Went to a Buddhist Zen Center

On Wednesday, September 22, 2010 I went to the Toledo Zen Center located on Angola Road. I called earlier that day to let them know I was coming. They hold services every Wednesday at 7:15. When I first arrived, there were a few people there gathered in the outside room. This is a gathering type room where the people meet and talk before the practice starts. I talked to a few people to let them know who I was and why I was there. They were very welcoming and kind. Everyone takes their shoes off in the gathering area and puts them on the shelves provided when they get there. I followed procedure and did the same. When 7:15 came we all moved to the room where practice is held. The room has cushions gathered on two opposite sides with space in the middle. We stood on our mats until the bells started ringing. At this time Reverend Rinsen entered the room and settled in the open space between the groups of mats facing the Buddha statue. At this time the congregation began their chant and I was able to participate in this because they pass out packets with the different used chants. After the chant, Rinsen opens the dokusan line and the group begins their private meditation. The dokusan line is the where members have individual private interviews with Rinsen to see how their path is going and how they’re doing.
While the group began meditation, two other new members and myself were taken out to the gathering room with Simon, who’s Dharma name is Monsho, so he could teach us the proper way to meditate and the background of Buddhism and the center. This was a very interesting lesson. He taught us how to properly sit on the pillow for meditation and he explained what their goal is during this practice. When meditating, their goal is to completely free their mind from outside influence and goings on. They have their eyes half closed and pointed down forty-five degrees down at a spot in front of their pillow. They don’t close their eyes because that implies they want to shut everything around them out. This is not the case; they want to accept that there are things around them. They allow this influence to come in, acknowledge it, and let it go. This is a very difficult thing to try and not day dream while meditating. To help people free their mind, one is to concentrate on their breathing. While breathing, you count from one to ten, and repeat over and over. You only breathe through your nose while meditating. Each inhale as well as exhale is a number. When you catch yourself wondering and count past ten, you acknowledge this and begin from one again.
When our lesson was over, we went back into the other room to practice with the rest of the congregation. There is fifteen to twenty minutes of sitting mediation, then fifteen minutes of walking meditation. There is another section of the room with a very large mat on the floor that the group walks in a large square single file. Around 9:15 the service was over. There were announcements and Rinsen had the other new people and me address the group as to why we were here and what we thought. During Zinzen practice, there is no talking, just strict meditation. The only time talking happens is at the beginning and ending chant. The group knows when to bow and chant through bell sounds manned by Monsho.
This was a great experience for me. It was nothing like I had experienced before. Being raised Catholic; I thought it was strange bowing to a statue. Monsho addressed this during our lesson: Buddha is not a god but a teacher. The bows are a sign of respect. As God is the shepherd and the people are his flock in Catholicism, Buddha is a teacher and the people are his students. I learned a lot and thought it was a very enlightening experience. Since attending the center, I have used some of the meditation methods to help me pay better attention in class rather than day dream. I signed up for their e-mail list and will probably return on my own accord. It was very relaxing to forget about everything and just meditate.