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Must we bow, ring bells, chant (in Japanese, no less), wear traditional robes, have Buddha Statues, burn incense? … All that stuff besides Zazen (as, for example, during our recent Retreat). Are they necessary to our Practice?
No, not at all!
We don’t need anything other than Zazen, any of those trappings. In fact, they are no big deal, of no importance, when we drop all viewpoints in sitting Zazen.
On the other hand, we have to do something, greet each other somehow, read some words, dress some way. Why not do such things?
What is more, there is method to the madness, and each custom has centuries of time tested benefits … embodies subtle perspectives … that support and nurture the Zazen Practice at their core.
(Truly, we don’t ‘do‘ such things, or ‘not do’ them. We non-do these traditions).
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