(Walking Meditation)
Though it is often a welcome opportunity to stretch one’s legs and recover from an long, intense period of sitting, it is also an excellent opportunity to deepen one’s practice.
Here is an excerpt from Suzuki Roshi’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind describing the basic posture for kinhin:
Just as for sitting, when we stand in the zendo we have some rules. But the purpose of these rules is not to make everyone the same, but to allow each to express his own self most freely. For instance, each one of us has his own way of standing, so our standing posture is based on the proportions of our own bodies. When you stand, your heels should be as far apart as the width of your own fist, your big toes in line with the centers of your own breasts. As in zazen, put some strength in your abdomen. Here also your hands should express your self. Hold your left hand against your chest with fingers encircling your thumb, and put your right hand over it. Holding your thumb pointing downward, and your forearms parallel to the floor, you feel as if you have some round pillar in your grasp — a big round temple pillar –so you cannot be slumped or tilted to the side.
When we begin kinhin, everyone will be spread out around the room. We walk clockwise around the room until each practitioner is about 2 or 3 feet behind the next one. Then, we continue at the pace of the leader until the bell is rung.
Upon the sound of clapper, we bow, then walk, still clockwise around the room, until we find our seats. A bell is rung, and we bow to our cushions. The second bell is rung and we bow towards the center of the room, towards each other.