Path: typhoon.sonic.net!pants.skycache.com!newsfeed.skycache.com!Cidera!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.gtei.net!firehose.mindspring.com!not-for-mail From: "Ned Ludd" Newsgroups: alt.zen Subject: Re: Zendo experiences Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 22:54:33 -0500 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Lines: 52 Message-ID: <8djam4$mjl$1@slb0.atl.mindspring.net> References: <20000418221514.20586.00002404@ng-fy1.aol.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: cf.df.d2.4e X-Server-Date: 19 Apr 2000 03:54:44 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2615.200 Xref: typhoon.sonic.net alt.zen:170160 Goonius wrote in message news:20000418221514.20586.00002404@ng-fy1.aol.com... > > Since coming to az there has been a curiosity what it must be like > inside a zendo. > The size, smells, sounds, interactions with other people. My > experience has been with big Catholic, Protestant, and Unitarian > churches, and even though I did not really expect the Ashville Zen > Center to be such a big building, I was looking to those buildings > where people may gather to meditate. It took several passes on the > street the zendo was located to realize I had to rethink the type > of place I was looking for. Finally stopped to ask someone working > in their yard where the zendo was located within the block of her > street. She never heard of such a place. > I knew an address was required at this point and then I quickly > located the house, three doors down from the woman working in her > yard who lived in the neighborhood some 20 years. Mistakenly I > thought it was a day of meditation but serveral people were working > around the yard or preparing the meal they'd share a little while > later. > A kind soul offered to take the time and teach me zazen and the > rituals one experiences on a day of meditation. He also informed > me about the strong network of teachers, resources and classes in > the area that supported the center. At first glance, the center > seemed like a gathering of a small group of people that would fold > if they lost one or two of their members. I was mistaken. > Another center I visited in the area a few weeks later was a much > different experience in that I participated in the service for that > day. Because I was coming from a long distance to attend the > mediation, the leader and I spent the first hour in the kitchen > learning the practices of that particular zendo while the others > meditated in another large room. It just tickled me that the first > order of business was him sweeping the kitchen floor for the cushions > to be placed. I felt right at home. This zendo incorporates a 45 > minute yoga meditation in the middle of their 20 minute sitting > meditation segments which is right up my alley. > After spending several years experiencing zen through discussions > in az and in the privacy of my thoughts and feelings, there no doubt > zen has taken a sharp turn for me and feels like I'm seeing the tip > of an iceberg for the first time. A nice feeling. > Deborah > Oh God, ready another swat team and deprogrammers for emergency deployment! One for Japan, one for Ashville. Things are really getting out of hand. Ned