Zazen (Seated Meditation)
Not all of the authors of this blog practice seated-meditation but those that do generally follow the Zen format (zazen). As nembutsu-sha we do not consider it a necessary element of our practice but it is nonetheless something that we have been introduced to by good friends and teachers and have come to deeply value.
The Form of Zazen:
A quiet room is good for zazen. Spread out a thick mat. Do not let drafts or vapours enter. Do not let rain and dew leak in. Take care of the space you are in. The place for zazen should be bright, not dark, both day and night. It should be warm in winter and cool in summer.
First, go to your seat and bow toward your cushion, turn around and bow the opposite direction, then place your behind on the round cushion, taking care not to use more than half of it. The cushion does not go under the thighs; it goes under the buttocks. Place the front edge of the cushion under your buttocks so that when you cross your legs they rest on the mat.
Sit in either the full or half lotus posture. In the full lotus, the right foot is placed on the left thigh and the left foot on the right thigh. The toes of each foot should be aligned with the thighs, not extending past or slid down. In the half lotus just put the left foot on the right thigh. Your knees should rest firmly on the mat, just like shells that attach themselves to a rock in the ocean.
Loosen your clothes and belt and keep them neat. Place the right hand on the left foot, the left hand over the right hand. Then put your right hand palm up on your left foot and put your left hand in the palm of your right, the tips of the thumbs touching lightly (fig.8). The top of the thumbs should be level with the navel. (An alternative method of holding the hands used in the Rinzai tradition can be seen in fig.9).
After that, sway your body left and right, making first big movements that gradually become smaller, until after seven or eight movements you settle firmly in the zazen posture. Take one deep breath and relax your shoulders completely. Push your lower back forward. Resting on your hip bone, your spine should be straight and unmoving.
Stretch your neck as if you tried to pierce with your skull through the ceiling. Draw back the chin. Sitting like this, your nose should be straight above your navel, and your ears straight above the shoulders. Put the tongue against the roof of the mouth, while the back teeth sit on each other. Keep the eyes slightly open and cast them down on the tatami 3 to 4 feet in front of you. Breathe gently through your nose. Having aligned body and mind, exhale deeply. Sitting in balance and stillness like a mountain, think of “not-thinking.” How? Be “Before Thinking”.
Take care not to pull the inner organs upward. That doesn’t mean though that you should exert any force down in your lower belly. The inner organs should rest naturally in the body. If you are too hard on your organs, you’ll become sick. Breathe naturally. If you have difficulties to breathe, this caused by an unreasonable strain. Make sure that your hips are always bend forward and your consciousness sharp and clear. Don’t forget that the vital point of zazen lies in the hip/waist/pelvis area.
(Based on Kodo Sawaki’s ‘How to Sit’ and Dōgen Zenji’s Zazengi.)
The Life of Zazen (Links):
“In zazen we leave everything to the figure of zazen. It is not sleeping. It is not thinking. We must be awakened clearly.”
“It is natural that thoughts flash on us from moment to moment.”
“Even though many thoughts come across our mind, lose your hold on your head. Refrain from any fabrication, leaving a flash of thoughts to take its own course, leaving the disappearance of thought to take its own course.” (Source)
- Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind – Shunryu Suzuki
- Opening the Hand of Thought – Kosho Uchiyama
- Dosho Port (Sōtō Zen teacher) – Wild Fox Zen
- Antaiji – Sawaki/Uchiyama line – strict emphasis on posture and “just sitting”
- Related posts on this site are tagged: Zazen and Zazen Notes
- Meditation in Jodo Shinshu?
