Why do we bow to a statue? Isn’t that idolatry? Do I have to bow if I don’t want to?
When we bow to the floor in the direction of the altar, we are not actually bowing to a statue. The figure on the altar, if there is one, is there to present a reflection of your own innate self-nature, enlightened from the beginning, your own capacity to realise your Buddha mind. It may seem curious at first, but try it anyway. You are touching your head to the earth, in veneration of the Earth who gives you your very life, and as you raise your hands above your head you are throwing away thoughts of ‘me’ and ‘mine’. You are also giving your body a pleasurable full stretch in a yoga asana that relieves the posture you have been holding in meditation. If the act of giving yourself away in this fashion genuinely offends you on religious grounds or is beyond you physically, simply do a standing bow instead. But best to explore it for yourself. Who knows, something useful may come from this act of throwing your self away while venerating the earth! Bowing is an ancient Buddhist practice of going beyond the self. Some Buddhists do 108 bows in a row – a real body work-out!
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Is Buddhism a religion? Can I be a Christian and a Buddhist? Who is the Buddha? Is he your God? Do you worship and pray to him?
Zen venerates the great example and enlightenment of the historical figure, Shakyamuni Buddha, but does not elevate him to a God. Many committed Jews and Christians, including monastics and clerics, choose to walk the path of Zen training in order to see God, and their own sacred texts as well, more intimately. Zen imposes nothing upon any monotheistic or polytheistic religious faith practised alongside it. There is no worship or prayer offered ‘to Buddha’, although Zen form itself is an act of mindfulness and deep respect towards the depth of realization embodied in the Buddha’s example. And zazen itself is recognisable as a deep form of prayer without words or content. It is more like openly and intimately listening to God and being listened to, an act of open gratitude, rather than asking for something. Zen is a religious practice in the sense that it connects you with real intimacy to all other sentient beings throughout space and time, and opens you to the immensity that afterwards can be called God, Buddha-nature, your true Self, the universe; but at the time, it plainly has no name at all, the profound and profoundly rich emptiness that every religious tradition recognises in its mystical streams of experience.
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What is dokusan? What happens in those face to face encounters with the teacher?
Dokusan or Sanzen means literally ‘work in the room’. It is an opportunity to ask questions and seek guidance, to enquire into the nature of practice and your own true nature with a teacher whose own level of insight has been publicly recognised by a recognised Zen master. You will be received at whatever level of enquiry you bring to the encounter, and encouraged to go further, to look more deeply. What takes place in the dokusan room remains entirely confidential. The dokusan room can be a place of quiet encounter, or of laughter, and the odd sounds of koan presentations. Don’t be worried or intimidated by this – in time you’l find your own way into the spirit of playfulness that often marks the Zen way of meeting with mystery.
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Should I meditate at home? How long should I begin with?
Weekly practice with the support and encouragement of the teacher and the group is essential if you want to move beyond a dalliance with the big questions of your life, and a daily practice – even for just 15 minutes once or twice a day – gives it strength. Start with 5 minutes of settled quiet sitting if that is all you can manage, and the commitment to get up only when you really feel it’s time to do so. You can include slower, mindful walking meditation as part of a daily walk, or sit quietly for a while with no agenda but to be and to breathe on a bench or under a tree. It is good to create a place in your room or house that you dedicate to the regular act of agreeing to sit down and face yourself. Make it beautiful, with you cushions, a simple altar with a small flower offering, a candle to light, perhaps some incense. Or just sit upright in your favourite chair and settle into your breath, your bones and sinews, the emotional tone your find in your body, the freshness of the morning, the peace of the early evening, and savour your sheer existence as it comes alive to you when thought starts to drop away.
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