Leading a Meditation Session is Fun

I lead a Chan (Zen) meditation session in Los Angeles. In my class, people come from a diverse background. Some come and go; others stay. But in any case, every encountering, to me, is always new and unique. I cherish my time with them, and I have learned from each of them. After all, like "giving is receiving" as some say, for me, "teaching is learning".

I have met people coming to the class with diverse background. I met Mr. A who was very stressed out at work and was hoping meditation could help relieve the stress. I met Mr. B who went to a boarding school where he had a Japanese roommate, who got him interested in Zen as well as in learning a new perspective on the purpose of life other than just fame and money. I have also met Ms. C who was learning Japanese language and involved with Japanese Zen a little bit (I am of the Chinese Chan lineage, by the way). I also met Ms. D who was raised by Buddhist parents and has always had the false impression that Buddhism is all about ancestor worshiping and nothing else, so she wanted to know more about the "real Buddhism" from the class. Mr. E was interested in general Eastern philosophy, and hoped that the class can advance his understanding in this regard. Mr. F considered himself a Catholic and the reason he came was nothing but wanting to learn more about other religions (in this case, Buddhism). Mr. G was a Western philosophy major and has always interested in learning the other side of thinking - the Eastern way - and trying to find a common ground for both sides, in his searching for the truth. This is certainly doable, I think to myself, "if the Chinese and English languages can coexist harmoniously in me, so can East and West."

I have also encountered unexpected situations. One day an uninvited photographer just walked in, wanting to shoot some pictures of our group activities. I was concerned that not everyone would be comfortable with being in the picture, so I let them choose. Those who volunteered to be the "model" were taken a few pictures in meditation, and the next day "found themselves on the front page of a local newspaper."

In the first few sessions, everyone was new, and I didn't know their background or interest. So when talking, I had the feeling that I am speaking to everybody yet nobody at the same time. That is, I didn't know what the targeted audience was. But that feeling drifted away quickly, as I comforted myself, "After all, Chan is taught beyond words."

It's easy to assume that newcomers are more "beginners" than experienced meditators. This is however not always true, and I have seen examples that confirmed me so. Lesson learned: everyone is equal and no differentiation is needed. So next time we should "start with one-hour meditation and go from there."

In our last session, the discussion was centered around the idea of chi, life force, or biorhythm - the intangible and invisible energy of our body. As I presumed that by now everybody is more advanced and ready for this kind of topic, I earnestly engaged everyone in the discussion that went for about half an hour before I presented the reward - a cool certificate - for every consistent participant. As I stood up from my cross-legged position to reach for the certificates, I heard a whisper, "Finally it's time for something tangible."

Isn't leading a meditation session fun?