A monk asked Joshu: What is meditation?
Joshu replied: Meditation is not meditation.
The monk persisted: Why is meditation not meditation?
Joshu replied: It’s alive! It’s alive!
There are many so-called “methods of meditation” and many misconceptions about meditation. Meditation is not about going into some kind of hypnotic trance or blissful state, nor is it about astral projecting or mental gymnastics. More precisely, meditation practice is about being fully awake and fully present, manifesting a panoramic awareness of now! By panoramic awareness I mean that all the senses are functioning without impediment, and that one is perfectly alive in the present without the distractions of random thoughts.
The eyes see, the nose smells, the ears hear, the tongue tastes, the body feels and the brain, among other things, thinks! Just as you don’t command your eyes to see or your nose to smell, you don’t command your brain to process thoughts… but it does. It is wrong to think that meditation means stopping all thoughts. The more you try to quiet your mind the more the mind becomes unsettled. However, when one focuses on correct posture and correct breathing, and settles the body so that it is relaxed but unshakeable then when thoughts arise you can let them without disturbance, and when they disappear you can let them. The process of letting thoughts come and go, without attachment to the coming and going, is one of the most basic, fundamental parts of basic meditation practice.
Equally important, however, is correct posture. It doesn’t matter whether one is sitting cross-legged, kneeling or sitting in a chair: there is a correct way to sit. Above all, whatever posture you choose, it must be stable — like a house built on sand, if your posture is weak, your mind will be blown this way and that and washed out to sea during each wave of thought. Ideally, you should have someone show you what correct posture is because it’s virtually impossible to sit properly based on a written description.
But this much is true: your hips should lean forward and your back should be straight; lower your eyes but not your head, and keep your eyes open just enough to let light in. If you’re sitting cross-legged your both knees should be firmly planted on the floor and not up in the air. If you’re sitting in a chair, sit towards the front of the chair, (do not lean against the back of the chair), and place your feet flat on the floor aligned with your shoulders. No matter what posture you choose — sitting cross-legged, kneeling, or sitting in a chair — your hands are best placed in the “universal mudra” which means that the back of your left hand rests upon the palm of your right hand and your thumbs gently touch making an oval. Place your hands against your belly in the area of the belly button.
Buddhism teaches that your True Self has no self. And yet some people use meditation and yoga as a means of self-expression as opposed to self-annihilation. These are people who are very attached to the “holy” and “sacred” and “healthy” aspects of their chosen practice. This is all extra. True holiness is not “holy” — true spirituality is not “spiritual.” People who make a big deal out of meditation miss the whole point. Even Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen, when asked by the Emperor of China what his true teaching entailed, replied: Vast emptiness, nothing holy.
Nowadays, some people pitch the positive aspects of meditation as if meditation is a product to be consumed. They tout the beneficial aspects of meditation by saying it’s relaxing and it reduces stress and it makes you more “in the moment.” These are all natural by-products of meditation, for sure; but if you set them up as a goal of meditation then they’re counter-productive. The more you try to relax the less relaxed you’ll be. The more “in the moment” you try to be, the more the mind is engaged in thinking and judging, “Am I in the moment yet?” Just sit, with no judgments and no expectations; breathe and be present. Try not-trying; do not-doing.
Finally, meditation is not something you do randomly once in a while on a whim. It’s like working out — if you really want to get in shape you need more than getting on a treadmill once a week for half an hour. This is why in the Zen tradition we refer to what we do as “Zen practice” — it is about doing it again and again. Ultimately, meditation is not something relegated to the cushion. While sitting meditation is the basic foundation of practice, the true manifestation of “Zen Mind” happens off the cushion as part of everyday life’s activities. From moment to moment, to manifest that panoramic awareness of now is what practicing the Great Way is all about.
A monk asked Joshu: What is my True Self?
Joshu replied: Have you eaten your breakfast yet?
The monk said: Yes, I have eaten.
Joshu said: Then go wash your bowls!
Nothing extra; nothing holy.
Seido, caretaker
Hokoku-An Zendo
Columbia, MO
