![A Japanese Zen monk is looking at the camera. The caption is "Everyone, please sit zazen [meditate]."](https://assets.merveilles.town/media_attachments/files/117/540/963/016/671/050/original/5fafa5626f6eb6b5.png)
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@0gust1 I don't think he will be mad if you sit on a chair. In fact, the video this screenshot is from even explains how! It's from sotozen.com, so I guess it's *official*! :D https://www.sotozen.com/eng/zazen/video/index.html
@i_dabble yes, when I practiced (3-4 years), the near-100 years old lady of the dojo used a chair. But people heavily insisted that we should use zafu + lotus.
I did a mini-sesshin (2 days), and after it, I had knee problems afterwards.
I’ve seen the lineage master, Philippe Coupey, fell twice while climbing stairs, because of its weak knees.
As we have a strange hip/pelvis and weak knees on the family (my mother had 2 prosthetic knees and suffered a lot), I stopped going to the dojo.
I still practice, alone (either ritsu zen (standing) or sat on a chair), but I miss the powerful atmosphere of the dojo, the kyosaku, and some people.
@0gust1 In the video you can briefly see someone sitting in a chair in the zendo. 😊 It's a pitty if they exclude people because they can't sit *correctly*.
@i_dabble It may also because I was young and not assertive enough. I was not really excluded, but yes there was a strong push to sit in lotus ("it's ok if it's painful"). Lotus is the real thing, necessary for satori. Chair is for those who aren’t very good.
When pelvis/hips not supple enough (or constrained by genetics), the forces operates in the knees, sideway (not good).
Maybe I should return / try again (it was +15 years ago).
(And there was also the disillusionment of learning that Kodo Sawaki – Deshimaru's master – was an horrible war-mongering person, but it's another topic)
@i_dabble no :D
My hips and knees strongly disagree (I tried a lot several years ago, the genetics of my pelvis are not adapted).