Zen experience

That's why I crept onto my pillow this morning, even though I'm in pain and often despondent: I want to do what Buddhas do: sit and shine into myself.

The first morning zazen has just begun and we are already hungry - hungry for the posture. Now, shortly after six, I can taste Buddha's posture. This posture has been handed down for two and a half thousand years...

The first morning zazen has just begun and I remember: so far we have entered the zendo, before six o'clock in the morning; we have settled on our cushions, the Roshi has greeted us with Kentan and now the first 40 minutes of zazen have begun...

In 1998, I wrote down some of the experiences of my first ten years of Zen practice. At that time, I imagined the events of a morning sitting during a sesshin and recounted them. So far we have entered the zendo before six o'clock in the morning; we have settled on our cushions and now we are waiting for zazen to begin...

In 1998, I wrote down some of the experiences of my first ten years of Zen practice. At the time, I imagined the events of a morning sitting during a sesshin and recounted them. If you like, follow me, the narrator, into the meditation room: we enter the zendo together, find our place and sit down on the meditation cushion...