Thank you for joining me for this discussion of Mokusho,
Or Silent Illumination Zen.
Mokusho,
Or Silent Illumination,
Sometimes translated as Serene Reflection,
Is a form of Zen meditation that developed out of the sudden enlightenment tradition in China.
Mokusho combines two Indian forms,
Shamatha,
Or calm abiding,
And vipassana,
Or insight meditation,
Which is also known as stopping and seeing.
It's combined into one form.
Sudden or immediate enlightenment here means now,
In the temporal sense,
In opposition to gradual enlightenment,
And is based on the principle that we are all intrinsically already enlightened.
Immediate also means without mediation,
That is,
Without the mediation of specific techniques such as breath counting,
Mantra recitation,
Or visualizations,
Which serve a purpose but not in this particular form.
Intimate mediation also means without concepts or ideas about realization.
It developed in part as a reaction to the intellectualization of Buddhism in China and as a critique of the mystical elements of the Indian forms.
But I'd like to focus on the actual practice.
The principal concern is to develop and maintain a relaxed body and mind.
This is very important for effective practice.
We pay attention to a relaxed but not lax physical posture and a relaxed but not taut and not lazy either frame of mind.
We develop this state of being by systematically relaxing the body part by part and then maintaining a sense of the whole body.
This way of being brings us into the awareness of our intrinsic ease and joy that Dogen speaks of when he says,
And I quote him,
The zazen I teach is not meditation.
It is simply the dharma gate of ease and joy,
End of quote.
So let's begin by having a gentle check on your posture.
The spine is erect but it's not stiff.
The shoulders are relaxed.
The chin is tucked in slightly so that the back of the neck is relaxed.
The left hand rests in the right palm with the palm facing up,
Thumb tips touching very lightly.
Now during practice if you are pressing the thumb tips too tightly back off a bit,
It means you're probably working too hard.
If on the other hand you find the thumbs drifting apart,
Simply readjust yourself.
This will help maintain a relaxed and proper attitude.
Now also check that the jar is relaxed as are the eyelids.
Whether the eyes are opened or closed,
Make sure the eyelids are relaxed.
Now take a moment to double check the overall body posture.
We'll begin in a moment and we'll have a brief period of silence following the instructions.
The silence will be followed by the sound of the bell to conclude our practice.
Now gently bring your attention to the breath and with the next inhalation follow it into the crown of the head and exhale any tension.
Start to feel the relaxation spreading out over the top of the head,
Relaxing any tension and feeling the relaxation spreading down the forehead,
Spreading down the back of the neck and the temples and the space between the eyebrows,
The eyelids,
Cheeks,
Mouth,
Lips,
And feeling the relaxation spreading out across the shoulders and down the arms and into the hands.
Feel the energy in the palms of the hands and inhale,
Relaxing as the energy draws up,
Back up the arms and into the throat and exhaling tensions.
Follow the relaxation down into the chest,
The heart,
Lungs,
Solar paroxys,
Relaxing the rib cage,
Abdomen and hips.
Feel the relaxation spreading around into the back,
Traveling along the spine and spinal nerves,
Relaxing all of the back muscles,
The upper back,
The middle back,
The lower back,
Exhaling any tensions and feeling the energy flowing downward.
Feel the relaxation in the groin and buttocks,
Thighs,
Kneecaps,
The back of the knees,
The shins,
Calves,
Ankles,
Feet and toes.
Now begin to let the breath flow in and out on its own and begin to feel a sense and an awareness of the whole body,
Just sitting,
Nothing but sitting,
The whole body sitting.
If any specific parts of the body pop out at you,
Just take notice and gently bring your awareness to your whole body and your sense of being where you are,
Of being where you are,
Just sitting.
Slowly allow your awareness now to spread out into the space around you,
Into the room,
Into the environment,
Allowing it all in and just sitting.
If you notice passing thoughts or sounds in the environment,
Notice how they arise out of silence and how they return to silence.
Feel the constant movement,
The ongoing change,
The planet,
The cosmos,
All one in going on being.
Feel the ease,
Feel the joy,
Just sitting with this awareness.
Now begin to let the breath flow in and out on its own and begin to feel the presence of the whole body,
Just sitting,
Nothing but sitting,
The whole body sitting.
Feel the ease,
Feel the joy,
Just sitting with this awareness.
Feel the peace,
Feel the joy,
Just sitting with this awareness.
Feel the peace,
Feel the joy,
Just sitting with this awareness.
Thank you for your practice.
Keep in mind that continued regular practice will bring great benefit,
Not only to you,
But to all beings whom you might come into contact with.
So please,
Please continue to practice for the sake of all beings.
Thank you.
