#kinhin

[nonfilms]

A few favorite images from Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮)’s 2012 short film “Walker.” From @mubi: “With his head shaved and dressed in scarlet red monk robes, he walks in super, super slo-mo, practicing a form of the Buddhist walking meditation kinhin that demands extraordinary concentration and poise, lifting and eventually resting his foot at an incantatory, otherworldly pace.”

[soltantounareverie]

Fa freddo ed i piedi sono, nonostante, nudi. Un gesto di condivisione e di rispetto nei confronti degli altri. Qualche volta bisogna pur rinunciare ad una piccola parte di te, ti rende partecipe di una realtà più grande ed inaspettata. l'immobilità iniziale del cerchio viene spezzata dal primo passo. Incomincia la danza silenziosa di passi che si susseguono, mezzo alla volta, in traiettorie rettilinee senza curve. Ogni spigolo viene percorso totalmente, al vertice si cambia direzione, rigorosamente oraria. Sembra ogni volta di essere al primo passo compiuto e di non aver mai camminato. Non si capisce questa danza: Il peso si sposta da un piede all'altro, la pianta àncora il terreno e vi aderisce totalmente il respiro dovrebbe essere coordinato, i passi all'unisono e la mente sopratutto vuota. Niente di questo: mi imbarazzo per l'equilibrio difficile da raggiungere, per il piede che talvolta cede sotto il mio peso. Sembra la parodia di una marcia di soldati. Non sono un soldato, nemmeno un guerriero, ma in qualche breve momento, prima dell'inchino finale, capita di perdere completamente cognizione di me.

A.

[alwaysjulinalyrics]

Stand Still

[ verse 1 ]

You are the very dust i breathe in,

Salty eyed, I stare,

It's a constant curse, and for what it's worth,

i need no longer go there

You make me question what i believe in,

and I'm shocked beyond compare,

Your hipnotic bind, it leaves me blind

and wipes my conscious clear.

[ chorus ]

Stand still.

I'm still moving on the inside..

Stand still.

the whole world is passing by..

Stand still.

in the spirits surging high tide..

Stand still.

it'll all be left behind..

Watch this mortal coil unwind..

[ Verse 2 ]

You ask me questions that I can't answer,

delirious, I rave,

At night I keep talking in my sleep,

for the sensations I crave.

You've got me starting at the beginning,

although I'm at the end,

Gone without a trace, without losing face,

and yet no need to pretend.

[ chorus ]

Stand still.

I'm still moving on the inside..

Stand still.

the whole world is passing by..

Stand still.

in the spirits surging high tide..

Stand still.

it'll all be left behind..

Watch this mortal coil unwind..

[ lyrics by Lydia Mills ]

[ronk]

Walk like a student of Zen or walk like a fox. Both methods are useful.

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[dandanjean]

Zazen et Kinhin

Maître Deshimaru montre comment pratiquer zazen et kinhin (archive Association Zen Internationale) TAISEN DESHIMARU demonstration de zazen et kinhin

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[oskato]

In the serene rose garden in may, flowers bloom, inviting This Moment into our souls. #Rosengarten #Humboldhain #Berlin #Wedding

[robertoguillermogomes]

Kinhin

En el budismo zen, el kinhin (経行?) o kyōgyō (教行?) ―en japonés― es una forma de meditación que se hace caminando, generalmente luego de largos periodos de hacer la meditación sentada conocida como zazen.

Los practicantes caminan en dirección de las agujas del reloj, en torno a una habitación mientras mantiene sus manos en shashu (叉手), con la mano izquierda cerrada, mientras la derecha agarra o…

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[readandtread]

Walking Straight

Walking Meditation, when associated with Zen Buddhism, is known by the Japanese word Kinhin

 The term comes from jingxing, a combination of the Chinese words 經 "to go through (like the thread in a loom)", with sutra as a secondary meaning, and 行 "walk". Taken literally, the phrase means "to walk straight back and forth." 

This conjures up an image of ‘pacing’ to me, which always seems to be used to depict someone in a state of worry or agitation. It’s doubtful monks in practice were aiming for this. 

But it would appear the etymology is misleading as Wikipedia further details kinhin as: 

“Practitioners typically walk clockwise around a room while holding their hands in shashu with one hand closed in a fist while the other hand grasps or covers the fist.[2] During walking meditation each step is taken after each full breath.[3] The pace of walking meditation can be either slow (several steady steps per each breath) or brisk, almost to the point of jogging.

The very brief overview ends with the suggestion of a number of health benefits.

I’m unwilling to make terms in other languages or practices rooted in the traditional religious side of zen the focus of this blog, but I’m very curious about the idea of combining furthering of secular zen practice/investigation in combination with my walking. 

Walking is basically the only interest/hobby/activity I regularly engage in. It has outlasted all others, to the point where it’s actually something I’ve become more interested in pursuing on a number of fronts over time. 

City walks, weekend hikes, possible charity marathons in the future; why not add meditation walks to the list?  

Over a period of years I’ve attempted numerous times to keep a consistent meditative practice. I always fall off the wagon. No app, routine or prop has helped me maintain a consistent practice. The hope is if i tie it in to an activity I do consistently engage in, it might actually stick this time.

Walking and meditation both have reported health benefits. What I know for certain is that I enjoy walking, and I want to give myself the opportunity to enjoy and look forward to meditation. I know it can be good for me, I just want to stop looking at it like medicine I have to take.

My mind works differently during and after a good walk. My body is fully engaged, I have an awareness of the world around me. I find in zazen (sitting meditation), my body doesn’t seem to stay under my control any more than my mind does. Sitting becomes painful very quickly, and my mind gets distracted even faster. 

Whether my walks take me in a straight line or a circle, I hope that introducing the idea of walking meditation into my life will mean a more engaged zen practice, and the betterment such engagement can foster in me as a person.