Can't Concentrate - Try ZaZen
Having trouble centering - no worries, do a little Sitting :-).
Personally when I can do no other practice I turn to the simplicity of Zazen. I find Zazen to be such a wonderful practice when my mind or emotions are very tumultuous or I can't seem to focus, because in Zazen I can simply ignore them, they become irrelevant. How cool is that.
So just sit and be aware of your breathing - nothing more - in and out - nothing more, nothing more.
Crazy thoughts, crazy emotions - so what, it doesn't matter - let everything go by just sitting and breathing.
What is Zazen?
Zazen is not a meditation technique. It is simply the Dharma gate of joyful ease, it is practicing the realization of the awakened way. Here, the open mystery manifests, and there are no more traps and snares for you to get caught in. - Dogen from Fukanzazenji
There is a delightful description of the prctice of Zazen or Shikantaza (just sitting) given by Master Dogen Zenji that I wish to share, this description has set the practice of Zazen on firm ground since the 11th centruy and it continues today.
Instructions on Zen by Dogen Zenji
For practicing Zen, a quiet room is suitable. Eat and drink moderately. Put aside all involvements and suspend all affairs. Don't think about "good" or "bad". Don't judge true or false. Your mind, intellect, and consciousness are spinning around - let them have rest. Give up measuring with thoughts, ideas, and views. Have no designs on becoming a Buddha. How could that be limited to sitting or lying down?
When you sit, spread a mat and put a cushion on it. Sit either in the full-lotus or half-lotus position. In the full-lotus position, first place your right foot on your left thigh, then your left foot on your right thigh. In the half-lotus position, simply place your left foot on your right thigh. Tie your robes loosely and arrange them neatly. Then place your right hand on your left leg and your left hand on your right palm, thumb-tips lightly touching.
Straighten your body and sit upright, leaning neither left nor right, neither forward nor backward. Align your ears with your shoulders and your nose with your navel. Rest the tip of your tongue against the front of the roof of your mouth, with teeth and lips together both shut. Always keep your eyes open, and breathe softly through your nose. Once you have adjusted your posture, take a breath and exhale fully, rock your body right and left, and settle into steady, immovable sitting. Think of not thinking. Not thinking: What kind of thinking is that? Letting thoughts go (Nonthinking). This is the essential art of zazen.
To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things. -Dogen
Personally when I can do no other practice I turn to the simplicity of Zazen. I find Zazen to be such a wonderful practice when my mind or emotions are very tumultuous or I can't seem to focus, because in Zazen I can simply ignore them, they become irrelevant. How cool is that.
So just sit and be aware of your breathing - nothing more - in and out - nothing more, nothing more.
Crazy thoughts, crazy emotions - so what, it doesn't matter - let everything go by just sitting and breathing.
What is Zazen?
Zazen is not a meditation technique. It is simply the Dharma gate of joyful ease, it is practicing the realization of the awakened way. Here, the open mystery manifests, and there are no more traps and snares for you to get caught in. - Dogen from Fukanzazenji
There is a delightful description of the prctice of Zazen or Shikantaza (just sitting) given by Master Dogen Zenji that I wish to share, this description has set the practice of Zazen on firm ground since the 11th centruy and it continues today.
Instructions on Zen by Dogen Zenji
For practicing Zen, a quiet room is suitable. Eat and drink moderately. Put aside all involvements and suspend all affairs. Don't think about "good" or "bad". Don't judge true or false. Your mind, intellect, and consciousness are spinning around - let them have rest. Give up measuring with thoughts, ideas, and views. Have no designs on becoming a Buddha. How could that be limited to sitting or lying down?
When you sit, spread a mat and put a cushion on it. Sit either in the full-lotus or half-lotus position. In the full-lotus position, first place your right foot on your left thigh, then your left foot on your right thigh. In the half-lotus position, simply place your left foot on your right thigh. Tie your robes loosely and arrange them neatly. Then place your right hand on your left leg and your left hand on your right palm, thumb-tips lightly touching.
Straighten your body and sit upright, leaning neither left nor right, neither forward nor backward. Align your ears with your shoulders and your nose with your navel. Rest the tip of your tongue against the front of the roof of your mouth, with teeth and lips together both shut. Always keep your eyes open, and breathe softly through your nose. Once you have adjusted your posture, take a breath and exhale fully, rock your body right and left, and settle into steady, immovable sitting. Think of not thinking. Not thinking: What kind of thinking is that? Letting thoughts go (Nonthinking). This is the essential art of zazen.
To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things. -Dogen
