“Leave your front door and your back door open. Let thoughts come and go. Just don’t serve them tea!” — Shunryū Suzuki
The Nuts and Bolts of Zen Meditation
In the previous post, The Fundamentals Pt.1, I briefly introduced you to Buddhism and some of its theory and methods. In this article, we will discuss how to practice zazen in order to settle and concentrate the mind so that we can harmonize our thoughts and deeds with a type of understanding of the world that eases personal suffering. In order to practice zazen properly, we must observe four key pillars of technique. Initially, you will need to pay close attention to the details of each pillar. Over time, these will become second nature. The four pillars are:
Setting
Posture
Breath
Concentration
Setting and Posture
The first two pillars, Setting and Posture, represent the preparatory stages of zazen. Therefore, think of them as the initial building blocks that you must have in place before you get started, every time. The setting for zazen should be a place that is quiet and well-lit. Set up a chair or cushion in front of a blank wall if it is available to you. The purpose of the blank wall is to prevent distractions, as your mind will create nearly-endless diversions while you’re sitting and we want to keep that to a minimum. When you first start to practice, select a reasonable amount of time that you’re confident you can complete. My recommendation is to set a timer for 5 minutes, and consistently work up to a longer period.
With your room set, you will now work on the details of the zazen posture. The study of anatomy and physiology reveals a direct connection between the position of the body and the state of the mind so take your time with this pillar as it might be the most important one to master. Trust me, you will return to fine-tune how you sit many, many times. Traditionally, Zen practitioners sit cross-legged in the lotus posture using a cushion called a zafu placed on a mat called a zabuton. See the image below for reference:
It isn’t absolutely necessary that you adopt the traditional posture(s), especially as a beginner; the most important thing is to sit up straight in a sturdy and balanced way. Do your best to relax into your seat but remain erect and alert. If you’re sitting properly, your weight will rest on the sitz bones on the bottom of your pelvis and your back will be neutral, requiring little effort to stay upright. To elongate the spine and help create space in the abdomen, bring your chin inwards very slightly and imagine that a string is gently pulling your head upwards from the crown; if done correctly, your shoulders will fall back naturally and allow enough room for complete expansion of your lungs to facilitate breathing into your diaphragm (also known as “belly-breathing”). Also, make sure that you wear loose, comfortable clothing that allows you to breath fully.
Once you feel secure in your seat, place and hold your tongue on the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth; doing this will help settle your mind a bit. Next, place your left hand (palm facing up) into the palm of your right hand and bring the tips of your thumbs to touch gently. This hand gesture is called the Cosmic Mudra and, like the placement of your tongue, helps maintain focused attention. Use the image below for reference:
If you’re sitting on a cushion in the traditional positions, the cosmic mudra will rest on your feet; if you’re sitting on a chair or in the seiza position, the cosmic mudra will rest on the tops of your thighs. Keep your arms relaxed and somewhat-close to your body so that your thumbs are roughly at the height of your navel. Finally, gaze with relaxed, open eyes at a 45° angle towards the wall you’re facing; one helpful trick is to look down the slope of your nose. Unlike many other meditation techniques, we emphasize that eyes remain open during zazen otherwise you risk becoming drowsy or distracted by daydreams. Zazen is not a method of escaping from the world but instead one that allows us to be fully engaged in our experience, so we must practice with our eyes open since that is how we actually live in the world.
Breath and Concentration
Once you are fully settled and have assumed the correct posture, take a few slow, deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. As you breathe, make a mental note to yourself that you are committing to let go of everything that you might otherwise consider urgent. When you’re ready to begin, start the timer. While you sit, breathe through your nose only, allowing your breath to come and go naturally as it does when you’re sleeping or laying down. Do not use any extra effort to force the breath in or out but simply let it enter and leave your body on its own, just as the ocean’s waves ebb and flow. Observe the two phases of a complete breathing cycle: during the first phase, the abdominal muscles activate to pull air into the body through the nose until the lungs fill to capacity, followed by a short period where neither inhalation nor exhalation occurs. In the second phase, exhalation begins as the air flows out from the lungs and leaves the body once again through the nose, followed by another interval where inhalation and exhalation briefly cease before the cycle begins anew. To help anchor your attention, notice the sensation of the air as it enters your nose during inhalation; likewise, notice the sensation of the air as it leaves your nose during exhalation. Don’t attach any significance to your observation of the breath such as whether it is short or long, strong or gentle, and so on. Mindful breathing does not require you to think about anything in particular so the most important thing at this point is to devote one’s self to being fully present with simple, everyday breathing. Nothing more, nothing less.
Early in the practice it is completely natural for your mind to be highly volatile and difficult to concentrate, even on such a simple task as following the breath. In Zen, we describe this state as “monkey-mind” because of the tendency for it to jump from thought to thought like a primate bounding through the tree tops. Again, this is typical and expected. In fact, this is the ordinary state of our minds on any given day except we rarely stop for long enough to notice; it is only once we allow ourselves to slow down and take a break from doing things that we begin to recognize how capricious the mind can be. Like a blender with a broken power button stuck in the ‘On’ position, our thoughts and feelings churn ceaselessly if we have no means for allowing them to settle down. The problem worsens in the modern digital environment we currently inhabit because mechanisms for capturing our attention are rampant and effectively invisible to the user.
So, as soon as you notice that you’re absorbed in ANY thought that doesn’t pertain to the simple act of watching your breath flow in and out of your body, return your attention to the sensation around your nostrils. If your mind is especially scattered, you can begin counting breaths. When we count the breath, we create — for a time — a useful crutch to help maintain singular focus; eventually, you won’t need it at all. Since these instructions are written with the novice in mind, it’s perfectly fine to use the counting method. On your next inhalation, follow the breathing cycle as instructed previously, but this time you will very gently think “1” after fully exhaling. When the next cycle of breathing finishes, very gently think “2” and continue in this way until you reach the number 10, at which point you will start all over again with the number 1. Don’t worry if you can’t keep the count beyond a few numbers before getting distracted; simply notice the distraction and return to counting the breath, starting over from 1. Counting the breath is a very simple way to prevent your mind from becoming too distant from the task of sitting zazen. A key takeaway here is to resist the urge to judge the quality of your practice as you sit. In the beginning, your sole intention is to remain focused on the very simple task of being fully present with the breath. Our thoughts and feelings — of anger, sadness, boredom, anxiety, etc. — can wait for another time; when you practice zazen, you’re just sitting with yourself exactly as you are right here and right now.
Concluding the Practice
The room has fallen silent apart from the gentle hum of the world outside. Sitting on your cushion counting each breath as your muscles push and pull the air through your body, you’re suddenly interrupted by the disruptive chirp and chime of the timer; the five minutes are up, and you’ve successfully practiced Zen meditation for the first time. Congratulations, you did it! While it may not seem like much, zazen will have a profound impact on your entire life if you dedicate yourself to practicing daily. Over time, following your breath will become easier and you will tolerate sitting for longer than a few minutes. Soon, I will supplement this article with audio and video for you to return to when you need extra guidance. For now, keep it up and good luck!
Genuine question: How would you conform to the sitting posture if you have abdominal muscles that contract due to a neurological condition? Really what I'm asking is will someone be able to attain the same state of mind and results if your abdominis rectus are involuntary contracting while trying to maintain the sitting position.
This is beautiful ❤️