Rinzai Zen is a Japanese form of Buddhism that emphasizes sitting meditation and koan practice with a Roshi (“old teacher”).  It is an intense practice that allows you to push your body and mind past limits you didn’t know existed.

I started practicing Zen in 2002 at Haku-Un-Ji Zen Center in Tempe, Arizona a center in the lineage of Kyozan Joshu Sasaki Roshi (1907 – ) who moved to the United States from Kyoto, Japan in 1962.  Over the years I have participated in sesshins and koan practice with the Roshi, who still teaches full time even though he is now 102.

Sesshin Zen practice consists of four activities

• Zazen – Seated Meditation
• Kinhin – Walking Meditation
• Samu – Work Practice (cooking, cleaning, etc. as a mindful practice)
• Sanzen – Koan Practice, the so called Zen riddle that a Roshi gives to the student

“In Zazen you should be like a tiger ready to pounce” – Joshu Roshi

Most Americans have no reference point for Zen beyond pop culture, unlike Japan where Zen has profoundly influenced the culture for over 600 years. It is an experience based practice that mirrors the form still practiced in Japan today, and the two Japanese monks that have impacted my experience of Zen the most are Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (Soto) and Kyozan Joshu Roshi (Myoshin-Ji Rinzai).

The point of Zen is not to force your mind to be still, which is impossible, but to create space in yourself by making your body still.  A still body slowly works on the mind, unlike the usual paradigm where the mind leads the body.

@iamtimhardy

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