Refreshing Mind and Body: My First Morning Zazen Experience

The other day, a friend suddenly invited me to try Zazen, so I went to experience Zazen, morning porridge, and sutra copying.

It was truly wonderful to have such an extraordinary morning activity starting at 8:00 AM on a weekday, so I'd like to write about the highlights and the changes I experienced.
(By the way, I clearly marked it as 'paid leave (going to Zazen)' on my work calendar, and everyone was surprised, saying, 'Wait, you're going to Zazen?' I know, right?)

The experience I went to this time was this one from Otomani.

The location was the Tokyo Grand Hotel, about a 10-minute walk from Hamamatsucho Station.
I thought it would be at a temple, but it was actually held in a Japanese-style room rented at the hotel.

Since we were told to wear loose-fitting clothing, I changed only my bottoms into loungewear and waited for the start in the Japanese-style room I was shown to.
The room had a view of a beautiful garden, incense was burning, and the scent of the tatami mats combined to create a very calming space.

As I sat on a cute cushion called a 'zafu' that looked like a pouf, a Zen monk arrived and started things off by casually asking, 'What are you looking forward to today?'
By the way, the vast majority of participants were there alone, so it's easy to join by yourself.
(When I looked up an example of a zafu, I found that such cute ones are also on sale. I didn't know there were Zazen goods out there.)

First, the Zazen time.

After a thorough explanation of Zazen, we began.
There were three things that were quite different from what I had imagined.

・You don't have to sit in seiza (kneeling position)
I was worried my legs would fall asleep, but they told me I could just sit cross-legged. Using the zafu mentioned above makes it easier to sit and helps you maintain a relaxed posture.

・You don't have to clear your mind
I had the image that Zazen was similar to meditation, where you get rid of worldly desires and try to become nothing. But actually, that's not the case.
The important thing is to let go of the need to try to be empty-minded, and to simply let thoughts pass without grabbing onto them.

・It's okay to be relaxed
The Zen monk said that when you are in the best state during Zazen, it feels like 'soaking in a bath.'
I thought, 'No way!', but the feeling after finishing a few minutes of Zazen was...
'I can feel various sounds, the wind, and the presence of the air, and it feels so pleasant,' which was a completely different impression from what I had initially imagined.

Next, the morning porridge time.

So, once Zazen was over, it was time for morning porridge. As someone who was starving, I was thinking, 'Finally!'

Before eating, we were told about the mindset for meals during training. I was surprised at how much thought is given to the people and hardships behind a single meal and its ingredients.

Breakfast was served, we were taught the etiquette, and the meal began.
Basically, it's a time to face yourself and your meal, so participants don't say a single word.

Now, the deliciousness of that first bite of morning porridge!
The sweetness of the rice spread through my mouth, and I could feel the deliciousness of the food deep in my soul.

When eating each side dish, I thought about the producers of the ingredients, the people who transported them, the people who built the delivery trucks, and the people who served them—I ate while thinking about all these various people.
(Having never thought about how mustard was made in my entire life, I was confused halfway through, wondering who I should be thanking for this!?)

I was able to deeply experience what it means to focus on a meal.

The sutra copying I was looking forward to
After finishing the morning porridge, it was time for sutra copying.
The subject of the sutra copying was the 'Gokan no Ge' (Verses of the Five Contemplations), which we were taught as the mindset for meals.

We weren't really taught anything specific; we were just handed a brush pen and started copying the sutra. (Since you place the paper over a template, it's easy to get into even if you're not confident in your calligraphy.)

The time spent writing while paying attention to the stops, hooks, and sweeps of each character, and looking at the overall balance, felt like I had entered a 'zone.' I spent time wondering if this is what the Room of Spirit and Time is like, and I was able to complete a satisfying sutra copy.

Final thoughts & photo session
Once the experience was over, we shared our thoughts with the other participants.
I told the Zen monk that although I usually worry about the past or fret about the future, while also drowning in the flow of information from scrolling through social media on my phone,
it felt comfortable to be able to focus on the "now."
The Zen monk's response to that has stayed with me.

What the Zen monk said there left a deep impression on me.

I realized that I had been living a life where I wasn't living in the "now," and that somewhere in my heart, I had been longing to live in the "now."

At the end, those who wished to could receive the keisaku (encouragement stick)*, and after taking some photos, the session concluded.
*The thing where they hit your shoulders with a stick.

I want to live a life built on now → now → now...

Looking back on it the next day, that Zazen time wasn't quite like soaking in a hot spring, but it was a pleasant experience. I thought it might be a ritual to distance myself from the worries and anxieties I create for myself and to face the present.

Since then, when I wake up in the morning, I resist the urge to look at my phone, sit cross-legged, try a simple form of Zazen, and have started creating time for a digital detox.
I even dug out some incense a friend gave me a long time ago to try relaxing with scent at the same time.

I have only experienced Zazen once, but having learned how comfortable it is to focus on the "now" and how it makes ordinary, casual moments feel more profound, I intend to incorporate mini-Zazen into my daily life from now on.
And I want to go do Zazen regularly again.

When I looked it up, I found that Otonami offers Zazen experiences in Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Kyoto, so please take a look if you are interested.