A
sesshin (接心, 摂心, 攝心), literally "gathering the mind", is a period of intensive
meditationMeditation is used here as a broad term for practices done by a sole practitioner without much, if any, external aide, often for the purpose of self-transformation...
(
zazenZazen is at the heart of Zen Buddhist practice. The aim of zazen is just sitting, "opening the hand of thought". This is done either through koans, Rinzai's primary method, or whole-hearted sitting , the Soto sect's method...
) in a
ZenZen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, translated from the Chinese word Chán. This word is in turn derived from the Sanskrit dhyāna, which means "meditation" ....
monastery.
While the daily routine in the monastery requires the
monkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, whilst always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s to meditate several hours a day, during a sesshin they devote themselves almost exclusively to zazen practice. The numerous 30- to 50-minute-long meditation periods are interleaved with short rest breaks, meals, and sometimes short periods of work (Japanese:
samu) all performed with the same
mindfulnessMindfulness is calm awareness of one's body functions, feelings, content of consciousness, or consciousness itself. Mindfulness plays a central role in the teaching of the Buddha where it is affirmed that "correct" or "right" mindfulness is the critical factor in the path to liberation and...
; nightly sleep is kept to a minimum, at seven hours or less.
A
sesshin (接心, 摂心, 攝心), literally "gathering the mind", is a period of intensive
meditationMeditation is used here as a broad term for practices done by a sole practitioner without much, if any, external aide, often for the purpose of self-transformation...
(
zazenZazen is at the heart of Zen Buddhist practice. The aim of zazen is just sitting, "opening the hand of thought". This is done either through koans, Rinzai's primary method, or whole-hearted sitting , the Soto sect's method...
) in a
ZenZen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, translated from the Chinese word Chán. This word is in turn derived from the Sanskrit dhyāna, which means "meditation" ....
monastery.
While the daily routine in the monastery requires the
monkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, whilst always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s to meditate several hours a day, during a sesshin they devote themselves almost exclusively to zazen practice. The numerous 30- to 50-minute-long meditation periods are interleaved with short rest breaks, meals, and sometimes short periods of work (Japanese:
samu) all performed with the same
mindfulnessMindfulness is calm awareness of one's body functions, feelings, content of consciousness, or consciousness itself. Mindfulness plays a central role in the teaching of the Buddha where it is affirmed that "correct" or "right" mindfulness is the critical factor in the path to liberation and...
; nightly sleep is kept to a minimum, at seven hours or less. During the sesshin period, the meditation practice is occasionally interrupted by the master giving public talks (
teishoTeisho may refer to:Karate kata* Teisho , created by Katsuya Miyahira and studied by practitioners of Shorin-ryū Shidō-kan Okinawan KarateDJ / Producer* DJ Teisho, Navajo DJ / Producer residing in Terminology...
) and individual direction in private meetings (which may be called
dokusan,
daisan, or
sanzen) with a Zen Master.
In modern
BuddhistBuddhism, as traditionally conceived, is a path of salvation attained through insight into the ultimate nature of reality. It encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha...
practice in Japan and the West, sesshins are often attended by lay students, and are typically one, three, five, or seven days in length. Seven-day sesshins are held several times a year at many Zen centers, especially in commemoration of
the BuddhaSiddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher in the north eastern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is regarded by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddha of our age. The time of his birth and death are uncertain: most early 20th-century historians dated his lifetime as c...
's awakening to
annuttara samyak sambodhi. At this Rohatsu sesshin, practitioners seek to relax and quiet the mind to the point of cessation of mental chatter and emotional impulse,
samadhiIn Buddhism, samādhi is mental concentration or composing the mind.In the Pali literature, samadhi is found in the following contexts:...
,
kenshoKenshō is a Japanese term for enlightenment experiences. It is most commonly used within the confines of Zen Buddhism.Literally it means "seeing one's nature" or "true self." It generally "refers to the realization of nonduality of subject and object." Frequently used in juxtaposition with...
, or
satoriSatori is a Japanese Buddhist term for "enlightenment." The word literally means "understanding." "Satori" translates as a flash of sudden awareness, or individual enlightenment, and while satori is from the Zen Buddhist tradition, enlightenment can be simultaneously considered "the first step"...
.
A typical sesshin day
A sesshin schedule in the West will typically allow for about nine periods of
zazenZazen is at the heart of Zen Buddhist practice. The aim of zazen is just sitting, "opening the hand of thought". This is done either through koans, Rinzai's primary method, or whole-hearted sitting , the Soto sect's method...
per day, 30–40 minutes each, with five minute periods of walking meditation (
kinhinKinhin , in Zen Buddhism, is the walking meditation that is practiced between long periods of the sitting meditation known as zazen....
) between zazen periods. Traditional sesshins are more intensive, with meditations lasting 30–60 minutes each, with an absence of any rest or work breaks and sleep limited to less than five hours a day.
Meals are taken in a formal meditation ritual of
oryokiis a meditative form of eating that originated in Japan that emphasizes mindfulness awareness practice by abiding to a strict order of precise movements. Oryoki translates to "Just enough" which refers to the efficiency and accuracy of the form. Each movement is a simple reference point for the...
. Work periods in westernized sesshin are allowed and comprise two to three hours of the day, usually in gardening, cooking, or cleaning. The sesshin schedule typically allows for four to five hours of sleep per night, though practitioners occasionally will spend much of the next-to-last night of a five- or seven-day sesshin in zazen. This is called
yaza-Yaza:Yaza is a Zen Buddhist term for a sitting time during sesshin that is above and beyond the normal daily routine. It is generally encouraged because it is more difficult to sit at this time when your body is exhausted from the entire day's routine....
and is much revered as a particularly effective time to meditate when the thinking mind and ego lack the energy to derail practice.
It has been reported that at least three days of sesshin are usually required for the practitioner to "settle down" into the sesshin routine to a point where the mind becomes quiet enough for the deeper types of meditation and samadhi to begin.
Psychological aspects of sesshin
Some people unfamiliar with the process have reported becoming disoriented and fearful of incurring psychological damage during sesshin. Some Zen centers do not allow novices to attend long sesshins without much prior experience and screening by the practice leaders. Sesshin can lead to deep experiences of awakening that may at times be somewhat traumatic, akin to a "spiritual emergency" or symptoms of
Kundalini SyndromeThe Kundalini Syndrome is a set of sensory, motor, mental and affective symptoms reported predominantly among people who have had a near-death experience; it has also been attributed to practitioners of meditation or yoga.Researchers in the fields of psychiatry, transpersonal psychology, and...
.
While this may seem daunting at first, people who practice regular
zazenZazen is at the heart of Zen Buddhist practice. The aim of zazen is just sitting, "opening the hand of thought". This is done either through koans, Rinzai's primary method, or whole-hearted sitting , the Soto sect's method...
do not usually have problems with sesshin. Heightening of senses may arise during sesshin. Sometimes practitioners report that food has incredible flavor and colors become more vivid and pronounced.
Social aspects of sesshin
There is no talking during sesshin. Silence is observed so that each student may both concentrate on his experience and not influence those of others.
At the end of the sesshin there is usually a meal when students are allowed to talk to others for the first time since arriving.
Further reading
- The book Three Pillars of Zen by Philip Kapleau
Philip Kapleau was born in New Haven, Connecticut, in the United States and became a teacher of Zen Buddhism in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition, a blending of Japanese Soto and Rinzai schools...
(ISBN 0-385-26093-8) contains several first-person accounts of Rinzai sesshin experiences.
External links