THE ART OF SITTING DOWN AND SHUTTING UP: A ZAZEN RETREAT

THE ART OF SITTING DOWN AND SHUTTING UP: A ZAZEN RETREAT

Shikantaza or "just sitting" style zazen practice was brought to Japan by Master Dogen, who describes the forms in his 13th-century classic, Shobogenzo: Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. Shikantaza is the most minimalistic of all Buddhist practices. True to its name, the practice truly is "just sitting." But "just" in this case may be the operative word, for the practice involves devoting oneself wholeheartedly to the practice of sitting itself. This is much easier said than done!

Students will spend most of this retreat sitting in silent zazen practice periods of 30 minutes each, separated by 10-minute rounds of walking meditation. Ritual and chanting will be kept to a bare minimum, but silence will be broken by group talks and discussions. There will also be ample time for private instruction and questions.

Brad Warner has been practicing Zen for over 25 years, starting when he was in college. He was ordained in the Soto Zen lineage by Gudo Nishijima in 1999 and has been teaching Zen ever since. Brad is the author of three books: Hardcore Zen, Sit Down and Shut Up, and Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate. He plays bass in the punk rock group Zero Defex and worked for the company founded by the man who created Godzilla.