(When in doubt: follow along, or ask for clarification)
Make a standing bow with hands in gassho (prayer position) when entering the zendo (meditation hall).
Do not engage in unnecessary conversation in the zendo.
Heart Sutra chant: Before the chant begins, sit comfortably on your zafu (cushion) on the zabuton (floor mat, facing the room.
Sutra books should be either held or placed on the zabuton, not put on the floor.
Every Sunday, the service includes the Heart Sutra (first page in the Sutra book). Occasionally, we add one of the other chants in the book (Identity of Relative and Absolute or Enmei Jukku Kannon Gyo).
Hands are in gassho when chanting the dedication:
All Buddhas throughout space and time,
All Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas,
Maha Prajna Paramita.
You can hold the Sutra book when in gassho by placing it between your fingers and your thumbs—the book will be in front of your face.
When chanting, be uninhibited, but “chant with your ears”—let your voice blend with others, particularly the voice of the Ino (chant leader), who sets both the tone and the pace of the chant.
Zazen: Prepare your seat—zafu (meditation cushion), meditation bench, or chair—and make a standing bow to your seat. Turn to the right, make a standing bow to the room, and sit down. Turn around and face the wall. Take the best posture possible (see the Zazen Checklist) and remain still for the period. Three hits on the bell signal the start of the meditation period.
Kinhin: Two hits on the bell signal the start of kinhin (walking meditation). At the second hit, make a seated bow with hands in gassho, turn around while seated, wait for the senior person to rise, and then get up, turn around and adjust your zafu, stand, bow to your seat, turn to the right, and stand in gassho facing toward the room.
At the first sound of the clappers, hands go into shashu (left hand encircles thumb, right hand encloses the left, and hands are held near the body with the forearms parallel to the floor). Begin slow kinhin: The pace is very slow—about one half step per exhale. At the sound of the bell, make a standing bow with hands in shashu, and begin fast kinhin. The pace is brisk—keep up with the person in front of you.
Throughout kinhin, continue to practice zazen, and keep the eyes lowered at about a 45 degree angle. (If you need to use the restroom or exit the zendo, you may do so during fast kinhin, when you pass the entrance to the zendo. Reenter at your place in line.)
At the sound of the clappers, hands go into gassho and you continue to walk until you reach your seat, make a standing bow to your seat, turn to the right and face the room, hands still in gassho. At the sound of the bell, make a standing bow and sit down, turn in your seat to face the wall. Three hits on the bell signal the beginning of the second zazen period.
The second zazen period is followed by another brief kinhin period, and a third and final zazen period, during which you will sit facing the room instead of facing the wall.
At the end of the third period, the Four Great Bodhisattva Vows are chanted three times:
Sentient beings are numberless; I vow to save them
Desires are inexhaustible; I vow to put an end to them
The Dharmas are boundless; I vow to master them
The Buddha Way is unsurpassable; I vow to attain it
There is usually a brief talk, including the opportunity to ask questions and share experiences, after the chanting of the vows.
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