Recommended Way to Meditate: Getting into the Mood
In the last post, “Zazen (Mediation): The Heart of the Matter“, I wrote about zazen, some common questions and a real simple way I look at it. But just because the way of doing zazen is simple, that doesn’t mean that performing zazen is easy. In the article “Touching the Earth” I wrote about one experience that I had while meditating.
On the day I wrote that post, I did not follow the recommended way of zazen exactly. I also did not get upset with myself about it. I really believe that the good stuff that came out of that meditation was not the feeling of peace (although it was wonderful to feel), but having the opportunity earlier in the meditation to see things about myself that I didn’t particularly care for.
I hear what you are thinking… that doesn’t really sound very pleasant does it? Well… who said it was supposed to be?
This article is about the the recommended ways of practicing zazen. – DV
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How did I happen upon meditation practice?
I learned how to meditate in the seventh grade. One day my English and religion teacher, a Catholic nun named Sister Kathleen, began to teach us this thing called mediation. Even then it seemed a little bit strange. It was the seventh grade, and I had heard the word “meditation”, but I had not really had any context for the word — other than, perhaps, it wasn’t something that I thought would come up in Catholic school.
Well, she actually taught us what I think of as the typical way of meditating, well, with a few twists. She told us to sit at our desks with our hands folded (having our hands in a mudra might have been a little too much for this little Catholic school), and we were also to look a head of us with our eyes open and count to ten, trying to not think of anything. That sounds like what you would commonly find in a basic meditation booklet.
Sister Kathleen did add one thing that I haven’t heard of since, which I think has lead to some of my more relaxed and creative ways of meditating. What she added was the idea that if your mind wandered you should make the numbers from one to ten appear in your mind. Kind of like almost making the number with your eyes, but not moving your eyes. It was very interesting and actually made the whole thing kind of fun for me, especially at that time. I have since stopped doing the eye thing, it is a bit distracting from my purpose, but give it a try because it may work for you.
In seventh grade I wasn’t sure why I would want, or maybe the correct thing to say is I didn’t quite understand why, to meditate. But in the years to follow I actually did meditate by myself from time to time; remembering the steps Sister Kathleen has taught me. It was pretty basic stuff. I would most commonly practice before bed, with no real deep understanding of what I was trying to accomplish, or how it could help, other than that I knew it was fun and it would calm me.
It was around my early 30′s when meditation came into my life again. At that time I had reached about my spiritual limit. I think that I had almost put a period on God and became an Atheist at that point. About that same time I started looking into learning more about Zen. I had, during my college years, dabbled in the worlds of Buddhism and Hinduism, and all cool things Eastern, but I wanted to really give it a go as an adult. I knew that the eastern way of thinking was foreign to me, and a dangerous thing happened… I wanted to learn.
The story is fairly short from here. A friend and I basically went out on the Internet and found a Zen center approximately close to home. The one that looked most promising was about an hour away, and their schedule had two different types of beginner Zen classes. These two classes were taught by two different Zen groups each representing two different schools of Zen: Rinzai and Soto. The two groups shared the same zendo space, so now my friend and I had choices. Eventually we attended both classes.
It was here I that it “clicked” that there was not just one form of meditation.
There is walking meditation (kinhin) , and sitting meditation (zazen). Some use koans in their meditation and some chanting, where stories of how washing the dishes could be a form of meditation, and some on how every action should be a mindful act.
Inside and outside of Zen there are huge number of meditative tools. Even Yoga is a form of meditation. One of my SL buddies and blogger cohorts is experimenting with yet another way to meditate. I have since learned that there is in fact a great number of known ways of mediating in the world.
Eventually, I gravitated to the Soto School of Zen. I began learning about meditation with that group. (I plan to write an article that will delve a little more into the differences between the Rinzai and Soto schools of Zen.)
Is group meditation kinky?
What did I learn? Well, I learned that group meditation was wonderful. But… let’s start with what I learned in class. Basically, we were taught how to navigate the zendo and then participate in group sitting meditation (zazen). Here were the steps:
| Steps | Instruction |
| What to Wear | Comfortable, non-distracting clothing. This is meant to be non-distracting to both you and those around you who will be meditating with. Realize that you will probably be sitting in some position or another for at least 20 minutes. If I had to guess, I would say that some of my least productive days performing zazen (sitting meditation) were ones that I was focusing on being uncomfortable because of my clothing, or how uncomfortable I was sitting. |
| First Looks at the Zendo | To get an idea of a typical zendo in your mind, imagine a large comfortable room. In the front of this comfy room is what looks like a alter, probably not quite the size of the one you will find in the front of a church, same standard height. The alter has a Buddha on it, some flowers, a bowl with something that looks like food or candy, and some assorted knick knacks placed in a very nice way in front of the representation of the Buddha.Along the walls there are rows of cushions and chairs lined up for people to sit on during meditation.Here is a picture of a zendo that I have actually participated in group seated meditation in. In this zendo there are three rows of cushions on each side. |
| Entering the Zendo: A first lesson in Mindful | Being mindful is a healthy thing to cultivate in general. In Buddhism practice, being mindful seems really at the core of its teachings. As people quietly enter the place of meditation, and they walk towards where they will be sitting, it is customary to show mindfulness by bowing toward the statue of the Buddha if they pass in front of it, as a gesture of respect. There is also some additional bowing before the person sits down to meditate. When the person slowly walks over to the cushion where they are to sit, they bow once to the cushion (to show gratitude to the cushion they are about to use), and then bow once more in the direction facing away from the cushion (to give gratitude to the people they are about to perform zazen with.) It is here where I personally remember to be thoughtful of my surroundings, the people around me, the people in my life, and also of myself and what it is I am trying to learn.I do a variation at home when I sit by myself described later in the “Getting into the Mood at Home” portion of this post. |
| Sitting on the Cushion | After bowing to the cushion (or chair if sitting on a cushion is too painful for the mediator), they will fix their cushion to make sure it is clean and tidy. At the Zen Center that I go to there is usually a booklet that is placed on the cushion or seats that has various readings, chants, and a bunch of other things. It is customary to sit on a round cushion (zafu) placed on a larger square cushion (zabuton). In the Soto Zen school the mediators generally sit facing the wall. They do this to honor Bodhidharma who sat facing the wall for 9 years.Before meditation begins practitioners usually place the booklet under the zabuton. I believe this step is to avoid distractions.Group meditation starts at a scheduled time, and there is a person who rings this wonderful bell that sounds like a huge singing bowl to call the people who have not already come into the zendo. I really tend to like this part, feeling the vibrations of the large bell flow through me, calling me to meditate. |
| Reading the Fukan Zazengi | Before each meditation the group begins reading a document called the Fukan Zazengi aloud. The Fukan Zazengi is known as the “Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen” and were originally written by the Zen Master Dogen. |
| Meditation Begins | The mediators face the wall and meditate for 20 to 30 minutes. |
| Exiting the Zendo | The end of meditation is signaled also with the ringing of the large bell. Almost the reverse process is followed where the mediators turn toward the center of the room before rising.Exiting the zendo is what I would like to now commonly refer to as a “Buddhist fire drill.” After sitting in a knot for about 20 minutes or so sometimes the mind is willing to leave the cushion but the legs are … well… a sleep. Slowly and carefully the mediators rise up, clean and place the zafu and zabuton, move the booklet back into place, bow again to the cushion and then to the people in the room, and then follow everyone out of the zendo in order. |
There is one last rule that has helped me the most, and this rule will certainly help others because not all Zen centers will perform this whole process the same. The wonderful rule is:
If all else fails follow the guy in front of you
Group meditation is a wonderful time for Buddhists to practice being patient, and a person turning the wrong way or getting up or down at the wrong time should not bother anyone. My personal favorite is when I forget which to bow to first, the cushion or the people in the room. I have learned to just do it, forgive myself, and move on.
Getting into the Mood at Home
My Zen center is about an hour away from my house, so it is not always convenient for me to get down there to practice meditation. Group meditation is the best I think, especially the talks afterwards in the presence of a Zen Teacher. These have been very wonderful to experience and I have benefited from them greatly.
Since I can’t usually make it to the Zen center, I have tried to make a small area at home that recreates the feeling of the Zen center zendo as much as possible. I have a zendo but in miniature. I even read the Fukan Zazengi aloud before I start to meditate.
My Mini Zendo
My mini zendo is in my dining room where I have a very small table that sits a even smaller representation of the Buddha. I also have a small singing bowl, sandalwood incense, a candle, a copy of the Fukan Zazengi, and my zafu and zabuton. I follow the Zen Center list of instructions listed above as closely as I can at home, probably with two minor exceptions: I have a little zen clock that chimes after the time I set has passed, and my zafu and zabuton are not in place when I start and I clean a little cat hair off of them before my sitting, returning the zafu and zabuton to their starting place when I am finished.
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A little more on the Fukan Zazengi:
There are pieces of the Fukan Zazengi that are not immediately understandable to the beginner. Usually when I read the document I read it almost as a chant, where I let the words wash over me instead of reading each word literally. Over time one part or another of the work will help me find some of those places that I have been stuck in my meditation, or just plain remind me of what I’m doing there. It also starts me off the same each time I sit, which I find works for me. Reading the Fukan Zazengi has been very helpful for me in my home practice.
I would certainly recommend reading the Fukan Zazengi. When I first began reading it, it reminded me that I will not understand everything in my practice, and I will not meditate perfectly or live perfectly for that matter, and most especially that one goal for meditation is to be compassionate to ourselves. So don’t sweat it when you meditate… don’t sweat anything. -DV
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Thanks Holdengineh for editing this post.
Articles that may interest you:
Touching the Earth – A day of meditation for Dharma
Dharma’s View on the Basics of Zen Buddhism
Fukan Zazengi – Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen
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