Ryôun Yamada Roshi at the North American Sesshin of the Sanbô Zen
Scarboro Missions, May, 2017
(click to enlarge)
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Sesshin Guidelines
Toronto 2017
Welcome to the NASZ sesshin for 2017. Please consider these guidelines not so much as rules to be followed, but as aids for making this gift we have given to ourselves and each other as beneficial and enjoyable as it can be.
Keep silence.
Out of respect to yourself and others, keep silent at all times. Do not speak or gesture to others, and make sure all communication devices are turned off and put away. If you have any questions, needs, or problems, please address them to the jikijitsu (zendo monitor).
Keep your eyes lowered.
Avoid distracting yourself and others by avoiding eye contact or looking around both inside and outside the zendo hall.
Be on time.
Being on time means being at your cushion and ready to sit five minutes before the scheduled start time. If you are unable to sit at a scheduled sitting period, please let the jikijitsu know.
Clothing
Wear loose-fitting, dark or neutral, solid-coloured clothing. Knees and shoulders must be covered. Avoid perfumes, colognes, scented after-shaves or other scents that might be noticeable to others.
Jikijitsu (zendo monitor)
The jikijitsu is in charge of the environment of the zendo. If you have any questions or concerns, please bring them to the jiki.
In the zendo
1. Always bow at the entranceway to the zendo before you enter. It is not necessary to bow at the door as you depart. The final bow at your zabuton is sufficient.
2. Never walk in the centre of the zendo. Walk to your place along the outside perimeters.
3. When you arrive at your cushion, bow in gassho as you face the wall. Then turn clockwise and bow again as you face the room. Turn clockwise again so that you are facing the wall and take your place on the cushion. (Note: almost all turns in the zendo are clockwise.)
4. Keep your sitting area uncluttered. Don’t keep stashes of personal items nearby.
Kentan
Just after the beginning of each day’s sitting, the Roshi will enter the zendo, light incense, and make three prostrations. The jikijitsu will then call out “kentan!’ and the Roshi will walk slowly around the room, passing behind each sitter (silently asking, “Are you ready?”). Raise your hands to gassho position as he approaches you, (silently replying, “Yes, I am.”), then place your hands back in zazen position.
Kinhin
Each time you rise for kinhin, stand slowly, fluff your zafu, place it in the middle of your cushion, and align your zabuton with the others in your row. Turn clockwise, wait for the sound of the wooden clappers, and bow to the other side of the room. Place your right fist, thumb inside, on your chest and cover it with your left palm. Try to form a straight line between your elbows. Keep about one arm’s length between you and the person in front and follow the pace of the jikijitsu.
If you have to leave the zendo during kinhin, do so unobtrusively. When you return, wait at the entranceway until your proper place presents itself. Gassho and then step into your place in the line. If kinhin is finished before you can get into the line, wait at the entranceway until the bowing is completed and everyone is getting ready to take their places again on their cushions, then quietly and quickly go to your cushion.
Teisho
When it is time for teisho, sit inwards facing the teacher. Maintain a straight back. You can position your hands either in the mudra position or in a relaxed position (left hand resting on the right). If you need to shift, do so quietly and in a way that does not distract others. You may sit comfortably, but keep the knees bent, and as much as possible on the floor. Do not stretch your legs out in front of you. It is permissible to make the occasional note. Please do so discreetly.
Chanting
If you don’t know the chants from memory, hold the text, which should be kept under your zabuton, just below eye and between your thumb and forefinger in the gassho position. Don’t place it on the floor. Follow the pace of the chant leader. After chanting, return the text to its place under the mat.
During night chanting, at the close of the day, raise your hands to gassho position during the declamation of the “Final Exhortation.”
Dokusan
When it is time for dokusan (signaled by a light tap on the shoulder while you are sitting), rise, leave the zendo and take your place on the cushions outside the dokusan room.
When it is your turn, after your hear the Roshi ring the bell, strike the gong in front of you twice and go to the dokusan room door and wait.
When the previous person opens the door and comes out, step inside as the person leaving closes the door behind you.
Then make your first prostration near the door: bow to the Roshi, then kneel down so that you touch the floor with your forehead with your hands extended in front of you, palms upward. Bend your arms at the elbows and raise your hands so they are above the level of your ears. Rise and walk toward the Roshi. When you are about 5 feet or so away, stop and make a second prostration. Then slide closer to the Roshi, taking your position on the cushion in seiza, with your legs folded under you.
Begin by stating your name and your present practice (“I am working on Mu” or “I am working on Koan #…”) Bring no books or other material with you to dokusan; people working on koans should have their koan memorized. (You could write your koan on a piece of paper to bring with you in case of a momentary memory lapse.)
When the Roshi rings the bell to signal the end of dokusan, make a slight bow and slide back a little from your cushion. Stand up and walk backward to the place where you made your second prostration, then turn and walk to the exit. Near the door, make your third prostration, after which you open the door and leave.
When the next person enters, close the door behind them. Return to the zendo. (If you are writing post-dokusan notes, please do so discreetly and in private so that you do not distract others.)
Meals
All meals are taken together and eaten in silence.
Please note that vegetarian meals have been prepared for us. Although there will be non-vegetarian food at the buffet, this has been prepared for the Scarboro Missions community, not for NASZ attendees.
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