Hell training
Zazen Practice
Today I'll talk about a different story from kokeshi.A trivial,but rather funny story about something connected with zen which I mentioned on previous post(cf."Too difficult to appreciate"").
Have you ever practised "zazen"? This is one of zen practices and in brief,a kind of meditation.And if you "seem" not to concentrate on its meditation,you would be stricken by zen master -in most cases,he strikes your right shoulder with wooden stick.And the point is "seem" -you may be stricken no matter how much you concentrate on medication because it is not you but a zen master who judges whether you can concentrate or not.
I practised it only once in a zen temple few years ago.OF-COURSE,I was stricken three times by a zen master -accurately,he was not a zen master,just an apprentice monk in the temple.So,if he had stricken me on the fourth times,I might have thrown him over my shoulder with "angry seoi nage".
Effect of Zazen
There were many other people practising zazen in the temple and I found a rather odd group in them -more than a dozen people,almost middle-age,wearing the same colour jerseys.And there were several people wearing suits and ties among them.They didn't practised zazen -they were supervisors of the group.
At first I didn't know who they were,but just after zazen,I found some of them were talking to each other in whispers.
A:"Ho-hum...I can't stand up at all.My legs fell quite asleep...(note:for long time cross leg through zazen)
B:"Me too...it's nonsense."
A:"Quite so.If this way could make us get better sales results,such all zen masters must have been the World's greatest salesperson long before."
B:"You remember? Next training is the "shout-out-self-introduction"(*1) on the top of mountain."
A:"Yeah,but before that,we must climb the mountain..."
B:"Yeah,with these poor legs..."
They were all salesperson at a company.And this was a program training for them in order to "build their inner strength".Some training offices offer this kind of program and this is commonly known as "Hell Training" - something of a military style training.I don't know the effect because "unfortunately" I haven't gotten the training.Incidentally,I remember that each of the two men was stricken each two times.
The two men maybe accepted the award of "The World's greatest salesperson" due to the training.That's great that they have attained "money" instead of "satori".But they were wrong on one point.Zen masters are at least good salesperson or should be.That is not because they make money with such a zazen training (this is quite a business!). They need the power of persuasion -good salesperson use the power in order to sell more,and good zen masters use it in order to help and encourage people.
Anyway,now I realized why I was stricken one times more than the two men...the monk must firmly believe that I was the poorest salesperson because I sat down among the odd group while practising zazen!
(*1)Zen practices doesn't include such a training.
