Ordinary Mind Zendo Procedures

The function of a zendo is to help us pay attention to the nature of our moment to moment experience. Sustained attention is difficult for all of us, but it can be supported by a practice of disciplined silent sitting.

Please observe the following zendo procedures in order to help us all maintain our practice:

Be silent and sit as still as possible in the zendo. Once the sitting has begun, do not adjust your sitting posture or move in any way. That means no scratching of itches, nose blowing etc. Ordinarily we try to avoid many varieties of discomfort; in the zendo we practice sitting still in the midst of our experience, attending to the forms it takes as well as to our reactions and resistances to experiencing it.

Bowing expresses our gratitude for this opportunity to practice, for the support that the group offers each one of us, and most fundamentally, for the teaching offered each moment by life just as it is. There are no idols in the zendo. Please offer three standing bows (palms together with the tips of the fingers on line with the tip of your nose, bending at the waist 45 degrees) as follows: 1. on first entering the doorway to zendo 2. facing your cushion (zafu) at the beginning of the sitting period 3. to the person (or empty zafu) directly opposite you in the zendo.

Please enter the zendo when the leader begins striking the Han and be sitting on your cushion a few minutes before the beginning of the sitting period. Any adjustments to your posture to make yourself comfortable must take place before the leader begins the period with 3 rings on the gong. The leader will end the period with 2 rings of the gong. AFTER the 2nd ring, place your palms together (called "gassho") and bow slightly from your seated posture before getting up.

A two-hour block of sitting will consist of 3 periods of sitting, with 2 periods of walking meditation in between. At the end of a sitting period, stand in front of your cushion with your hands in gassho. At the sound of the clappers, bow to the person opposite you, and turn RIGHT (keeping hands in gassho). When the clappers sound again, fold you hands (right over left) together over your belly ("shashu") and begin slow walking meditation(kinhin). If necessary, you may leave the line at this point to use the bathroom. When you return to the zendo, stand at the doorway with your hands in gassho while the kinhin line passes until you can re-enter the line at your original position.

During kinhin we practice maintaining our attention in activity as well as stillness. At the beginning of the walking period, take one small step with each inhalation and each exhalation. When the clappers sound again, bow (keeping your hands folded in the shashu position) and beginning walking at a normal pace, keeping close to the person in front of you. When the clappers sound for the last time, then put your hands in gassho and continue walking until the kinhin line passes your zafu. Stand at your seat with your hands now in gassho until the bell sounds, then bow and resume sitting practice. Face the wall for the 1st and 3rd periods; face the center during the 2nd period, during which there may be a brief Dharma (teaching) talk. Continue your regular sitting practice during the talk; it is not a time to move or look around.

The chant leader will signal the beginning of the Dharma talk by striking the hand bell 3 times ( one ring, a muted rind, a third ring), and then, hands in gassho, all recite:

This Dharma, incomparably profound
and minutely subtle,
is rarely encountered
even in hundreds of thousands
of millions of ages.

Now we can see it,
Hear it, hold and maintain it.
May we completely realize
the Tathagata's true meaning.

At the end of the third sitting, instead of the usual 2 rings on the gong, there will be 1 ring, followed by a muted ring, followed by a third ring. We then chant together the Fours Vows: with hands in gassho: (chanted 3 times)

Caught in a self-centered dream
- only suffering
Holding to self-centered thoughts
- exactly the dream
Each moment, life as it is, the only teacher
Being just this moment, Compassion's way.

The bell will ring 2 times and we stand, hands in gassho, for three full bows. The leader will ring the hand bell three times, followed by a run of rings, and then a fourth ring, at which we do the first full bow. At the end of the bow, we are once again standing, hands in gassho, awaiting the next bow. A single ring signals the second and third full bow. As we are completing the third bow, the bell will ring twice more, and on the third ring, we turn and do a standing bow, hands in gassho, towards the altar. The bell then rings one final time and we bow, hands in shashu to the person standing opposite. We then straighten our cushions, and then resume standing in front of them, hands in gassho. We bow to the leader, who exits the zendo first. All then exit, informally, hands in shashu.

Please follow these procedures to the very best of your ability. Sitting may mean facing pain, inner conflicts, emptiness, and simple boredom. The rules themselves may give rise to resentment, fear of making mistakes, or pride at following rules perfectly, etc. Our practice consists of watching all these reactions as they arise, physically, as they manifest in the tensions of our body, and mentally as the expectations we all have of how we want each moment of our life to go. The zendo is a place to practice fully living your life just as it is.

Dokusan (Interview) Procedures

Dokusan offers the opportunity to present the state of your practice to the teacher for comment and instruction. It is a chance to ask questions, discuss difficulties, and most basically, reveal who you are at that very moment. The self-consciousness, uncertainty, anxiety, and other emotional reactions that attend self-revelation are all part of what we are here to practice with.

Coming into dokusan is optional. If you do not wish an interview, when your turn comes, simply place your hands together in gassho for a few seconds, then resume your normal sitting posture.

When it's your turn for an interview and you hear the bell ring in the interview room, bow quickly from your seated position and then get up, walking with hands in shashu until your reach the interview room door. Then place your hands in gassho & wait for the person leaving to exit. Stand far enough back from the door so that it can open freely. The person leaving should leave the door open. The two of you then bow together, facing the open doorway. The person entering keeps their hands in gassho, the one leaving should shut the door, and return to the zendo, hands in shashu.

Walk over to the interview zabuton, (hands still in gassho) stand behind it, bow, and then kneel in seiza for the interview, sitting with your knees at the front end of the mat, nearest to me. When I ring the bell ending the interview, bow from your seated position, and exit with your hands remaining in gassho.

To summarize: there are 2 bows entering & 2 bows leaving: one you do together at the door; one STANDING by the zabuton when entering, one KNEELING on the zabuton when leaving.