Welcome.
This talk serves as a practical follow-up to my six talks on Dogen's Fukanza Zenji,
Universal Principles of Zen Meditation,
Which I advise listening to first.
In this talk,
I'll offer a series of practice points geared toward fine-tuning the posture and practice of Shikantaza,
Or just sitting.
Please be aware that while there is a period of silent meditation in this talk,
It is meant as a sample practice guide that you can extend on your own once you have internalized the practice and make it your own.
First of all,
Shikantaza is translated as follows.
Shikan means to sit,
Za is short for zazen or meditation,
And ta means to hit the target,
Which is the present moment and which is our focus.
Wherever your mind goes,
Once recognized,
Simply notice it and return to the present moment and the basic fact of sitting.
So you see,
Shikantaza is really simple.
We do nothing but sit in a correct posture,
Breathing easily,
Keeping our eyes open,
Staying awake,
And letting go.
That's all we do in zazen.
Dogen describes how we do this.
We'll begin with a paraphrasing of Dogen's instructions that in Fukanza Zenji follow his preceding doctrinal and philosophical discussions that were the content covered in my six talks.
He begins,
For zazen,
A quiet room is suitable.
Eat and drink moderately.
No need to think about any concerns.
I guarantee you that they will all be there to deal with later.
So for now,
Put them aside.
Let go of grasping and pushing away.
Do not think good,
Bad,
Or make any judgments.
Remember that a judgment is just another thought.
Allow the mind to move freely on its own power.
Cease the gauging of all thoughts and views.
Let go of any goals such as enlightenment or realization.
Let go of any expectations of something special happening.
Something special is happening already in the basic posture of simply sitting.
Realization is being expressed as you sit.
Make a regular and dedicated sitting space.
Lay out a zabuton or spread out a folded blanket and place a cushion on it.
Sit comfortably with legs crossed if possible.
If you sit in a chair,
Place the feet parallel to each other,
About shoulder width apart.
Sit toward the front of the chair and avoid leaning against the back of the chair.
Wear loosely fitting clothing.
I'll ring the bell three times.
Offer some instructions that will help you enter sublime silence.
At the conclusion,
You will hear the bell ring again one time.
Let the sound of the bell draw you into the present moment.
Place your hands in gomaza,
The demon quelling posture.
That is with your right hand in your lap and your left palm facing upwards on your right palm,
Resting,
With the thumb tips touching very lightly.
Make a note that while sitting,
If the thumbs are pressing tightly,
That means you are working too hard.
So back off,
Adjust your posture,
Take a breath,
And just keep sitting.
If the thumb tips separate,
You may be drifting off to sleep or perhaps caught in a daydream or preoccupation.
So again,
Simply readjust your thumbs and your posture and just keep sitting.
Sit upright in a correct bodily posture,
Neither inclining to the left nor to the right,
Neither leaning forward nor leaning backward.
Be sure your ears are on a plane with your shoulders and your nose in line with your navel.
Gently place your tongue against the roof of your mouth with teeth and lips both shut.
Your eyes should always remain about halfway open and always breathe gently through your nose.
If you notice that your eyes have closed,
Simply notice without judgment,
And when you feel ready,
And only then,
Gently open your eyes again.
The gaze is gentle and set at a 45 degree angle toward the floor without focusing on anything.
Take a deep breath,
Inhale and exhale,
And let the breath become natural and relaxed,
As if the breath is breathing you.
When there's a short breath,
Simply notice that the breath is short.
When there's a long breath,
Simply notice that the breath is long.
Gently rock your body right and left and slowly,
Steadily settle into a steady,
Immobile sitting position.
Now as you sit,
Maintain an attitude of bodhicitta,
Or awake mind,
By simply being with the rise and fading of all experiences,
Free from grasping,
Pushing away,
Or judgment.
Simply sitting as you are.
Dogen writes that this in itself is the essential art of zazen.
He adds,
The zazen I speak of is not learning meditation.
It is simply the dharmagate of repose and bliss,
The practice realization of totally culminated enlightenment.
It is the manifestation of ultimate reality here and now.
Cognition and logical thinking cannot reach it,
So don't try to figure it out.
You're not making a Buddha.
You are simply expressing your always inherent Buddha nature.
We rely on prajna,
Or intuitive wisdom,
That occurs from just sitting in musho toku,
Or no gaining mind.
Dogen concludes by writing,
Once its heart is grasped,
You are like a dragon when he gains the water,
Like the tiger when he enters the mountain.
For you must know that just there,
In zazen,
The right dharma is manifesting itself,
And that from the first dullness and distraction are struck aside.
When you arise from sitting,
Move slowly and quietly,
Calmly but deliberately.
Do not rise suddenly or abruptly,
And bring the mind of zazen to all of your day's activities.
When practicing,
Set the insight timer for three bells at five second intervals to begin with.
I recommend using a deeper sounding bell,
Like the ombu or the shurong.
Set the ending bell for one ring,
And please,
For the benefit of all beings,
Just keep practicing,
No matter what.
Thank you.
