Hi Mark, I completely agree with Bills! explaination of zazen, but I would also add one more piece of advice. Don't let counting your breath become a mantra where you concentrate on the count more than the feeling of air travelling up and down your nose. Counting tends to separate us from our body just like a mantra. Feeling the subtle touch of the breath helps keep us in touch with the body, ie, body/mind. Of course, they are both techniques which ultimately need to be dropped in favour of shikentaza where nothing occupies our mind.
Mike ________________________________ From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, 28 October, 2008 9:53:34 Subject: FW: [Zen] Test of Character markkrauss22, Here is a previous posting on zazen technique... Bill! > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] org [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] org] > Sent: Sunday, August 31, 2008 8:11 AM > To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED] ups.com' > Subject: RE: [Zen] Test of Character > > Jody, > > First you need to know how to breath properly. Your posture is very > important. Sit in some posture with your spine upright. Any > variations of the lotus position are best, but you can also sit on the > edge of a hard chair as long as you keep your back upright and do not > lean against the back of the chair. Use 'belly breathing', using only > your diaphragm. Your lower 'belly' should go in and out when you > breath. You should not breath by expanding your chest or raising your > shoulders. Breathe slowly and deeply, but effortlessly. You'll have > to settle in to your own rhythm to do this well. Focus your 'mind', > your counting, your awareness, in your belly, NOT IN YOUR HEAD!. The > Japanese word for this is 'hara', an area about 3-4 finger-widths below > your belly-button. This is VERY IMPORTANT! > > At first sit for only about 10 minutes. Increase this time as you > become more accustomed to sitting, both mentally and physically. 20 > minutes is a good time. I sit 30 to 45 minutes, but I've been sitting > for many years. Also, sit every day if you can, even if for just 5 > minutes. > > FIRST sit counting your breaths, 1 to 10, and then start over. Count > each exhale and inhale separately, starting with 1 on your first > exhale, 2 on your first inhale, etc... (All your focus and strength is > strongest on exhales - that's why marital artists or athletes yell > (exhale) when striking/hitting. JMJM would refer to this as 'chi'.) > When you finish your 5th inhale (count 10), start over. Only > think/focus on ONE, TWO, THREE, etc... If your mind wanders and you > lose count, start over at 1. If you find yourself counting '12, 13, > ...', start over. If you find yourself thinking 'Gee, I'm really > sitting well today!' or 'I wonder how many minutes left.', start over. > > AFTER you have mastered that, start your count (1) on your exhale and > continue counting 1 through your inhale. The next exhale/inhale is 2, > etc... > > AFTER you have mastered that, start marking exhales/inhales only as OUT > - IN. Start with your exhale. Out - In - Out - In. > > AFTER you have mastered that, start 'following' the breaths. No count, > no marks, no words. Just your awareness flowing out and in with your > breaths. > > AFTER you have mastered that, drop to following. Drop everything. > Just sit. > > That is zazen (shikantaza - clear mind). > > I follow this sequence every time I sit to transition into shikantaza. > Sometimes I slide into shikantaza very quickly. Sometimes my mind is > very active (I'm thinking about something or have a problem I'm dealing > with) and it takes longer. Sometimes I sit an entire period (30 to 45 > minutes) without getting to shikantaza. That's not a problem and may > be the best sessions. That (to me) just means I need to sit more often, > not longer periods. > > Hope this helps. > > ...Bill!
