Zendo forms - Leaving the zendo

Congratulations, you made it through your first period of seated meditation in the zendo. Now to gracefully exit the zendo:

The best advice I can give on getting off the cushion and exiting the zendo is to just follow what the more experienced people around you are doing as there is a natural flow of things which you can follow along. The below sets out how it generally works but it might be a bit different depending on where you are sitting in the zendo or if it is a special day.

Generally:

1. Once you have stretched a little bit, spin yourself around clockwise on the cushion and step onto the floor to be standing.

2. Tidy up the area you were just sitting on, smoothing out and dusting off the mat and zafu for example.

3. Then bow to the area where you were seated, turn 180 degrees clockwise and bow to the room. Then put your left hand on your upper stomach and then put your right hand over your left hand and stand still in front of your seat.

4. There will likely then be further bowing to the person opposite you, to the Buddha statue as incense is offered etc. - just follow along on this and you will pick it up over time

5. Once it is time to leave the zendo people will start filing out in a certain order depending where they are sitting. For some rows the person at the back will go first, for some rows the person in the front will go first. Just follow along and if it is your turn and you are not moving someone will gesture you to go.

6. One thing to note is that we don’t walk in front of the altar with the buddha and incense on it so that is why the order of people leaving the temple may seem a bit strange as it is arranged so that people do not have to cross in front of the altar.

7. Walk out in line at the same pace as others - not too fast, not too slow - with left hand on your upper stomach and your right hand over your left hand.

8. You will walk back to where you left your shoes. Take your shoes and move out of the way to put them on so that others can take their shoes too.

That’s it - you have completed the full loop of meditating in a zendo!