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Practicing Sanshin style on your own
The vast majority of those who’ve signed up to be on Sanshin’s contact list don’t sit here regularly because they live too far away. Among those we can identify as living in Bloomington, only about 10% show up on any given Sunday, the busiest day of the week at Sanshin. We sincerely hope everyone in Sanshin’s extended community is sitting regularly somewhere, whether with sanghas in their hometowns or at home on their own. Regular shikantaza is at the core of Sanshin’s practice life.
Even if we are participating regularly at Sanshin or with local sanghas, chances are we’re not living in those centers and doing 24-hour-a-day practice with a residential community. We’re practicing on our own, outside of a zendo, for most of every day, whether standing, sitting, walking or lying down.
To practice in Sanshin’s style on a solo basis, we need to consider the environment of our practice spaces at home and also how our other activities are opportunities for and manifestations of awakening.
Even if we are participating regularly at Sanshin or with local sanghas, chances are we’re not living in those centers and doing 24-hour-a-day practice with a residential community. We’re practicing on our own, outside of a zendo, for most of every day, whether standing, sitting, walking or lying down.
To practice in Sanshin’s style on a solo basis, we need to consider the environment of our practice spaces at home and also how our other activities are opportunities for and manifestations of awakening.
Creating a supportive home environment for shikantaza
Sanshin and its zendo were designed to offer the best possible conditions for shikantaza. There are minimal distractions, cushions and benches to choose and use, and someone to watch the clock and ring the bell. Your home was not created with these things in mind. You may have devices, pets, family members, decorations, work and hobbies all vying for your attention. In one room someone may be cooking a meal while in another someone may be playing music. Somehow in the midst of all this you need to find an appropriate place to sit down, and to create the discipline and structure necessary to support regular practice.
Where to practice: Find a room or corner in your home that you can dedicate to your shikantaza practice, if possible. Sitting in the same place day after day really helps you to settle into stability. However, if you need to set up the space each time and clean up afterwards, make those activities a part of your sitting process and approach them with attention and care. Your practice place should be clean and quiet, with lighting that is not harsh or overly bright. Pay attention to whether, how and when the sun or streetlight comes in through nearby windows. Arrange your cushions, bench or chair in front of a wall, as well as any other items you may need. If you sit on a zafu or bench and don’t have a zabuton or carpeting, it’s fine to fold up one or more blankets to provide some padding under you. Take regular care of your sitting space, sweeping or vacuuming the floor, brushing or cleaning your cushions and arranging any other items you may have there. Be sure to fluff up your zafu each time you get up to keep the filling from bunching or breaking down. Your practice space may begin to feel different from the rest of your home, just as a temple or zendo feels different from other buildings. You will use and care for it in a particular way, and it becomes stronger as a practice place over time. 
About altars: It's not a requirement, but some practitioners like to set up a simple altar in their practice space. It need not be elaborate; it’s not there as decoration or to impress people. An altar reminds us why we practice and the items we put there embody aspiration, simplicity and dignity. It’s fine to add a few additional personal items that you find supportive and meaningful to your practice, but resist the temptation to make your altar into a pile of inspirational knickknacks or trophies that creates distraction or attachment.
A small table or shelf on which you’ve placed a vase of fresh flowers or leaves to the left, a figure or image of Shakyamuni or Manjusri in the middle and a candle to the right is all that’s needed. The figure should be higher than your head when you're sitting down and raised above the other altar items on a stand, box or other platform. If you use incense, the burner goes in the middle in front of the figure. The fresh flowers or leaves remind us of impermanence. If you don’t have access to fresh foliage, it’s fine simply to offer a little water in a small cup. The light of the candle represents wisdom. The offering of flowers, candlelight, incense and water to Buddha is not done as an activity of worship but arises from our gratitude and respect. Caring for an altar is a practice of caring for the Three Treasures. Dogen Zenji reminds us to care for the Three Treasures as though we were caring for an only child. Clean the altar regularly with a dustcloth reserved only for that purpose. Change the offering water daily, make sure the flowers or leaves are not wilted, and trim or replace the candle as necessary. Sift the ash in the incense burner to aerate it and remove any unburnt ends. Lightly smooth it down to make an even surface, but do this without packing down the ash and pressing out the air. Because the incense is an offering to Buddha, it needs to burn completely; if the ash is packed down tightly the air can’t get to the incense below the surface. When an incense burner is cared for properly, there are few unburnt ends to remove. When and how long: Your sitting schedule needs to work with the rest of your life. Some people prefer to sit just after they get up, before the distractions and demands of the day set in. Others would rather sit at the end of the day before sleeping as part of the process of winding down and wrapping up the day. Both dawn and dusk provide a more gentle light than midday. In any event, choose a time when you'll be least likely to be distracted or interrupted and are in the best physical condition. Sit regularly, even if only for a few minutes. Doing daily shikantaza for 10 minutes is better than sitting for an hour once a week. Work up to a sitting period of 30 to 50 minutes, the times of our evening and morning zazen periods respectively at Sanshin. If you miss a day, don't become discouraged and quit altogether. Just come back the next day and start again. Keep a shikantaza routine. You may like to go through the same process every day when you arrive at the cushion, perhaps lighting a candle, offering flowers or incense, stretching briefly, etc. Sit because it's your habit, whether you feel like it or not, and don't sit only when you have problems or stress and want to calm down. Shikantaza is good for nothing, so that kind of approach won't help you and will make your sitting more difficult. Once you're on the cushion, sit with all the intensity and wholeheartedness you would have if you were sitting sesshin in the zendo. Don't fidget around or decide to get up randomly or casually just because you're not sitting with others or a teacher. Enter into the space of shikantaza and do it thoroughly for the period of time you committed to yourself you would sit. Use a timer or the length of time it takes for an incense stick to burn to determine when your sitting period is done. Clothing: Wear what you would wear in the zendo. Be comfortable, but don't wear your pajamas, old sweats, torn up work clothes, shorts and tanks or other things you wouldn't wear at Sanshin. It doesn't matter that no sangha members are looking. Buddha is looking. Maintain your dignity and deportment when you practice. Attitude and expectations: Approach your home practice with intention and attention. Maintain a spirit of inquiry, let go of judgments, and remember that shikantaza is good for nothing. It's important to set realistic expectations for your home practice so that you can actually carry it out. If you decide to sit for two hours a day every day but you can't actually do that, it's not helpful and may lead you to give up on daily practice. Good intentions are fine, but something has to come of them, and your practice has to be sustainable within the context of your life. Don't set your schedule based on what someone else is doing or what would be possible under different circumstances. Set it based on what you can really maintain without feeling pressured, anxious, bored or guilty. Your practice should be something you enjoy and to which you look forward rather than something done out of obligation or because you think you "should," We still need sangha.We all find ourselves practicing on our own sometimes, whether temporarily or on a long-term basis. Nonetheless, it’s important to sit with others even if only occasionally, not only for encouragement and moral support but also to make sure we haven’t lost our way somehow. We need teachers and sangha friends to reflect our practice back to us and point out our misinterpretations and where we’ve gotten stuck. Practicing on our own, we can’t see ourselves and how we may be clinging to our ideas about how shikantaza “should” be. We can’t see that our zazen posture is crooked or that we’ve misunderstood the nature of shikantaza itself. We need guidance and friendly help from others on the path. If you can't visit Sanshin or your hometown dharma center, consider participating in virtual practice as available. It's not a complete substitute for practicing in person with others, but it can help fill the gap until such practice is possible for you.
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Resources for home practice
Other practice activitiesKinhin: If you're sitting more than one period of zazen, you may wish to do some kinhin in between. (This page has basic information about kinhin.) If you have to leave your immediate sitting space to do that, find somewhere that feels comfortable and has minimal distractions. Don't walk in the kitchen if you're tempted by snacks or your study if you're tempted by books or your computer. Walking outside can be good if the weather permits.
Chanting: You may wish to do a short chanting service following your daily sitting practice. If you have a bell and a wooden block or mokugyo, of course you could use them, but they're not required when you're chanting on your own. It's good to follow the order of service from Sanshin or your hometown dharma center, since the items that make up liturgy should happen in a particular order so the arc of that story makes sense. It's OK to add additional texts that are meaningful to you, but you should chant at least the Universal Dedication of Merit (Fueko) after each one. We don't chant for ourselves, but to generate merit that we give back to all beings in gratitude for their kindness and support. Dharma study: We undertake the study of the teachings of the Buddha and Dogen Zenji in order to deeply understand that shikantaza is good for nothing. Dharma study in support of our sitting practice is a key element in Sanshin's style. Especially when we're sitting alone, we need some guidance to make sure we don't get stuck somewhere or go off the rails. Our Dogen Institute offers a variety of study materials in written, audio and video form. Through the dayWe do many activities during the day that we can take as opportunities to pay attention to what's really happening with ourselves and the universe. Watching as sensory input comes in, feelings arise, responses happen, internal dialogue starts, judgments are formed and actions carried out is a great practice that can take place at any time. Open the hand of thought, see clearly, accept what's happening and take the skillful action of a bodhisattva in your home, your sangha and the larger community.
Gathas: In the training temple, there are four-line verses to be chanted for a variety of daily activities. These are based on teachings from the Volume 14 of the Avatamsaka Sutra. Everything from waking up in the morning to brushing the teeth to eating a meal is an opportunity to remember to practice. You may wish to use these verses or write your own as a part of your solo practice. Waking up
Waking up this morning I vow with all beings To realize everything without exception Embracing the ten directions Brushing teeth
Holding the toothbrush May all living beings Attain the true Dharma And be naturally pure and clean Brushing my teeth this morning I vow with all beings To care for the eyeteeth That bite through all afflictions Rinsing the mouth May all living beings Approach the pure dharma gate And accomplish liberation Face washing
Washing my face this morning I vow with all beings To attain the immaculate Dharma Forever undefiled Putting on okesa/rakusu
Great robe of liberation Virtuous field far beyond form & emptiness Wearing the Tathagatha's teaching I vow to save all beings Hand washing
Washing hands with water May all living beings Acquire supremely subtle hands With which to hold the Buddha Dharma Bathing
Bathing the body May all living beings Be clean in body and mind Pure and shining within and without Using the toilet
Using the toilet I vow with all beings To eliminate defilement Removing lust, anger, and ignorance Eating a meal
As I take food and drink I vow with all beings To rejoice in zazen Being filled with delight in the Dharma As I have taken food and drink I vow with all beings To be filled with virtuous practice Completing the ten powers Offering incense
Sila, Samadhi, Vimoksha incense Radiant light of the Buddhas pervades the Dharma World Homage to the Buddhas in the Ten Directions It permeates hearing and seeing, and manifests Nirvana -OR- Virtue, concentration, liberation incense, like bright clouds pervading the universe, I offer to the boundless Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in ten directions, universally perfuming the realization of nirvana. Bowing
Bower and what is bowed to are empty by nature The bodies of oneself and another are not two I vow with all beings to emanate the Unsurpassable Mind And return to Boundless Truth. Going to bed
Going to sleep this night I vow with all beings To calm all things Making the mind clear and pure | ||