WELCOME
What is Zen?
Zen is a practice of being present to your life — with clarity, care, and honesty
A path, not a belief
The word "Zen" gets used loosely — in design, in marketing, in the vague sense of feeling calm. But real Zen is something more specific and more radical. It is the practice of coming back to this moment, exactly as it is, and meeting it fully. Not the moment you'd prefer or the moment you're planning for — this one.
Zen is a path of awakening that has been refined over two thousand years. It began with the Buddha's own practice in India, traveled through China and Japan, and arrived in the United States through teachers like Shunryu Suzuki and Charlotte Joko Beck — both of whom are part of our own lineage at Appamada. But Zen doesn't ask you to study its history or adopt its language. It asks you to sit down and pay attention to your life.
This is not a belief system. There is no creed to accept, no doctrine to memorize. As Joko Beck says, this practice has been around for over two thousand years, and the kinks have been worked out of it. It is an empirical practice: you try the experiment, and you observe the results.
The heart of the practice
At the center of Zen is zazen — sitting meditation. You sit down, you become still, and you pay attention. Not to something special, but to what is actually happening: your breathing, the sounds around you, the sensations in your body, the movements of your mind. You don't try to stop your thoughts or reach a particular state. You rest in the deep stillness that is within you.
But zazen is not all of Zen practice. Study, regular meetings with a teacher, intensive retreats, participating in the life of the sangha — the community of practice — and deep inquiry into our everyday lives are essential complements to sitting. Zen living is abundant living, not austere ascetic detachment. It is the very fabric of your everyday life, and the lives of those you touch.
We teach Zen practice as relationality: we are in intimate relationship with ourselves, with other beings, with everything we experience, in this very moment.
How to sit zazen
Zazen is the foundation of Zen practice. It is not a technique for relaxation or a method for achieving a particular state of mind. It is the practice of being fully present, exactly where you are. Below you will find some instruction about assuming the posture of zazen. Shared, consistent form helps create the conditions for awareness.
Taking your seat
Sit on the front third of a round cushion (zafu) placed on a flat mat (zabuton). Your hips should be higher than your knees. Straighten your spine from the base — not rigid, but upright. Tuck your chin slightly. Your ears should be over your shoulders, your nose over your navel.
Relax your shoulders. Let your belly be soft. Settle into gravity. Please be seated at least five minutes before the start of the first sitting period.
Leg positions
Any of these positions is fine. Use the one your body can sustain comfortably for thirty minutes. There is no hierarchy — the practice is the same regardless of how you sit.
In whatever posture you choose, remain still. Breathe in an ordinary manner. Don't look around or talk. You will notice urges to move — to scratch, to adjust, to fidget. These are usually ways of moving away from the energies in your body. Instead of moving, stay with them, observe them, and bring your focus back to the breathing. Learn to notice how these urges fall away, only to be replaced by others. Let stillness find you.
The hands
Place your right hand palm-up on your lap, and your left hand palm-up on top of it. Let the tips of your thumbs touch lightly, forming an oval. This is called the cosmic mudra. Hold your hands gently against your lower belly.
The mudra is a kind of mirror: when your attention drifts, your thumbs will press together or fall apart. Let them be a soft signal to return.
The gaze
Keep your eyes open, with a soft downward gaze resting on the floor or wall about three feet ahead of you. Don't focus on anything. Don't look about — this is distracting for yourself and others. Don't close your eyes — that tends to invite drowsiness or fantasy. We practice with our eyes open because we are practicing being awake.
The breath
Breathe naturally through your nose. Don't try to control your breath. Let it settle on its own. Allow the breath to fill your lower belly — let it rise and fall naturally. Follow the breath. Some people find it helpful to silently count each exhale, from one to ten, then start again. When you realize you've lost count, just come back to one.
The mind
Thoughts will come. This is not a problem — it's what minds do. The practice is simply to notice that you've been thinking and return. Not with force, not with frustration, not with judgment. Just come back. As an old meditation manual says, as soon as you are aware of a thought, it will vanish. This returning — over and over — is the practice itself. Don't worry about whether your practice is working. When you sit, just sit. That's enough.
Other basic forms
Walking Meditation (Kinhin)
Between sitting periods, we practice walking meditation — kinhin — as a continuation of zazen. At the bell, stand and place your palms together. At the first clapper, bow, turn to the left, and form your left hand into a fist with your thumb tucked inside. Place your hands in shashu with right hand over the fist and hold both hands at chest level. Space yourself evenly in the room.
At the second clapper, begin slow kinhin — one step per breath, synchronized with your exhale. Walk with the same quality of attention you bring to sitting. After a few minutes, the clappers will sound again, signaling fast kinhin. After the final clappers, place your hands in gassho — palms together — and move briskly to your seat, bow, and sit down.
You may use the restroom during kinhin. Please wait until the second clapper sounds to leave unless it is an emergency
Bowing (Gassho)
We bow with palms together, hands in front of the mouth, bending at a 45-degree angle. This is called gassho. A bow is not worship — it's an expression of respect and presence. We bow when entering the zendo, when sitting down, and to each other. If bowing is unfamiliar or uncomfortable, a simple nod is fine. Over time, most people find that bowing becomes natural and meaningful. Here are some commmon moments when we bow in gassho:
Enter the zendo (not as you leave)
Sit down (arrange your cushion, bow to it, bow in the opposite direction; sit, turn toward the wall)
As a person next to you bows and sits (only before the first sitting)
Visiting Appamada
The easiest way to start is to come to our Sunday morning orientation at 8:00 AM. But you can come to any program, any time. No sign-up, no prerequisites.
Sunday morning
Orientation at 8:00 AM — a brief, friendly introduction. Stay for zazen at 9:00 and dharma talk at 10:20. We'll show you everything you need to know.
What to wear
Comfortable, modest clothing in muted colors. No shorts, sleeveless tops, loud patterns, or clothing with writing. We sit on the floor, so loose pants or a skirt are helpful. Chairs are available. Please avoid perfume and noisy jewelry.
What to bring
Nothing. Cushions, benches, and chairs are provided. You may want a sweater — the zendo can be cool in the morning. Silence your phone before entering.
If you arrive late
Use the back door and take a seat in the side room. Enter the zendo at the break between sitting periods. Please don't enter or leave during a sitting.
Online participation
All programs marked "Zoom" on our calendar are accessible from anywhere. We consider you fully included, just as if you had walked through the door.
Getting here
913 East 38th St., Austin, TX 78705. Street parking on 38th and surrounding streets. Just north of the UT campus.