Zen Group
Tuesdays and Thursdays
7:00 a.m. to 7:50 a.m.
Sittings are open to all members of the community. Instruction for beginners is available by arrangement in advance; for more information, please call 310-338-7432.
Practical Suggestions
Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing, suitable for sitting in either a cross-legged or cushion-supported kneeling posture. Sitting in a chair is also possible, ideally without using the back of the chair for support. Both cushions and chairs will be available. Each session includes sitting and walking meditation.
Location
Morning sessions are held in the Marymount Center for Prayer and Peace in University Hall (suite 3000) on the University's Westchester (main) campus. Parking is available for faculty and staff on P-1; students and visitors on P-2 and P-3. The Marymount Center is located in the Northwest corner of the building on the 3rd floor.
Background
Zen Buddhism uses the practice of sitting meditation or zazen as a way of realizing one's essential nature. In the context of this practice, meditation is not associated with any particular belief system. Zen practice invites an individual to investigate his or her experience through mindful and energetic attentiveness to breathing and posture. Evidenced by the writing and examples of David Steindl Rast, O.S.B. and others, Zen is open to ecumenical participation. Sittings are lead by Paul Humphreys, a lay practitioner of zen meditation since 1972. He has lived as a resident student in practice centers in Los Angeles, New Mexico, and San Francisco. Since 1976, he is a student of Rev. Denkyo Kyozan Joshu Sasaki, founder of Rinzai-ji Zen Center in Los Angeles.