Private Zen Session is a unique opportunity to meet with Zen Monk Ryuun Joriki Baker, Osho. Joriki has practiced Zen Buddhism for over 30 years and is a recognized Zen Teacher (Osho) within the Rinzai Zen Lineage. Private session opens the opportunity to explore Zen Practice in an environment conducive to the expedient tools taught within the Zen tradition, and those unique to Joriki’s approach. These expedients help us to rediscover the human condition and reclaim our balance and happiness. This approach is best done in person as much of the information and subtle cues that are essential for the process are lost online or within written word.
A focused environment or “space” is an essential tool in soothing the mind and body thus, creating a respite for the fragmented mind. In our modern world of multi-tasking and overstimulation, the “wind-up” that is experienced can lead many to chronic stress and a vague sense of disconnection. What we commonly call mind, we tend to think of as purely an internal affair. However, the mind is an active processes that meshes both the internal and external. The skandas or senses are the gateways of the mind, they are the windows from which we experience the world around us. Thoughts are the processing and storage of that information. By learning to regulate these gates via exposure “step-up”, we create a conductive space from which to build upon. Through this mindful space, we learn how our environment can affect our inward state. All the tools within the “Zen Space” address this Dharma. For example, incense (olfactory), lighting (optic), body (posture), auditory (silence), thought (essential) are all addressed in the practice environment.
The teacher (Osho) or spiritual friend is also an important tool within the Zen Tradition. Many people turn to a book or the internet looking for quick spiritual guidance. Quick remedies almost always end quickly in disappointment. These venues can be inspiring or may appear to offer a neat outline but, after a couple weeks, we find ourselves disenchanted and off seeking the next quick fix. Like a bee jumping from flower to flower seeking substance, so we hop from book to book, app to app, and even tradition to tradition – “Paper pancakes don’t satisfy hunger”. Osho don’t possess magical abilities, nor are they in any position to give you anything, especially so called “enlightenment”. What they do offer is the experience of a 2,800 year old Buddhist Tradition which has been refined into modern Rinzai Zen. With this experience and guidance, the Osho is a guide who enriches a student’s journey, as they walk their OWN path. The work must be a student’s own. Commonly, the access to an Osho is limited by the group (sangha) size and satisfied in interview or “Dokusan”. Interview is the time when you offer your spiritual work and questions. The teacher will then offer enrichment quickly, and then the encounter is over. With private session there is more time to explore the practice in depth and build an essential relationship with someone who has dedicated their lives to the “way” of Zen and ultimately, to you! Ideally, the teachers has been recognized by the quality control mechanism of a lineage.
Integrated Koan work is another tool that is used in Private Session. Koans are an expedient that is central to Rinzai Zen Practice. Koans are gateless gates which invite a student to explore and experience “kensho” (to see into). How do Koans and “kensho” help me to find a better and more fulfilling life? If you remember, I previously stated that our consciousness is a fusion of both the external and internal world. Koans address our inward state by poisoning the well – just a little bit. The koan puts a wrench in the cogs of the logical mind and causes havoc. No matter how hard we attempt to approach koans with logic, it always ends in frustration and failure. Like a moth to light, we just keep bumping and crashing, no matter how hard we try to free ourselves from it, we feel trapped. This is the poisoned well, this is our inward state when confronted with a koan. There is an old saying that “If you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Logic is a wonderful tool, although it is one of many. If we become habituated to using only one tool, we will inevitably miss the moment and experience a sense of inner conflict. In other words, we will feel at odds with ourselves and the world around us. Koans help us to recover our full potential by strengthening our “intuitive intelligence”. This intelligence is not limited by mere sophistry and logic. Intuitive intelligence is what grounds and unites us to world we live in. It is our tether, and its domain is that of feeling and direct experience. It is essential for a healthy and deep sense of belonging. This intelligence is often ignored, and viewed as inferior to logical intelligence, yet it is just as fundamental to our being as its logical counterpart. By changing our inward state, via koans, the world around us also changes. Our inward pain, stress and trauma, organically dissipate as we realize a depth that allows us to transform seeming poison and suffering into needed remedies.
“Reflections” are another tool within sessions. Although, Joriki does not rely on guided meditations, he does use “reflections” which are expedients that set the “feel” or “direction” to build upon. These “Reflections” can be thought of as “setting the stage” for the activity of a specific Koan. There are myriads of states of consciousness and exploring them all is impossible. Yet, there are several fundamental states which all others arise from. Often, our state of consciousness is stuck due to habituation. This is due to engrained responses based on a fragmented and limited recollection of the past and projection of the future. For example; we have a bad day at work. Things are just not going our way! In return, we automaticly react and become angry and stressed. It is as though we are on autopilot. All we can do is just hold on for the ride. Suddenly the skies are black, and the world has taken an ominous turn. Identifying and correcting these habitual energies is key for not just short-term results but, lasting results. “Reflections” offer an acute tool in addressing a chronic state brought on by maladaptive behaviors and thoughts. Over time, and with practice, these “Reflections” enrich our present consciousness and replace a maladaptive and limited experience, with a rich and healthy present.
If you are interested in a Private Session with Joriki, please reach out to Blue Mountain Zendo at the contact point below. Sessions are available weekday late afternoons/early evenings and Sunday afternoons 2-4 or 7:30 to 9:00pm.
Phone – 484-735-0635 (Please leave a message)
Email – Joriki@bluemountainzendo.org