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座禅をくむ
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Sitting in Meditation |
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市川高校は仏教系の高校なので、週1回座禅の授業があります。校舎の中に、座禅専用の教室があります。ふだんはふざけあっている仲間も、座禅のときは真剣でりりしい表情になります。あわただしい毎日を過ごすなかで、気持ちがひきしまる時間です。靴下を脱いで、畳敷きの台に上がります。男子は半跏趺坐、女子は正座をして、背筋をピンと伸ばします。尻の下には丸い座布団を敷きます。故意に動いたり、気持ちがたるんでいると、先生にきょうさく（長い棒）で肩をたたかれます。ふつうは、軽くパンパンとたたかれる程度ですが、ひどくたるんでいるときは、思いっきりビシッビシッとたたかれます。
夏には、学校に3泊する「座禅錬成」があります。放課後すぐにおふろに入り3時間座禅をくみます。このときばかりは、みんなきょうさくで容赦なくたたかれます。
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Ichikawa High School is a Buddhist-affiliated school, so once a week we have a class in meditation. The school has a special room designed especially for meditation. Even the silliest, jolliest students grow serious and quiet during meditation. Our schedules are full and every day is very busy, and meditation gives you a chance to calm your mind and focus your attention. We take off our socks and sit on the tatami platform. The boys cross their legs in half-lotus position and the girls sit in formal kneeling (seiza) position, all of us with our backs straight. We sit on a small round cushion. If we start fidgeting or our concentration wanders, our teacher comes around and gives us a whack on the shoulder with a stick called the kyosaku. Usually it's just a sharp tap on the shoulder, but if we are really slack, it can be a strong blow delivered with a full swing of the stick.
In the summertime, our school has a three-day meditation training program. After classes are over we take a bath and have a three-hour session of meditation. During those sessions, just about everybody has to endure the blow of the kyosaku.
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