Kinhin

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Members of Kanzeon Zen Center during kinhin
Members of Kanzeon Zen Center during kinhin

Kinhin (経行; Japanese: kinhin or kyōgyō, Chinese: jingxing), in Zen Buddhism, is the walking meditation that is practiced between long periods of the sitting meditation known as zazen.

Practitioners walk clockwise around a room while holding their hands in shashu (left fist closed, while the right hand grasps the left fist). During walking meditation each step is taken after each full breath. The word kinhin means 'to go straight'. The beginning of kinhin is announced by ringing the bell twice (kinhinsho). The end of kinhin is announced by ringing the bell once (chukaisho).

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