Naked in the Zendo

September 2, 2019
Schireson (Zen Women), a Buddhist instructor in the Suzuki Roshi lineage, brings gentle humor and a casual tone to this rich spiritual memoir that also serves as a meditation guide. She shares stories of early childhood experiences with the presence of the divine and meeting Zen Buddhist teacher Suzuki Roshi while attending UC Berkeley in the early 1970s, where Zen meditation became an alternative to drugs for her. Schireson is most concerned with the practice of Zen in groups where “Buddhist principles of observing rules” create an environment for “building a connected human bridge out of kindness,” and accordingly recounts experiences of reflection where she felt a heightened sense of awareness through interactions with others. In one particularly candid section, Schireson tells of a bizarre situation where she was singled out and confronted at a Zen center simply because of her physical similarity to another practitioner’s sister. The experience of feeling demeaned (due to no action of her own) inspired a revelation: “we can stop demanding that other people like us... circulate awareness to move beyond habitual emotional reactions.” Schireson is a relatable and powerful teacher, and her decades of experiences working to help facilitate Zen meditation will aid any Buddhist practitioner attracted to group meditations.