Contribution by Adrien
Hi Everyone,
I am quite new to Zen and zazen and just have a couple of years of practice on my Zafu. I attended my first Sesshin last year and that was a very important experience. The first word that comes to my mind is “intense”. The intensity was necessary to highlight some of the issues with the practice. It offers an amazing experience outside the modern world and allows to reconnect with life as simply as enjoying a warm cup of peppermint tea after several hours of intense meditation mmmh.
After the Sesshin I spent some time writing about this experience and reflecting a bit on it. These little doodles were part of that journal and I’m happy to be able to share them with you. As a beginner, I had the feeling that everyone was completely immersed in their practice peacefully and I was left with me and the trillion of thoughts, emotions and dark cloud of thoughts around my head. However throughout the course of the Sesshin I noted that I was not aside from the group but a part of it.
The funny point is that after the intense 4 days we all had the opportunity to share our view on the experience and everyone shared the same view on how intense the practice was and how the group, the sangha, was necessary in maintaining the energy and will to settle with this present moment.
So I would change the title now to: Alone on my Zafu, with everyone.
Warm regards, Adrien