The Big Sit – Wanna Share A Challenge?

I just read about a really cool thing yesterday in my copy of Tricycle magazine.  There was an article about something called “The Big Sit.”  It is kind of a mediation challenge and you know what, it sounds kind of fun.  So much fun that I think I’m planning to do it.

Here’s the Ticket…

Each year Tricycle hosts a meditation challenge, each challenge they take on a different type of meditation practice as a model for learning.  This year’s challenge is based on Zen Buddhism mediation practice.  Zen is my Buddhism of choice, and this makes me kind of jazzed. 

You can read more about the details of the challenge at the Tricycle web site: http://community.tricycle.com/ 

The “rules”

Tricycle’s 90-day Zen Meditation Challenge:

• Sit in meditation 20 minutes a day for 90 days
• Listen to a dharma talk each week from the Tricycle site
• Study Dogen’s Genjokoan
• Commit to the sixteen precepts
• Begin the challenge when you like (Tricycle’s staff will start Feb 23rd.  I am planning on the 23rd also.)

The fun thing about the challenge is that you can make it as much or as little as you like.  A person can take on just one part of the challenge and only attempt practicing mediation for 20 minutes a day for 90 days, or they can take on the whole thing.  Taking on more of the challenge is really an opportunity to use the resources available at the web site as well as learn with many others about Buddhism, meditation, and more specifically Zen Buddhism.  I really like how they have outlined the challenge.

Although the rules may seem many, there won’t be any Zen police waiting for you if you don’t follow any of it.  For me focusing, on the meditation for 20 minutes a day will be a wonderful thing, anything else is as they say “gravy.” 

An Internet Community

It also interests me in how this will all work on the Internet too, but  although I may not have as much time for the on-line community part of the challenge, I’m surely going to try to at least check in.  Being a part of an on-line “community” has been a wonderful feeling, something like this might be icing on the cake.  Maybe I can talk my on-line shanga into the challenge too … hehehhehe….

Coming Home…

In the last few months I have tried to absorb as much as I can about different schools and ideas of Buddhism.  I have to admit that as my learning has become more focused and detailed, I have become a little closed in my ideas and have lost some of my “beginners mind“.  It really has been wonderful learning of the different cultures of Buddhism,  but this Big Sit feels like just the perfect thing for me now.  It kind of feels like I have been traveling around learning new things, a little better off, a little road weary, but now it is time to come back home and reflect. 

Kind of weird how something like this has me a bit jazzed. 

So what do you think?  Wanna try with me?

(More details on the Big Sit at : http://community.tricycle.com/)