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Seattle University Branch / January 2011
- Contributor: Alex Bennion
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Sesshin - A part of Shorinji Kempo Practice
On 01/22 I, along with Jack, a new member of the Shorinji Kempo Seattle University branch, 4 other students from Seattle University, and Dr. Sikes and Dr. Wirth, joined Onaka Sensei, Kosho-Osho, and two of his regular Zazen practitioners for a Sesshin - all day Zazen (meditation).
Every Thursday night, Dr. Wirth and Dr. Sikes host a Zen meditation sit in the campus Chapel where around 20 students come for two rounds of meditation split with a Kinhin. By attending this weekly sit, we were informed of the opportunity to join Kosho, an affiliated member of the ecosanga, at Eishoji Temple (currently his home) for a Sesshin (which in the past has only been offered one day during spring quarter). I was among one of the members who saw the potential in this situation and committed to participate in the Sesshin, deepen my meditation practice, and explore the Soto-Zen tradition.
On the day of the session, the other Seattle U students and I wearily met out front of our chapel at 7:20 (after a Friday night full of dancing and little sleep) to carpool out to Eishoji Temple in Bellevue, approximately 30 minutes away from Seattle. Although the Sesshin was not scheduled to start until 10 am, Kosho Osho asked us to join him at 8:00 am for an introduction to the Soto-Zen tradition and a tutorial of how the day would develop.
Upon our arrival, Kosho-Osho invited us into the Zendo where we try Zen sitting, which also serves as his home. This gesture of hospitality and openness of his home and family life was the first of many things that left an impression on me this day. After the introduction, the arrival of the other members of the community, including the surprise of Onaka Sensei - who I did not know would be joining us - and the ring of that faithful and ever lasting Japanese singing bowl, we diligently began our Zazen.
The day's schedule included 6 times forty minutes Zazen periods with ten minutes Kinhin periods, an incredibly nourishing lunch, a midday Sutra Chant, a closing service, a general meeting about the future of the Soto-Zen group, and finally a new yearfs dinner.
Although I could say so much about each of these, I have chosen two images to highlight.
The first image was Dr. Wirth doing his faithful lunges on the staircase in between the fourty minutes Zazen periods. This illuminated the seriousness that is inherent in a Sesshin. To my discover, 6 times fourty minutes sits are quite physically and mentally challenging, especially towards the final Zazen periods when the knees and hips are singing their synchronized mantra of pain. So after seeing Dr. Wirth perform his intermission ritual, each of us from Seattle U adopted our own stretching mechanism to help adjust our bodies to the prolonged Zazen and prepare ourselves for the next period.
Second, is the simplistic image of a small table with a blanket draped between the top and legs, and a basket of oranges on top. During the breaks - specifically at the lunch break - I spent nearly the entire time sitting with my legs underneath this table due to the heat that was radiating from beneath it. Onaka Sensei sat with me, and I listened as he shared stories about his past in Japan, about Japanese fish markets, and the history behind the heated table and the reasons behind the oranges in winter.
Needless to say, this entire day of sitting was quite long, and painful for me but left me with many stories and strong impressions. The simple act of sitting was able to bring peace and tranquility to those of us attending and could be seen radiating out of each of us as we negotiated our way (sleepily) towards our homes in Seattle.
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