Zen Meditation—Living Wide Awake
Zazen is not mere technique. It is simply sitting in the midst of what utterly is, with full participation. It is not difficult and anyone can do it, yet many lifetimes are not long enough for it to mature.
The Zazen Experience
Stop searching for phrases and chasing after words. Take the backward step and turn the light inward. Your body-mind of itself will drop away and your original face will appear. If you want to attain just this, immediately practice just this.
—Master Dogen Zenji, “Recommending Zazen to All People”
Empty and desireless, cold and thin, simple and genuine, this is how to strike down and fold up the remaining habits of many lives. When the stains from old habits are exhausted, the original light appears blazing through your skull, not admitting any other matters . . . People with the bottom of the bucket fallen out immediately find total trust.
—Zen Master Hongzhi, Cultivating the Empty Field
“Opening the hand of thought” is the very act of zazen. It is the original Buddhist practice of not grasping and clinging, the practice of freedom as it occurs in this very moment in your mind.
—Opening the Hand of Thought, Kosho Uchiyama Roshi
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Five Basic Sitting Positions for Zazen
The basic sitting positions include kneeling; sitting in a chair; sitting in full lotus or half lotus; and sitting in the Burmese position.
In the kneeling position, the knees are shoulder-width apart while the buttocks are supported either by the heels, a round cushion (zafu), or a sitting bench placed on a large mat called a zabuton. It is helpful to position your bench in such a way that your toes rest off the back edge of the mat.
In using a chair, sit upright. If needed, use a firm cushion to support your lower back. Otherwise, sit on the front third of the chair and do not lean against the back. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart on the floor or on a cushion if the chair is too high. Your hips should be higher than your knees.
In the Burmese position, both legs are folded, resting on a zabuton. One variation of this position places the left foot on the right calf.
In the full-lotus position, the right foot rests on the left thigh and the left foot rests on the right thigh. In the half-lotus position, the left foot rests on the right thigh, while the right leg is folded under the left leg. In both positions your knees are in contact with the mat and your weight is distributed between your seat and your knees.
Guidelines on How to Proceed
Find an alert, energetic posture that will allow you to sit very still for twenty-five minutes or longer. Each time before zazen, pay careful attention to your body posture.
Once seated, roll your hips slightly forward, allowing your belly to relax and your breath to move freely. If you are using a round cushion, or zafu, sit on the front third of it.
Lift your chest and push the crown of your head toward the ceiling, straightening and extending your spine. Relax your shoulders. Your ears should be over your shoulders, nose in line with the navel.
Eyes are open and lowered at a 45-degree angle, looking about three feet in front of you without focusing the gaze. One way to sit is facing a wall like Bodhidharma.
Lips and teeth should be closed, tip of tongue against roof of your mouth behind the front teeth. Swallow and suck the saliva from your mouth, creating a vacuum.
Place your hands in the cosmic mudra, left hand on top of the right, palms up, tips of the thumbs lightly touching, forming a horizontal oval, resting on your lower abdomen. Alternately, you can also sit with your hands separated, palms up or palms down, on your thighs.
Breathe in through the nose, letting the air fill your lower abdomen, or hara, as if it were a balloon, then gently release with a slow, deep out-breath … in and out, in and out.
Three Practices of Zazen
Counting the Breath
Count one on the in-breath, two on the out-breath, three on the in-breath, four on the out-breath, and so on, up to ten. Another way is to count only the out-breaths and follow the in-breath without counting. If a thought deflects you from the counting, just notice that, and return your focus to the breath, and begin the count again starting at one.
Following the Breath
When you find you can get to ten most of the time without wandering off in thought, stop counting your breath and instead just pay attention to your breathing. When you notice you have wandered off, bring your attention back to your breathing.
Shikantaza
When you’ve gotten used to regular periods of zazen, you may want to progress to shikantaza. In shikantaza, the word shikan is usually translated as “just” or “only.” But it also means “by all means do it or get on with it.” Ta means “hit” and za means “sit.” In other words, really hit sitting.
In shikantaza you are alert and awake, paying attention to the present moment. When you notice your mind has wandered in thought, you bring your attention back to just sitting right here and now. You don’t strain to keep from thinking. You choose to come back to the present. You sit in the midst of what utterly is, with full participation.
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Although written meditation instructions can be helpful in the beginning, it is best to receive one-on-one guidance with an experienced teacher.