Zen Practice
Zazen
The Three Treasures Zen Sangha meets bi-weekly on Saturday mornings and Monday evenings.
We meet in-person on Saturdays in South Pasadena, California and on zoom from 9:00-10:45 AM (PST). We chant the Heart Sutra and do zazen (meditation) for two 30 minute periods, with five minutes for practicing kinhin (walking meditation) between the periods. There is an opportunity to have daisan (a private meeting with Becca Shoshin Sensei to discuss practice or present a koan) during the second period. Following zazen, there is a talk and discussion. The talks touch on various aspects of practice and draw from a koan, teaching, Sutra, or from other meditation practices such as Mindfulness.
We meet online only on Monday evenings from 6:30-8:30 PM (PST). We have three, 30 minute sitting periods with ten minutes for practicing kinhin (walking meditation) between the periods. There is an opportunity for daisan (a private meeting with Steve Konshin Sensei or Steve Joshin Hicks Sensei) offered in a break-out room, beginning in the second sitting period. On the first Monday of the month we sit only one period and then engage in Council Practice to deepen our understanding of a topic.
For more info, contact info@ttzc.org
What is Zazen?
Literally, zazen means "seated meditation." It is the historic practice taught and practiced by Zen Buddhists since the very beginning of Zen in Tang Dynasty China around the 7th century, C.E.
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Meditation is practiced in many forms in various religions and predates Zen Buddhism by thousands of years, but zazen specifically encompasses two types of meditation. One form is a deeply focused type of meditation, usually directed toward a Zen koan, a focus commonly called "samadhi." This samadhi produces a calm that pervades the whole body and mind and allows one's natural insight to reveal itself.
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The central practice of Soto Zen is "shikantaza" which means "just sitting." It is a form of meditation that is characterized by an alertly wakeful attention, yet it is not directed at any specific object.
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Along with koan practice and shikantaza, beginning students of TTZC are also introduced to mindfulness practices.
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Meditation instruction is given at TTZC at the beginning of regularly scheduled zazen, by request.
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For a detailed video instruction on the practice of zazen, please visit the website of our sister temple Yokoji Zen Mountain Center at zmc.org/zazen.
“The empty sky is received with Palms together” Dogen Zenji – Everyday Activity