ZAZEN
Just Sitting, here and now
Zazen can involve concentrating on the breath; contemplating a question, statement, or riddle (a koan); or Just Sitting (shikantaza), as shown here. Just Sitting has no object and is a form of open, present moment awareness.
KEY FACTS
Essence Panoramic awareness of the present moment. Simply sit and let go of thinking
Sensory channel Multichannel, breath
Skill Awareness, concentration
Tradition Buddhism, particularly Zen Buddhism
Similar practices Mindfulness, Vipassana
WHY CHOOSE THIS PRACTICE?
Zazen emphasizes physical posture as a frame to keep the mind present, open, and aware. In the form of Just Sitting, shown here, Zazen helps you develop a panoramic awareness of your mind and life. A very simple and direct meditation, it is based on the idea that the ultimate reality already is as it is. Every being is already a realized Buddha, and the practice of Just Sitting is simply an actualization of your inherent Buddhahood. The steps shown here are just guidelines to help you find the right state of mind for the practice.
01 Sit in an upright position, with your back and neck straight and unsupported, facing a wall. Position your hands in Dhyana mudra. Your ears should be in line with your shoulders and your nose in line with your navel.
02 Place your tongue against the roof of your mouth and keep it closed. Your eyes should be half-open, with your gaze resting on the floor or the wall in front of you.
03 Release all thoughts in an attitude of nonthinking, and let everything be as it is. Relax in the now, and keep a panoramic awareness of everything that arises in your consciousness without zooming in on anything. This is called dropping off body and mind.
04 Let your awareness spread through your whole body, mind, and environment. Allow everything to be noticed, but don’t cling to or reject anything.
05 Don’t analyze or conceptualize. Just sit and be with what is. When thoughts arise, let them pass like clouds in the sky.
06 Remain alert: don’t fall into sleep, and don’t drift into thinking. Simply keep returning your attention to the pose and the panoramic and detached awareness of the here and now.
07 Sit in Zazen without any goals or thoughts of gaining anything from your practice. Let go of all expectation and desire, and remain open and present to reality as it is. Zazen is not meant to achieve anything or to be a special experience. It is not a means to an end.
08 When you’re ready, bend forward in gratitude for the practice with folded hands, and slowly move out of Zazen.
“Don’t engage with your thoughts, and don’t suppress them. Simply notice them passively and nonjudgmentally.”
