Zen Meditation Brings Alaskan Community Together
2022-11-14
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1For more than 30 years, members of Alaska's Anchorage Zen Community gathered for meditation wherever they could find a place.
2But now they have their own zendo, or meditation hall, in a neighborhood in Alaska's most populous city.
3Meditation is the act of spending time in quiet thought.
4In the zendo, meditation starts when a member of the group rings a bell.
5The members breathe in and out in unity.
6Their collective breaths can be heard in the room.
7The community was founded in 1986 after meeting for years informally with followers of different kinds of Buddhism.
8Genmyo Jana Zeedyk leads the Zen group.
9She said that a sense of community is very important in a state like Alaska.
10While Anchorage has a population of about 300,000, Alaska has the lowest population density of any American state, with less than one person per square kilometer.
11Zeedyk said Alaska's seasons affect their meditation practices.
12In winter, days are very short. There is not even seven hours of daylight.
13She said that when outdoor activity slows down, it gives more opportunity for zazen -- or sitting meditation.
14She said, "There's the quiet that comes with the snow -- the conditions make it easier to be inside and sit."
15Judith Haggar is the group's treasurer.
16She said that in summer, when there is up to 19 hours of daylight, zazen can help people stay calm.
17Back at the zendo, several minutes pass until the members rise to their feet and begin to slowly walk in circles.
18At the end, Zeedyk talks about how practitioners can find awareness and compassion in even simple, everyday activities.
19The group connects their practice with the Anchorage community.
20They have helped clean bodies of water, organized community meals and visited prisoners to share Buddhist teachings.
21Meditation has been a life-changing experience for many women in prison, said Haggar.
22For more than 20 years, she and other community members have taught zazen, yoga and Buddhist teachings to women at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center.
23The program was temporarily stopped during the coronavirus pandemic but has since restarted.
24Brian Schumaker, who calls himself a beginner practitioner, noted the benefits of zazen in a busy world.
25He said it helps to take some time away from all the thoughts, sounds, words and distractions that find us every day.
26I'm Andrew Smith.
1For more than 30 years, members of Alaska's Anchorage Zen Community gathered for meditation wherever they could find a place. But now they have their own zendo, or meditation hall, in a neighborhood in Alaska's most populous city. 2Meditation is the act of spending time in quiet thought. In the zendo, meditation starts when a member of the group rings a bell. The members breathe in and out in unity. Their collective breaths can be heard in the room. 3The community was founded in 1986 after meeting for years informally with followers of different kinds of Buddhism. 4Genmyo Jana Zeedyk leads the Zen group. She said that a sense of community is very important in a state like Alaska. 5While Anchorage has a population of about 300,000, Alaska has the lowest population density of any American state, with less than one person per square kilometer. 6Zeedyk said Alaska's seasons affect their meditation practices. In winter, days are very short. There is not even seven hours of daylight. She said that when outdoor activity slows down, it gives more opportunity for zazen -- or sitting meditation. 7She said, "There's the quiet that comes with the snow -- the conditions make it easier to be inside and sit." 8Judith Haggar is the group's treasurer. She said that in summer, when there is up to 19 hours of daylight, zazen can help people stay calm. 9Back at the zendo, several minutes pass until the members rise to their feet and begin to slowly walk in circles. At the end, Zeedyk talks about how practitioners can find awareness and compassion in even simple, everyday activities. 10The group connects their practice with the Anchorage community. They have helped clean bodies of water, organized community meals and visited prisoners to share Buddhist teachings. 11Meditation has been a life-changing experience for many women in prison, said Haggar. For more than 20 years, she and other community members have taught zazen, yoga and Buddhist teachings to women at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center. The program was temporarily stopped during the coronavirus pandemic but has since restarted. 12Brian Schumaker, who calls himself a beginner practitioner, noted the benefits of zazen in a busy world. He said it helps to take some time away from all the thoughts, sounds, words and distractions that find us every day. 13I'm Andrew Smith. 14Luis Andres Henao wrote this story for the Associated Press. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English. 15________________________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17practitioner -n. a person who regularly practices a particular activity 18awareness -n. knowledge of or focused attention on some object, situation, or idea 19compassion -n. a feeling of sympathy and concern for others 20benefit -n. a positive or helpful effect 21distraction -n. something that interrupts or interferes with concentration 22_________________________________________________________________ 23We want to hear from you. 24We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 25Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.