Kwan Um Zen Meditation
The world is a busy place. We’re all busy. We all have stress, commitments, things to worry about. We need to get things done… in the words of our founding teacher, “Put it down. Put it all down.”
In practicing zen we are engaged in letting go of the things that weigh us down and bring us suffering. When we meet together and practice together in our sangha, we help each other by providing support and reminding one another that regardless of what is going on, that this moment, right now, is where we need to be, not fretting over the past, or future. And all we need to do at this moment, is breathe.
Red Earth Zen is affiliated with the Kwan Um School of Zen and under the guidance of the Kansas Zen Center. We are a small group, that has been around for a number of years in one form or another. Our typical daily practice consists of three parts: bows, chanting and meditation. Bows consists of 108 prostrations. The chanting is done partially in English and partially in Korean and during meditation we sit for 30 minutes, followed by a short reading or dharma talk.
During retreats we add a few additional activities like walking meditation and interviews. Some of these activities may seem a bit foreign if you are new to zen, but what most people find is that once they give it enough time to become more familiar, they begin to see how participating in these actions as a group can aid your ability to meditate and remain present.
For those who are new and joining us for the first time, please try to arrive about 15 minutes early so we can talk about how practice works and answer any questions you have. Keep in mind that it may take some time to get used to the zen practice. And don’t be shy about asking questions.
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