Chris,
In the Diamond Sangha affiliate zendo in Tucson, we made our own cushions in
the earliest days, when the sangha was just starting.
Sometimes we'd have sewing parties, and make the shells together; on other days
we'd have "stuffing-parties", usually outdoors if it was kapok stuffing.
Lately, we/they had to obtain more to replace worn-out cushions, and to
accommodate the growth of the sangha, and they bought them ready-made. We had
to adjust some of them as received, because they were overstuffed, so we
removed some kapok, and of course saved it up in a big plastic bag to add to
cushions later as the kapok filling in a cushion becomes matted-down from use.
But always, we had given sitters the choice of two kinds of cushions: (1.)
kapok-filled, and (2.) buckwheat-hull filled.
At Sheng Yen's place, it was all kapok.
Some people would always bring their own cushion from home to daily sits, or to
sesshin. No one discouraged doing that.
I can't imagine using compressible foam in a cushion if you've ever used
anything else that gives more support. I think that a rock would serve better.
Maybe I've just been lucky, but I have never seen foam-filled cushions in use
at any zendo.
Someone could do an enormous service for the sangha at a place where foam *is*
used by just replacing the foam stuffing with kapok or buckwheat hulls. Or,
doing that work is a good sangha project together on a work day at the zendo.
The benefits would be huge.
--Joe
> Chris Austin-Lane wrote:
>
> Having just returned from the few days I could make of a local sesshin (I
> could not after all make it to San Diego), I am curious about zafus. I have
> always used kapok filled zafus, and always the norm in the zen groups seems
> to be for foam or cushiony zafus. I find the capok to be superior in every
> way for sitting. It is more adjustable to my precise sitting bones, causes
> less numbness and rewards attention of a proper placement at the outset
> before the bell rings rather directly.
>
> Do people here have some preference? Sometimes I leave my kapok zafus at
> home in order not to stand out as having a preference, but really the foam
> seems like a modern mistake.
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