Recommendations for "Just Sitting" Zen Meditation, or Zazen

The following guidelines for zazen meditation are based upon years of practice and study primarily in the Soto Zen Buddhist tradition. Soto’s way of doing meditation as a distinct approach can be traced at least as far back as the 12th century in China. It was known then as “silent illumination” and before long, it was exported to Japan, where it was called shikantaza, or “just sitting.” Today many think of it simply as zazen in the Soto Zen style.

Physical posture

Zazen can be seen as a kind of yogic practice - a specific physical posture held for a long time. The whole purpose of using the specific posture described below is simply to support the body so that it can be upright, still, alert, and relaxed. When we do this, the mind is more likely follow. The body-mind is one. One of the three following methods for sitting is used.

1. Cross-legged

One sits on a firm round cushion (called a zafu) - or any other very firm cushion about 6-8 inches thick - which is in turn placed upon a mat (called a zabuton) or folded-up blanket. The cushion raises one’s seat up high enough so that the pelvis is tilted downwards, with the knees below the waist. This enables the back to be held straight with a slight arch in the small of the back, and kept this way for some time in complete stillness, restfully, without muscles having to strain to keep the back straight.

Cross-legged seating is done in one of three ways. In order of difficulty beginning with the easiest, they are the Burmese position, the half-lotus, and the full-lotus. The Burmese sits with both legs crossed and flat on the mat from the foot to the knees, the left leg tucked in against the groin and the right leg pulled in close and parallel to the left. In the half-lotus, the right foot rests on the thigh of the left leg, and the right knee is often supported by a small cushion. In the full-lotus (which very few Westerners can do), both feet rest on the opposite thighs, with knees on the mat.

2. Kneeling

The second method that is often used is a kneeling position called seiza. One kneels on a mat or folded blanket and uses a very firm cushion (such as a zafu) between the legs or a sloped kneeling bench to support one’s seat. As with sitting cross-legged on a cushion, the seat is raised high enough to create a pelvic tilt downwards, so that the back is held easily, with a slight arch in the small of the back.

3. In a chair

Sitting on a firm straight-backed chair, one can sit on the edge of it, or against the back of the chair with a cushion supporting the small of the back. In either case, the back needs to remain straight upright, not slumped. The feet are flat on the floor directly below the knees, parallel to one another, with the toes facing forward.

Once a relaxed, upright position is found, the chin is drawn slightly back so that the ears are over the shoulders, and the head does not stick forward. There should be a straight line from the crown of one’s head, through the neck and shoulders, down to the small of the back. Imagine a thread pulling the crown of the head upwards, with the spine following in line. The shoulders are relaxed and back, not hunched forward, and the chest is open. The arms are relaxed and either resting on the lap or held slightly above it, and the hands are in a position variously called the “buddha,” “cosmic,” or simply “meditation” mudra: with all 10 fingers extended, the left hand’s fingers cover and rest on the right ones, with the thumb-tips touching lightly, forming an open egg shape.

Eyes, stillness, breath, sensations

Seated in one of these ways, the eyes are kept halfway open, in an unwavering soft gaze that is aimed downward at a 45 degree angle at a spot on the floor or wall that is about three feet away. One does not look around during zazen. One remains as still as possible, only shifting if necessary in order to find a pain-free position. That said, a little discomfort is not always a bad thing; sitting through it can be a way of being present to reality as it is, instead of fidgeting about for how we wish it to be. But holding tightly to stillness should not be overdone, increasing pain and tension. It can be helpful to spend a few minutes at the beginning of a session of zazen by keeping the attention on the breath. Letting one’s inhale and exhale occur naturally, without manipulation, the breath naturally deepens and slows down. It can focus the mind a bit to stay with the breath for a few minutes, returning our attention there when the mind strays. Then stay open to the moment at hand, aware of its constant fluctuation. Zazen is not a hypnotic trance. Be a part of the physical environment in which you sit. Open up your ears, keep your eyes slightly open, notice the light, the smells, the temperature, the ambient sounds that occur in the house or outdoors. Be aware of thoughts as they emerge, catch your attention, and drift off. All of this comprises the present reality, as it is. Settled in this way, remain in place, balanced, grounded, and attentive.

Dealing with thoughts

Involuntary thoughts will always arise, no matter how long one has practiced meditation. The only thing that changes with time is our ability to let them come and go, rather than being caught up in them. And so with patience and diligence, without any judgment about how “well” you are doing, gently but firmly bring the attention back to the body and the breath, to your physical sensations, again and again, a thousand times. Let involuntary thoughts drift in and out of consciousness, like clouds passing through the great sky. Sometimes there will be spaces between the clouds, with only blue sky. Sometimes it will seem quite overcast and dense. Whatever the mind is doing, it is part of your present moment. There is no goal other than present-moment awareness, nowhere to get to, no change to be made, no special mental state to achieve.

Getting to know yourself

When we do zazen in this way consistently for a long time, we notice what kinds of involuntary thoughts tend to arise repeatedly. Perhaps we worry and make plans, or feel frustrated about our uncontrollable mind, or we ruminate over past events and conversations. Gradually we see clearly what our thought-patterns are, what our primary emotional and mental conditioning is like. We get to know ourselves intimately. This can be a very humbling experience. While it is very helpful in other contexts to understand or try to change these conditioned patterns, in zazen we simply notice them. We then drop below this kind of familiar mental activity and directly experience the physical quality of what we are doing. Is there tightness? Where? Light-headedness? What happens to the breath? Is there a fluttery, anxious sensation in the stomach or chest? As we give this kind of compassionate attention to our body-mind, we tend to settle down. Letting go becomes easier, and we loosen up. The blue sky appears more frequently. The thoughts, anxieties, and attachments of the conditioned self come and go, and we see them in context. They don’t define us, or even exist as substantial entities. They are ephemeral, like everything else in life.

Something more

Over time, zazen reveals more and more of the vast, empty, open sky encompassing the fluctuations of mental and sensory activity. All of this together is sometimes called “original mind.” It is the direct experience of life as it is, of just this, all at once. It is a natural capacity of openness, without any boundary - or even “relationship” - between what we call “self” and everything else. We come to know ourselves as everything together internally and externally, instead of the familiar sensation of isolation or interaction between subject and objects. As this happens, we notice that everything is constantly changing, both internally and externally. Nothing stands still, nothing can be held on to. We are an integral part of one flowing, evolving reality. In these ways zazen helps us to know and weaken our conditioned self, and to go beyond this self in the vastness of reality as it is. As the founder of Soto Zen, Eihei Dogen said,

“To study the Buddha Way is to study the self; To study the self is to forget the self; To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things.