Not that you care, but I'm listening to Coltrane again. Having chilled out a week or so with Claude Challe's Buddha Bar records, I'm re-listening to some of the Coltrane albums and still catching nuances that I missed the last time through.

My Teacher's ceremony is this Sunday at the Zen Center. I don't feel complete enough to be called a teacher of Zen, but I can console myself by remembering that there's nothing to teach.

Part of the filling of that sense of incompeteness included signing up for a three-day sesshin next month at Sanshin Zen Center in Bloomington, Indiana under the direction of Okumura Sensei. Friday and Saturday both start at 4 AM and will consist of 14 50-minute zazen and 10-minute walking meditation (kinhin) periods. No dharma talks, no tea breaks, no distractions (and no oryoki). Just sitting. Shikantaza.

Sounds perfect.

Sunday starts at 4 as well, but includes an oryoki breakfast and a dharma talk at 10:00. It sounds like the whole thing wraps up around noon.

Last Sunday, I had coffee with my friend Arthur, who's already a teacher at the Center, and he convinced me that I was no more or less worthy of being a teacher than he was. In fact, he took some measure of comfort in my discomfort, since it indicated to him that I did not take the role for granted, and would make great effort to be as good a teacher as I could.

There are four of us being certified - the three others are worthy candidates all - and if you're not doing anything else this Sunday feel free to come on by and participate in the ceremony.

We can listen to my Coltrane records afterwards.