BeginnerZen Questions
1. What is zen?
The core practice of zen is silent, immobile sitting
in full awareness of all things. The word zen comes from the Chinese word ch’an,
which in turn comes from the Sanskrit word jnana in the Hindu traditions. Jnana
means simply “meditation.” Ch’an Buddhism in China and Zen Buddhism
in Japan were traditions that re-emphasized the importance of meditation.
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2. Are
there different types of zen?
Yes, there are two major schools of zen in Japan, as
well as Korean and Chinese forms. However, I encourage students to develop a
simple practice of sitting meditation without any particular reference to Hindu
or Buddhist theories or techniques.
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3. In order to practice zen meditation, do I have to adopt it
as a religion?
No. Although a person can formally convert to one of the several forms of Zen
Buddhism, this is neither necessary nor, for many people, desirable. Anyone
can practice zen meditation, just as anyone can practice yoga or play the violin.
Atheists, agnostics, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and philosophers
can all practice meditation and integrate that meditation into their lives.
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4. Why can zen meditation be important for my life?
Zen meditation is spiritual and existential inquiry.
It opens the question of what meaning is to be found in human life when we go
beyond our usual (and quite necessary) concerns. Cultivation of the human mind
and body in the quiet, open awareness of meditation is deeply satisfying. We
touch the strange wonder of this existing universe and the moment by moment
arising of our human consciousness. We can practice this whether we are famous
or obscure or something in between. And we can bring that satisfaction into
our everyday lives of work, friends, and family.
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5. How can I start the practice?
Just as a person who is serious about learning the guitar
finds a teacher, a person who wants to learn meditation finds a teacher. This
teacher, however, need not be a person who promotes religious conversion or
his or her authority. If no teacher is available, a practice can be begun with
the help of some easily available books, tapes, and cds. I would recommend Jon
Kabatt-Zinn’s work.
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6. To practice zen meditation, what would I have to learn?
There are three areas in which you would have to work.
The Posture of the Body
On a chair, bench, or cushion, you would need to develop a comfortable, upright
sitting posture in which the pelvis, backbone, neck and head are centered and
balanced. The traditional cross-legged posture seen in Hinduism or Buddhism
is ideal, but difficult for many westerners. This posture is very stable, as
the knees and pelvis form a tripod. Sitting on a piano bench or simple chair
works well and the effort is to balance the body so that its weight drops naturally
down through the S curve of the spine. The gaze can be dropped down at a 45
degree angle to a soft focus – or, if this is difficult, the eyes can be
gently closed. Developing a posture in which the body is relaxed and supple,
yet strong and resilient takes time and practice.
The Posture of the Breath
The breath is the anchor of this meditation. Let the shoulders relax and fall
away from the body just as gravity carries down the branches of an oak tree.
Let the chest relax. Make a gentle effort to fill the low abdomen with each
breath. The belly swells as the dome of the diaphragm tightens and drops, pulling
in the breath. Then by simply relaxing at the end of each breath, the breath
flows out. Over time, this deep diaphragm breathing signals to both body and
mind that we are safe and secure and free to continue in a relaxed, alert state
of body and mind.
The Posture of the Mind
Soon after beginning your meditation, many thoughts, emotions, feelings, sounds, and physical sensations will begin rising up. This is normal and inevitable. The effort is to gently maintain awareness of the breath flowing. Ride the breath as a boat rides on the current of a river. Again and again, as awareness is pulled away from the breath, the moment, time passing, the body meditating here and now, gently return awareness to the breath. But this is neither to resist or suppress thoughts or feelings or sounds – nor to engage with them when they arise. Let them move through the open sky of mind like clouds passing. Let them be. Again and again, wake up to the immediacy of the body, the breath, and consciousness itself.
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7. What’s the point of doing all this work in order to do exactly nothing?
That’s like asking what’s the point of a mountain range. Or of a coral reef. It’s hard to explain. Working with physical posture is like preparing the earth for a rose bush. Working with the breath is like carefully watering the rose. Working with the mind is like pruning nearby foliage so that the rose gets plenty of sun. Then when blossoms appear, they are beautiful and fragrant. But why do we love them? And why do they appear? Nothing that we did "created" the rose bush or the roses. But there they are – and without our effort they would not have appeared in our particular back yard. But now we enjoy them without effort. Even more puzzling is that after a season the roses die, and we miss them.
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8. I’ve tried meditating before and just got bored and annoyed and quit. Is there anything I can do about that?
Working with a teacher and with a group of supportive people can help a great deal. But, at bottom, only you can make the commitment to continued, disciplined effort. If you persist through boredom and annoyance, you will probably find that they mask deeper anxieties that you are reluctant to face. My first teacher Shunryu Suzuki Roshi used to say, "The mind is a bully." This is exactly right. At some point you will have to ask yourself who is the boss – you with your determination to practice meditation - or these thoughts and feelings that would drive you off your seat. If you return to your meditation again and again, in time effort dissolves into effortlessness.
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9. I still don’t get it. What’s the point?
Well, that certainly is the question. As I sit here at the computer keyboard, I look out my study window at a Minneapolis March snowstorm. On some other day soon, I’ll see green grass and a dog scratching his ear. Right now, I’ll get another cup of coffee, then meditate.
.As William Butler Yeats wrote in his poem "Among School Children":
Oh chestnut-tree, great rooted blossomer,
Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole?
O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,
How can we know the dancer from the dance?
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