should have some health benefits as I continue to age, so hey, why not...
But I've been doing some stretching over the last few weeks (some of which I believe led immediately to more soft tissue trauma) and I aim to try and get to half lotus or full lotus within the next [?] months.
Although I've seen the basic reasoning why these positions are supposed to be better than seiza, I confess to a bit of skepticism.
But dharma practice is, at least in part, about resolving doubt through personal learning experience. So I'm giving it a go.
A month ago I was capable of sitting in a position sort of like a Burmese posture on a tall zafu, but I'm still recovering from last weekend's tree fall and the aforementioned soft tissue trouble. So I'm currently less capable than I was just a month ago.
Whether sitting in these double plus good good postures of old is really better for zazen or not remains to be seen. But working on becoming more limber should have some health benefits as I continue to age, so hey, why not...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
zen in the matrix
I don't mean metaphors in a movie made several years ago, but the online component of zen practice.
Here lately I've found that I participate in Treeleaf Zendo more than in my local dojo. The local dojo group only meets three times weekly, but Treeleaf is always there, with a teacher providing opportunities for daily zazen practice with all the bells & whistles of soto zen practiced in a physical zendo.
There are technical difficulties, like being disconnected from a webcam streaming service, which I've found to be fairly minor hurdles.
But practicing and learning with people in many time zones and cultures has become an increasingly meaningful part of my daily routine. My practice has improved in a few overt ways as a direct result.
I've begun to think of Treeleaf as "my group" in pretty much the same basic way that I think of my local group of practitioners.
Here lately I've found that I participate in Treeleaf Zendo more than in my local dojo. The local dojo group only meets three times weekly, but Treeleaf is always there, with a teacher providing opportunities for daily zazen practice with all the bells & whistles of soto zen practiced in a physical zendo.
There are technical difficulties, like being disconnected from a webcam streaming service, which I've found to be fairly minor hurdles.
But practicing and learning with people in many time zones and cultures has become an increasingly meaningful part of my daily routine. My practice has improved in a few overt ways as a direct result.
I've begun to think of Treeleaf as "my group" in pretty much the same basic way that I think of my local group of practitioners.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Here lately I have been practicing zazen twice daily in sessions ranging from half an hour to a few hours long.
With the beefed up routine and the additional group practice, a subtle change in attitude is taking place. I find it a little easier to accept daily tragedies like falling in a tree or deadline stresses at the office in healthier ways.
My mental life is becoming just a little more calm, just a little more quiet.
I've been stretching more to decrease discomfort while sitting.
Not the most fascinating blog entry ever, I know. But some times that's a good sign.
With the beefed up routine and the additional group practice, a subtle change in attitude is taking place. I find it a little easier to accept daily tragedies like falling in a tree or deadline stresses at the office in healthier ways.
My mental life is becoming just a little more calm, just a little more quiet.
I've been stretching more to decrease discomfort while sitting.
Not the most fascinating blog entry ever, I know. But some times that's a good sign.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
I'm settling into the new house more and more, and everything has been moved from the old one, so at least half of my stuff isn't stuck in another county.
In the process I've been adapting to a bit of a quasi-monastic life in a sense.
Most days I sit either with a group in the dojo or in the zendo at home at least twice, and have expanded the practice with more prostrations, bowing, and chanting. I get in as much as a few hours of formal practice daily at this point.
I even managed to rip a CD of chants to my Zune and photocopy the hand-outs so I can practice the chanting ceremony some.
As of last night, I've even hauled the laptop into the zendo and fired up the webcam for "live sitting" in the Treeleaf Zen Hall. It's basically a way to sit with others who happen to be in different rooms elsewhere in the world.
With a "new" house built in 1991, there are many opportunities for samu, and yesterday I made every effort to mow the lawn as working zazen. It's not all about the cushion, after all.
Even during "cushion time" you never know what may come up. The cat flopped right down on my zabuton during sanpai last night, so I had to wing it.
Weekend after next, I intend to head to New Orleans for a weekend of samu and a sesshin starting Saturday evening and lasting through Sunday afternoon. While there's truth to the notion that we can continue to practice even while going about our workday lives, there's also something to be said for periods of intensive practice without the deadlines and phones.
In the process I've been adapting to a bit of a quasi-monastic life in a sense.
Most days I sit either with a group in the dojo or in the zendo at home at least twice, and have expanded the practice with more prostrations, bowing, and chanting. I get in as much as a few hours of formal practice daily at this point.
I even managed to rip a CD of chants to my Zune and photocopy the hand-outs so I can practice the chanting ceremony some.
As of last night, I've even hauled the laptop into the zendo and fired up the webcam for "live sitting" in the Treeleaf Zen Hall. It's basically a way to sit with others who happen to be in different rooms elsewhere in the world.
With a "new" house built in 1991, there are many opportunities for samu, and yesterday I made every effort to mow the lawn as working zazen. It's not all about the cushion, after all.
Even during "cushion time" you never know what may come up. The cat flopped right down on my zabuton during sanpai last night, so I had to wing it.
Weekend after next, I intend to head to New Orleans for a weekend of samu and a sesshin starting Saturday evening and lasting through Sunday afternoon. While there's truth to the notion that we can continue to practice even while going about our workday lives, there's also something to be said for periods of intensive practice without the deadlines and phones.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The bench has now survived a few hours of practice. I've continued to experiment with different butt placements and found a few that seem to work out well enough so far. It seems to provide a pretty stable seat, which can some times be a bit of a fuss on cushions.
The legs don't fold or break away (screwdriver required for any tinkering), but I found it easy enough to haul to the dojo this afternoon.
As of today, almost all of the local "zen newcomers" from the Intro Workshop have made it to at least one of the subsequent practices, and a few have made it to more than one. I appreciate that on a variety of levels.
If nothing else, having others in the dojo changes the "mind space" in that you're practicing for the others in the room in a way that doesn't quite apply to solo sitting. Solo sitting isn't "less than" as a result, mind you.
As someone put it after the session, "Sitting alone and sitting together support each other."
The vast majority of my practice is solo here at the house, although I'm equipped for "guest sitters" in the event that any show up. It works out well enough for me so far, as I'm developing something of a quasi-monastic practice here at the new house.
Bebe, who owns the dojo, has said that it's available within a few basic parameters for away-from-home practice, which I'd been hoping to ask about anyway. There's a good atmosphere there, and I've been thinking about more intensive practice away from the (very minor) bustle of home & neighborhood.
I feel very fortunate for so much.
The legs don't fold or break away (screwdriver required for any tinkering), but I found it easy enough to haul to the dojo this afternoon.
As of today, almost all of the local "zen newcomers" from the Intro Workshop have made it to at least one of the subsequent practices, and a few have made it to more than one. I appreciate that on a variety of levels.
If nothing else, having others in the dojo changes the "mind space" in that you're practicing for the others in the room in a way that doesn't quite apply to solo sitting. Solo sitting isn't "less than" as a result, mind you.
As someone put it after the session, "Sitting alone and sitting together support each other."
The vast majority of my practice is solo here at the house, although I'm equipped for "guest sitters" in the event that any show up. It works out well enough for me so far, as I'm developing something of a quasi-monastic practice here at the new house.
Bebe, who owns the dojo, has said that it's available within a few basic parameters for away-from-home practice, which I'd been hoping to ask about anyway. There's a good atmosphere there, and I've been thinking about more intensive practice away from the (very minor) bustle of home & neighborhood.
I feel very fortunate for so much.
Monday, May 11, 2009
breaking in the Sky Bench
Last week I ordered a Sky Bench from Carolina Morning Designs (with whom I've had a few quite satisfactory transactions over the years).
After work today I unpacked the parts and assembled it with minimal fuss, and decided to put it through its paces this evening (and get the hang of using it) before using it in group practice tomorrow afternoon.
My usual zazen position is seiza, and the bench is advertised as "Especially helpful to people over 6'2" tall for sitting in seiza position." I'm between 6'3" and the better part of 6'4" depending on when I'm measured, so I figured this would be fine.
I sat for two 25-minute sessions bridged by several minutes of kinhin and followed by sanpai. This is longer than the weekday group sittings and similar to the Sunday morning routine (minus some liturgy). I folded a gray microfiber towel to cushion my point of contact a bit, on the assumption that I'd find the bare bench uncomfortable after a while.
When I see pictures of people sitting in seiza position on benches, they generally have their whole rumps on the benches, but I felt more comfortable closer to the front edge of the bench.
It took a bit of shuffling to orient myself to it, but I had no meaningful difficulty with the hour of practice.
I'll continue to test drive it and see if I can get a little objective input on my posture using the bench, just in case it turns out that a slightly smaller bench might serve me better in seiza position. But my first impression is that it's a perfectly decent bench.
After work today I unpacked the parts and assembled it with minimal fuss, and decided to put it through its paces this evening (and get the hang of using it) before using it in group practice tomorrow afternoon.
My usual zazen position is seiza, and the bench is advertised as "Especially helpful to people over 6'2" tall for sitting in seiza position." I'm between 6'3" and the better part of 6'4" depending on when I'm measured, so I figured this would be fine.
I sat for two 25-minute sessions bridged by several minutes of kinhin and followed by sanpai. This is longer than the weekday group sittings and similar to the Sunday morning routine (minus some liturgy). I folded a gray microfiber towel to cushion my point of contact a bit, on the assumption that I'd find the bare bench uncomfortable after a while.
When I see pictures of people sitting in seiza position on benches, they generally have their whole rumps on the benches, but I felt more comfortable closer to the front edge of the bench.
It took a bit of shuffling to orient myself to it, but I had no meaningful difficulty with the hour of practice.
I'll continue to test drive it and see if I can get a little objective input on my posture using the bench, just in case it turns out that a slightly smaller bench might serve me better in seiza position. But my first impression is that it's a perfectly decent bench.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
meditation timers
In my solo practice, I've tried a variety of ways to mark the time.
Most recently, I've used the Lesson One guided meditation from the Insight Meditation correspondence course (about 45 minutes, with non-intrusive comments from the instructor here and there), a meditation timer app for my Treo with various appropriate sounds at certain times I programmed, and this evening tried the Treeleaf Zendo downloadable timer.
The guided meditation and Treeleaf Zendo timer are both downloaded to my Zune (an mp3 player). With noise-canceling headphones, I can more or less block out the world with this method, which isn't quite like being in the zendo and introduces weird side-effects like hearing internal body noises like breathing more intimately than you ever really asked for. But the noise-canceling headphones are optional, and your mileage may vary with this option anyway.
After the final bowl ringing, the Treeleaf Zendo timer has a female voice saying, "Thank you for sitting with the Treeleaf Zendo, a Soto sangha, Jendo Cohen, teacher," and provides musical credits, the website URL, etc. It's a little odd, but can be easily enough avoided by stopping the track when you're done.
The guided meditation is broken into a few discrete tracks, so once you know which one(s) you want to sit through, you can just make a playlist and get sitting.
Of them all, I find my Treo app to be the most universally useful. I currently have it set to signal me through a 60-minute session of zazen and kinhin (with no special need to signal sanpai, as it simply takes place as the final activity).
There's something to be said for the guided meditation approach, though. A well-trained teacher interjects in a manner intended to help one get through a sitting session, which can be useful.
And as anyone with an mp3 player or sound-enabled computer can play mp3s, the Treeleaf Zendo provides a no-cost, perfectly good option.
There are lots of meditation timers online and even physical devices that ring chimes & such, but these are a few I've tried recently and found satisfactory.
Audio Dharma has one I haven't tried in actual sitting practice, but downloaded & checked for any obvious quirks. I found none. These are also free of charge mp3s. Audio Dharma Meditation Timer
Most recently, I've used the Lesson One guided meditation from the Insight Meditation correspondence course (about 45 minutes, with non-intrusive comments from the instructor here and there), a meditation timer app for my Treo with various appropriate sounds at certain times I programmed, and this evening tried the Treeleaf Zendo downloadable timer.
The guided meditation and Treeleaf Zendo timer are both downloaded to my Zune (an mp3 player). With noise-canceling headphones, I can more or less block out the world with this method, which isn't quite like being in the zendo and introduces weird side-effects like hearing internal body noises like breathing more intimately than you ever really asked for. But the noise-canceling headphones are optional, and your mileage may vary with this option anyway.
After the final bowl ringing, the Treeleaf Zendo timer has a female voice saying, "Thank you for sitting with the Treeleaf Zendo, a Soto sangha, Jendo Cohen, teacher," and provides musical credits, the website URL, etc. It's a little odd, but can be easily enough avoided by stopping the track when you're done.
The guided meditation is broken into a few discrete tracks, so once you know which one(s) you want to sit through, you can just make a playlist and get sitting.
Of them all, I find my Treo app to be the most universally useful. I currently have it set to signal me through a 60-minute session of zazen and kinhin (with no special need to signal sanpai, as it simply takes place as the final activity).
There's something to be said for the guided meditation approach, though. A well-trained teacher interjects in a manner intended to help one get through a sitting session, which can be useful.
And as anyone with an mp3 player or sound-enabled computer can play mp3s, the Treeleaf Zendo provides a no-cost, perfectly good option.
There are lots of meditation timers online and even physical devices that ring chimes & such, but these are a few I've tried recently and found satisfactory.
Audio Dharma has one I haven't tried in actual sitting practice, but downloaded & checked for any obvious quirks. I found none. These are also free of charge mp3s. Audio Dharma Meditation Timer
value of group sitting
One of the absolute newcomers to last weekend's workshop arrived early this morning, received some tutoring on dojo etiquette, and joined us for the first sitting and kinhin (almost half of our full session). I'm glad that our format enables people to fully participate without having to endure marathon events while getting their feet wet.
Another gentleman who's been participating in regular practice with the group for about three months referred to himself as a newcomer, somewhat in comparison to me. This got my mental gears turning a bit, as I've only been practicing regularly with the group for a rather short time. So I think of myself as the newcomer, despite how long ago I began practicing.
There's a meaningful difference between regularly practicing a specific tradition with a group and practicing alone without such ties. Personally, I place some value on the three months he's practiced with the group, and have been doing the same here lately myself.
Aside from the consistency of routine, group practice raises the bar on everything from punctuality to excessive fidgeting. When sitting with the group, one's respect for the practice environment of others may help cultivate healthy behavior about which one may tend to be more lax when practicing alone.
Besides, when practicing solo, where do you turn when you have a question?
Another gentleman who's been participating in regular practice with the group for about three months referred to himself as a newcomer, somewhat in comparison to me. This got my mental gears turning a bit, as I've only been practicing regularly with the group for a rather short time. So I think of myself as the newcomer, despite how long ago I began practicing.
There's a meaningful difference between regularly practicing a specific tradition with a group and practicing alone without such ties. Personally, I place some value on the three months he's practiced with the group, and have been doing the same here lately myself.
Aside from the consistency of routine, group practice raises the bar on everything from punctuality to excessive fidgeting. When sitting with the group, one's respect for the practice environment of others may help cultivate healthy behavior about which one may tend to be more lax when practicing alone.
Besides, when practicing solo, where do you turn when you have a question?
Saturday, May 9, 2009
diving into intensive practice
Of the various newcomers who attended the Intro to Zen Workshop and then participated in sesshin the following day, only one came to the much less intensive weekday practice this week.
It's too soon to tell if any of the others will show up for some of our other meetings, as 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday can actually be a formidable scheduling hurdle. I wonder if we'll see any semi-fresh faces at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday session.
Hopefully sesshin didn't just plain wear anyone out. I worked my way up to intensive practice gradually over months when I first started mindfulness practice.
Some times it seems easier, and some times it seems harder. Earlier this week I tried breath counting, which I hadn't done in years, and counted 83 out breaths before becoming meaningfully distracted. Then my concentration waned, and just minding my breath at all was like stargazing on a partly cloudy night. I could see just fine for a time, then the view would be obstructed.
I hope those newly introduced to zazen practice give it more than just one shot and get to see clear skies. In zazen, even the clouds provide opportunities to return again and again to the awesome views that await anyone patient enough to wait for obstructions to run their course and glide away.
It's too soon to tell if any of the others will show up for some of our other meetings, as 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday can actually be a formidable scheduling hurdle. I wonder if we'll see any semi-fresh faces at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday session.
Hopefully sesshin didn't just plain wear anyone out. I worked my way up to intensive practice gradually over months when I first started mindfulness practice.
Some times it seems easier, and some times it seems harder. Earlier this week I tried breath counting, which I hadn't done in years, and counted 83 out breaths before becoming meaningfully distracted. Then my concentration waned, and just minding my breath at all was like stargazing on a partly cloudy night. I could see just fine for a time, then the view would be obstructed.
I hope those newly introduced to zazen practice give it more than just one shot and get to see clear skies. In zazen, even the clouds provide opportunities to return again and again to the awesome views that await anyone patient enough to wait for obstructions to run their course and glide away.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
nice new practice space
The house I just bought came with what the seller's realtor called a "great room" and I would typically call a living room. It's now a zendo, so I have plenty of space in which to practice.
This isn't the whole room, but it's what I'm using for my main practice space so far:
I have a meditation timer app on my Treo that makes clapper and bowl sounds to mark time for me.
After a bowl of matcha, this morning's routine was 25 minutes of zazen and sanpai (three full prostrations), which is a good, brief routine.
I've got it set for 25 minutes of zazen, 10 minutes of kinhin, then 25 more minutes of zazen, so for the short routine I just performed sampai instead of the kinhin.
This isn't the whole room, but it's what I'm using for my main practice space so far:
 |
| From dharma |
I have a meditation timer app on my Treo that makes clapper and bowl sounds to mark time for me.
After a bowl of matcha, this morning's routine was 25 minutes of zazen and sanpai (three full prostrations), which is a good, brief routine.
I've got it set for 25 minutes of zazen, 10 minutes of kinhin, then 25 more minutes of zazen, so for the short routine I just performed sampai instead of the kinhin.
Monday, May 4, 2009
a few thoughts the day after sesshin
Having seen people pull it off now, I can say that it is possible to fully participate in sesshin with no prior experience in the practice (however challenging one may find it). But there's something to be said for preparation.
I've been sitting for years, and found sitting for even very short periods challenging at first. I'm not sure whether it had been weeks or months into my practice that I participated in my first "Day of Zen" (quite similar to yesterday's sesshin). I do recall that during those days, a half-hour sit could feel HARD by half-way in, and am sure that the Day of Zen was something of an endurance exercise for me.
But the body adapts quickly enough, particularly with the aid of a competent teacher. So suggestion number one is to have a teacher or very experienced student help you get over the fear of sitting on the zafu and find a few sitting postures you will find fairly comfortable. This is helpful even if you do not participate in long sitting sessions, as even a ten-minute sit will benefit from a posture that doesn't lend itself to intense discomfort.
I also think there's something to be said for having a change of clothes handy for samu (work practice), and maybe even a gym towel. That way you're not sitting in the dojo covered in sweat. This wasn't technically a problem for me yesterday, but my damp shirt in the chilly air was a cause of concern for the host. And part of practice with sangha is to act in such a manner that you do not bring disturbance to others.
I also noted later in the day that things would have been simpler for me if I'd had some sandal-type shoes to put on at various times. This was actually suggested prior to the event, but I simply do not own any.
During extended sitting, the body will require some attendance. Your feet may fall asleep, joints and muscles can protest, not to mention sniffles, itches, etc.
No body has ever, to my knowledge, died of an itchy nose during zazen, so I'd say just be aware of your annoyance until it and/or the itch passes. But if your body position is cutting off blood to your right foot (a common problem with me), try to change quietly to a secondary position for a while, as this is a legitimate body need.
If you experience genuine PAIN, attend to it. Pain is your body's way of telling you that something's outside normal operating parameters, and zen practice is not about harming yourself.
Maintain an attitude of poise as best you can. When you screw up, which is particularly common in the early learning experience, mental self-abuse is not a helpful response. As needed, look to experienced practitioners in the room and follow their lead. When in doubt, gassho and try not to literally slam into anyone.
I've been sitting for years, and found sitting for even very short periods challenging at first. I'm not sure whether it had been weeks or months into my practice that I participated in my first "Day of Zen" (quite similar to yesterday's sesshin). I do recall that during those days, a half-hour sit could feel HARD by half-way in, and am sure that the Day of Zen was something of an endurance exercise for me.
But the body adapts quickly enough, particularly with the aid of a competent teacher. So suggestion number one is to have a teacher or very experienced student help you get over the fear of sitting on the zafu and find a few sitting postures you will find fairly comfortable. This is helpful even if you do not participate in long sitting sessions, as even a ten-minute sit will benefit from a posture that doesn't lend itself to intense discomfort.
I also think there's something to be said for having a change of clothes handy for samu (work practice), and maybe even a gym towel. That way you're not sitting in the dojo covered in sweat. This wasn't technically a problem for me yesterday, but my damp shirt in the chilly air was a cause of concern for the host. And part of practice with sangha is to act in such a manner that you do not bring disturbance to others.
I also noted later in the day that things would have been simpler for me if I'd had some sandal-type shoes to put on at various times. This was actually suggested prior to the event, but I simply do not own any.
During extended sitting, the body will require some attendance. Your feet may fall asleep, joints and muscles can protest, not to mention sniffles, itches, etc.
No body has ever, to my knowledge, died of an itchy nose during zazen, so I'd say just be aware of your annoyance until it and/or the itch passes. But if your body position is cutting off blood to your right foot (a common problem with me), try to change quietly to a secondary position for a while, as this is a legitimate body need.
If you experience genuine PAIN, attend to it. Pain is your body's way of telling you that something's outside normal operating parameters, and zen practice is not about harming yourself.
Maintain an attitude of poise as best you can. When you screw up, which is particularly common in the early learning experience, mental self-abuse is not a helpful response. As needed, look to experienced practitioners in the room and follow their lead. When in doubt, gassho and try not to literally slam into anyone.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
half-day sesshin
I was a few minutes late this morning for the half-day sesshin starting at 7 a.m. I experienced more clock weirdness, so I had to choose between a bowl of matcha or punctuality.
So I made my matcha, and arrived at the dojo during what sounded like the incense ceremony (meaning I was just barely late). So I sat in seiza on the porch outside the dojo so as not to interrupt the first zazen period.
Note: Sitting in seiza on bare wood is a noticeably different experience from sitting on a relatively comfy zabuton.
What must've been about half an hour later, someone opened the door and I entered to join in kinhin. For the next several hours we practiced zazen, kinhin, samu, just a little liturgical ceremony, and mondo (question/answer). Zazen was the main practice, and samu was for a few hours following a (simplified oryoki) breakfast of genmai and tea (not to be confused with the tea genmai cha, which I also happen to enjoy).
Noble Silence was broken for a tasty lunch and plenty of conversation ranging from the serious to the outright zany.
I am quite impressed with the newcomers to zen who stuck it out through several hours of what must have been very challenging effort. When I started doing this a little over a decade back, I weaned myself onto it gently enough for the most part, with sitting sessions ranging from ten minutes to an hour. These were some real troopers!
I intend to participate with this sangha regularly.
I feel that this group and tradition are both well-suited to me in a variety of ways. I believe this will prove the case over time and will support my home practice considerably.
So I made my matcha, and arrived at the dojo during what sounded like the incense ceremony (meaning I was just barely late). So I sat in seiza on the porch outside the dojo so as not to interrupt the first zazen period.
Note: Sitting in seiza on bare wood is a noticeably different experience from sitting on a relatively comfy zabuton.
What must've been about half an hour later, someone opened the door and I entered to join in kinhin. For the next several hours we practiced zazen, kinhin, samu, just a little liturgical ceremony, and mondo (question/answer). Zazen was the main practice, and samu was for a few hours following a (simplified oryoki) breakfast of genmai and tea (not to be confused with the tea genmai cha, which I also happen to enjoy).
Noble Silence was broken for a tasty lunch and plenty of conversation ranging from the serious to the outright zany.
I am quite impressed with the newcomers to zen who stuck it out through several hours of what must have been very challenging effort. When I started doing this a little over a decade back, I weaned myself onto it gently enough for the most part, with sitting sessions ranging from ten minutes to an hour. These were some real troopers!
I intend to participate with this sangha regularly.
I feel that this group and tradition are both well-suited to me in a variety of ways. I believe this will prove the case over time and will support my home practice considerably.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Introduction to Zen Workshop
Today was the workshop, and like every other Intro to Zen Workshop, it was unlike every other Intro to Zen Workshop. heh
The dojo was really packed with people, and I get the impression that the sesshin will also be at or near capacity tomorrow.
This workshop was unique in my experience if only because of the sheer volume of lecture material presented. I've always found them to be quite practice-focused.
When I first arrived (nearly half an hour late due to complications from the moving process), I sat in a chair, as it was the seat nearest the entrance. At first break I made the move to something more to my liking so I could sit in seiza posture with alternating periods of a modified half lotus for maximum comfort.
Chairs were commonly in use at the beginning of the day, but by the end of the workshop, everyone who had stuck around to the end (nearly everyone) had migrated to zafus and the like.
I am genuinely impressed with the number of people who came to the workshop as their first introduction to Zen but intend to participate in sesshin. Rock on, y'all!
The dojo was really packed with people, and I get the impression that the sesshin will also be at or near capacity tomorrow.
This workshop was unique in my experience if only because of the sheer volume of lecture material presented. I've always found them to be quite practice-focused.
When I first arrived (nearly half an hour late due to complications from the moving process), I sat in a chair, as it was the seat nearest the entrance. At first break I made the move to something more to my liking so I could sit in seiza posture with alternating periods of a modified half lotus for maximum comfort.
Chairs were commonly in use at the beginning of the day, but by the end of the workshop, everyone who had stuck around to the end (nearly everyone) had migrated to zafus and the like.
I am genuinely impressed with the number of people who came to the workshop as their first introduction to Zen but intend to participate in sesshin. Rock on, y'all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)