
right here, right now
Zen helps us to dissolve negative habits of body and mind, live with clarity, and be of service to all beings.
Pittsburgh Zen Practice Group
Zen helps us to dissolve negative habits of body and mind, live with clarity, and be of service to all beings.
Standing
We do a brief warm-up and spend about 10 minutes in standing meditation forms (zhan zhuang). These standing forms are excellent for getting us out of our heads and into our bodies, discovering our posture, and getting our ki flowing.
Sitting
We then do two 25-minute periods of zazen, or seated meditation, with a short walking meditation (kinhin) in-between. Beginners will receive instructions in correct posture and body usage, belly breathing (fukushiki kokyu) and unified breath counting (sussokukan).
Chanting
We end each session with about 10 minutes of practice with breathing and mantric vibration by chanting okyo (sutras and dharanis), followed by three full bows.
Genryo Jones Osho was lucky enough to get a taste of traditional Rinzai Zen training in Japan in the late nineties, at Sogenji monastery with Shodo Harada Roshi, where he was ordained and trained for three and a half years. Recently, he has become a student of Meido Moore Roshi, abbot of Korinji in Wisconsin, and found a flavor of zen strikingly similar to what he experienced in Japan. His hope is to help make this flavor of Rinzai Zen training available locally for anyone with whom it might resonate, as it did for him. Iron City Rinzai is affiliated with the Korinji Rinzai Zen Community.
Our practice sessions are held on Saturday mornings (except for the 4th Saturday of every month) from 9 to 11am at Stillpoint Zen Center in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. Newcomers are always welcome and instruction will be provided. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or to let us know you’re coming using the form below. Street parking is limited–please allow extra time for finding a spot and possibly walking a block or two.
There is no fee required to participate, but a $5 donation per session is suggested. You can Venmo @ironcityrinzai (5532) directly or use the button below for Venmo, PayPal or credit card.
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This talk and discussion was recorded at our practice session on Saturday, April 1st. It’s an overview of Samadhi and the Rinzai Zen path, based on an earlier talk given by Meido Moore Roshi which is available on Korinji’s Patreon page. Passages were also read from “Peace of the Wild Things” by Wendell Berry, “Old … Continue reading Talk & Discussion on Samadhi, April 1st
We are moving! Starting this Saturday, March 4, we’ll be meeting at the Stillpoint Zen Center in Lawrenceville instead of the Wilkins School Community Center, and we’ll be meeting on Saturday mornings instead of Sundays, (every Saturday EXCEPT the 4th Saturday of every month, which is Stillpoint’s all-day sit—open to all, but a different schedule). … Continue reading We Are Moving!