..续本文上一页 gassho. If you are the last person to be served, bow holding your bowl in your left hand, resting it on your left thigh, and covering it with your right hand.

　　Avoid touching your food with fingers or eating utensils until eating begins, except to make your offering of a small quantity of grain, cereal or bread when the offering dish is passed. At breakfast and noon, eating begins at the end of a sutra which is recited with your first bowl held before you at eye level. Take your first bite from this bowl before putting it down. At the evening meal, no sutras are recited, and eating begins on a signal from the Ino.

　　When the servers enter the dojo for the second serving, you may continue eating unless you want a second helping. When the server nears your place in line, bring your hands to gassho without bowing If you indicate you do want more, the server will stop in front of you, and you should hold out your bowl in the direction of the dish from which you wish to be served. At the end of the meal, each person washes his or her bowls with tea and dries them with the cloth provided. After the bowls have been washed, drink all the tea except a small amount, which is offered when the jug is passed for it. Make this offering carefully and respectfully, as with the grain offering.

　　There will be three bells at the end of each meal. At the first, rise with your bowl. At the second, bow and straighten your place and return to your regular place if you moved for the meal. At the third, bow, then go to your resting or work place.

　　GENERAL MEAL CAUTIONS:

　　Please handle your bowls and utensils quietly at all times. Don”t speak to the servers, or attempt signals other than those specified. Eat as heartily as you wish, but do not lag behind in finishing. Eat everything you accept. Stay out of the kitchen unless you have an assignment there. Do not speak or write notes to the cooks for any reason.

　　Food and food trips (such as fruitarianism and fasting) can be extremely preoccupying during sesshin. Make up your mind in advance that, for the interval of sesshin, you will let go of your particular convictions in this area, and will eat with the rest of us as one of the group. Please avoid loading up on one or two particular dishes, or picking and choosing among dishes. People who do not eat animal products need not take cheese or milk or eggs: they will be offered separately, not as ingredients in main dishes. Do not fast. Be circumspect about following these guidelines, and you will maintain your strength for zazen. If you have a medically assigned diet, special arrangements may be made if they have not been already, by talking to the Jisha. Do not take food that has been set aside for those with special diets, ie rice crackers.

　　l4. ENTERING AND LEAVING THE DOJO:

　　Approach the dojo with your hands in the kinhin position, gassho at the door, facing the altar, then walk to your seat with your hands in the kinhin position. Keep to the sides of the dojo, rather than walking diagonally, and walk silently and briskly. Bow to your seat, turning so that you do not place your back to the altar as you do so. Then turn again facing into the dojo and bow to the Sangha. Turn again, plump your zafu if necessary and sit down.

　　Gassho again whenever leaving the dojo, facing the altar, except when leaving to go to dokusan, or during formal kinhin.

　　15. KINHIN:

　　Kinhin or walking meditation is an opportunity to continue zazen while walking, a transition from the cushion to the everyday world. Kinhin comes at the end of every period of zazen (with a few exceptions), and is signalled by the Jikijitsu with two bells. (Demonstrate bells) When you hear the bells, gassho. Carefully unfold your feet and swing around on your cushion in the direction of the altar, place…

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