CADE RUTKOSKE — The smell of incense wafted into the New York City side street, the flowery scent overpowering the typical city stench. I climbed the curb to the entrance of the building, opened the front door, and entered a foyer just large enough for a few people to stand comfortably. As the front door closed to my side, the sounds of the city streets suddenly faded away into a gentle muffle. A second door stood in front of me with a sign that read please ring the doorbell and be patient for an answer. I rang it and took a seat on a bench with just enough room for two, and flipped through the temple’s schedule.
While I awaited an answer, I couldn’t help but feel a knot of nervousness sitting in the pit of my stomach. I figured that such a new experience was a rational reason to feel uneasy, and it took quite a bit of willpower to not walk back out onto that city street.
The door finally creaked open and a jolly man of about fifty who introduced himself as Ko-Kan, invited me inside and led me upstairs to a waiting area where the other newcomers waited, drinking hot tea and making small talk about their experiences with zen practices.
As Ko-Kan gave a brief introduction to zen practices and the Zendo-ji temple, I was surprised to learn that the majority of the monks at the temple weren’t full time monks and actually worked other jobs. They were people passionate for the practice of zen meditation and who wished to practice it within the small monk community in Manhattan.
I was in a group with four adults. One of them was a quiet man with a tall stature but diminished impression. The second was a woman from Mexico who had only recently moved to New York. The third was a man named Aras from Alaska and the fourth a yoga teacher named Natasha. All five of us came from such different backgrounds, yet were all united through a passion for spiritual enlightenment.
From Ko-Kan I learned that the Zen center had been established over fifty years ago and was one of the first to be established on the east coast. The opening of the city location has given people the opportunity to practice Zen within their daily lives. While someone can practice Zen at home, there’s a certain effect that comes along with practicing it in a temple and space of Zen, he explained. Upon attending the sessions there is no membership fee, but rather a suggested donation to the temple. This means that anybody who wishes to practice Zen, whether you’re an expert or a beginner, has the opportunity.
Ko-Kan taught about the different forms of meditation—sitting, standing, lying down, and walking. He then explained that in the introduction we would just be sitting and walking today. After a brief round of questions, he led us down to begin the meditations.
We began with walking meditation. I had experienced sitting meditation before but had no idea what to expect for walking mediations. As we walked downstairs, I noticed a quiet come over the temple, and as we rounded the corner of the stairwell, I saw a procession of monks, shuffling their feet through the hallways, each staying a foot behind the other. We joined the train and began to take loops around the temple, slowly walking from room to room in a repetitive motion. With glazed over eyes, the only thing I could see was a darker outline against a blackness, and so as oddly relaxing as it was, it was a strange experience to walk without seeing. You had to trust whoever was in front of you.
We did about fifty laps around the room, amounting to roughly fifteen minutes of walking. Finally, the precession stopped in a long room with two rows of cushions lining the walls. I chose a seat and as the monks settled in, for the longer portion of the meditation, one of the monks got up and rang a melodious bell who’s note hung in the quiet chamber. The long meditation had begun.
The first ten minutes went by rather quickly and aside from a few lapses of concentration I was doing pretty well. My success didn’t last long because it wasn’t long before my legs began to go
numb and instead of enjoying the spiritual calmness I began to internally beg for it to end. You aren’t supposed to move while mediating with others, so as to not disturb them. While my body was begging to move I had to have the internal willpower to remain still
On the surface meditation doesn’t seem too difficult, but in those forty-five minutes I encountered a mental struggle that I had never encountered before. The combination of resisting the urges of your body all while trying to remain calm was a challenge that I had never experienced before. I truly believe that I grew from it and became mentally stronger. After the meditation and relearning how to walk, I felt a strong sense of control over myself and my future. By overcoming such a mentally challenging experience, I proved to myself that I was capable of even greater things. I also noticed unusually strong feelings of satisfaction and pride, stemming from a victory over a new challenge.
My experience at Zendo-ji reshaped how I see mediation and changed how I see challenges because it showed me what one is truly capable of if they put their mind to it. The experience was truly one that altered my mentality as I could feel the mental effects that it had on me even several days after the session. Meditation is a practice that has been relatively popularized today, and going to the temple adds another layer of resonance to it. When you get a chance, keep an open mind and do a session there, for it is a life changing experience.
The Dutch Report 