where i sit...and sit...and sit....

i have an alter on the top shelf of a small bookcase next to my bed. most days i plop my zafu in front of it for zazen, but sometimes i prefer the sunlight in the living room, or the structure of the zendo at ZCLA.

the items on my alter were given to me. the green buddha belonged to my best friends parents in the 70's (it's hollow and they used to it stash drugs!), the alter cloth was a gift from dokai from japan, the monkey shaped incense holder a gift from my aunt from china, the dried rose from roshi after jukai, the candle holder was made by a co-worker in her ceramics class, and the various stones i picked up on my travels. i recently added a frame with 4 photos of buddha statues (representing the various stages of his life) i took while in india.

Do you have a spot in your place dedicated for Zazen?

Where do you sit at home? Corner of the living room? Next to your bed? Is it special and decked out with all kinds of paraphernalia or just a lonesome zafu in the corner with discarded magazines. Take a picture of your sitting space and post it here. I am curious!

a (very) brief history of 20/30 zen

awhile back i posted a blog titled "a brief history of 20/30 zen", it accidentally got deleted and i haven't had time to repost. this is a paraphrase of my original post simply designed to give bit of history.

3 years ago, i submitted a proposal to the executive circle at zen center los angeles for a group catering to the 20- and 30- somethings in our sangha. the idea was to create a place where we could discuss issues pertinent to practice in our generation as well as encourage newcomers in our age group. the idea came from discussions with interested members. it was met with mixed reactions in the EC but we secured a spot on the calender and met monthly for close to two years. the meetings varied in attendence, sometimes 2, sometimes 8 and a concern for many was juggling active participation with home life, career and other zen activities. enter 20/30 zen 2.0 (is that what we're calling it?), virtual zen blogging done at our convienence, in the comfort of our homes!

i'm excited to see where this goes, i think it's a wonderful opportunity to extend beyond our sangha as well as keep connected with those in our group.

maybe i'll even get around to writing a blog or two...

20/30 zen group photo

My Real Obstacle

What is the number one obstacle to my practice?

Lack of time immediately comes to mind.

I would like to examine my "lack of time" issue and see if we can share our thoughts on what is actualy preventing us from sitting Zazen.

Let's look at my day so far:

It is Nov 22, 2006. I got up at 7:00am, did my usual round of checking emails, stock performance and latest news. I spent the next two hours setting up this 20/30 Zen blog and wrote my first blog. Start my work at 9am. It is now 11:34am. I am taking a break from my work and found myself here typing away.

I have not spent one minute sitting.

Sure, I was busy doing stuff so I wasn't able to sit.

Busy doing "STUFF"?

I just realized as I am writing this that I consciously separate zazen from all other activities in my life.

Why can't zazen be part of my "STUFF"?

The real obstacle to my practice is not lack of time but separating zazen from my everyday life activities.

20/30 Zen 2.0

Since 20/30 Zen's inception, I have always wanted to attend one of its meetings. Although I will soon lose my eligibility(yes, I am pushing 40), I have, nevertheless, always hoped for the existence (and survivial) of such a group.

I have been sitting with ZCLA Sangha for six years but I barely exchanged more than the usual hellos and how are yous with some of you. The practice of Great Silence doesn't help either.

The truth is that, because I can barely find time to sit in the Zendo, the need to "social with people" automatically took the back seat. Judging from the exchanges I read from Yahoo's 20/30 Zen digest, I am not alone in this great struggle with "finding time".

Thus the inception of 20/30 Zen version 2.0; an online blog where we can share our thoughts. You can also publish photos and comment on other people's thoughts.

Not sure if this is necessary an upgrade from 2-/30 Zen 1.0. In some ways, it is just pure Darwanian; we must adapt to survive as a group.

So go ahead, grab a cup of coffee, sit down in front of your PC with your shaggy hair, pajamas and Micky Mouse slippers. Share your thoughts with everyone.