What to expect when joining us on Zoom
(Scroll down for technical details)
Please join us up to 15 minutes prior to the start of the sitting period. People will be arriving during this period, and it’s a great time to chat and meet new faces and catch up with familiar ones. It is suggested that you switch to Gallery View (see Technical Details below), so that you can see more than the active speaker at one time.
The practice leader will mute everyone at the start of the practice period and offer incense at the altar. This will be followed by a sutra service (a full sutra service followed by kinhin (walking meditation) on Sunday evenings, an abbreviated one for other sessions). A clapper and 3 bells will mark the beginning of the practice period, and we sit still and upright once the third bell has rung. Two bells will mark the end of 25 minutes, after which we each perform a seated bow and come to standing for kinhin.
The clappers will sound to mark the beginning of kinhin, after which we bow and start walking. During kinhin, please walk around your space slowly and mindfully, if you are able. This is also a time to use the restroom if needed. After five minutes of walking, the clappers will signal everyone to return to stand by their seats. Once everyone has assembled, the clappers will sound for everyone to perform a standing bow, and then we take our seats to start the next meditation period.
At the end of the last meditation period, only one bell will sound, after which we will chant The Four Bodhisattva Vows together. Bells will signal everyone to come to standing, perform three bows (standing or full prostration) towards an altar (your own or the one on screen), one more standing bow towards an altar, then one final bow to each other. When the final bell is muted, we take our seats for introductions and announcements.
Dokusan
During some practice periods, a teacher or senior assistant teacher may offer private, one-on-one meetings. These meetings are highly encouraged as an important part of our practice. They are a time to ask a question about Zen, talk about your practice, work with a kōan, or to simply talk with a teacher for a few minutes. When prompted by the jisha (“attendant”), if you would like to have a meeting, please raise your Zoom hand (see Technical Details). The jisha will send each student in turn into a “breakout room” for the private meeting. You will need to unmute your microphone (see Technical Details below). Ask anyone else in the physical room with you to leave, to allow you to have a private discussion with the teacher. You don’t need to have your camera on for these meetings, but it is preferred, if possible.
Dharma talks
During some practice periods, a teacher or senior student will give a talk pertaining to Zen, during which we remain in our meditation practice as the words come to us. At the end of the talk, there will be a few minutes of discussion known as “dharma dialogue,” during which we are encouraged to ask questions (about the talk or anything about Zen and our practice) or make comments.
Zoom Zendo Etiquette
Please set your display name to be your first name and, optionally, your pronouns and/or your location. For example: “Melissa (she)” or “David (he) – Worcester, MA”
We also request that you turn on your camera and provide enough illumination so that you may be seen, as it adds to the feeling of community and togetherness. Please be mindful of extraneous movement in view of the camera (e.g.-flickering candle, incense smoke, fans, etc.).
When you enter the meeting, you may be automatically muted. You are welcome to unmute yourself before the practice period begins, while we are chatting, and also at the end when the teachers invite everyone to do so. Unfortunately, we must remain muted during chanting, due to limitations of videoconferencing.
Technical Details:
Download the Zoom app from here: https://zoom.us/download. A computer version is preferred, or scroll down for iOS/Android apps.
Registering for an account is not required, but having one allows you to set and save your preferences.
In the upper left corner of your screen, you can select Gallery View which shows an array of individual screens, or Speaker View which fills most of the display with the screen of whoever is currently speaking. You can switch between these two views. You may prefer Speaker View during talks and Gallery View for the pre-practice visiting period and during silent zazen periods.
There are menu bars that may automatically hide. Move your mouse (or touch your device screen) to make them appear for:
- Mute/Unmute: in the lower left corner, there is a microphone icon, Click this to toggle your mute setting.
- Chat: Found in the middle bottom of your screen, you may send a message privately to a practice leader.
- Leave (also “Leave Meeting” or “Leave Breakout Room”): Found in the lower right (or the upper right for mobile devices) of your screen, this is how you can leave the meeting, or leave a breakout room (used in dokusan)
- Participants: Found in the lower middle of your screen, this allows you to view the participant list.
- Raise Hand
- In computer (and some mobile) apps, find a “Raise Hand” button or an icon that looks like a hand shape.
- In mobile apps where there is no button, press your name to open a popup menu with a “Raise Hand” option
Our Zoom meeting room is here, and you’re also invited to download our liturgy book.If you have any issues, please contact the Temple’s tech team.
