“There is no beginning to practice or end to enlightenment; there is no end to enlightenment or end to practice.”

In the dojo at the end of each training we sit briefly in mokuso, meditation. Some members of our community also practice meditation on their own. It is a demanding and rewarding practice, and one that is much more accessible with proper instruction.

We are lucky to have in our dojo a connection to the Dogen (Soto) Zen lineage. Mori Tzelnic has been practicing for over 20 years and is ordained as a lay monk, Chiso Anagarika, in this community. Here is a brief description of their practice:

“This lineage is base don practice and instructions to practice, as opposed to study of the stutras or writings about Zen. Texts are used but the main practice is sitting. It is about doing rather than learning about doing. It is straightforward and very simple. For example, we talk about sitting rather than meditation because meditation engages people in a lot of additional contextual ideas. As its core it is about experiencing each and every moment, not avoiding or getting away from reality.”

They do not usually teach outside of their community. However, Chiso Anagarika has asked for, and, after a vetting process, has received an exemption to teach a class on proper meditation technique for us. We greatly appreciate this exemption and the opportunity it affords our dojo!

This class will last approximately one hour and will cover meditation, kinhin (walking meditation), and have some time for Q&A. No special equipment or clothing is needed. There will be a small donation, $10 or whatever participants chose to donate over that. The class is open to all members of the Kodokan Boston community, training or not, including family and friends.

This class will be help Sunday, June 12th, at 10 AM. It will be at our dojo.

To sign up please contact me and I will put you on the list. Class size will be limited and once the class is full the list will be closed.

If you have any questions also please feel free to contact me.

We are looking forward to what promises to be a very rewarding and interesting opportunity!