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Thread: Sitting on a chair

  1. #1

    Sitting on a chair

    Lately, I've been sitting on a chair. I have an office chair in my home office, and I sit with my legs apart in a V shape (about the same angle as when I sit on a cushion), and my legs are bent downwards: my feet rest on the ground on the balls of my feet and my toes, with my heels off the floor. I find that this lets me sit comfortable, without the pain in my arthritic knees, but also with much less pain in my back and neck.

    Now I know that Nishijima thinks that sitting on a chair is very wrong, but I think that Jundo has said that it's ok if you can't sit on a cushion. (I think that Brad, on the other hand, feels it is evil.)

    This led me to reflect on something: the obsession with sitting in the lotus position is, in part, because the Japanese didn't have chairs (and only recently adopted them). They were used to sitting on the floor, so it was easy for them. I don't know about India in the time of the Buddha, but I'm guessing that it's the same: they sat on the floor or on cushions.

    So can't we just use the context in which we live and sit in a way that's comfortable?

    Kirk

  2. #2

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    One point that I heard and find suiting is: we should be able to do Zazen anywhere.

    I sit in burmese comfortably and have no problems. If you don't have the capability (equipment) to sit in lotus or even burmese posture, then a chair is fine. However, the above point is clear I think.


    From Sodo no Gyoji (Practicing the Buddha way- clothing, eating, and housing...) by Tsugen Narasaki Roshi:

    Today in Japan many people live a western lifestyle using tables and chairs, so the custom of sitting on the floor is becoming a little troublesome for them. They need to train themselves for sitting on the floor. It seems as though young or modern peoples personalities are changing through this new lifestyle. Siting on the floor is a Japanese traditional custom. Some people think it is archaic and feel a strong resistance to it. When a traditional way is changed into a modern or more convenient way, the true nature becomes abbreviated. As a consequence, the fundamental thought can touch less of true nature. Our practice is comprehended only through our body. If we have a desire to practice the authentic Buddha Way, we should practice sitting on the floor.

    In both kekka-fuza and hanka-fuza the knees should touch the floor or mat. This position settles our equilibrium and is very steady. This is not only true of the Japanese, but also of foriegners in their own countries who say that sitting zazen on the floor is more stable than in a chair. Some people feel that sitting zazen on a chair is the more comfortable way, but this needs to be considered carefully.

    Overweight people or people who don't have the flexibility to bend or cross their legs can loosen their bodies by soaking in a hot bath and massaging their muscles and joints while sitting in the lotus posture.
    Gassho

  3. #3

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Yesterday, I was waiting in the car to pick someone up, and realized I had 10 good minutes for zazen. So I sat, right there in the driver's seat.

    I am mostly a "floor-living person", but sitting in proper zazen postures is still a challenge for me, because the positions I am accustomed to sitting in on the floor are different than the standard zazen positions, and I change position frequently. When I sat in a real zendo the first time, I thought my leg was going to fall off, it became so numb. I thought this aspect would be easy for me because of my floor-sitting habits, but it wasn't. So the zazen positions really are a drastic change for some people.

    I think you have to respect your body. It's no use sitting zazen while you're in howling pain, or distracted to an extreme. I also have some arthritis problems in my knees, although it's not that bad (yet). Full lotus position is out of the question for me because of this. I end up sitting Burmese or slightly half-lotus, but I still have to fiddle with cushion positioning and experiment. I can tell this is an issue that will take time to resolve, and I will have to keep listening to my body all the while.

    My just-now-closed local zendo had a row of chairs in it...obviously the sensei understood and respected the possible needs of some sitters.

    gassho
    julia

  4. #4
    disastermouse
    Guest

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    An office chair is likely not a good type of chair. There are very few chairs with totally 'flat' seats. Most try to 'scoop' you in and back. This makes it difficult to sit with the back truly straight.

    I use a seiza bench. That way, I experience less pain than I did in half-lotus, but am more stable and solid than I would be if I sat on a chair.

    Everyone makes their own choice.

    Chet

  5. #5

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Actually, it's quite good. I sit on the front edge which is slightly tilted downward, which puts my back nice and straight. I don't sit leaning against the chair back...

    Kirk

  6. #6

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Quote Originally Posted by kirkmc
    Lately, I've been sitting on a chair. I have an office chair in my home office,
    You know, even John Daido Loori, who I think is more of the "traditional" kinda of Zen, allows the lay folks to sit in chairs. :mrgreen:

    From their Zen center web site:






    (I think that Brad, on the other hand, feels it is evil.)
    From some of his latest blogs, I think age is softening that position. :P

    FWIW, I use a seiza bench.

  7. #7
    disastermouse
    Guest

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Brad let me sit on a bench when I sat with them in SM. He did answer (in an email) that he didn't like them.

    An interesting (to me, anyway) side note: It was only a month or so after I bought my own zafu that I stopped my regular sitting practice ten years ago. Up until then, I used a combination of folded pillows.

    Chet

  8. #8

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    The Loori photos are interesting; I wouldn't think of sitting with my back supported. However, I do do Jundo's Patented Instant Zen™ in waiting rooms and the like sitting like that.

    Kirk

  9. #9

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Quote Originally Posted by kirkmc
    The Loori photos are interesting; I wouldn't think of sitting with my back supported. However, I do do Jundo's Patented Instant Zen™ in waiting rooms and the like sitting like that.

    Kirk
    Ooooh. Does that include Ralph Macchio as spiritual advisor?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6d9wXdQesU[/video]]


    :mrgreen:

  10. #10

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    I love to sit in my car! (more about that in a minute)

    But let's talk about traditional ways of sitting first ...

    The basic principle is that balance of body is hand-in-glove with balance of mind, one nurturing the other, truly just body-mind. For millenia, the Full Lotus, and to a lessor extent, the Half Lotus have been considered positions of great poise and balance. The Burmese position is also very balanced. The lifting of the rump, straightening of the back with slight curvature of the lower back, the stability of the legs with good circulation, the comfortable head position ... all lend themselves to our forgetting about the body during Zazen. Once mastered, they are intended as incredibly comfortable and stable positions ... not torture

    My teacher, Nishijima, is against Seiza and, even more so, chairs. They do not provide such balance in his view, and furthermore, were not the tradition in the Zen schools. Now, the official "Soto" school line (for Westerners, at least) is that chairs, Seiza and Burmese are acceptable ... if not ideal.

    Nishijima makes the valid point that many Westerners give up on the Lotus postures for lack of trying, lack of giving it time and stretching. He is right. He may be a little stubborn in not yielding on this issue to people's needs who have legitimate physical issues, and I sometimes think so (this is a very Japanese attitude). But most westerners give up much too easily.

    So, you should try many ways and make up your own mind. However, if you are physically capable of Lotus or Half Lotus (or Burmese), that is the best I think.

    The philosophy around Treeleaf Sangha about sitting is that everyone should try out for themselves, and adjust, the fine points of sitting Lotus (Full and Half) and Burmese. Seiza and chair sitting, is tolerated as maybe necessary in some cases, if there is a true and uncorrectable physical need.

    So, please tinker away with the Full/Half Lotus and Burmese in minor ways. You will know when you are balanced because, quite simply, you will feel balanced, and generally comfortable in sitting for long stretches day after day. The proof is in the pudding. Just make sure you are not sagging in the back, that the back is straight, that the chin is tucked in and the head not dropping forward, and that you are not leaning to the side.

    Getting one's knees on the floor flat is important, and if you can't, try temporarily (emphasis added) putting pads or cushions under the knees until you can by stretching the groin muscles and such to get the knees down.

    Because I cannot help with posture because of the distance (one of the few things we cannot do in this Sangha because of distance), I am recommending folks to consult with a local Yoga instructor in your area about getting in a good Lotus or Half-Lotus, or Burmese if needed, posture (just bring your Zafu when you do, as some Yoga folks do it slightly differently, sitting directly on the floor).

    If you float around this Forum, you will find lots of discussion threads on sitting tips.

    Remember too that "Zazen" is not only the times we spend on the cushion. So, sitting, crouching, back flipping, walking, running, skipping, hopping, falling or spinning is also Zazen (we still must spend that time on the cushion however). Thus, I do often "sit" Zazen other places, such as in a car ...

    http://blog.beliefnet.com/treeleafzen/2 ... sic-1.html

    Gassho, Jundo (I used to sit mostly Full Lotus. Now, I mix Full, Half and Burmese)

  11. #11

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    You see, I can sit in the Burmese position, which is what I've done for twenty-odd years. But I have arthritis in my knees, and it hurst more and more to sit like that (and, yes, my knees are on the floor). In addition, sitting on the floor causes a lot of pain and tension in my back and neck; obviously, it's because I'm not sitting "right", but there's not much I can do to fix that. You can find the right posture for a minute, with our without someone showing it to you, but the body does not freeze in the correct position, and, over time, during a sitting, that changes.

    Kirk

  12. #12

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Quote Originally Posted by kirkmc
    You see, I can sit in the Burmese position, which is what I've done for twenty-odd years. But I have arthritis in my knees, and it hurst more and more to sit like that (and, yes, my knees are on the floor). In addition, sitting on the floor causes a lot of pain and tension in my back and neck; obviously, it's because I'm not sitting "right", but there's not much I can do to fix that. You can find the right posture for a minute, with our without someone showing it to you, but the body does not freeze in the correct position, and, over time, during a sitting, that changes.

    Kirk
    Hi Kirk,

    Then, yes, if there is a medical need and it is unavoidable, you can certainly sit another way such as Seiza, in a chair or something else. I believe that if you have been sitting for twenty years, you will be the best judge of what is appropriate.

    I also am having trouble with my knees and ankles if sitting in Full Lotus, something I attribute to my 'Made in USA' thunder thighs, something skinny little Asian Zen fellows rarely have. I sit mostly in Half Lotus and Burmese, but mix in Full Lotus about once a week or so just to stay "in shape".

    Gassho, Jundo

  13. #13

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Quote Originally Posted by Jundo
    I also am having trouble with my knees and ankles if sitting in Full Lotus, something I attribute to my 'Made in USA' thunder thighs, something skinny little Asian Zen fellows rarely have. I sit mostly in Half Lotus and Burmese, but mix in Full Lotus about once a week or so just to stay "in shape".
    It's not just "thunder thighs", it's the fact that the Japanese are more used to sitting on the floor, and their bodies have developed to do so as they grew up. This said, I imagine that they often sit in chairs now - at work, if not at home - so this is changing. I do see, however, in pictures of people playing in go title matches (I'm a go player) that they still sit on the floor, but they have kind of seatless chairs: things with backs and armrests that actually look quite nice.

    Kirk

  14. #14

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Anyone tried sitting on one of those kneeler chairs they use in offices. I have and they are very comfortable(perhaps too comfortable) but I found it better than a chair.

    I agree about not supporting the back when using a chair. Sit forward towards the front and the height of the chair is important - preferably just a fraction higher than the knees. Using firm foam wedge helps. Zafu is best if you can manage it.

    Daiku

    PS. I have a photo of one but can`t see how to upload it :?

  15. #15

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Quote Originally Posted by BrianP
    Anyone tried sitting on one of those kneeler chairs they use in offices. I have and they are very comfortable(perhaps too comfortable) but I found it better than a chair.
    I had one of them for a number of years. I find that it's quite good if you really pay attention to the way you sit - to the position of your back. But it can be very bad if you don't; you can get into a very bad posture with it.

    I had to give mine up because I have a neurological condition which has symptoms including dizziness. I found that sitting on that chair made my back hurt - it's because I had one where they two knee pads were independent, and they were made of wood, so they were fluid in space. It would make me constantly adjust my posture, putting a lot of stress on my back. I've since changed to a more standard office chair with a big seat that goes almost out to my knees, that is very stable. That's the one I've been using for sitting; sitting on the front edge of it.

    Oh, another way I've been trying is sitting on a stool, with the back two (of four) legs raised by a small piece of wood. This tilts the stool just enough to put the pelvis forward a bit, which keeps the back straight. It seems to me - from my experience - that it's better to have the back free rather than supported by something. I feel it keeps me more "awake" in the sense of needing to be physically dynamic. If my back is supported, I can lean into the support and let go too easily.

    Here's a phone camera pic of how I do it:



    Kirk

    Attached files

  16. #16

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Tilting the chair or stool like that is a good idea. When I get people in prison with bad backs that make it easier for them to use a chair, I get them to put their shoes under the back legs with the legs in the shoe at the heel.

    All gets s bit over complicated at times doesn`t it! :roll:

  17. #17

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    I firmly support people sitting in a way that is not painful. I think it would be a pretty piss poor Enlightenment that depends on one's body position (and I think far higher of zen and buddhism in general to believe this). People only sit in the pretzel position (well that IS what it most resembles), because Gautama happened to study yoga for seven years before he sat under that tree for 6 years. If Gautama had been a monk in Europe, we would all be kneeling at prie-dieu's. And I just think there is enough pain in the world without going out of our way to make more. Personally I feel rock-solid when sitting with my back straight and my feel firmly on the floor (forming a solid tripod between butt and feet).

    The important thing is to be alert in one's mind and still in one's body. A stable position, that is, one in which your body feels stable, usually promotes this best. Having one's back be upright over one's hips usually does this. Since your feet are not flat on the floor, perhaps additional stability could be achieved by having your arms supported by your desk? But as long as you are alert in mind, that is what matters. The upright (90 degree) position usually also keeps one from having back pain for most people. To avoid sinking in to my lower back (this sinking can cause pain) I lift my ribcage VERY SLIGHTLY. There are all sorts of guidelines about where to have your nose in relation to your neck, etc. but being stiff is the thing to avoid. Also, squeezing one's shoulders up to one's ears and then relaxing and letting the shoulders drop is a good way to feel what is probably a good placement for the shoulders.

    Buddhism talks about ending pain and yet many zen people insist that the only way to enlightenment is to deliberately put yourself in pain. To the outside world, this looks ridiculous. And any Roshi whose understanding depends on pain seriously needs to find the rest of the understanding that doesn't.

    As for Floor sitting being traditional to japanese people, that may be true, but net for hours at a time in complete stillness.


    thank you for your time,
    gassho,
    rowan
    who happily sits on a short (because she is short) 3-leg stool

  18. #18

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    If your really stuck on sitting in a chair, just put zafu on it, and sit on the edge with leg at ninety degree angle. However, don't visit Jundo because he'll take you some mountain and make you sit on a big rock.

    Gassho

  19. #19

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Quote Originally Posted by will
    If your really stuck on sitting in a chair, just put zafu on it, and sit on the edge with leg at ninety degree angle. However, don't visit Jundo because he'll take you some mountain and make you sit on a big rock.

    Gassho
    LOL!

  20. #20

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Quote Originally Posted by will
    If your really stuck on sitting in a chair, just put zafu on it, and sit on the edge with leg at ninety degree angle. However, don't visit Jundo because he'll take you some mountain and make you sit on a big rock.

    Gassho
    Yes, Will is referring to the fact that anyone who visits Treeleaf in Tsukuba gets dragged by me for hiking on our nearby Mt. Tsukuba, including Zazen on a big rock. Here's Will ...

    http://blog.beliefnet.com/treeleafzen/2 ... ll-on.html

    And speaking of rocks, I pretty much completely agree with everything Jinho wrote above. I really am caught between the rock of tradition and the hard place of people just sitting any way they wish that they THINK is comfortable and balanced. I do think that the Lotus Position is often fetishized in Japan particularly (see my old comment below, the Chinese are generally not so worshiping of the position itself.). But it is a heavy burden to toss out several thousand years of tradition!

    I mean, there are a few statues of a Buddha sitting in a chair, but not too many ... and this guy certainly can use some work on both posture and shedding a few pounds (though I do look a bit like that with my robes off).



    Bottom line for me: If any posture can be sat so that the body is forgotten, and one can have a general feeling of being balanced in body-mind, for long sittings ... it is probably a good posture. However, everyone should try the traditional way, and not give up too soon.

    Gassho, J

    Sorry that this comment is a bit long, but worth going into in detail I think ...

    Posture is vital. But I think we have to keep a couple of things in mind about the history of the Lotus Position itself, its real benefits and purposes, monastery life, the Japanese tendency to fetishize the "correct" way (yarikata) to do things, and the Buddha's and Dogen's central philosophical perspectives on Practice.

    Yes, the Lotus Position has been the traditional yogic position for meditation for thousands of years, even before the time of the Buddha. And certainly the Buddha sat that way (as every statue of a sitting Buddha demonstrates). And certainly there are tremendous benefits to the posture in providing balance and stability conducive to 'dropping body and mind' and engaging in balanced, stable Zazen. In that posture, we literally can give no thought to the body. The comfort and balance of the body is directly connected, and conducive to, comfort and balance of mind.

    But I would hesitate to go much further in attributing any special power or physical effect to the position itself.

    First off, I believe the Buddha himself sat that way because, well, he needed to sit some way for hours on end -- and the "lotus position" was then the custom in India for how people sat on the ground and very good for marathon sitting. It is a good way to sit on a rock or under a tree, which is what folks did back then (in fact, he may have sat with his posterior flat on the ground, by the way, without a cushion or 'Zafu' ... which is very different from how we sit). As I said, it is very balanced and stable. But there is no evidence in the early Sutras and Shastras that he himself ever focused on the position itself as having some special power, always emphasizing the philosophical and psychological aspects of Buddhist philosophy far over the purely physical. Certainly, he did not encourage engaging in any other yoga positions as were common in India at the time (e.g., we do not stand on our heads as a normal part of practice), so I do not think he was a great proponent of the positional type of yoga itself.

    When Buddhism spread to China, Japan and other countries, I believe that people continued to follow the custom. However, even then there has been a tremendous degree of small variations in the details of the Lotus Posture, e.g., hand position, back angle and such.

    Now, when Zazen came to Dogen, well, it came to a fellow who also left us with detailed instructions about how to carry our towels in the washroom, clean our nose, bow, place incense, use a pillow while sleeping and wipe ourselves in the toilet. Dogen, like many Japanese of ancient and modern times, was something of a control freak who emphasized that there is "one right way" to do things (the aforementioned (yarikata). I have seen Japanese get the same way about the proper way to wear socks and enter an elevator. Here is that wonderful short film that makes fun of it (I know that you have seen it 100 times):

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b75cl4-qRE[/video]]

    and here is another

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3vBqX1NTBc[/video]]

    Now, that is not a bad thing, mind you, for Zen Practice. Don't get me wrong. It is the same mentality exactly as in "Oryoki" meal taking in a Zen monastery by which the simple act of eating requires dozens and dozens of set gestures that must be mastered in the body memory. It is conducive to many aspects of Practice, including focused mindfulness. Sitting in a set way such as the Lotus Posture has the same benefits of allowing the action itself to be forgotten as it is mastered by the body memory.

    Also, of course, in a monastery ... like in army boot camp ... you don't want folks just running around and flopping down any which way they feel, eating and sleeping whenever they wish. Quite the contrary. Discipline is required, so naturally, is the demand that everyone march around the monastery and sit in exactly the same way.

    If you look at Shobogenzo and other writings by Dogen, he actually spends very little time explaining the details of how to sit. In Fukanzazengi, for example, he explains the barebones act of sitting on a pillow, crossing the legs and such ... but for sentence after sentence after sentence he is focused on the "cosmic significance" of Zazen and the mental game. It is much the same when he describes how to carry a towel in the bath, wear our robes, bow or go to the toilet. He describes the procedure, but then is much more focused on the philosophical view of the act.

    Bouncing a ball or changing a tire --is-- Zazen itself. Dogen was clear on that. Of course, you do not have monks changing tires or bouncing balls too much in daily monastery life, so Dogen did not talk about those. But he did talk about the equivalent for monastery life, namely, cooking food as the Tenzo, washing the floors, etc. Dogen was crystal clear that the Lotus Position is the whole universe, the whole universe and all the Buddhas and Ancestors are sitting in the Lotus Position when you and I so sit ... but he was also clear that EVERYTHING is the Lotus Position. It is clear that Dogen, too, loved the perfection of the Lotus Posture ... but there is very little talk, if any, in his writing about the power of the position itself (do not confuse statements about the philosophical power of the position with his asserting that some energy or effect arises from the position itself ... you will not find much of that).

    In my view, Dogen's real message ... and the real message of Zen practice ... is not that there is only "one way" to do something in this vast universe. It is that "one thing" should be done with our whole heart-mind as the "one and only act in that one moment" in this vast universe. That is what Dogen was saying.

    My teacher, Nishijima, considers the Lotus Position a pure action, one pure thing. He recommends everyone to sit in the Lotus Position if at all possible. I do too (too many westerners get lazy or scared and don't really try, or give it sufficient time). But these days, in Zazen, Westerners have begun sitting other ways such as in seiza or on chairs (I only recommend this if there is a physical limitation whereby one cannot sit in the Lotus Posture). I believe that body-mind can be dropped away in those positions too if done with balance and stability.

    An overly fetishized focus on the miracles of the Lotus Position itself is misplaced and misunderstands Dogen's intent.

    Anyway, that is my position (pun intended). I won't budge.

    Gassho, Jundo

  21. #21

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    You can sit here
    you can sit there
    you can sit with a bird
    you can sit with the flock
    Jundo will make you hike
    to sit on a rock
    you can sit near
    you can sit far
    it really doesn't matter
    if you sit in a chair
    just sit were you are
    and stare

    I miss Dr. Suess [sp?]

  22. #22

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Quote Originally Posted by JamesVB
    You can sit here
    you can sit there
    you can sit with a bird
    you can sit with the flock
    Jundo will make you hike
    to sit on a rock
    you can sit near
    you can sit far
    it really doesn't matter
    if you sit in a chair
    just sit were you are
    and stare

    I miss Dr. Suess [sp?]
    So Fabulous!!!!!!1

  23. #23

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Would you zazen in a box?
    Would you zazen with a fox?
    In a car, in a tree?
    Try it, try it, you will see!

    Yes, I would zazen in a box,
    Yes, I would zazen with a fox,
    and in a car,
    and in a tree,
    so Sam-I-Am,
    just let me be!
    :mrgreen:

  24. #24
    disastermouse
    Guest

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    I sat half-lotus for the first four years.

    I only ever sat 20 minutes, because by 25, I was in agony. However, I also noticed that it took about 10-15 minutes for my mind to settle down...sometimes about 18 minutes..and then 2 minutes later, TIME TO GET UP (or feel unnecessary agony).

    Sitting on the bench, it takes about 40 minutes for my neck/jaw to start to hurt. So, theoretically, I can sit longer on the bench.

    Chet

  25. #25

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Hi Kirk

    Just been reading a recommended book on Alexander Technique: 'Body, Breath and Being' by Carolyn Nicholls. Got a copy off amazon for around £6.

    You might find it useful as it deals with both sitting in a chair and cross legged apart from lots of other useful AT stuff.

    Also, I find I have to sit in a chair at the Abbey I attend because I can't manage double sittings etc of the required length on my seiza bench. If you push a small cushion right down the back off the chair to your sacrum area it should help tilt it forwards and give it some support in that position to allow a proper supportive back position. Also one higher up can give a little more support if necessary but the one at the base of the spine I find most helpful.

    I go for a week long Jukai retreat there a week on friday so I've been working with a Monk on the best way I can manage what I've been told is just a bit short of a seshin in intensity. Thankfully same very kind Monk has offered to 'mentor' me in case of any health issues in the 7/8 days I'm there.

    In gasso, Kevin (briefly out of lurker mode )

  26. #26

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    I have studied the Alexander Technique in the past. While I don't think to apply it, I do know about sitting, as that's one of the most basic elements of the technique. In fact, it may be that awareness - and having experienced balanced sitting during Alexander Technique lessons - that makes me so aware that my sitting on a cushion is uncomfortable.

    Thanks for mentioning it, though; I'll have to pull out my books on the AT and reread what they say about sitting.

    Kirk

  27. #27

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    I`ll have to get used to a chair for the next three years - I`ve just been endorsed as Chairperson of Cyngor Bwddaidd Cymru - Buddhist Council of Wales.

    Fame at last :!:

  28. #28

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Would you zazen in a box?
    I would sit Zazen in a house.
    Or perhaps, with a mouse.

    W

  29. #29
    Treeleaf Unsui Shugen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Redding California USA

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Brian,

    Congratulations!!

    Ron

  30. #30

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Hi Brian,

    Quote Originally Posted by BrianP
    I`ll have to get used to a chair for the next three years - I`ve just been endorsed as Chairperson of Cyngor Bwddaidd Cymru - Buddhist Council of Wales.

    Fame at last :!:
    Congratulations! BTW there's something I find very intriguing about the Welsh language. Must be the influence of my ancestors. I can't speak a word of it, though. :roll: Is there a Welsh version of the Heart Sutra?

    Gassho
    Bansho

  31. #31

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Quote Originally Posted by Bansho
    Congratulations! BTW there's something I find very intriguing about the Welsh language. Must be the influence of my ancestors. I can't speak a word of it, though. Is there a Welsh version of the Heart Sutra?

    Gassho
    Bansho
    Well I don`t speak much Welsh myself but we are expected to respect the language and government organisations are obliged by law to print everything in Welsh & English.Ive been living in Wales for over 20 years and every year I resolve to learn the language! The Welsh language is a very controversial subject here.

    I don`t know of a Welsh version of the Heart Sutra but I have got a version of the Metta Sutra in Welsh somewhere.

    Gassho,
    Daiku

  32. #32

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Hi Daiku,

    Quote Originally Posted by BrianP
    Well I don`t speak much Welsh myself but we are expected to respect the language and government organisations are obliged by law to print everything in Welsh & English.Ive been living in Wales for over 20 years and every year I resolve to learn the language! The Welsh language is a very controversial subject here.

    I don`t know of a Welsh version of the Heart Sutra but I have got a version of the Metta Sutra in Welsh somewhere.

    Gassho,
    Daiku
    Hmm, interesting. Thanks.

    Gassho
    Bansho

  33. #33

    Re: Sitting on a chair

    Brian - congrats!

    gassho.
    rowan

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