How to sit: Expedient means for zazen (zen meditation).

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How to sit. (Expedient means for zen meditation, zazen.)
Daibatsu Iron buddha with brocade decorations at Camp Barn.

Daibatsu Iron buddha with brocade decorations at Camp Barn.

A natural atheist, Your Adirondack Guide has nevertheless benifited from a home zen practice. First aware at the age of eight, coinciding with a music interest in college years, helped by a Unity preacher, developed in mid-life through readings motivated by health concerns, refined now with more time to do it, after years of study and practice, at the urging of occasionally interested persons, I offer these tips for sitting. It goes well with a Fourpeaks nature retreat.

CLICK & GO! (On this page.) Expedient means. The Place. The decorations. The chair. Inviting the body. Incense. Indian music. Wash. Breathe. Eyes. Thoughts. Discomfort. Kensho. How long to sit. Sleep. Mental problems. Sitting Outdoors. More help (When you're not sitting). You're the same person. Reccommended reading. Help getting the decorations. (On the next page). Taming the Wild Ox. 10 Oxherding Pictures, by Zen Master Kakuan, China, 12th C. The Zen of Dog Walking.

Daibatsu Iron Buddha.

Lotus (full).

Lotus (half).

Hard chair (side)

Hard chair (front)

Burmese.

"EXPEDIENT MEANS" is the frequently found English translation for a special chinese character, broadly indicating practical tips for sitting (zazen). The following suggestions are a personal distillation from zen reading (sample list below) embellished with some discoveries of my own.

THE PLACE. Find a quiet place with natural light for impressions of dawn and evening light.

THE DECORATIONS. Arrange an iron buddha figure nearby, with some colorful silk brocade. Not a shrine really, but a good mood setter. CLICK HERE for help getting the right decorations.

THE CHAIR. Sit in a chair. Choose a comfortable straight back chair. Any chair that allows sitting straight up. A padded seat is good. A fully upholstered chair is fine, too, as long as it invites sitting up straight. Place hands on knees, sit, head erect, shoulders arched back, spine straight and centered left to right, making comfortable contact with the back of chair. From time to time while sitting, especially if you feel head and shoulders have bent forward, move hands and elbows slightly backward and re-establish this shoulders arched back, straight spine, head back positioning. At first the erect position may feel as if you're ramrod stiff, but eventually it will become a pleasant posture associated with concentration and will facilitate the sitting. See More How to Sit.

Japanese (bench).

Group sitting.

Wall sitting.

Indian incense sticks.

A popular brand.

Silk brocade.

INVITING THE BODY. Before concentrating, invite your body to relax. Rub yourself briskly with your hands seven or eight times--legs, thighs, midsection, shoulders and arms. The sensations will be pleasurable and your body will learn to find a state of relaxation without difficulty through practice.

INCENSE. Burn two or more sticks of Indian incense to please and occupy the sense of smell. The world of incense is large, friendly and fun to explore. There are masala from spices (shivranjani, darshan), resinous (loban, amber kasturi) and floral (mogra, jasmine). Incense, though fun to experience, is not essential for sitting. See Sitting Outdoors. (Email for further incense suggestions and sources.)

INDIAN MUSIC. Play classical Indian sitar/sarod music (Ragas) to please and occupy the sense of hearing. Classic Indian ragas are 20 minutes or longer, the tempo progressing from a slow, pensive tempo to a very fast, vigorous one, a result highly conducive to the progress of a meditation. Ragas may be arranged on tape with nature sounds, timed for 30 minutes or an hour. Indian Rags, though fun to listen to and learn about, is not essential for sitting. See Sitting Outdoors. (Email for further suggestions and tape list with prices.)

Ali Akbar Khan, sarod.

Nikhil Banerjee, sitar. Anindo Chatterjee, tabla.

Nikhil Banerjee, sitar.

Mahapurush Misra, tabla.

Ghazal.

Kayhan Kalhor, kamancheh; Shujaat Husain Khan, sitar.

WASH your hands and face.

BREATHE through your nose. Follow (concentrate on) your breath. Allow your breathing to be just as it is. If it is heavy and coarse, don't worry. When your breath slows down this will help concentration. When your practice is advanced, you may experiment with control of your breath. You may "narrow" your breath. It may seem to stop altogether.

EYES half-closed, regard from time to time your surroundings at a 45 degree angle. You may occasionally smile softly.

THOUGHTS. When thoughts come to mind, you may acknowledge or disregard them, as you please, but do not follow the train of thought as in discursive thinking. Allow the thoughts to submerge, as it were, back into the pool of thoughts from which they came. This results in a pleasurable "letting go" of everyday concerns. It may help in the beginning, to think the words, "Don't follow. Let it go." In time, through practice, your mind may cease bringing up thoughts altogether.

DISCOMFORT. If body discomfort, ticks or pain are experienced you may choose to adjust your position slightly. Or do nothing at all. Don't concentrate on these sensations as they will dissipate if not attended to.

KENSHO. With practice you may experience a relaxation response. You will be aware of things around you, including your own body, but not in a normal, everyday sense. You will feel detached, mentally aware, but you will feel not to be in control of your body. In fact, attempting to move your hand or arm should you try, will take a special effort.
This state is called kensho in zen. With practice, this state can be readily revisited any time. For example, to reach a quiet moment before eating, just put your hands beside you and close your eyes. Your body will remember, just like it learned how to ride a bike.
While your body is in a state of relaxation, you may consciously experience relaxation in various parts of your body, by allowing your attention linearly to move to your feet, legs, knees, hands, buttocks, genitals, etc. until you have experienced a sense of relaxation in every part of your body. The upper back, shoulders and neck, will be freed from tension in this way.
Through time and practice sitting, satori, a state of deeper detachment may be experienced as well.

HOW LONG? Start out by sitting ten minutes at a time. Music/nature sounds tape will time your sitting in the most pleasant way. Or use a gong or timer. It's best to sit regularly in the morning upon arising and in the afternoon when work is done. On vacations, holidays and other non-work days, additional occasions may present themselves, such as a woods or nature walk. One or two hours a day constitutes a good practice for a working person.

SLEEP If concentration fails you may fall asleep. Don't be upset if this happens, just continue sitting when you awake. Choose a time to sit when you are not tired.

MENTAL PROBLEMS may make sitting impossible. Don't sit if you are worried or are have pressing work concerns. Sitting is not an obligation. You are responsible to no one for this, especially yourself. Don't be rigid about your practice, or set goals or make promises.
It's pleasant and conducive to a good "sit," however, if you get out of the way any little chore you might need to take care of. Do the dishes and make your bed before you sit. You might also consider checking your email or feeding the dog. Whatever makes you feel right, relaxed and happy.

SITTING OUTDOORS is beautiful and goes well with correct Zen notions about humans being just part of life all around including trees and rocks and stars. You will learn to do without the incense and music and your body will sit for the right length of time without any help.

MORE HOW TO SIT.
If you adopt the chair and posture suggested above, assuming you live and work western-style using chairs and tables, your body will quickly adapt to sitting. It's more difficult for westerners to sit yogi-style on the floor. What's the point? Much worse to attempt the extended sitting times, extreme temperature situations and flagellations of certain eastern sects. Pure torture!
Place hands separately on your knees, not as shown in the photos here. Skin touch sensations are distracting. Wear clothing, of course, for the same reason. Also, moving your hands (and elbows) backwards slightly, straightens your back if you find yourself leaning forward.

MORE HELP (When you're not sitting)

READING. Read zen Bhuddist texts (sutras and the dharma teaching of the ancient masters, especially 6-8th C. Chinese) which you will find helpful and encouraging. Search for those that contain ideas with which you can easily agree. Don't read books that offer unclear or useless information or contain guidance that you are not inclined to accept. Don't read any modern books, especially current self-help books or any books on the NY Times lists.

MEDIA. Don't watch TV (especially the news) or read magazines (especially news magazines). Ok to scan newspaper headlines at the supermarket. Don't watch bad movies just to pass the time. Ok to find movies that interest you and promise to be good, especially if educational. Listen briefly to the radio for weather, news, music or educational programs. Don't listen to magazine style human interest programs or lifestyle interviews (like "Fresh Air," etc.)

FOOD. Eat grains, vegetables and fish, not too much meat. Learn about food supplements, vitamins and the like, but don't be too serious about it. Eat meals at regular times. Have a (moderate amount of) wine, sake, soju or beer with your meals, except breakfast. Eat 5 prunes every day. Do not think or worry when eating your meals. Chew slowly. Never eat between meals.

SEX. Plan to arrange for at least some (safe, non-masturbatory) sexual activity. The more the better (within reason) as opportunities arise.

DHARMA TALKS. Attend zen Dharma talks at colleges, universities, temples, sanghas and clubhouses in your area. Learn from the preaching, enjoy feeling special, but don't join up.

YOU'LL STILL BE THE SAME PERSON. Don't expect things to happen from your sitting practice. Though regular sitting is reported to result in improved (work) efficiency and good health (see Morita therapy, David Reynolds, below), a goal-oriented approach to sitting undermines the relaxation response. You'll still be the same person if you sit for a hundred years. Quite a number of sages, hermits and (not so) ordinary householders have done this, and they all report similar results.

RECCOMMENDED READING

These books will be available used at cheap prices. Search amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, half.com, etc.
Zen Dawn, Thomas Cleary, 1986. [Daoxin of Shuangfeng Mtn, 8th C., China]
The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-Chi, Burton Watson, 1993. [Lin-chi, 9th C., China]
The Zen Teaching of Huang Po, John Blofield. 1958. [Huang Po, 9th C., China]
Instant Zen, Thomas Cleary, 1994. [Foyan, 1067-1120, China]
Ryokan, the Zen Fool, Kodama and Yanagishima, 1999. [Ryokan, 1754-1828, Japan]
A Flower Does Not Walk, Zenkei Shibayama, 1970. [Japan]
How to Practice Zazen, Nishijima and Langdon, 1976. [Japan]
The Three Pillars of Zen, Philip Kapleau, 1965. [US]
Playing ball on running water, David Reynolds, 1984. [U.S.]

HELP WITH THE THE DECORATIONS

The best buddha for sitting is a copy of the 13c. Big Buddha or Daibatsu at Kamakura, Japan. An image of The Amitabha Buddha ("Infinite radiance"), it reflects the serenity and wakefulness of the 42-foot original (true-MS). Eight inches high, iron, $125, available at Ziji in Colorado (www.ziji.com, no connection at all with Fourpeaks).
Silk Brocade.

Fine brocade is a fitting decoration for sitting. Hard to find, one can get puja table covers, beautifully lined with color-matched borders, from Samadhi Cushions and Store 30 Church St, Barnet VT 05821. It's not shown on their webpage (www.samadhicushions.com) for cushions they manufacture and other meditation supplies but a call to Sumner at 800 331 7751 (email: samadhi@fcgnetworks.net) will get them. Size 19x24-1/2 overall including border, about $40 (no connection at all with Fourpeaks).

. A Personal Potpourri.

A Personal Potpourri .
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