WHAT TO EXPECT
Meetings always include Zen meditation and Zen liturgy and recitations, and sometimes include lectures/disucssions, dokusan/sanzen as well as or other special events. You are invited to attend all or any portion of the activities—whatever works for your schedule and inclination. We sit 25-minute periods, and do a few minutes of walking meditation between periods. The evening starts formally at 7pm and usually winds up between 8:45 and 9:00, though you are free to leave at any time.
If you are familiar with Zen practice and want to dive in: Please send an email and then just show up around 6:55 for our regular program. If you arrive late, please just come in anyhow and take a seat and dive in.
If you are new to Zen: Please send an email to find out when the next beginner’s orientation will be taking place. In general, these orientations (very brief introductions to the Zen meditation pracitce of breath-countin) are available only by prior arrangement, and will be scheduled to start at 6:30. Please be prompt.
If you’d like to get a jumpstart on the orientation you may want to read either one of these books:
• Zen Meditation in Plain English,
by John Daishin Buksbazen
•The Still Point,
by John Daido Loori
If you are looking for training in relaxation: You may find it more fruitful to explore a technique called Progressive Muscle Relaxation or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Zen practice may lead to relaxation, but then again, it may not.
The Zen tradition regards relaxation as a potential side-effect, and not so much as the goal of practice. But if you are looking to learn a variety of techniques that might help you relax, a fabulous book you may enjoy is:
• Meditation & Relaxation in Plain English,
by Bob Sharples
If you are considering visiting us for a class assignment or as resarch for a college course: Because the Ralph Waldo Emerson Zen Sangha is more of group of people practicing together than it is a Buddhist Center, and because Zen practice is such a intense, intimate communal endeavor, out of consideration for our members, it is perhaps not the best choice to visit us as part of a class assignment or as research. You might find that Cambridge Zen Center or the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center are better suited for this (and they are both easily accessible on the Red Line.)
On the other hand, a Boundless Way Zen teacher would be more than pleased to speak at your college, school, or class. Send us an email to invite us to speak or give an introduction to Zen meditation.
WHEN AND WHERE?
Tuesday evenings, at 7 o’clock. At First Church in Boston, 66 Marlborough Street, in the Hale Chapel on the second floor.
(First Church is in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay, at the corner of Marlborough and Berkeley, just a couple blocks past the Boston Public Gardens.)
WHAT ELSE?
You needn’t bring anything at all except, ideally, an open mind. If you wish to bring your own meditation cushion or bench, please do so. Some chairs, cushions, and benches will be available.
You needn’t wear anything special, though you may wish to choose somewhat loose-fitting pants.
All events at the Ralph Waldo Emerson Sangha are free—though donations to Boundless Way Zen and First Church are gratefully received in a “Dana Box” placed outside the meditation hall.
Stay connected: please be sure to JOIN OUR LISTSERV to get updates and learn about the rare cancellation. You can also send an email to join the list.
ABOUT OUR LOGO This original ink painting is a reinterpretation and integration of the enso and, to honor the Boundless Way affiliation with Unitarian Universalism, the flaming chalice. The enso is a traditional Zen symbol of oneness, boundlessness, and enlightenment. The flaming chalice stands, among other things, for the beginning of a life of service, and like the UU faith, it stands open to receive new truths that pass the tests of reason, justice, and compassion.
* dharma talk transcripts
* dharma talk audio files
* dharma movies list
* recommended reading list
bowz affilliates
outside links
