The Way -- Meditation

Soto Zen, is meditation Zen. You adopt the approach of Buddha and Bodhidharma. You meditate, meditate, and meditate some more. Enlightenment comes to you through the meditation.

In Rinzai, you meditate to prepare yourself for enlightenment. Enlightenment can come through the meditation or in search of the answer to the Master's Koan or through the verbal combat of mondo with a Zen Master or, as in the case of Master Ikkyu, through the cry of a crow. Rinzai stresses verbal gymnastics to break away the shell of our preconceptions.

Meditation is zazen. There is a reason why the meditation is zazen and the philosophy is Zen.

How do you meditate?

The ideal position is the full-lotus as pictured above. Both feet are resting on the thighs so that the knees touch the floor and give a solid base with a low center of gravity. One sits on a zafu, a very firm pillow, stuffed with kapok or buckwheat shells, about six inches thick which allows your butt to be elevated which assists in the lotus position. If you sit towards the front of the zafu, it will help keep your spine straight. Buddha sits in a lotus flower but you can sit with your zafu on a zabuton, a soft rectangular mat so your knees don't hurt.

Does the full-lotus look like a even a zabuton won't keep your knees from hurting? You might want to try a half-lotus in which only one foot is placed on a thigh. I end up putting my right foot on the left thigh. I'm sure it's not even a half-lotus but I'm working on it.

Leeway is given the unlimber Westerner. You can sit in a straight- or non-backed chair with your feet flat on the floor, thighs parallel to the floor. Do not rest your back against the back of the chair. You should sit on the front of a pillow to assist your spinal alignment.

Once you are seated, then everything else is the same no matter what your lower torso position might be.

As I pointed out, the back should be straight. Don't make yourself rigid, but keep the position. Keep your shoulders back. Keep your head level. Look straight forward and then let your eyes focus on a point on the floor about three feet in front of you. If you are facing a wall, imagine the point on the other side of the wall. Place your hands in the position shown at the top of the page, i.e. palms up, right hand atop left hand, thumbs touching and forming an oval with the curve of the palms of your hands. Your hands should rest at arms length in your lap just at the base of your belly. This hand position is called the Dhyani Mudra, the hand gesture of meditation. This point is considered the spiritual center of the body. Be aware of this point, two to three inches below the navel, while you meditate. It is an energy center. In Hindu thought it is a chakra.

Now comes the most important part. Smile. A gentle smile. As though all the giving energy of the world were seeping into your body and consciousness. You feel a lot better when you do it. You can even practice smiling when you're not meditating. It's amazing how life seems less grim when you do it. People generally appreciate it and will even smile in return. Hey, kids! It's fun! It's easy! It's free!

I'm assuming that you will be on your own without the benefit of an instructor to keep you on your toes. Don't slump. Don't nod. In a meditation hall, the person in charge of the meditation has a flat stick that s/he uses to whack you on the fleshy part of your shoulder when you slump or nod out. This is not a punsihment but an energy reviving technique. Enlightenment has occured with the slap of the stick against one's shoulder.

Now comes the hard part. Clear your mind. The mind that fills your head with the news, why your lover is trying to drive you insane, the car payments, the Theory of Relativity -- all this is called the Monkey Mind. A beautiful expression. Chatter chatter chatter chatter. That's what the mind does. It thinks. But thinking is not the solution to attaining enlightenment.

A technique that helps clear the mind of extraneous thought is to concentrate on something specific. One solution is to count your breaths. Breathe from your belly to make sure you fill your lungs, then breathe out. That's One. Then in and out is Two and so on. Count to Ten and start over. Your mind will start to fill up with junk. A sound will lead you to question what made the sound and once it's identified, then you will think about that and then that thought will lead you to another thought. Like Buddha's river, thoughts and time and sorrow and joy, all life flows through you and past you. Stop the interruptions and go back to the count. The count is the moment. Now you are One. Now you are Two. Now you are.

Eventually you will be interupted less and less. Then you can start noting what thoughts are interupting you and why. Or you can clear your mind and focus on a specific topic more clearly than you ever have before. And finally you will be able to clear your mind and focus entirely on what is "within you and without you." *

Enlightenment is not an escape. It is becoming so in tune with what is around you that you are your environment.

Start meditating for a minimum of twenty minutes and then increase it.

Don't worry. Every problem you will have has been had by everyone who has ever tried it. Just keep at it and improvement will come. Just sit. It's a nice thing to do. Enjoy it. If you work at it, then you are missing the point. The point is to be; to be in the moment and no where else.

Eventually you might want to visit a Zen Center. They usually offer meditations for free or for a slight donation to the public. When you seek serious instruction, then you will likely be charged for the education that the monks will impart to you.

I've never been to one. I don't know.

From what I understand, not knowing is the first step.