Monday 4 July 2011

And they're off...

Right, we're officially under way - our first meeting was held this evening and I'm pretty happy with how it went.  I did forget the odd item or two (thanks to Kevin for saving my bacon on the bell front!), but I'm sure it'll get more slick as we get some practice in.

There were seven people in all, so a big thanks to everyone who came.  There's room for more, so if you're considering coming along, there will be plenty of room.  The sitting was a bit shorter today than it will normally be - mostly because I was rattling off all sorts of guidelines about 'form' and the basics of sitting, but from next week we'll observe the regular schedule.  Do note that we'll always make time to give some basic instructions to newcomers, but for the most part it's about getting thrown in at the deep end...

We'll start zazen promptly at 7.30 next week and from now on, so try to arrive by 7.15 at the latest - earlier if you can to help set up, or if it's your first visit.

It turns out that we share the time with a music appreciation society - this week it was American recorded music.  I think most of us were a bit worried about how intrusive this would be - regardless of my ramblings about this being a lay practice and being in the world with all its distractions!  It was far less of a problem than I'd feared though - and for some, the fact that one of the pieces was "Fanfare for the Common Man" was entirely appropriate.

So - thanks to everyone who came along, and it's same time, same place next week.

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