ZenSpace Commentary

ZEN PRACTICE

by Fred Rossini — May 5, 2002

Introduction

Our practice originated about 2500 years ago in India when Sidhartha Guatama, called the Buddha or "Awakened One" is said to have reached "enlightenment" while meditating under a tree at the first light of dawn. In our practice we open ourselves to the same direct experience of the nature of the self and of all things. This practice has passed from India to China to Japan and now to western societies. In the process of passing through cultures, the externals of the practice have adapted to the various environments, but its heart has remained unchanged. It is a practice accessible to every human being regardless of age, gender, race, religion, or any other trait that differentiates human beings.

Zen is a practice of direct, unmediated awareness. It is not an intellectual exercise to develop a philosophy or theology. It is not belief in the contents of written works. It is not following a code of conduct. It is not an emotional catharsis. It is not performing good works.

Fundamentally Zen is being present here and now with what is here and now just as it is. It involves taking the energy of body and mind that we habitually use to create and maintain the "self" and focusing it on the present just as it is without interacting with what is going on. Our principal approach to achieving this focus is through Zen meditation. While reading about meditation and Zen may be helpful, reading and other activities are secondary to practice. In our practice we develop direct awareness, and we attempt with great calm and patience to bring this awareness to every moment of our life.

A combination of individual and group practice seems to work best for most people since we are social beings. Individual practice develops our determination to become awareness, while practicing in a group additionally motivates us and offers the opportunity to learn from others and to have our questions and concerns addressed. However, in the end it is up to each of us to determine and maintain our approach to studying the self through practice.

Instructions for Zen Mediation

The basis of Zen meditation is to adopt a posture of body and mind (viewed as inseparable) that allows one to remain comfortably (relatively anyway) for long periods of time without expending significant amounts of energy. It is important to adapt the instructions for Zen meditation to your particular circumstances of body and mind and especially to recognize that there is no single posture that is best for everyone - not one size fits all. The instructions are a beginning. It is up to you to modify them to work for you. Never force yourself into a posture that may harm your body. While meditating wear loose, comfortable clothing and be sure to remove your shoes.

Many believe with good reason that arranging the lower body in a stable three-point base is the foundation of good posture. The classic sitting posture is the "full lotus" in which one sits on the floor with each foot placed on the opposite thigh. You can try this if you are extremely limber or adept in hatha yoga. (I can't do it.)

The "half lotus," in which one foot (either one) is on the opposite thigh and the other foot is resting on the floor, is both less symmetric and less stable than the full lotus. However, most of us find it easier to sit on the front of a cushion with our legs crossed and our knees resting on the floor in front of us.

You will find the sitting postures almost hopeless without sitting on a cushion or folded blanket to get your buttocks above the floor. In any sitting posture, you should be sitting on no more than the front half of the cushion. There are specific cushions designed for meditation. The Japanese use circular cushions they call zafus. The Tibetans use square cushions. However, any cushion or a folded blanket will work. Just find a comfortable seat, and vary it from period to period to avoid stiffness and pain in the lower body.

Kneeling is a stable posture that many people find useful as an exclusive position or as a change from the sitting position. A common approach is to set a firm meditation cushion perpendicular to the floor and under the buttocks with the knees in front and the feet pressing against the cushion from both sides. If your thighs are limber, you can set the cushion parallel to the floor for greater stability. Kneeling benches slope from back to front and are placed over the legs and under the buttocks. In the future, ergonomic devices may be developed that make it easy to maintain a stable posture for long periods of time.

One can also sit on the front part of a chair without using its back, stand, or lie flat on your back. Persons with physical disabilities should find a position that is as comfortable and as stable as possible and use it. The status of one's health and physical condition does not limit practice. It is just necessary to find a posture that works for you

The spine should be held by gravity in a gentle s-curve above the base. One approach to positioning the spine is to thrust forward from the diaphragm while pulling the head back and tucking the chin so the eyes are slightly downcast and the nose is in line with the navel. In this position, the spine is given a gentle stretch and the chest is kept open.

The arms and shoulders should be kept as relaxed as possible. Flap the arms about and let them fall into the lap with palms up one on top of the other. The ends of the thumbs are touched together making an ellipse. The arms should be positioned so that the shoulders are completely relaxed with the shoulders neither held up nor bent forward. Each of us has a different arm length, and this effects where we position our hands to keep our shoulders tension-free.

Touch the lips together without pressure, and touch the tongue lightly to the roof of the mouth.

Keep the eyes relaxed, unfocused, and preferably open. Open and close the eyelids several times, and then let them fall where they may. Usually this is slightly open. Then let the focus of eyes relax until they see no identifiable object. When the eyes are soft or unfocused, if possible, gently open the eyes without creating tension and keep them unfocused.

For a few moments experience the body and its sensations directly just as they are without describing what is happening, commenting on it, or making any judgments.

Now pay attention to the breath. Steadily breathe in through the nose, down to the diaphragm, and out through the nose without any tension. Do this several times, and then let the breath breathe itself.

Experience briefly the body, breath, and sensations just as they are without descriptions, opinions, or commentary.

Finally attend to the other thoughts and emotions that come and go in each of us. Normally we interact with these thoughts and emotions by either amplifying and enhancing them or truncating and suppressing them. In either case, we pump energy into them. This energy constantly creates and maintains our lifeworld, the self. In our practice we neither amplify nor suppress our thoughts and feelings. We simply experience them as they are, letting them arise, grow to maturity, and dissipate without interacting with them. We do not name them, describe them, make judgments or form opinions about them. We do not tell stories about them. The energy we normally spend in this manner remains in the present. We open our minds up, and let go of any distinction between the aware subject, the process of being aware, and the object of awareness. We remain totally in the present just as it is without leaping into the past or future. Our mind naturally turns what is here into things. Do not attach to and reinforce the thing-making spasms of the mind. Simply let these come and go. Stay in the present just as it is without "thinging it up." Relax and become awareness!

In order to rest and stretch our legs between periods of stationary meditation, we practice walking meditation. In the formal version of waking meditation, the head, shoulders, back, eyes, breath, and awareness are as in sitting meditation. The hands can be held as in sitting meditation. Alternatively, one can make a fist of one hand, tucking the thumb inside the fist, and positioning the fist in the center of the chest at heart height. Place the other hand palm down on top of the fist, and hold the elbows at the same height as the fist with the forearms parallel to the floor. The walking is a slow continuous motion with short steps. We breathe synchronously with our steps, usually breathing in on one step and out on the next.

The length of individual meditation periods should vary with need and opportunity. When meditating alone, pick a length that is comfortable, but pushes the comfort zone. Periods of around a half-hour work for many people. It is a good idea when meditating by yourself or with others not to go beyond forty-five minutes without a break to rest the legs unless you are comfortable with such longer periods.

When one meditates with an organized group, in order for the group to meditate together, certain protocols are used. In principle the protocols are designed to allow the group to function in an orderly manner. These protocols involve starting and ending meditation periods and the speed of walking meditation. They also may include various signals as well as traditional activities in oriental Buddhist culture such as bowing and chanting. Recognize the need for some form of protocol to allow effective group practice. Avoid becoming attached to any particular form by varying protocol as appropriate. Do whatever the group is doing, and use the protocol to practice awareness.

Bringing Zen into Our Lives

The process of bringing Zen into our lives is one of gently letting our awareness practice enter every moment of our lives. It requires great patience and calm determination. It is not rearranging our lives to perform certain exercises.

The heart of the practice is the instruction, "Let it come and let it go." Whether "it" is a thought, an emotion, a thing, or the self, we have constant opportunities in our daily life to practice. In quiet moments and in simple repetitive actions one can open awareness to the present. The awareness practice can be extended further into every part of our lives. This should be done slowly, with great patience, and without tension. Living in our complex information society, we encounter many unexpected situations of great intensity. The karmic self manifests its widest swings and most powerful spasms in such intense circumstances. Here is a great opportunity to study the self, an opportunity that is usually availed only with great difficulty. Yet using these moments of great intensity as opportunities for practice may lead to maturity in practice.

We can practice by ourselves. We can practice with a group. We can let the practice flow into our every moment. Let it happen naturally. Do not force the practice. Do not be slack. Calmly and without tension return to the practice. Become awareness. Just do it!

Dogen said that practice is enlightenment. We might add that practice is enlightenment is life.

(c) May 5, 2002 Frederick A. Rossini.