Beginner's zazen around Westchester County, NY?

[dmc...@gmail.com]

I've been doing Zen in one form or another (well, haven't we all?)
for many years, but have never sat in company (and therefore of
course have never done Zen at all), and now I'd like to. I'm in
Westchester County NY, about an hour North of New York City. Can
anyone recommend, or just tell funny stories about, a sangha or
zendo anywhere around here that might welcome a rank beginner (and
a pantheist one at that)? I'll probably go down into the City to
Fire Lotus Temple and/or the Village Zendo for one of their
Introductory Sessions, just for the adventure, but for longer
term practice they're perhaps too far away to be practical.

I'm looking for nice simple shikantaza-flavor practice, just
sitting because one is sitting, and not necessarily courting
the lightning of satori, or the ability to shoot fire from
my fingertips or anything (although that would be way cool, eh?).
Someone to bash me 'cross the shoulders when I start to nod off
might be nice, too; one thing the rock out in the back yard
lacks is an encouraging hand on the kyosaku...

Thanks very,
DC

[dmc...@gmail.com]

So to reply to myself *8) I still
don't know anything about any
zendos in the county, but I did
go down to Fire Lotus Temple in
NYC the other weekend for their
introductory thing, and it was a
good time. They're very friendly
to newcomers. And by a lucky
choice of day, I got to hear a
dharma talk by John Daido
Loori himself, and even to bug
him with a question afterwards
at the informal chat.

Details here:
http://www.davidchess.com/words/log.20050114.html#20050117

DC

[Messer Xin]

On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 10:18:24 -0500, dmc...@gmail.com wrote
(in message <1106320703.9...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>):

> So to reply to myself *8) I still
> don't know anything about any

> zendos in the county . . .

Here's a page that isn't that useful to me in my limited knowledge of New
York's geography. Isn't Rye in Westchester?

Btw, some of the info is dated -- Mui Barragato is in Maine now, and Lex
Hixon is more or less permanently dead.

http://iriz.hanazono.ac.jp/zen_centers/centers_data/usaNW.htm#NEW%20YORK

---Messer Xin

--

I'll stop suffering when they pry the
expectations from my cold, dead, brain.
- Sanford M. Manley

[dmc...@gmail.com]

Messer Xin wrote:
> Here's a page that isn't that useful to me in my limited knowledge of
New
> York's geography. Isn't Rye in Westchester?
>

Exquisite, thanks! Lots of leads there (I'll
keep in mind that some of it's stale). Yep,
Rye's in Westchester. Also Katonah and some
of the others. DC

[Messer Xin]

On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 22:49:53 -0500, dmc...@gmail.com wrote
(in message <1106365793.6...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>):

Judging by that listing, there's so much Zen shit happening north and south
of you, who cares how much is actually in Westchester. But the closer the
better . . .

Btw, A Jersey Chan friend and I (essentially Jap. Soto), were driving back
from Rutland, VT, to get on NY roads south, when we passed a place calling
itself a Tendai Temple! We just had to double back and investigate. It is the
only Tendai training place in the US recognized by Tendai-shu. The director
gently reminded me and my friend that Zen can be seen, in both China and
Japan, as an offspring of Tendai (Ch. T'ien-t'ai, I think).

There's a lot of Buddhist stuff out there. All of it has something to teach
you. Even the fake stuff. (Oh, and I do not mean either Tendai nor Nichiren
teachings by that. But take time to read, say, Frederick Lenz's teachings and
consider.)

---Messer Xin

[dmc...@gmail.com]

Messer Xin wrote:
> Btw, A Jersey Chan friend and I (essentially Jap. Soto), were driving
back
> from Rutland, VT, to get on NY roads south, when we passed a place
calling
> itself a Tendai Temple! We just had to double back and investigate.
It is the
> only Tendai training place in the US recognized by Tendai-shu. The
director
> gently reminded me and my friend that Zen can be seen, in both China
and
> Japan, as an offspring of Tendai (Ch. T'ien-t'ai, I think).
>

Yeah, I've passed that place a bunch of times
driving to and from Plymouth VT; beautiful little
place in a gorgeous location. I've never had the
time to stop and look inside, but it's entirely
possible that just seeing the sign and the setting
started the chain of thought that rekindled my
interest in Zen and led me here. All Is One. *8)

> There's a lot of Buddhist stuff out there. All of it has something to
teach
> you. Even the fake stuff. (Oh, and I do not mean either Tendai nor
Nichiren
> teachings by that. But take time to read, say, Frederick Lenz's
teachings and
> consider.)
>

Tx. More clues are always welcome.

DC