American Zen Meditation Master Expert
Al Rapaport Quick Facts
Main Areas: Zen Meditation, Zen Breathwork
Career Focus: Teacher of Zen, Author, Conference Producer of Buddhism & Yoga Conferences
Affiliation: Open Mind Zen, Inc.
Al Rapaport, Sensei has been a leading voice in the development of a uniquely American form of Zen Buddhism. He has practiced and taught Zen for almost 40 years, and currently is Director of Open Mind Zen Meditation Center in Melbourne, FL. Al is a Dharma Successor in the White Plum Sangha and is author of Open Mind Zen: A Guide to Meditation and editor of Buddhism in America.
An experienced retreat leader, he currently has students all over the United States. From 1997 to 2001 he was Producer of the Buddhism in America Conference, which was the largest gathering of Buddhist meditation teachers and students in history. These conferences took place in Boston, San Diego, Colorado and New York City. In addition, he was Founder of the Yoga Journal Conference and Producer of the Yoga Spirit Teacher Training Conferences.
Favorite Quotes & Thoughts from Al Rapaport
What is Open Mind Zen?Open Mind Zen is a unique form of Zen practice based on long standing methods such as sitting meditation and koan practice, but also incorporating more modern modalities. We have found that most Asian ethnic and cultural aspects of Zen are not necessary for Americans and in fact can slow one’s understanding of the core of Zen, which is realization and actualization of awakened mind in everyday life.In addition, we disavow the many superstitious practices and beliefs that were rooted in the popular cultures of India, China, Tibet and Japan. This is not to say that those ancient cultures don’t have much to offer us, but simply that we need to choose our practices carefully with a scientific eye to what is real for the modern practitioner. In this sense, we believe Zen to be a true “Science of Mind,” in which the student uses his or her own body and mind as the laboratory to engage the experiment of spirituality. Myth and legend can be enjoyable to read, but we recognize that it is not real.In Open Mind Zen, the teachers are all lay practitioners with jobs in the world. There are no monks and no priestly class. We have found no need to elevate teachers to the point where they are treated differently from the average practitioner, and find that a sense of humor about one’s Zen accomplishment is essential to keeping a real and rooted perspective. We have a firm belief that teachers should not be intimately involved with their students, but can be their friends.The foundation of Open Mind Zen Practice embraces the following techniques:1) Zazen,or Zen Meditation. This is the main and most important part of Zen, and usually the most difficult for a student to maintain over time.2) Koan Practice. Koans are stories or interactions between students and teachers most of which come from the era called the “Golden Age of Zen” in ancient China. They are used as a method of realizing Unborn Mind and then deepening that realization. In OMZ we study the same koan collections used in traditional Zen. We also focus on the commentaries and poetry associated with each koan.3) Zen Dialogue. This method is based on the Voice Dialogue work of Hal Stone and the Big Mind work of Genpo Roshi. It is unparalleled in bringing both beginners and experienced students to a place of clarity. This facilitated session is an integral part of starting the Open Mind Zen method, and gives the beginner a taste right from the onset of what Zen is truly about.4) Zen Breathwork. This sustained breathing technique is truly miraculous in its effects. It helps deepen breathing and is a direct, physical way to experience how energy moves through the body & mind and how we block it. Breathwork is a tremendous aid to sitting meditation, which relies largely on relaxation of breath and mind. It is also amazingly useful for athletes, yoga practitioners and martial artists.5) Teacher Contact. It is very important to understand that Zen is not just meditation per se, but rather a process of uncovering unconscious habit patterns and ways of seeing our life. This is extremely difficult without a teacher, as the teacher helps us to go where we will not normally go on our own. We invite all who feel a connection with Open Mind Zen to come and join the experiment! If you are within commuting distance, we suggest you begin by coming to a Sunday Dharma Talk, conducted by Master Al Rapaport and Assistant Teachers Betsy Smith and Kevin Smith. The talks begin with a 30 minute silent meditation. These talks are recorded and available on our website in MP3 format. Then, if you want to proceed further, we will schedule a beginning orientation, which lasts about an hour and will teach you basic meditation practice, history and how you can be involved at Open Mind Zen Center. If you live out of the East Central Florida area, we also have a Correspondence Course available which parallels our student path of meditation and koan practice.
Getting Started With Al Rapaport
Visit our Website at www.OpenMindZen.com. There are many talks available to download in MP3 format.
If you are local to the Central Florida area, you can also visit Open Mind Zen Meditation Center in Melbourne. Phone is (321)768-2098
