Beginners
New to Zen practice? We offer a few suggestions below to help you get started, and we encourage you to contact us to arrange a meeting online or in-person. We also recommend visiting our Recordings page for more information.
Why sit zazen?
Sitting with awareness of a balanced upright body and breath cultivates a quiet steadiness that can support the practitioner to meet whatever happens with equanimity. With regular sitting we can begin to discover the stability and clarity that sees the preoccupations of thoughts and emotions in our daily lives. It calls forth a compassion and resilience that eases our suffering and enhances our aliveness.
Suggested Books
- Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, by Shunryu Suzuki
- Not Always So, by Shunryu Suzuki
- Buddhism Plain and Simple, by Steve Hagen
- The Science of Enlightenment, by Shinzen Young
- Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki, by David Chadwick
- Everyday Zen, by Charlotte Joko Beck
