Published on February 22, 2025 11:54 AM GMT
Religions can be divided into proselytizing religions (e.g. Mormons) who are supposed to recruit new members, and non-proselytizing religions, (e.g. Orthodox Jews) who are the opposite. Zen Buddhism is a non-proselytizing religion, which makes me a bad Buddhist, because I've dragged three other people to my Zendo so far. All three had a great experience. One has become a regular, and another will return someday.
I didn't sell them on meditation. All three were already sold on meditation. One of them was a Sam Harris Waking Up fan, and another one was really into the Bhagavad Gita.
The Sam Harris fan's name is Rowan. Rowan is gay, and grew up in a rural evangelical Christian family. I haven't pressed him for details, but that can't have gone well. You may reasonably deduce that Rowan has a bad history with religion. But he has all the human instincts that respond positively to healthy rituals. Consequently, Rowan loves psudo-religious rituals and (until I brought him to Zendo) frequently complained to me that modern secular life didn't have enough rituals.
Was this enough for me to drag him to Zendo? Nope.
What happened next is that Rowan and I were hanging out and he was talking to me about his therapist. Rowan's therapist had recommended that Rowan do some meditation. Rowan followed his therapist's meditation instructions.
Rowan tells me this not knowing that I attend a Rinzai Zen practice center 10 minutes from his home.
I ask Rowan if he'd like to visit my Rinzai Zen practice center.
Rowan asks me, "Why?"
I don't remember the exact words I used, but here is the gist of them. "The stuff your therapist is teaching you is derived from Eastern mystical practices, except it has been watered down. Your therapist is not a monk. Your therapist is not a yogi. I'm sure your therapist is a great therapist, but your therapist has not personally taken the mystic path to its logical and inevitable conclusion. Do you want the homeopathic version of meditation, or do you want walk the road that Jesus, Mohammad and Siddhartha once did?"
Rowan: "I am intrigued."
Me: "Go to 1733 S Horton St on Tuesday at 7:30 pm. Do not be late. If you're even slightly late, turn around, go home, and come back next week. Bring $5 cash voluntary donation. When you enter the facility, immediately remove your shoes. Everything else will be explained to you."
Rowan: "Will you be there?"
Me: "No. That's the beginner class. Ping me if you'd like to join me for 1 hour+ of changing, bowing, and sitting in silence."
Rowan followed my instructions. When he arrived at Zendo, there were no other students. It was just him and the teacher talking together for one hour. The teacher in question is gay too and has the affect of the laughing buddha.
I didn't have to say another word.
Later, Rowan told me that the zazen was like nothing he had ever seen before.
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