Frequently Asked Questions

During this approximately four-hour course, we’ll focus on the basics of sitting meditation. We’ll go over different sitting postures so we can sit steadily on a cushion, stool, or chair, and we’ll explore methods for bringing our attention to the present moment. We’ll also try a few short sitting sessions together, and at the end, we’ll provide information about membership and tips for starting a daily meditation practice. There’s a break halfway through the course, during which we can enjoy a cup of tea, cookies, and fruit. There will also be time for questions and discussion. The dates for the introductory courses can be found here.

When you come to weekly zazen for the first time, it’s a good idea to arrive about 20 minutes before the session begins. If you haven’t attended an introductory course but have previous experience with zazen, please contact us by email before your first visit.

We close the doors 5 minutes before the practice begins. If you have any questions, you can speak with the instructor before the guided zazen begins. Sessions typically consist of two 40-minute zazen periods, with an opportunity to change your sitting position halfway through. Between the periods is kinhin, walking meditation.

At Zendo, we aim to minimize distractions by:

- sitting quietly and moving quietly and mindfully.
- wearing loose-fitting, dark, understated, and solid-colored clothing without text, logos, or patterns.
- We do not wear shorts, sleeveless shirts, tight leggings, scarves, shawls, hoodies, or colorful socks.
- We leave watches, large jewelry, and cell phones set to silent in the changing rooms.

Kinhin, or walking meditation, is practiced with the gaze directed downward and full focus on the practice. Try to maintain the same walking pace as the zendo leader. During kinhin, it is permissible to leave the zendo to use the restroom or drink water.

Gassho means placing your palms together, often while bowing.

The stick on the altar is called a kyosaku. It is used during zazen to stimulate acupuncture points in the shoulder muscles. It helps you stay awake and alert, connected to your body-mind. We only use the kyosaku upon request. You can ask for the kyosaku by placing your hands in gassho when the zendo leader walks around the zendo halfway through the practice.

A traditional bow in which you kneel, place your forehead on the floor, and raise your palms upward. It is generally said that prostration brings forth one’s inner Buddha.

Chanting is a form of zazen, and one engages in it much like seated meditation. It involves sutras and texts central to Mahayana Buddhism. In chanting, as in zazen, the focus is on maintaining an upright posture and relaxation, but also on producing sound and articulating the words. One sits with a straight back and allows the strength to come from the lower abdomen. Usually, one sits in the seiza position (on one’s knees), and if a chant booklet is used, it is held up so that one does not have to bend the neck.

The purpose of chanting is not to sing, but to produce a relaxed and resonant sound. Each participant chooses a natural pitch that harmonizes with the chant leader’s pitch.

Dokusan means “to walk alone.” It is a private meeting between the teacher and the student/practitioner. In dokusan, questions related to practice can be discussed. Dokusan is always voluntary.

A teisho is a talk given by a Zen teacher during zazen. We regard it as a form of zazen, so we sit with our gaze lowered and our backs straight. A Dharma talk is a talk given by an experienced practitioner. You can listen to Sangen Salo Sensei’s teishos online here.

Zazen usually concludes with the recitation of the Four Vows three times. In Japanese, this is known as Shiguseiganmon.

SHIGUSEIGANMON

SHU-JO MU-HEN SEI-GAN DO
BON-NO MU-JIN SEI-GAN DAN
HO-MON MU-RYO SEI-GAN GAKU
BUTSU-DO MU-JO SEI-GAN JO

In English, this means:

Living beings are limitless; I vow to deliver them.
Mental afflictions are inexhaustible; I vow to cut them off .
Dharma gates are incalculable; I vow to practice them.
The buddha way is unsurpassed; I vow to attain it.

The Four Vows embody the bodhisattva ideal—to act for the benefit of all beings, not just one’s own—which is central to Mahayana Buddhism and Zen practice. You can read more about the translation of the Four Vows from Japanese kanji here.

Sesshin means “to unify the mind.” It is an intensive Zen meditation retreat, usually lasting 2–7 days. There are about 9 hours of guided zazen each day. In addition to zazen, the sesshin includes daily recitations, teisho, dokusan, work periods, and rest periods. It is an excellent opportunity to set everything else aside and immerse oneself in practice. In a sesshin, one receives personal instruction at the very time when meditation is most intense. Dokusan, a one-on-one conversation with the teacher, is available several times a day. For lay practitioners, a sesshin offers a chance to briefly experience a monastic-like environment, the kind in which Zen practice originally developed. Due to its demanding nature, participation in a sesshin usually requires prior experience with seated meditation.

The Buddha on the altar represents our inner Buddha-nature and also depicts Siddhartha Gautama, or Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The word “Buddha” means “awake” in Sanskrit.

A Bodhisattva is a being walking the path of the Buddha’s teachings who has decided to remain in the world to help all sentient beings.

In the Buddhist tradition, the word consists of two parts:
bodhi = enlightenment, awakening
sattva = being, existence

Originally, the term referred to the historical Buddha’s (Siddhartha Gautama) previous lives, when he was still practicing the bodhisattva path before his final enlightenment. In Zen, as in other Mahayana schools of Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a being whose mind of enlightenment (Skt. bodhicitta, Jpn. bodaishin) has awakened and who, through the power of compassion, strives to help all beings realize their true nature.

Every practitioner can thus walk the path of the bodhisattva. One can reaffirm this for oneself, for example, by taking the Jukai, or the 16 Bodhisattva Vows, and reciting the Four Great Vows (see the section below, “The Four Vows”).

Our altars also feature bodhisattvas such as:

Kanzeon – the bodhisattva of compassion
Jizo – protector of travellers, children and the souls of the departed
Manjushri – the bodhisattva of wisdom
Samanthabhadra – the bodhisattva of enlightened action

At Sannej, it is possible to receive the Zen Buddhist precepts once or twice a year. This ceremony is called Jukai. Traditionally, one converts to Buddhism when taking Jukai for the first time. In the ceremony, we take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and express our aspiration to live according to the teachings to the best of our ability in our daily lives.

In Zen practice, the relationship between teacher and student is central. The purpose of becoming a student is to deepen one’s commitment to the practice and the tradition. Becoming a student always happens at the initiative of the prospective student, not the teacher. A member does not need to be a student to participate in dokusan.

One way to formalize one’s commitment is to wear a rakusu. A rakusu is a garment that hangs from the neck and symbolizes the Buddha’s robe. It signifies that practicing the Buddha’s path is central to one’s life. The rakusu is worn primarily during zazen.

The rakusu is sewn by the practitioner following specific instructions and is received during a ceremony that also includes taking the 16 Bodhisattva Vows. During the ceremony, the student also receives a Dharma name, or a Buddhist spiritual name. A prerequisite for sewing a rakusu is being a student of a teacher.

In the Zen temple, a text is recited in the morning before the rakusu is placed around the neck:

Wondrous is the robe of liberation,
a treasure beyond form and emptiness.
Wearing it I will unfold Buddha’s teaching
for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Dana is a word in Sanskrit and Pali that refers to the virtue of generosity, charity, or giving alms. In Buddhist culture, dana—or giving—means giving to the recipient without expecting anything in return. Giving dana is a practice that benefits the giver just as much as the recipient. In practice, dana can take the form of giving money, food, or everyday items. Buddhist teachers do not receive a salary for their work, and therefore it is customary to offer dana during sesshin and zazen sessions. Even a small gift is received with great gratitude.

Samu, work practice, is a dynamic expression of Zen practice. The work includes, for example, cleaning, cooking, and yard work at the Zen temple. City centers also have regular cleaning sessions, during which we maintain our shared spaces. Samu gives us the opportunity to test and deepen what we have learned in the zendo amidst our daily activities.

In our tradition, Zen practitioners often wear brown lay robes during formal zazen. Anyone participating in zazen is welcome to wear a robe if they wish, and robes can also be borrowed from the retreat center. If you would like your own robe, please contact the instructor, and they will put you in touch with someone who can sew a robe for you for a fee. As an alternative to a robe, you may also choose to wear a garment called a samue. A samue is a traditional Japanese work and practice garment that is also used in Zen practice. The outfit consists of loose-fitting pants and a jacket that are tied with cords. For zazen, you can wear either samue pants and a jacket or just the jacket with other pants suitable for zazen. Suitable colors for samue include blue, gray, brown, and black.