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3:00 Afternoon Sitting
Opening the Butsudan in the Hatto
Walking clockwise around the room, walk to the Butsudan. Stand in front of it with your feet
together and bring your hands to gassho (palm to palm). Without first bowing, lower yourself into
a kneeling posture (seiza) and then bow. Straighten, and pick up the stick of incense. Hold it
vertically between the tips of your index fingers, raise your hands and place the knuckles of your
thumbs against the centre of your forehead (which will bring the incense stick to an upright and
elevated position above your head). Bow forward, straighten, and lower your hands so that they
come to rest in front of the area of the heart. Transfer the incense stick to your right hand, and
hold the tip of it over the flame of the left-hand candle. You can keep your left hand in gassho
while lighting the incense with your right.
Place the lit stick between the tips of your index fingers, raise your hands and place your
thumbs against your forehead to bring the incense stick to an upright and elevated position above
your head. Bow forward, straighten, and lower your hands so that they come to rest in front of the
area of the heart. Transfer the incense stick to your right hand and turn the incense stick with a
rapid circular motion to extinguish the flame (it is considered ill-mannered to blow out a stick of
incense). You can keep your left hand in gassho while you do this.
Place the incense stick in the burner, bring your hands to gassho, and do a kneeling bow.
Straighten; place your hands in shashu, rise, and bring your hands to gassho to do a final standing
bow before the Butsudan.
Unless you have been given instruction in Great Bows, this is all you need to do to open
the Butsudan prior to beginning your sitting round and you can now simply walk to your left and
circle up and around the Butsudan, walking clockwise to go to your seat.
If you are sitting a retreat alone, use the forms mindfully as you take your seat, and begin
your sitting round using the kaishaku and gong. (Strike the kaishaku once. Strike the gong, bow
forward and exhale; strike the gong a second time, straightening and inhaling; strike the gong a
third time settling into balance point - about 1/16th of an inch back from what you think straight
is).
If you are sitting with other students, the senior-most will act as jikido (time keeper for
the sitting). If you havent been told who is senior, you can discuss this prior to beginning the
sitting. (For further information about talking with other students, please read the section of the
Retreat Handbook entitled Functional Talking). The clock should be placed in such a position as
to not be seen by the other students, to one side, or on the zabuton, directly in front of you. Be
sure to time all of your sitting rounds. Unless you are listening to a teisho that takes longer than
half an hour, none of your rounds should be less than, or exceed, 30 minutes. One round of kinhin
(slow walking) is done between sitting rounds, walking clockwise around the room, starting at
your seat and ending when you again return to your seat. Strike the kaishaku once to signal the
beginning of kinhin; twice to end. (For further information concerning the forms of kinhin, see
the section of the Retreat Handbook entitled Kinhin).
If you are alone and need to use the washroom, you can leave the room during the kinhin
period by walking in kinhin to the rear door. Lay the kaishaku on the zabuton next to the door,
retrieve them when you come back, and continue the kinhin round. If you are with another
student, you can hand the kaishaku to them before leaving to use the washroom and retrieve them
when you come back.
Teisho Tape or CD
At the beginning of the first sitting round, sit for a few minutes and then listen to the teisho tape
or CD. If the tape is longer than half an hour, continue sitting and finish listening to it. If the
teisho ends before the thirty minute sitting round ends, continue sitting to complete the round.
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