Zazen instructions

We were talking about sitting tonight, and I came across this excellent, simple video from the Hazy Moon Zen Centre of Los Angeles...

Flyer

I was asked last week for a draft flyer, but as I said last night I'd not printed it out. Click the preview image below to see it (PDF format):

Let me know what you think - but I'm becoming quite attached to the "zeNN1" thing (I know, attachments = bad!).

Comments...

Oops, had not allowed anonymous comments - anyone can comment on posts now. Feel free! (Assuming they work - the service seems a bit temperamental today...)

Monkey Mind: Koan Introspection: A Quick and Dirty Introduction...

Had this post pointed out from James Ford, which people might find of interest...

Monkey Mind: Koan Introspection: A Quick and Dirty Introduction...: "A friend in a recent blog posting referred to a deep question he was pondering as an 'honest koan.' As later today Jan & I are going to t..."

Should I come to zazen?

Someone asked me whether it would be OK if they came to the Zen group this week - their reservations were that (a) they were a complete beginner, and (b) they didn't want to have to make a long-term commitment.

I guess with some Buddhist groups, this is an issue: perhaps you need to sign up for a particular course or you can't join in with a given activity until you've done some training first... and in certain traditions, this makes sense.

In Zen, though, we don't run things like this - each week, we do the same Zen meditation that we do every other week.  Our practice focuses on the here-and-now, and we don't have any formal training curriculum that you need to follow.  Each week, anyone who is new will have the basics explained to them, and from then on we all practice at the same level.  In fact, influential Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki (pictured) famously stressed the advantages of having 'beginners mind', saying:

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.

Newcomers to Zen practice bring an enthusiasm and open-mindedness that is always refreshing, and an important part of any group.

As to whether a regular commitment is required, the short answer is 'no' - there's no requirement for anyone coming to one of our sittings to make any commitment other than for that evening.  A few people will go on to become regular sangha (community) members, but no-one should feel under any pressure to do so.  Additionally, people who do come, then miss a few sessions, should feel no embarrassment about coming back after an absence - no-one is asking anyone to account for their attendance.

So, should you come?  Entirely up to you!

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.

Starting tomorrow...

Well, I picked up the keys to the Quaker Meeting House this evening (that Kevin Cooley had kindly collected for me), and it looks like everything's more or less in place for our first meeting tomorrow evening.  I am of course still a little concerned that it'll be just me in a room on my own (with far too many biscuits!), but that would be OK I guess... and I've heard from a few people who have expressed interest, so I'm hoping for a few people for our first meet.  No idea how many - and I suppose it doesn't matter really.

Thanks to everyone in Liverpool who's chipped in with bits & bobs, and to Keizan Sensei for giving us the go-ahead. 

Now the practice begins...