Our Final Retreat of the Year
Cold winter nights inundated by fog on a Friday evening. At 466 E Street, a community seeking refuge from mundane wounds gathered for sesshin. Under one warm and generous home, we came together in support of the OG “Home” Collective.
We gathered. Shinzan opened with norms and logistics; Jisen was jikido (in charge of the schedule and bells), and the rest of us held the highest importance: keeping the container and maintaining noble silence. No one ever truly knows what their experience will be. Yes, there is a schedule, but there is also a world within ourselves, ready to be rediscovered over and over again. It’s been said many times: no sesshin is ever the same.
Saturday morning came around and most of us know the schedule. I joke with Daiko about getting the best sleep during sesshin and it’s true! I’ve concluded that sesshin offers the best sleep because the worldly concerns and stressors seem to ostensibly pause. Truthfully, if you find courage to stay at OG for sesshin, you reap a deeper reward. Though, it’s understandable that sleeping elsewhere can be anxiety inducing. I suppose everyone must do what’s best for them. Anyway…the morning stretches were inside because of the cold fog; the street lamps threatening with icy, damp grass (stretching is usually done on the lawn, some go barefoot). And there we went! One full day of zazen!
By the time Sunday rolled around, everyone was ready to talk. Jōriki is the name of the stored energy that emerges from doing nothing: it's gathered by lots of meditation. When we feel this mass energy, we’re reminded to take it easy. What do you get when you pair jōriki with coffee? A very elated and chatty Zen practitioner.
Truthfully, we really are a community that feels like family. Sometimes we annoy each other, but we always support and kindly encourage one another. The intention is always loving-kindness. It was beautiful, consequentially. Sure, I could have attempted to share all the details of this event, but all you would accomplish is a fabrication from these letters and symbols. Shinzan once said, something along the lines of, “You can’t enjoy the dishes just by reading the menu. If you want to taste the food, you have to order and actually eat it.” Cheers!
- Anzan
