From: Rev. Harvey Sodaiho Hilbert Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 9:50 PM
With palms together, Welcome.You have asked some good questions. Thank you. As to meditation, in the soto tradition we practice zazen, more specifically, shikantaza. To sit zazen is to sit upright, hands in the cosmic mudra (left hand gently placed in the right hand, thumbs lightly touching. Our backs are straight, but not stiff. Our heads are at a 45 degree angle with eyes half opened and unfocused on a wall in front of us, or the floor. We place our tongue at the roof of our mouth, gently touching our front teeth. We breathe in through our nostrils and out through our nostrils with our mouths closed. Our minds are focused on nothing in particular. This is an advanced form of meditation. As a beginner, just place your attention on your breath and count each exhalation. When you get to 6,8, or 10 (pick one), start over. Notice your mind's activity and your body's activity. Just notice! Don't engage your mind or your body, butr if you must scratch or adjustr your posture, do so quietly and return to your zazen. As to higher/lower levels of meditation, shikantaza is the highest and the lowest.We try not to address the world in terms such as these. If you are asking about other levels of consciousness, who cares? The point of zazen is to prepare you to be fully present in this moment righht here whereever you are and in whatever circumstance. Zen is not an escapist practice. It is not intended as an avenue to G-d or 'other realms' of existence. In fact, as a Zen Teacher I would try to dissuade thinking in those terms as much as possible. Chanting is a very good practice. You might consider looking at the Heart Sutra and the using the mantra at the end. "Gate, (pronounced Ga- tay), Gate, Ha-ra-gate, Ha-ra So Gate Bo-dhi Sva Ha!" (Gone, gone, gone to the other shore, attained the other shore, having never left). The Heart sutra itself can be chanted in the Japanese or in English. On the Zen Center of Las Cruces website (http://www.zencenteroflascruces.org) there are copies of this sutra, as well as other study materials. As to Hanamatsuri, just take some time to acknowledge the Buddha's birth and life here with us. I would recommend reading Thich Nhat Hahn's rendition of his life in his biography of the Buddha, "Old Path, White Clouds." We traditionally pour sweet tea over a statue of the Baby Buddha and offer flowers. You might just put flowers in a special space, say near where you practice you meditation. If you have a staue of the Buddha, offer tea to it and recite the Wisdom Heart sutra. As to "The Way of Zen", this was my first introduction to Zen. It is, indeed, a challenge. Also, Watts was a scholar-turned-spokesperson and was heavily influenced by Rinzai Zen and the work of D. T. Suzuki. This concentration is heavily weighted, in my opinion, toward cracking the old cosmic egg and achieing enlightenment. Our way uses koan, but Soto practitions aren't so involved in the notion of enlightenment or achieving various levels of awakening. Our practice is simple: just sit. As we do this practice, the rest comes. Learn to pay attention. You might read some of the 'other' Suzuki's work, such as Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. You might also look at something called "Being Upright" by Reb Anderson, a great introduction to precept study. But the main thing, the only thing really, is to sit yourself down, as you do, and practice zazen. I hope this helps. Now forget it all and go practice. Yours in the Dharma, Sodaiho [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/UwRTUD/UOnJAA/i1hLAA/S27xlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, Right Livelihood Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZenForum/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
