THE RALPH WALDO EMERSON ZEN SANGHA
What to expect: Meetings always include Zen meditation and Zen liturgy and recitations, and sometimes include Dharma talks and disucssions, opportunities for one-to-one interviews (dokusan) as well as or other special events. You are invited to attend all or any portion of the activities—whatever works for your schedule and inclination. We sit 25-minute periods, and do a few minutes of walking meditation between periods. The evening starts formally at 7pm and usually winds up between 8:45 and 9:30, though you are free to leave at any time (leaving between meditation periods is best).
If you are new to Zen: Please send an email to our practice leader, Kate Hartland, to find out when the next beginner’s group orientation will be taking place. Orientations are available only by prior arrangement and take place every other week. These orientations ofter brief introductions to zazen (the Zen style of meditation), to postures that will help you sit comfortably and in stillness, to meditation hall etiquette, to Zen liturgy, and to the Boundless Way Zen school. If any of that is new to you, please consider coming to an orientation!
Since several people often attend these orientations and there is a good bit of material to be covered in a brief period of time, please make every effort to arrive promptly at the scheduled time, out of courtesy to your fellow attendees.
If you’d like to get a jumpstart on the orientation and to get a full sense of the Boundless Way approach to Zen, please listen to this:
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•Interview with Waldo’s resident teacher Josh Bartok conducted very skillfully by Professor Pratt Bennet, life coach and professor at Berklee School of Music.
You may also want to read this book:
• Zen Meditation in Plain English by John Buksbazen
ZEN MEDITATION AND DHARMA TEACHING
Tuesday evenings, at 7 o’clock
at First Church in Boston, 66 Marlborough St.,
in the Hale Chapel on the second floor
First Church is in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay, at the corner of Marlborough and Berkeley, just a couple blocks past the Boston Public Gardens and easily accessible to the Arlington Street or Boylston Street T stops. All events at Waldo are free.
ABOUT OUR LOGO This original ink painting is a reinterpretation and integration of the enso and, to honor the Boundless Way affiliation with Unitarian Universalism, the flaming chalice. The enso is a traditional Zen symbol of oneness, boundlessness, and enlightenment. The flaming chalice stands, among other things, for the beginning of a life of service, and like the UU faith, it stands open to receive new truths that pass the tests of reason, justice, and compassion.
If you are looking only for relaxation: You may find it more fruitful to explore a technique called Progressive Muscle Relaxation or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Zen practice may lead to relaxation—but then again, it may not. The Zen tradition regards relaxation as a potential side-effect, and not so much as the goal of practice. But if you are looking to learn a variety of techniques that might help you relax, a fabulous book you may enjoy is Meditation & Relaxation in Plain English, by Bob Sharples.
If you are considering visiting us for a class assignment or as resarch: Because the Ralph Waldo Emerson Zen Sangha is more a group of people practicing together than it is a Buddhist Center, and because Zen practice is such an intense, intimate communal endeavor, out of consideration for our members, it is perhaps not the best choice to visit us as part of a class assignment or as research. You might find that Cambridge Zen Center or the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center are better suited for this (and they are both easily accessible on the Red Line.)
If you are experienced in Zen: If you are comfortable with stilness and are familiar with meditation in the Zen tradition and with Zen liturgy—you are welcome to just show up and dive in. You are also welcome to arrange to come for an orientation.
What should you bring, what should you wear? You needn’t bring anything at all except, ideally, an open mind. If you wish to bring your own meditation cushion or bench, please do so. Some chairs, cushions, and benches will be available. You needn’t wear anything special, though you may wish to choose somewhat loose-fitting pants.
