Sitting Zazen
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Taipo, a Yahoo 360 Reader of my blog, asks:
So Daiho Roshi, what is the value of sitting zazen in the 'traditional' posture as opposed to some other physical configuration? Is there a value? Does it matter? I find I have trouble sitting up so straight, and end up worrying too much that my breathing is constrained. I will keep trying. If you could address this issue sometime, however, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
So much has been written about this over the centuries, from Buddha himself through Bodhidharma and Dogen, and on to recent Masters, that it is difficult to know where to begin.
The physical configuration is very important. Why? For one, and most importantly, it addresses our ability to be stable and still for a period of time. Back erect, but not taut. Shoulders back to open the chest for the breathe to enter and leave, and knees (or feet if sitting in a chair) firmly planted as the forward two points of a triangle with our bottom as the base, allows us to forget about our posture in a certain sense. Once we achieve "upright" the rest takes care of itself.
Now, Master Dogen's answer is very direct. We sit this way because the Buddha and all the buddhas, all the ancestors, sat this way. And in sitting this way, we ourselves become Buddha. Sitting this way is practice realization.
There is something very interesting about his answer, contained in the Bendowa fascicle of the Shobogenzo. It is that we know that just by sitting this way we are in practice realization, but we are not aware of it. We think we are just sitting there. I suppose if that is all we are doing, we are. Yet, we should be doing non-doing, practicing thinking about not-thinking. In other words, we are fully present but not at all engaged in anything. In this way, we can begin to see the universe as it is and where we "fit" in it. This zazen is the same as realization.
I would urge each of you to assume the correct posture. If full lotus is not possible, then half lotus. If half lotus is impossible, then Burmese style. If that is impossible, then seiza (kneeing using either a cushion or bench). If that is impossible, then a stool, sitting on the forward edge using a cushion. If that is not possible, then a chair, using a cushion on the forward edge. In all cases, the back should find its center of gravity by gently rolling in concentric circles until you are upright.
Tuck your chin slightly. Place your hands in the cosmic mudra (left hand cradled in right hand with thumbs lightly touching). Eyes not wide open or not closed. Lips closed.
Breath naturally through your nose, allowing your belly to do the work. your breath will find its own pace and depth.
Our brain will produce thoughts. Witness then. Our body (with our brain) will produce both tactile and emotional feelings. Witness then. We are bearing witness to our lives in this way and, by extension, the lives of myriad beings. We do not need to change a thing. We do not need to move. We do not need to scratch. This is our body/mind at work trying to take us away from the moment. Just be still.
In being still this way we learn so much about our reality. We learn that e do not have to do anything at all; rather e may choose what and when to do. This is authenticity.We learn that everything comes and goes: thoughts, feelings, all of life. The essential nature of everything is fluidity, process, or what Buddhists call "emptiness."
Our manifestations are momentary, Yet they are vital. In our manifestations we add or take away from the processes of life. We nurture or we destroy or we are doing something in between. In each case, each small action, like any action within a system, changes everything with the system. And since the system we address is the universe, each of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors has some impact on the entire universe.
Our practice is not quietism. It is not a withdrawal from life. It is a direct engagement with the Universe.
This is Zazen.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Taipo, a Yahoo 360 Reader of my blog, asks:
So Daiho Roshi, what is the value of sitting zazen in the 'traditional' posture as opposed to some other physical configuration? Is there a value? Does it matter? I find I have trouble sitting up so straight, and end up worrying too much that my breathing is constrained. I will keep trying. If you could address this issue sometime, however, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
So much has been written about this over the centuries, from Buddha himself through Bodhidharma and Dogen, and on to recent Masters, that it is difficult to know where to begin.
The physical configuration is very important. Why? For one, and most importantly, it addresses our ability to be stable and still for a period of time. Back erect, but not taut. Shoulders back to open the chest for the breathe to enter and leave, and knees (or feet if sitting in a chair) firmly planted as the forward two points of a triangle with our bottom as the base, allows us to forget about our posture in a certain sense. Once we achieve "upright" the rest takes care of itself.
Now, Master Dogen's answer is very direct. We sit this way because the Buddha and all the buddhas, all the ancestors, sat this way. And in sitting this way, we ourselves become Buddha. Sitting this way is practice realization.
There is something very interesting about his answer, contained in the Bendowa fascicle of the Shobogenzo. It is that we know that just by sitting this way we are in practice realization, but we are not aware of it. We think we are just sitting there. I suppose if that is all we are doing, we are. Yet, we should be doing non-doing, practicing thinking about not-thinking. In other words, we are fully present but not at all engaged in anything. In this way, we can begin to see the universe as it is and where we "fit" in it. This zazen is the same as realization.
I would urge each of you to assume the correct posture. If full lotus is not possible, then half lotus. If half lotus is impossible, then Burmese style. If that is impossible, then seiza (kneeing using either a cushion or bench). If that is impossible, then a stool, sitting on the forward edge using a cushion. If that is not possible, then a chair, using a cushion on the forward edge. In all cases, the back should find its center of gravity by gently rolling in concentric circles until you are upright.
Tuck your chin slightly. Place your hands in the cosmic mudra (left hand cradled in right hand with thumbs lightly touching). Eyes not wide open or not closed. Lips closed.
Breath naturally through your nose, allowing your belly to do the work. your breath will find its own pace and depth.
Our brain will produce thoughts. Witness then. Our body (with our brain) will produce both tactile and emotional feelings. Witness then. We are bearing witness to our lives in this way and, by extension, the lives of myriad beings. We do not need to change a thing. We do not need to move. We do not need to scratch. This is our body/mind at work trying to take us away from the moment. Just be still.
In being still this way we learn so much about our reality. We learn that e do not have to do anything at all; rather e may choose what and when to do. This is authenticity.We learn that everything comes and goes: thoughts, feelings, all of life. The essential nature of everything is fluidity, process, or what Buddhists call "emptiness."
Our manifestations are momentary, Yet they are vital. In our manifestations we add or take away from the processes of life. We nurture or we destroy or we are doing something in between. In each case, each small action, like any action within a system, changes everything with the system. And since the system we address is the universe, each of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors has some impact on the entire universe.
Our practice is not quietism. It is not a withdrawal from life. It is a direct engagement with the Universe.
This is Zazen.
Be well.