Practice
At Stone Gate, practice is the whole of life — not something we do for an hour and then set aside. The schedule shapes our days, and our days shape the practice.
The Daily Round
Each day at Stone Gate follows a simple rhythm — zazen, work, meals, study. This rhythm is not a constraint. It is the form within which freedom appears.
Wake Bell
A single bell strikes the silence. Residents rise, wash, and make their way to the zendo without speaking.
Morning Zazen
Two periods of seated meditation, each forty minutes, with kinhin — slow walking meditation — between them. The day begins here, in stillness.
Morning Service
Chanting of the Heart Sutra, the Names of the Buddhas, and the Four Bodhisattva Vows. Brief, formal, complete.
Breakfast — Sōjiki
Formal breakfast taken in oryoki style: three nested bowls, cloth, utensils wrapped in order. Meals are eaten in silence, as practice.
Samu — Work Practice
Garden, kitchen, maintenance, guest care — work is given the same quality of attention as zazen. No task is beneath practice.
Midday Meal
Simple, vegetarian, grown largely from our garden. Eaten in community, in silence, gratitude meeting each bowl.
Afternoon Samu
A second period of work practice, followed by personal time for dharma study, rest, or walking in the surrounding forest.
Evening Zazen
One period of sitting, followed on alternating evenings by teisho (dharma talk) from the roshi, or dokusan (private interview).
Supper
Informal meal taken together. Conversation is permitted, quiet and considered.
Great Silence Begins
Silence falls over the monastery until after morning zazen. The night is practice too.
How to Sit
Zazen requires no special equipment, no prior experience, and no particular belief. It requires only the willingness to sit down and be still.
Find your seat
Sit on a firm cushion (zafu) placed on a mat (zabuton), or on a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Face a plain wall or a natural point of rest. The height of the cushion matters — hips slightly above the knees allows the spine to be upright without strain.
Settle the body
Cross the legs in full lotus, half lotus, or Burmese position — whichever is stable and sustainable for your body. Rock gently side to side, front to back, and come to rest at center. The spine is erect but not rigid. The head is balanced, chin slightly tucked.
Form the mudra
Place the hands in the cosmic mudra: dominant hand resting in the other, thumbs lightly touching to form an oval. Rest the mudra below the navel, against the lower abdomen. The oval of the thumbs is a gauge — too much tension and they press; too relaxed and they drop.
Open the eyes
Eyes are open, cast downward at a forty-five degree angle, soft and unfocused. We do not close the eyes in zazen — we bring the whole being into awareness, not sleep.
Simply sit
Breathe naturally through the nose. Do not control the breath, manipulate the mind, or pursue any state. When thoughts arise — and they will — notice them without following. Return, without judgment, to the simple fact of sitting. This is the whole practice.
Kinhin
Between periods of seated zazen, we practice kinhin — formal walking meditation. Moving in a slow, continuous circle around the zendo, each step is placed with complete attention. The hands are held in shashu, the body remains upright and collected.
Kinhin is not a break from practice. It is practice in motion — the same quality of presence, the same lack of goal, the same return when the mind wanders. In the Soto tradition, we walk at roughly the pace of a full breath per step.
Samu
Work practice is not a chore before the "real" practice begins. In Zen, the kitchen, the garden, and the corridor are equal to the zendo. Dogen devoted an entire text — the Tenzo Kyōkun — to the practice of the head cook.
At Stone Gate, samu assignments change weekly. Residents and long-term guests participate fully: tending the vegetable garden, preparing meals, splitting wood, maintaining the grounds. The practice is the same: complete attention, no separation between doer and deed.
Sitting Periods
Visitors are welcome to join us for sitting without prior arrangement. We ask only that you arrive ten minutes before the bell, remove your shoes, and follow the form of those around you.
Morning Zazen
5:30 – 7:00 am
Two periods of forty-minute zazen with kinhin between. Visitors may attend the second period only (6:20 am) if the early hour is not possible.
Evening Zazen
4:30 – 5:45 pm
One period of sitting followed by service. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings a dharma talk is offered — all are welcome.
Half-Day Sitting
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Three periods of zazen, kinhin, morning service, and a brief talk from the teacher. Breakfast is offered to those who sit from the beginning. No registration needed.
Sunday Morning
9:00 – 11:00 am
Our most accessible sitting for those new to Zen or to Stone Gate. A brief orientation is offered at 8:45 am for first-time visitors. Tea is served afterward.
First Visit?
We suggest arriving for Sunday morning sitting first. The pace is gentle, the format is clearly explained, and there is time afterward to ask questions and meet community members. No advance notice is needed — simply arrive on time. Cushions and instructions are provided.