For those of you trying to maintain a regular sitting practice at home — please persevere; even if you sit for only 15 or 20 minutes a day, it’s worth it, provided you’re sitting correctly. So let me just say a few things about correct posture.
Body and mind are one. If your mind is busy, busy, busy with thoughts, your posture will be unstable and fidgety. It will be hard to get settled, and if it’s hard to get settled it’s hard to gain clarity. If your mind is sad and somber and overwhelmed, (which is perfectly understandable at this time), then your posture will be weak and you’ll slump forward, close your eyes and oftentimes, fall asleep. So here’s the thing to keep in mind — since body and mind are one, if you tend to your posture, and you sit up straight and focus on your breathing and your awareness, your mind will naturally become clear and you’ll be able to just sit unperturbed and meditate.
Whether you’re sitting cross-legged, or kneeling or sitting in a chair, your posture should be strong but not rigid, with your hips bent slightly forward so that your spine lines up with its natural curve. Your shoulders should be level and your chin slightly downward. (If you raise your chin and lean your head back you’ll daydream and/or fall asleep). Your mudra (your hand configuration) should be strong, not loose but not rigid either, and should rest around your navel not flat on your lap — raise your mudra just a bit and that helps to stay focused. Breathe from your belly.
If you tend to your posture and your breathing and you pay attention to all your senses with panoramic awareness then the many clouds of your busy mind will naturally dissipate and vanish. And as thoughts naturally come and go you’ll remain lucid and clear and unaffected by the mind’s movements.
Zazen breaks the spell of the habitual thoughts of our mind’s treadmill. Our habits of thought become like a closed fist. That closed fist is the ego. The ego can often be like a ball and chain that keep us from moving freely in all situations. Nowadays, we really need to have fluidity and flexibility in both body and mind. Rigid things break, soft things bend — we need to practice softness in our everyday lives more than ever since so many around us are already suffering. Zazen helps us open that fist of thought and lets the ego drop away naturally — this helps us to be present, truly present, so that wherever we are, no matter what we’re doing, we have the clear mind of zazen. This is what is meant by “taking zazen off the cushion”: moment to moment, only just do it — whatever it is.
Persevere in your practice. Tend to your posture. By doing so, you help everyone.
Be safe, be kind; be considerate and compassionate during these challenging times.
Seido
9/24/20
Thank you for this, Seido Ronci!
I spent years as a kid being pretty awful at basketball, and it was only decades later that it dawned on me I had never received (or frankly wanted) technical guidance on the basics: how to hold the ball, down to where each finger should go, etc.
It’s a bit ironic that, decades later, I’ve practiced meditation for a few years now, and managed NOT to learn from my bumbling basketball revelation. I could really use more very basic guidance. So thanks very much for this!
I’m also writing to see if I might sit in on your zendo sometime. I tried to use the form on this website to ask in, but got the following response: “The form was unable to submit. Please contact the site administrator.” Thanks for your support to the community!