Retreat Report: Jampa Ling Sesshin, August 2012.

Thanks and congratulations to all who attended our Summer weekend retreat at Jampa Ling Buddhist Centre, Co Cavan, this weekend past.

There was an excellent turnout with 18 participants showing up for the schedule of zazen, kinhin, samu and talks. A note of respect and admiration is due to those residents of the men's dormitory who delivered a surprise masterclass in snoring techniques on both nights (her hee, I'm still recovering... and I was only there for one night!)

The Jampa Ling facilities were excellent, and the staff were very helpful, so thank-you to all at Jampa Ling. Thanks are due also to Eilis who organised a wonderful vegetarian menu for the weekend.

We were able provide this event at low cost as it was run on a non-profit basis: So special thanks too to Peter Rocca Sensei for freely giving up his time to take bookings for the event, and for attending to lead the retreat.

Hopefully we'll be back at Jampa Ling in the near future for other such events. Watch this space!

Zen Meditation Retreat in Co Cavan August 10-12, 2012.

We'll be holding a Zen meditation retreat at Tara House at the Jampa Ling Buddhist Center in County Cavan, Ireland over the weekend from August 10 to 12, 2012. Anyone interested is invited to attend. The retreat begins on Friday evening and ends on Sunday afternoon. The retreat includes Zen meditation practice, talks, free time, and vegetarian food. The retreat is suitable for anyone interested in Buddhism and/or meditation. Beginners are welcome. 

This retreat will be led by Peter Rocca Sensei, a Dharma heir of Gudo Nishijima Sensei. Check out Peter Sensei's site HERE.

Dates: From Friday, August 10 at 6.00 p.m. to Sunday, August 12 at 5 p.m.

Location: Tara House at the Jampa Ling Buddhist Centre in Bawnboy, County Cavan.

Schedule: click here to download 

Cost:  80 euros. This covers the cost of all accommodation and meals during the retreat.  

Registration: Registration is by email. The closing date for registration is Saturday August 4. A deposit of 40 euros is required to register. 

For further information and/or to sign up to attend, please email Peter at tokyozazen@gmail.com

Tipperary Sesshin Report.

(The wonderful studio at Tigh Roy's that became our zendo for the retreat)

The sesshin in Tigh Roy's, Co Tipperary, concluded yesterday.

10 participants from various groups (and no groups) came together to enjoy a weekend of practice and discussions. The centre proved very comfortable and the food and hospitality was excellent, so many thanks to Deirdre and Roy of Tigh Roy's.

As there was no teacher attending we had facilitated group discussions in place of dharma talks. The first of these, on Saturday, was about our various 'approcahes to Zen'. People spoke of their experiences coming from various backgrounds: From the Nishijima/ Dogen sangha side of things, from the Deshimaru approach, from the BMZC/Paul Haller Roshi approach, from the Hogen Yamahata/ Open Way Zen approach. We had a practitioner of Gestalt therapy and an Aikido Shihan present, so we were able to touch on the relevance of zen practice in those areas also.

Eilís read some insightful passages from her current favourite book yesterday which led to an interesting discussion on aspects of practice.

Although the retreat was put together provisionally to be a loose 'chanting/ ceremony free' affair (so as to be as inclusive as possible to those from other traditions, or from no traditions) it was decided to perform prostrations and chant the Heart Sutra after the last session of zazen yesterday.

All in all it was an interesting and enjoyable experiment and I hope that it contributes to the establishment of a non-sectarian, non-hierarchical forum for sincere and inclusive discussion and practice in Ireland. The beauty of the 'stripped down' model is that such events are quite easy to organise, so similar events can run again if there is sufficient interest.

Many thanks and bows to our hosts and to all who attended.

Harry.

Tipperary Retreat Update: This weekend 20th Jan.

Hi Folks,


The retreat schedule is down to start at 6pm, not 7pm as wrongly stated on the blog. Zazen does not begin until after 7pm though. The schedule for Friday looks like this, and includes a light evening meal on arrival:


18:00-18:50 Arrive

18:50-19:20 Light Meal

19:20-20:00 Zazen

20:00-21:30 Bath/Free Time

21:30 Lights Out

Anyone who is interested in attending but hasn't contacted me yet to confirm their place is advised to do so in the next couple of days.
.
Regards,

Harry.

January 2012 Zen Retreat in Co Tipperary, Ireland.

There will be a zen retreat in a fantastic retreat centre situated in the lovely Glen of Aherlow, Co Tipperary, on the weekend of Friday 20th January till Sunday 22nd, 2012.

The retreat will begin at 6pm on Friday 20th and end @ 5.30 pm on the Sunday evening.

The focus will be on zazen (seated meditation), kinhin (slow walking) and samu (work periods). There will be no chanting or formal ceremony although zendo etiquette will be observed (bowing on entering and leaving the zendo, bowing before and after sitting etc.) It will not be a strictly silent event, but silence will be observed at the communal meals (which will be very tasty veggie fare!)

No teacher will be in attendance, so this retreat is only suitable for those who have already established a regular practice and/or who have attended a retreat before. There will be themed discussion periods instead of formal Dharma talks.

The cost of the weekend, including all meals and accommodation, is €145 (per person sharing
 rooms with two single beds). Booking is essential as places are limited. A deposit of €45 will ensure a place on the retreat. Please forward deposits before December 15th.

You can enquire or book by contacting me at: harrybradley[at]eircom.net

Check out the lovely venue HERE.

Regards,
Harry.

New Resource.

Hi,

This blog was formerly assigned to a zazen group in Co Leitrim which has since ceased to be. People occassionally contact me about Zen and Masters Nishijima and Dogen though, and to enquire about events in Ireland, so I thought I'd transform this blog into a resource for interested people even though Dogen Sangha does not currently have a formal group in Ireland.

There are plans for a retreat here next Summer however, and possibly an event before that time. Please feel free to contact me for further details.

Regards,

Harry.

Zazen Posture.

There was a nice turnout last Tuesday, the first of our weekly meetings after the summer break. Thanks to everyone who came along to try out zazen.

Some people sat on chairs, while some sat on the zafus (the small, round cushions) and zabutons (the bigger, flat ones). We have to start practicing zazen from whatever point our body is at, and, while sitting in a cross legged pose is recommended, it simply is not possible for all of us. This is fine.

The cross legged position on the floor offers the great stability of a tripod (made by our two knees and the sitting bones of our backsides). Remember we sit towards the front edge of the zafu and allow our pelvis to drop forward, which, if we are sufficiently flexible, should allow our knees to fall towards the zabuton (you can use a folded blanket on a carpeted floor at home as an alternative to a zafu and zabuton). This stability allows us to make the upright (but not rigid!) posture with our upper body.

If we're sitting on a chair it's important not to slump back in on ourselves in the lower back region, and we don't lean against the chair's back (as in the 'traditional seat' image at the top of this post). We should sit forward, towards the edge of the seat if possible, and gently stick our rears out allowing for a gentle inward curve in the lower spine (as in the 'saddle seat' image up top... this can feel a bit odd at first!) We should support our own upper body on this base, remembering to allow the shoulders to drop naturally with our hands in the mudra position. The mudra is formed around the part of our body which is the pivot area of our torso; this serves to bring a sense of centeredness and balance to our posture.

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Remember: Getting into the routine of doing 3-5 mins, or whatever, twice a day (usually morning and evening) is better than doing 20 mins or half an hour infrequently!

... And be careful not to try to do too much everyday at first, so as not to burn yourself out on it and make doing it a drag. The length of time we sit daily can be built up very gradually as we get used to it.

You'll find links to some info on stretches to help open the legs, hips and back HERE... and check out the 'How to do Zazen' link in the links section up on the right hand side of this page.