A Byrd's Eye View

A Sore Butt and A Rice Bowl

Well, today I did a one-day zazen retreat in Santa Monica with Brad Warner, author of "Hardcore Zen", and "Sit Down and Shut Up", and about ten other stalwart souls.

First I walked about five miles with my running/walking group (just to make sure my legs would be totally sore and exhausted before sitting in a half-lotus posture for the better part of the day).

The retreat was held at the Hill Street Meditation Center in Santa Monica - an older house which has been converted to a big room which holds about 12 people sitting against the living room wall. There's also a kitchen, a bathroom, and a meditation-cushion storage room converted from what must have once been a bedroom.

Needless to say, the vibe was very different from that at the World Peace Ikeda Auditorium, also in Santa Monica. No cheerful byakuren or soka group - no crowds or parking challenges. Oops, that's not true - some people had to move their cars to make room for people going to a yoga workshop at the church next door. But no-one was assigned to handle parking as a Buddhist mission, there weren't that many people.

The people who were participating today all showed up at around 9:30 (the sitting practice was scheduled to start at 10:00 am). We got some instruction on how to sit with our backs straight and eyes straight ahead, staring at the wall. Contain your enthusiasm.....

We sat for three half-hour sessions in the morning, broken up with two ten-minute sessions of "kinhin", or slow, walking meditation.

At noon, we broke for lunch, which was (for me, with my big, clumsy, Germanic hands) a complex matter.

We had each paid $10 for the full day of sitting, plus a lunch. When lunchtime came, we each got three bowls, two large napkins, and a set of chopsticks. One bowl was a big one, that was for rice. Another was medium-sized, for miso soup, and then a smaller bowl for the Japanese pickles. Honestly, I must admit that I was not thrilled with the menu. What I really wanted was a corned beef sandwich on rye with some hot mustard and a true pickle, a real pickle, a kosher dill pickle. Not one of these namby-pamby little orange Japanese pickles. But I had paid for lunch, and so eat it I would. First, however, there was instruction on what seemed to me to be an elaborate dining procedure.

First, the server would bring a big pot of vegetable flavored rice with mushrooms (quite good stuff, actually) to each group of two people. You bow to each other, and then there is a special way you have to pass her your rice bowl, which she then fills. After everybody has their rice, she comes back with the soup, and then finally she makes a third round with the sorry excuses for pickles. When everyone has been served, you chant a blessing in English. Something about how all the food we eat is the product of meritorious labor, and we are thankful for everyone who made our meal possible. Then, finally, we got to eat. In total silence. Except I know I made some slurping noises with my soup.

Even the cleaning up was a ritual. I have such an aversion to cleaning up my messes that this was good training for me. But that's it for now, I will continue tomorrow.....

Tune in tomorrow, same byrd-time, same byrd-channel.

Posted by wahzoh at October 20, 2007 05:29 PM