Sunday, March 8, 2026

Where can one practice Beginner's Mind?


Dr. Rob Lustig: Science of Happiness
Los Angeles is a big place. There's Angel City Zen Center with Zen priest and artist Dave, who replaced Brad Warner.

There's ZCLA (Zen Center of Los Angeles), which is a little stiff and set in their ways. There's Beginner's Mind Zen Center in Northridge. Now there's another good option, the Pasadena Zen Sangha.

What's good about it? It's local, it's new, it's open, it's run by a fully trained Zen priest certified in Japan who knows his way around Zen.

The Four Noble Truths? I already know them!
On a recent night, practitioners gathered, took to zafus and zabutons (sitting cushions), chanted Sanskrit the Japanese way then English, and started a session of shikantaza, just sitting.

Then came time for kinhin, the relief of getting up to stretch and walk slowly and mindfully before another sitting session. Then the fireworks: question and answer with discussion.

"Those who know don't say, and those who say don't know" is a Taoist saying and sentiment. Many things can be known, and many of them can be expressed. So we hit the meditation leader with two barrels' worth of questions. Next time we finish off with koans of such subtlety and complexity, he stands no chance.
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