“Zazen has nothing whatsoever to do with whether you’re sitting upright or lying down.”
Examining one of this year’s Commit to Sit practice texts, Koshin Paley Ellison reflects on the teachings of the Zen ancestor, Eihei Dogen, and how they relate to the meaning of zazen, the strength of community and legacy, and “giving up deluding relationships”.
ZenTalk Notes:
Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and Certified Chaplaincy Educator. Koshin co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
Sit for Scholarship 2021! Support the Zen Center’s sangha by joining our student-led Sit for Scholarship fundraiser on July 24th, 2021! We will be sitting together to raise scholarship money for the Zen Center’s many programs. The day will include timed meditation periods and Dharma Talks from the Zen Center’s guiding teachers. To sign up as a sitter or to donate, click here.
Music: Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji – Buddhist priest and musician of the Rinzai sect and Imaji temple in Imabari, Japan. In 2003, he formed “KISSAQUO”, a songwriting duo based in Kyoto.
New York Zen Center Publications:
Get your copy of Wholehearted: Slow Down, Help Out, Wake Up here: https://amzn.to/2JTKF1t
Get your copy of Awake At The Bedside here: https://amzn.to/3aijXdL
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One Response
Dear Koshin, this talk touched my 79 year old heartmind and was a salve to my spirit. Yes, I am always wanting to know the meaning of it all. My curiosity know no bounds. And then I am reminded of the wonder of it all. Rocking in our backyard hammock with my 5 and 7 year old grandchildren naming the ever changing clouds.
This is it. This is it.
Great gratitude, Judith (Daya)