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Schedule for traditional seven-day sesshin
[This document can be acquired from a sub-directory coombspapers via anonymous FTP on the node COOMBS.ANU.EDU.AU]
[Last updated: 30 March 1992]
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This document describes organizational details of sesshin (a Zen meditation retreat) as practiced by members of the Sydney Zen Center of the Diamond Sangha tradition
SCHEDULE FOR TRADITIONAL SEVEN-DAY SESSHIN DETAILING LEADERS' ROLES THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
| TIME | LEADER | ACTION |
| 4.00 A.M. | JIKI | Rings bell to wake up everybody. (Jiki has map of people/tents) |
| 4.15 A.M. | JIKI | Rings bell x l - all stand up. "Spread out for exercise" |
| 4.20 A.M. | JIKI | Clap x l and form kinhin line. Kinhin should last for 5 minutes. |
| Clap x l when approaching own zafu. | ||
| | ||
| JIKI | Leads silent bow. 'Sit facing in for tea.' Open cups/cloths. | |
| | ||
| Servers enter dojo on own initiative and serve tea. When servers leave, | ||
| INO | Inkin x l Bow, drink, wrap cups. | |
| INO | Inkin x l (Don't wait for slow ones) Bow, return cups behind zabutons. | |
| TANTO | Lights incense, picks up kyosaku, bows to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, then stands with stick down showing calligraphy. | |
| JIKI | Clap x l just as Tanto puts stick down, ready to walk. | |
| TANTO | Stick down, calligraphy facing into dojo, Tanto walks once around dojo; stick up return to starting point, again bow to Sangha, Dharma, Buddha and replaces stick on altar. | |
| JIKI | As soon as Tanto bows to Buddha, Jiki hits 3 bells for beginning of zazen. | |
| | Everybody should be in dojo by now. If anybody is missing from their place, Tanto should go get them. | |
| 4.53 A.M. | TANTO | Lights second candle, breaks one piece of (hears Roshi coming) incense in half, puts one on either side of incense holder, lit (waiting incense). Takes out stick of long incense for teacher. |
| | ||
| 4.55 A.M. | TEACHER | Enters dojo for Kentan. Tanto lights incense and hands to teacher. |
| JIKI | On teacher's final bow at exit, Jiki picks up striker, waits until teacher out of the dojo, then hits bells for end of period. | |
| Kinhin then zazen for three periods with dokusan/shosan. | ||
| 6.20 A.M. | COOK | Hits han x 3. |
| SERVERS | Exit to kitchen, to prepare trays. | |
| 6.30 A.M. | HEADSERVER | Accelerando on umpan. |
| JIKI | Be ready with inkin and hit as soon as accelerando finishes. | |
| Everyone rises with bowls. | ||
| JIKI | Hits inkin x l to bow with bowls. Sit. | |
| INO | Leads meal ceremony as per cards. During meal, if anything slows down, Ino says, "Pass fruit salad along" etc. | |
| INO & JIKI | At very end of meal sutras, Ino hits inkin x l and Jiki hits clapper x l twice. (Important to do this briskly.) | |
| JIKI | Hits inkin x l, we bow with wrapped bowls, tidy cushions then Jiki hits final inkin. | |
| 7.15 A.M. | SANGHA | Samu. |
| LEADERS | Leaders meeting with teacher. | |
| 8.00 A.M. | SANGHA | Tea and bikkies on verandah. |
| 8.20 A.M. | JIKI | Hits han as per instructions. |
| 8.30 A.M. | INO | Hits inkin after last hit on han for three bows. Sit facing in for sutras. |
| JIKI | Hands out sutra books briskly. Down- stairs leader does likewise. | |
| INO | Lead morning sutras (no "Song of Zazen") and include "Dedication for morning at sesshin". If it is necessary to announce page number, don't wait to start. | |
| At end of sutra service, Great Vows, then 3 bows. | ||
| JIKI | Collects sutra books, then leads kinhin. | |
| 9-11.30 A.M. | ALL | Zazen for five periods. Probably outside kinhin around l0 a.m (check Roshi). |
| 11.20 A.M. | COOK | Hits han x 3. Servers leave dojo. Brings in lunch offering for altar. |
| 11.30 A.M. | HEADSERVER | Accelerando on umpan. |
| JIKI | Hits inkin straightaway, all rise. | |
| INO | Meal sutras as per card. | |
| At end of meal, Ino hits inkin x l, | ||
| JIKI | Jiki hits clapper x l, repeat, then stand Jiki hits inkin, bow with bowls, tidy up cushions, then Jiki hits final inkin. | |
| NOON | SANGHA | Rest period. (Removal of offering) |
| 1.00 P.M. | SANGHA | Tea on verandah |
| 1.20 P.M. | JIKI | Hits han. |
| 1.30 P.M. | JIKI | Hits clappers once then 3 bells to start period. |
| 1.55 P.M. | JIKI | Hits bell x l "Prepare for Teisho". Goes straight out and hits han x l as signal to teacher. |
| JISHA | Sees everything is ready: Roshi's mat, water, tape-recorder, en route to the chestnut tree | |
| TANTO | Lights stick for Jisha to take to teacher. | |
| JISHA | Walks towards Tanto who is holding incense on thumbs, gasshos and takes incense in same manner, leaves dojo without bowing at exit and goes to teacher's quarters, carries his papers. | |
| JIKI | Hits drum 3 times. | |
| INO | "Please stand". Hits clappers, with five second intervals, first loud, then soft, ending on a loud clap when teacher reaches dojo entrance. | |
| JISHA | Bows to teacher, follows him in, bow to altar, places papers at teacher's place, goes straight to altar. Teacher bows, Jisha hands him incense, and as teacher bows on placing incense... | |
| INO | Hits inkin for 3 bows, then standing bow to altar, then when teacher in place, Ino hits inkin x l to bow to each other, then all sit formally. | |
| When teacher's hands to gassho, Ino starts "On opening the Dharma" on big bell. Dharma talk follows. At end of talk, teacher's hands to gassho, Ino starts "Great Vows" then 3 bows. At final bow to altar, teacher leaves. | ||
| JISHA | Picks up notes and follows Roshi. | |
| INO | Hits inkin when Jisha/teacher gone. All return to dojo. | |
| JIKI | Claps for kinhin as usual. Four periods of zazen follow, with dokusan starting around 3.05 pm. | |
| 4.30 P.M. | JIKI | Hits bell x l and says, "Prepare for reading" then hands out books. |
| INO | Announces page number, hits bell, "Shodoka", starts reading. | |
| JIKI | Wait five minutes after reading to collect books. (Make sure there is time for kinhin before evening meal.) | |
| 4.50 P.M. | COOK | Hits han x 3. Servers exit dojo. Cook enters dojo with offering. |
| 5.00 P.M. | HEADSERVER | Acceleranda on umpan/han. |
| JIKI | Hits inkin x l at end of accelerando. All stand with bowls. Jiki hits inkin and all bow, sit. | |
| INO | Leads silent bow to unwrap bowls. | |
| SERVERS | Enter dojo after bow. (No bells) | |
| INO | Bow to start offering, and when servers have left dojo, clap x l to eat. Clap x l for seconds. | |
| SERVERS | Bring in tea. All wash bowls. | |
| INO | Bow to pass offering jug along. Wrap bowls. Ino hits inkin x l, | |
| JIKI | clap x l, repeat, stand, inkin x l, bow tidy cushions, inkin x l, bow. | |
| 5.30 P.M. | ALL | Rest period. |
| 6.20 P.M. | JIKI | Hits han. |
| | ||
| 6.30 P.M. | JIKI | Rings inkin x 3 - no clapper. Normal zazen, dokusan until last period. |
| JIKI | Judges when last kinhin will be by checking dokusan line - should begin 8.30 - 8.35 P.M. At end of kinhin, says, "Sit facing in." | |
| 8.40 P.M. | TANTO | Holding kyosaku up for first round of dojo, and down for second, Tanto closes dojo. |
| JIKI | Clap x l as Tanto holds stick up to start walking, and when Tanto does final bow to Buddha, Jiki hits bell x 3 to signal start of zazen period. | |
| JISHA | At end of interviews, Jisha rings last bell. | |
| TANTO | Lights incense and candle. | |
| TEACHER | Comes in and bows to altar. | |
| INO | Have inkin ready in hand to hit as teacher is at bottom of bow, then accelerando for 3 bows. Sit facing in. | |
| JIKI | Hands out sutra books. | |
| INO | Lead evening service, Song of Zazen, Evening Dedication, Great Vows - no accelerando at end of this. | |
| JIKI & JISHA | Leave dojo at end of second round of Vows for closing ceremony. (see notes for details) | |
| INO | At last hit of closing ceremony, inkin x l, then three bows. | |
| TEACHER | Final words for the night. Leaves. | |
| INO | Hits inkin x l, all bow, tidy up. | |
| JIKI | Hits inkin x l, bow at waist, leave. |
--
Barry Kapke, director
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DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
TITLE OF WORK: Schedule for Traditional Seven-Day Sesshin
FILENAME: TIMESESS.ZIP (Internet: sesshin-time-structure.txt)
AUTHOR: unknown
AUTHOR'S ADDRESS: unknown
PUBLISHER'S ADDRESS: Sydney Zen Center, 251 Young St. ; Annandale, Sydney, NSW 2038, Australia
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 1992
ORIGIN SITE: coombs.anu.edu.au
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