Saturday, March 28, 2009

The Craft of Zen

This morning was a beautiful one at the zendo. A chilly mist (or soft weather as some of my friends call it) framed the forest, bringing sights and sounds just a little bit closer and more immediate. There was birdsong everywhere. And as there were no workshops scheduled at the Center, all was quiet and very still. As such, I was able to enjoy the sound of the house settling inside and nature amusing itself outside as I sat zazen.

Today's sit was a little different than most in that I was able to sit on a zabuton for the first time. When the zendo first opened for practice in January of this year, we were given a generous donation of zafus; however, as the cost of zabutons-- the cushions placed under zafus to support the knees and legs during practice-- was a bit prohibitive, we settled for sitting on folded-up Mexican-style blankets. While comfortable, they added a "festive" color to the zendo that is not quite traditional:


So I engaged myself in the crafting of home-made zabutons, to mellow-out the color explosion here at the Healing Center! It was a very simple process, and quite inexpensive. You may want to try it for yourself! Here is a step-by-step guide.


While window-shopping for zabutons online, I found an array of zabutons, cotton and hemp, in many colors and sizes ranging from 25" x 30" and even 30" x 30". I chose a cushion-y black fleece material from my local fabric store that came on a bolt 58" wide.
I then cut several 35" pieces from the bolt, and simply folded each section in order to have a 35" x 29" square.


Next, I sewed the 2 sides closed and left the third open, creating a sack ready to stuff! The seam allowance was nearly 1", as you can see from the photo above. This was to allow for the stuffing to come.
Four zab-sacks, waiting for the next step... each sack measured roughly 33" x 29".


In my online search, I saw some zabutons were filled with cotton, and some with buckwheat. In my old practice temple, a few of our mis-matched zabutons were filled with a thin foam. For the Open Palm zabuton, I chose a 1-inch thick foam for filling. This came on a 24" wide roll.
So I cut the roll into several 24 x 31" sections, and set these into each sack.


Finally, I rolled the remaining 2 inches of the open end of the sack, and hand-sewed it closed with a simple whip stitch. In the future, I may replace this with a snap or velcro closure; in the meantime, this stitch is a quick one that can easily be removed, should I need to wash or resize the sack.

Your zabuton in action, and ready for effortless effort!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Breath & Posture

My thanks again to all who entered the zendo today; it was a fine thing to sit among all of you.

I have been pondering how I might approach this blog. I want to use care not to appear as though I am some kind of "teacher" or "expert"; not that a teacher in my lineage is considered an expert, but I do not yet wear the brown robes, and I want to be careful about creating any expectations around my role in the zendo, virtual or otherwise.

In that spirit, I have decided it best to offer this space-- in part, at least-- as a way to collect and convey the inspirations of those who have received Dharma transmission (become teachers). The sites I list to the right are primarily Soto; within the blog however I'll be posting from many other manifestations of Dharma, from many different traditions.

One such inspiration came along late this evening, and here I pass it now along to you.

Olympia Zen Center's resident priest Eido Frances Carney has a lovely blog that I find interesting and inspirational. (It is always an inspiration to read the words of an ordained Buddhist woman!) A post from a few days ago-- click here to read it-- struck a chord with me as I read it today, as she too finds teaching people new-to-the-practice refreshing and inspiring to her own practice. Returning to the most basic Zen teachings of posture and breath are of value to any "level" of student, and in this post you'll find a lovely exercise designed to help you "find your breath".

As always, I would love to hear from anyone who passes through the zendo-- both virtual or otherwise! What is your experience of breath in sitting? How would you compare your experience of breath as a part of the posture of zazen, and with that of other meditation practices? If you sat zazen today for the first time, did anything about your breathing surprise you?

All are welcome. Gassho!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Welcome and Gassho!

Welcome to the new Open Palm Zendo web blog! Please visit often and comment as you'd like.

Along with our new web space, I am very happy to announce that Open Palm Zendo now has a physical home.

With thanks to the very kind folks at Joy Lane Healing Center in Hollywood, Maryland, our sangha now meets once a week for two periods of zazen, kinhin, and the recitation of The Heart Sutra. Please join us at our little purple zendo for zazen. All are welcome.

Open Palm Zendo
Saturday Morning Zazen Schedule

9:20 newcomer instruction
9:30 zazen
10:00 kinhin
10:10 zazen
10:40 incense offering &
recitation of The Heart Sutra