Volume 8, Chapter 2: Human Nature Put to the Test Part 1

The smell of grass coming from the tatami spread out before us tickled our noses.

A room that, for some reason, felt nostalgic to me was spread out before my eyes. The place the teacher escorted us to was a spacious area that looked like a dojo.

It looks like we'll be completing this task alongside some students from the other groups.

"Starting from today, this will be where you practice Zazen in the morning and in the evening".

"This shall be the first time I've done Zazen in my life".

The Professor said so casually from the other side but upon hearing those words, the man in charge of this task approached him.

"I-Is something the matter?".

The Professor, surprised by the overbearing pressure of the silence, asked that while looking up.

"Is that dialect something you're born with? Or perhaps it's related to your hometown?".

"That is not the case.....".

"Then you're not from the Muromachi period or the Edo period either right?".

"Huh? Of course that is not the case either.....".

"I see. Then I don't know why you're speaking like that but here that's a demerit for you. Take this chance to fix that ridiculous dialect of yours and grow up".

"W-What?".

"What will someone think if you speak that way to them on your first meeting. Or perhaps you'd like to me to explain it from that angle as well?".

I don't know why the Professor chooses to speak that way but even I could tell that it's intentional on his part.

In society.....or at least in a strict environment, he surely won't be permitted to speak that way.

It has nothing to do with rules or obligations but rather, it falls within the territory of 'morals' and 'manners'. Of course, it's possible for you to refuse to do so by claiming this is an idiosyncrasy of yours but only a minority of people could get away with that.

"Alright, listen up here. To be acknowledged, to be known, to prove that you're special and to act uncaringly of others. There are plenty of people like that. Not just youngsters but the elderly as well, now and then you get people like that".

The man in charge counsels the entire group in a strict tone of voice.

"I'm not saying to discard your individuality entirely in the face of society and you're free to express yourself. But what I'm trying to say is that once you enter society, you must never forget to be considerate of the feelings of others. Here we'll be conducting lessons that will have an effect on that sort of mindset. One of those lessons is Zazen. By holding your words and your actions in you will integrate yourself into the collective whole and be subsumed. Be considerate of others and finally think about it. What sort of person you are, what you are capable of".

Get it? As though saying that, the man in charge attentively directed his gaze at the Professor and then left.

"I have felt fea---no, I need to be careful".

He may not be able to ditch his dialect straight away but from now on, through repeatedly practicing Zazen, the Professor may be able to reflect on himself. On why he slipped into that dialect just now, that is.

The groups each take their seats and we received a simple explanation in this very room.

In this place, known as a Zazendo, we need to ball our fist, be it the left or the right one, and clutch it with the other hand at all times, whether we're walking or standing.

And we'll need to keep it at around the height of our solar plexus. It's a stance known as Shasyu.

Depending on which school we're talking about, you may need to use a specific hand to do the clutching but those schools and the such probably don't apply here.

Then we received one more explanation regarding Zazen. That Zazen is nothing more than a form of meditation. Practicing Zazen isn't about emptying your head but rather forming an image.

That there's something known as the Ten Bulls that act as a method through which the image is visualized.

It's a series of ten illustrations that depict the road to Zen enlightenment. Since Zazen is a first for me too, I haven't experienced it before.

"After you sit cross-legged, place your legs on top of your thighs. Since the exam's outcome also depends on how well you can perform the lotus position, make sure you do the best you can".

"Oww.....is he for real? I can't get one leg up though......".

"If you are unable to pull it off from the beginning, then you may opt for the half lotus position that you perform with one leg".

The man in charge demonstrated it himself to give us a sample of that too. I was able to cross my legs without much difficulty and so I chose to go with the lotus position.

From what I can see, it doesn't look like many students are able to pull it off surprisingly enough. As for Kouenji, who I've grown somewhat curious about........he's casually crossing his legs for Zazen.

A small smile on his face, it looks like he's gone ahead and entered a state of Zen alone.

Since there doesn't seem to be anything in his posture worth correcting, the man in charge didn't make a big deal out of him going on ahead.

"That guy, he can do it if he puts his mind to it after all".

Beside me, having succeeded in performing the lotus position himself, Tokitou whispered that.

"It doesn't seem like he dislikes this sort of thing. For now that's a relief".

"No doubt about that".

The man in charge is a hard-faced man, but if it's Kouenji, it wouldn't be strange even if he refused to act without a trace of fear in him.

As the students understood what it is in general, Zazen time began. Since quite a bit of time was spent on the explanation, the first session was limited to about five minutes.