7:30 a.m. I get up and sit shikantaza (meditation) for half an hour. I sit again in the late afternoon.
8 a.m. On Sundays in particular, I go to the Center. First I wipe down the exterior window sills, and then we start. We have three periods of sitting meditation and two of kinhin (walking meditation). I offer dokusan (private interviews) and give a dharma talk.
9 a.m. I drive to the grocery store to pick up items for dinner. Depending on what I’m making, I’ll prepare and cook when I get back or later in the evening.
10 a.m. I practice Iaido, the art of drawing and cutting with a samurai sword, a couple of times a week at the Center.
11 a.m. After returning home, I study until 3 or 4 p.m. Whether I’m preparing for a dharma talk or study group or reviewing koans, I like to stay at the top of my game.
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5 p.m. I prepare dinner. My specialties are salmon and pasta, although sometimes I put ingredients into my crock pot in the morning and let that cook all day.
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See the previous installment of “A Day in the Dharma”: A Day in the Dharma with Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, Abbot of NYC’s Village Zendo
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