What, Why and How of Zen
( Note that 'Meditation with Instruction' is also available on Zoom - see Schedule.)
WHAT IS ZEN?
Zen is a community, a teaching, a present moment insight.
Zen’s ancient roots go back India 2500 hundred years ago. “Zen” is the contemplation practice of the historical person called “Buddha,” the “awakened one.” The historical Buddha recognized predecessors, so the roots of Zen go even further back in history. Generations followed, bringing Zen to the present day, a community across time.
Zen is also our own practice,. It is not doctrine. It is training to recognize and relieve suffering, to live life well: to "wake up." All of us are capable of this waking up. 'Awakened nature' is inherent in everyone. Whether you are Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or Atheist - whatever your belief or non-belief - everyone shares this desire to live life well. Zen is not about acquiring some new idea. Zen teaches the discipline to explore your own experience, your own true nature. Training involves sitting meditation, sometimes walking or other activity, sometimes voice and chanting, sometimes study, sometimes guidance from a teacher, sometimes not.
But, finally, the practice is everyday life. Zen is taking responsibility; the realization that there is no perfection apart from giving yourself completely to an imperfect world.
WHY PRACTICE ZEN?
We know for ourselves our own discontent. Ignoring it doesn't work. The first "noble truth" of Buddhism is suffering, noticing suffering, like parents comforting a crying child, like a scientist consumed with curiosity.
In this case the child is your self. The science experiment is your self. Because people avoid suffering, paying attention takes discipline. The discipline is letting go of self-absorption in order to see truly what's happening. Zen offers the discipline, but the work is your own.
Zen teacher Dogen said: "To study Zen is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be illuminated by all things. To be illuminated by all things is to remove the barrier between self and other."
We know for ourselves our own discontent. Ignoring it doesn't work. The first "noble truth" of Buddhism is suffering, noticing suffering, like parents comforting a crying child, like a scientist consumed with curiosity.
In this case the child is your self. The science experiment is your self. Because people avoid suffering, paying attention takes discipline. The discipline is letting go of self-absorption in order to see truly what's happening. Zen offers the discipline, but the work is your own.
Zen teacher Dogen said: "To study Zen is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be illuminated by all things. To be illuminated by all things is to remove the barrier between self and other."
HOW TO PRACTICE ZEN?
Entering Practice
Zen training involves sitting meditation called zazen. To enter the Zendo, the place of practice, is to interrupt business as usual: stop as you enter and, with hands together, bow.
Actually, the place of practice is everywhere we go, everything we do. Zen is training in paying attention and begins with the interruption of a busy mind. Bowing is the pause, like the period at the end of a sentence, that ends a previous thought and enters the next moment with attention.
Zazen Posture
Zazen posture is grounded, firmly established. It is upright, resolute in claiming its position. It is paradox, embracing alertness and stillness; eyes open, or partly open, but cast down, awareness without object fixation.
Depending on your flexibility, you may choose to sit in different ways. The traditional floor sitting postures are encouraged but chair sitting is also an option. Full instruction in sitting posture is recommended and available at "Meditation with Instruction," currently on Zoom weekly, Monday and Thursday 11:30 to 12:30.
Training
Sometimes training is zazen, sometimes it includes walking practice (kinhin) with the same eyes-down posture of sitting practice, awareness without object fixation. Sometimes training includes chanting, using voice without fixation on meaning. Sometimes it is words spoken (Dharma Talks, Study Group) on a topic. Sometimes it is personal meetings with a teacher (dokusan). Sometimes training is reading and study of texts (Study Group, Thursday nights, 7 to 8:30 pm). Sometimes training is everyday life.
Retreats are longer periods of intensive training: one day, three days, five or seven days in length. The seven day “sesshin” is a traditional period of intensive training in Buddhism, inspired by ancient claims that just seven days of focused practice may be sufficient to achieve “final knowledge.” (UVZC offers a schedule of retreats of varying lengths.)
Zen monastic training traditionally consists of three month periods (seichu), Summer and Winter, with monks sent out to find work in between. Seichu typically includes periods of sesshin, separated by periods devoted to the work of the monastery. UVZC does not offer residential seichu practice, but offer our own "lay practice" version, Spring and Fall, two ten week periods of commitment to "practice, study and community." We can recommend places that host residential practice for those who are interested.
Whatever your daily practice, if you return to it over and over again, on both “good” days and “bad” days, it becomes , over time, a point of reference, a source of insight and gratitude.
Effort
The first teaching of zazen is what you discover for yourself. Though the body may be still, the mind races. How do you reconcile mind and body? How do you control the mind? If you try to suppress a thought it only gets busier. Like a cat chasing its own tail, the harder the effort, the faster it goes. Who, after all, is chasing who? Who is it that can observe and discipline your self? It can only be one who is ‘not-self.’ How can that be?
Zen teaches that “not-self” is, actually, an experience that everyone has. It is the experience of every newborn baby and dying person. It is the experience of a sudden impression, a sight, sound or sensation before name and identity are established, before the observer (you) becomes ‘self-aware.’ It is this “not-self” that is the source of creative insight, the source from which conscious awareness itself emerges, the basis of wise reflection, wise action, 'selfless' love and compassion.
What effort does such awareness require? It is not the effort of control, but neither is it the effort of blankness. Effort itself gets in the way. Instead, it is the spacious awareness that notices but does not name, that is attentive but does not judge; the effortless awareness called “wisdom” or “compassion.”
Commitment
Just to assume zazen posture is a commitment to practice. But the time may come when further commitment is helpful.
A formal ‘lay’ commitment to Zen practice is marked by the Wakesa ceremony, resulting in a given “Buddhist” name and a neckpiece (wakesa) worn in the context of practice.
A further commitment to Buddhist insight is a ceremony marking lay or monastic ordination called “tokudo.” This ceremony results in a given “Buddhist” name and the robes and rakasu (neckpiece) worn by Zen monks. It marks commitment to learn and support the practices of Zen tradition and to continued study with a teacher.
QUESTIONS
You are welcome to attend any part of the Zen Center schedule, though beginning with Meditation with Instruction (currently on Zoom weekly Monday and Thursday 11:30 to 12:30 ) is recommended and a chance for conversation about the practice. You may also use the website to contact us or to join video session or to join our email list for notices of events and schedule changes.
Entering Practice
Zen training involves sitting meditation called zazen. To enter the Zendo, the place of practice, is to interrupt business as usual: stop as you enter and, with hands together, bow.
Actually, the place of practice is everywhere we go, everything we do. Zen is training in paying attention and begins with the interruption of a busy mind. Bowing is the pause, like the period at the end of a sentence, that ends a previous thought and enters the next moment with attention.
Zazen Posture
Zazen posture is grounded, firmly established. It is upright, resolute in claiming its position. It is paradox, embracing alertness and stillness; eyes open, or partly open, but cast down, awareness without object fixation.
Depending on your flexibility, you may choose to sit in different ways. The traditional floor sitting postures are encouraged but chair sitting is also an option. Full instruction in sitting posture is recommended and available at "Meditation with Instruction," currently on Zoom weekly, Monday and Thursday 11:30 to 12:30.
Training
Sometimes training is zazen, sometimes it includes walking practice (kinhin) with the same eyes-down posture of sitting practice, awareness without object fixation. Sometimes training includes chanting, using voice without fixation on meaning. Sometimes it is words spoken (Dharma Talks, Study Group) on a topic. Sometimes it is personal meetings with a teacher (dokusan). Sometimes training is reading and study of texts (Study Group, Thursday nights, 7 to 8:30 pm). Sometimes training is everyday life.
Retreats are longer periods of intensive training: one day, three days, five or seven days in length. The seven day “sesshin” is a traditional period of intensive training in Buddhism, inspired by ancient claims that just seven days of focused practice may be sufficient to achieve “final knowledge.” (UVZC offers a schedule of retreats of varying lengths.)
Zen monastic training traditionally consists of three month periods (seichu), Summer and Winter, with monks sent out to find work in between. Seichu typically includes periods of sesshin, separated by periods devoted to the work of the monastery. UVZC does not offer residential seichu practice, but offer our own "lay practice" version, Spring and Fall, two ten week periods of commitment to "practice, study and community." We can recommend places that host residential practice for those who are interested.
Whatever your daily practice, if you return to it over and over again, on both “good” days and “bad” days, it becomes , over time, a point of reference, a source of insight and gratitude.
Effort
The first teaching of zazen is what you discover for yourself. Though the body may be still, the mind races. How do you reconcile mind and body? How do you control the mind? If you try to suppress a thought it only gets busier. Like a cat chasing its own tail, the harder the effort, the faster it goes. Who, after all, is chasing who? Who is it that can observe and discipline your self? It can only be one who is ‘not-self.’ How can that be?
Zen teaches that “not-self” is, actually, an experience that everyone has. It is the experience of every newborn baby and dying person. It is the experience of a sudden impression, a sight, sound or sensation before name and identity are established, before the observer (you) becomes ‘self-aware.’ It is this “not-self” that is the source of creative insight, the source from which conscious awareness itself emerges, the basis of wise reflection, wise action, 'selfless' love and compassion.
What effort does such awareness require? It is not the effort of control, but neither is it the effort of blankness. Effort itself gets in the way. Instead, it is the spacious awareness that notices but does not name, that is attentive but does not judge; the effortless awareness called “wisdom” or “compassion.”
Commitment
Just to assume zazen posture is a commitment to practice. But the time may come when further commitment is helpful.
A formal ‘lay’ commitment to Zen practice is marked by the Wakesa ceremony, resulting in a given “Buddhist” name and a neckpiece (wakesa) worn in the context of practice.
A further commitment to Buddhist insight is a ceremony marking lay or monastic ordination called “tokudo.” This ceremony results in a given “Buddhist” name and the robes and rakasu (neckpiece) worn by Zen monks. It marks commitment to learn and support the practices of Zen tradition and to continued study with a teacher.
QUESTIONS
You are welcome to attend any part of the Zen Center schedule, though beginning with Meditation with Instruction (currently on Zoom weekly Monday and Thursday 11:30 to 12:30 ) is recommended and a chance for conversation about the practice. You may also use the website to contact us or to join video session or to join our email list for notices of events and schedule changes.