Zen Buddhist Meditation

Zen Buddhist meditation, or Zazen, perhaps one of the most well-known forms of meditation, is a school of Mahayana Buddhism103 that employs meditation techniques that originated in India several thousand years ago and were introduced to Japan from China in 1191 A.D.104Zen Buddhist meditation is typically divided into the Rinzai and Soto schools.

Main components:

The harmony of the body, the breath, and the mind is considered essential to the practice of Zen. In the traditional forms of Zen meditation, physical preparation involves eating nutritious food in modest amounts.

104 Posture is of great importance in Zen meditation. In traditional forms, Zen meditation is performed while seated on a cushion in either the full-lotus or half-lotus position; however, many Western practitioners practice in a variety of ways from chair sitting to full lotus.104 In the full-lotus position, the legs are crossed and the feet rest on top of the thighs. In the half-lotus position, only one foot is brought to rest on top of the thigh, the other remaining on the ground as in the regular cross-legged position.

104,105The hands are held in one of two prescribed ways, either with the left hand placed palm up on the palm of the right hand with the tips of the thumbs touching, or with the right hand closed in a loose fist and enclosed in the left hand, the left thumb between the web of the thumb and the index finger of the right hand.

104 The spine is held straight and with the top of the head thrust upward, with the chin drawn in and the shoulders and abdomen remain relaxed. The body should be perpendicular and the ears, shoulders, nose, and navel should be in line. The tongue should touch the upper jaw and the molars should be in gentle contact with one another. The eyes should be half closed and the gaze focused on a point on the floor approximately 3 feet in front.104, 105

Breathing:

Breathing in Zen meditation is active and many breathing patterns are used.

One deep breathing pattern begins with exhaling completely through an open mouth and letting the lower abdomen relax. Air is then inhaled through the nose and allowed to fill the chest and then the abdomen. This breathing pattern is repeated 4 to 10 times. The mouth is then closed, and air is inhaled and exhaled through the nose only. By the use of abdominal and diaphragmatic pressures, air is drawn in and pushed out.

Both inhalation and exhalation should be smooth, with long breaths.104 after practitioners have learned to focus on their breath by counting, counting is omitted and mediators practice “shikantaza,” which means “nothing but precisely sitting.” 106 Shikantaza is the most advanced form of Zen meditation. 106 With practice, the frequency of breathing becomes about three to six breaths per minute.104

Attention and its object:

Attention is focused on counting breaths or on a koan, a specific riddle that is unsolvable by logical analysis.106 The frequency of breathing is silently counted in one of three ways: counting the cycles of inhalation and exhalation, counting inhalations only, or counting exhalations only.104 Though some koans have become famous in the West (e.g., what is the sound of one hand clapping?), in practice, beginners often silently repeat the sound “MU” while counting. 

As a student advances, there are many koans that may be worked on over a period of years.  47 This silent repetition allows the mediator to become fully absorbed in the koan. In both counting of breaths and focusing on a koan, it is essential that the concentration of the mind is on the counting or on the koan and not on respiration as such.104No attempt is made to focus the mind on a single idea or experience; the mediator sits, aware only of the present moment.49

Spirituality and belief:

It is generally accepted that Buddhist metaphysical beliefs are not essential to the practice of Zen. At a spiritual level, Zen is considered recognition of or, more accurately, the constant participation of all beings in the reality of each being.49 sitting should be based on the compassionate desire to save all sentient beings by means of calming the mind; however, this belief is not essential to practice. Only the wish to save all sentient beings and the strength to be disciplined in practice is necessary. 104

Training:

Depending on the purpose, Zen meditation may be practiced for a few minutes or for many hours.103

Criteria of successful meditation practice:

Successful meditation practice is judged in terms of the internal changes that are brought about by cultivating awareness. The practice of Zen meditation should not be done with the aim of accomplishing some purpose or acquiring something.104 Examples of incorrect aims or approaches include (1) sitting in order to tranquilize the mind, (2) sitting to be empty in one's mind, (3) attempting to solve a koan as if playing a guessing game, and (4) being motivated by a wish to escape from everyday conflicts.

104 Some Zen masters believe that it is acceptable for prospective students to be motivated by desires for good health, composure, iron nerves, etc., because in time their attachment to these less important purposes will be recognized.104 The successful practice of Zen meditation is often described in terms of an awareness of the “true nature” of reality, of discovering the extent to which ordinary experience is constructed and manipulated by our interests, fears, and purposes. Thus, successful practice results in the realization that a dreamlike absorption in personal intentions is actually the principal content of daily mental life, 49 freeing the practitioner from circumstance and emotion.104

Clinically Standardized Meditation

CSM was developed by Patricia Carrington while she was conducting studies on meditation at Princeton University in the early-to-mid 1970s. Believing that TM® was not flexible enough to be suitable for all clinical purposes and that the cost of its instruction put it beyond the reach of most individuals and institutions, Carrington modified a classical Indian form of mantra meditation and produced what she called CSM.64

Main components:

Trainees are instructed to choose a mantra from a list of 16 Sanskrit mantras, or choose their own. In choosing their own mantra, practitioners are told to select a word that has a “pleasant ringing sound” and to avoid using words that are emotionally loaded. The word should help imbue the practitioner with a sense of serenity. 64In its original formulation, CSM used a secular ritual for transferring the mantra. CSM is practiced while sitting comfortably, with eyes open and focused on a pleasant object of some kind. The mantra is repeated aloud, slowly and rhythmically, at ever decreasing volume, until it is a whisper, at which point the mantra is no longer said aloud, but instead is only thought. The eyes are then closed as the mediator continues repeating the mantra in thought. Mediators allow the mantra to proceed at its own pace, getting faster or slower, louder or softer “as it wants.” 64, 97

Breathing:

Breathing is passive, proceeding at its own pace and is unconnected to the repetition of the mantra. Attention and its object. Like TM® and RR, CSM is a passive technique that requires little concentration or discipline. In contrast to RR, CSM instructs practitioners to flow with their thoughts rather than ignore them, returning periodically to the mantra. 

Spirituality and belief:

CSM is designed as a secular, clinical form of meditation practice, so no specific system of spirituality or belief is required.

Training:

CSM is taught in two lessons: a 1-hour individual lesson and a group meeting.

CSM is practiced twice daily for 20 minutes. 64 As with RR, the contemporary version of CSM differs slightly from its original form, with perhaps the most important difference being that trainees are given a manual and an audio recording of instructions rather than individual instruction.64

Criteria of successful meditation practice:

The criteria for successful meditation practice rest with the subjective evaluation of the mediator, the results of practice judged against the reported effects of CSM. Books and audiotapes for self-instruction in CSM are readily available, and there is no explicit statement that an experienced practitioner teach the technique or that individualized instruction is necessary.

Sometimes you have to try different types of meditation to find the one that's right for you

Six Types of Meditation:

There are so many different types of meditation. How many? Who knows, but enough so that you can find the one that's right for you. To get your search started, here are six types of meditation you can try.

1. Breathe watching. Can meditating be as simple as paying attention to your breath for a few minutes? You bet. Relax in whatever position works best for you, close your eyes and start to pay attention to your breathing. Breathing through your nose gets your diaphragm involved and gets oxygen all the way to the bottom of your lungs. As your mind wanders, just re-focus your attention on the air going in and out of your nose. Just do this for several minutes, or longer as you get used to it.

2. An empty mind meditation. Meditating can create a kind of 'awareness without object,' an emptying of all thoughts from your mind. The techniques for doing this involve sitting still, often in a 'full lotus' or cross-legged position, and letting the mind go silent on its own. It can be difficult, particularly since any effort seems to just cause more business in the mind.

3. Walking meditations. This one gets the body involved. It can be outside or simply as a back and forth pacing in a room. Pay attention to the movement of your legs and breathing and body as you walk, and to the feeling of your feet contacting the ground. When your mind wanders, just keep bringing it back to the process of walking and breathing. Meditating outside in this way can be difficult because of the distractions. If you do it outside, find a quiet place with level ground.

4. Mindfulness meditation. A practice Buddhists call vipassana or insight meditation, mindfulness is the art of becoming deeply aware of what is here right now. You focus on what's happening in and around you at this very moment, and become aware of all the thoughts and feelings that are taking your energy from moment to moment. You can start by watching your breath, and then move your attention to the thoughts going through your mind, the feelings in your body, and even the sounds and sights around you. The key is to watch without judging or analyzing.

5. Simple mantra meditation. Many people find it easier to keep their mind from wandering if they concentrate on something specific. A mantra can help. This is a word or phrase you repeat as you sit in meditation, and is chosen for you by an experienced master in some traditions. If you are working on this alone, you can use any word or phrase that works for you, and can choose to either repeat it aloud or in your head as you meditate.

6. Meditating on a concept. Some meditative practices involve contemplation of an idea or scenario. An example is the 'meditation on impermanence,' in which you focus on the impermanent nature of all things, starting with your thoughts and feelings as they come and go. In the Buddhist 'meditation on the corpse,' you think about a body in the ground, as it slowly rots away and is fed on by worms. The technique is used to guide you to an understanding that your rationalizing mind might not bring you to.

There are many other meditations you can try, such as the 'meditation on loving-kindness' or 'object' meditation, and even meditating using brain wave entrainment products. Each type has its own advantages and effects. For this reason, you may find that at different times and for different purposes you want to use several different types of meditation.

Learn How to Meditate From Animals

You can learn how to meditate from a book, but meditation is as much an art as a science, and arts especially are better taught by live teachers than by books. That is why meditation is often learned quicker and brought to a deeper level when the beginner has someone to model their practice on. Can that someone be a dog, cat or other animal?

Learn How To Meditate From Your Cat ?

Have you ever watched a cat clean itself? It is usually fully involved in the process, and if you watch, you can intuitively sense that the cat is living right in the moment. It isn't thinking about what it will do later, or something that happened this morning. Watch how a cat stretches out in the sun and relaxes.

This is the natural state of "being in the now" that mediators work towards. Of course animals are afraid, but they aren't afraid and thinking "I shouldn't be afraid." They feel pain without the added suffering of contemplating the future of it. This "being here now" is what you see in the eyes of a deer. How can we more easily achieve this?

By using an animal as a model. This takes imagination, one of the strengths of the human brain, fortunately. Watch a cat, then sit and imagine you are a cat. You'll notice that your mind doesn't wander into thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow. It is more at rest, yet open to whatever the moment brings.

When you take a walk in the woods, pretend you are a deer. See the woods around you without thinking about them. Stop short of chewing on the plants, but be a deer for a while. You may notice that your senses are heightened. Can thinking too much lessen your ability to hear and see? It certainly can lessen your listening and looking.

Animal Meditations

The point isn't to think like an animal, though that can be entertaining and instructive too. The idea is to model the state of mind of an animal at peace. Combining that with your human awareness can be a powerful meditative practice. Why does this work?

Our minds are more powerful than our conscious thoughts alone. Try an experiment with someone willing to play along: Tell them to act tough. Maybe they'll flex their muscles and scowl. Then tell them to be Conan The Barbarian. The change will be more dramatic. Without needing to think about it much, their posture, expression and attitude will change.

This is the power of modeling. Our subconscious minds know more than our conscious minds. When you decide to be an animal for a moment, it influences you at a deep level. Pant like a dog and run around, and you'll feel quite different than you do now. Be a bear, sitting after he has eaten, and you'll feel more relaxed and content.

Watch a squirrel run around collecting nuts. He isn't worried. Of course he has fear at times, but he drops it when the cause is gone. He's just doing what needs to be done, right now, in this moment. He is at peace, even in all his busyness. Why not bring that state of mind into your practice, and learn how to meditate from the animals?

How to do Meditation

 

Meditation is the journey of our consciousness towards the Self.

Sleep is unconscious Meditation 

Meditation is conscious sleep. 

We receive some amount of Cosmic Energy in sleep and in deep silence.  

We receive abundant Cosmic Energy in Meditation. 

Meditation is the journey of our consciousness from:
Body to Mind,
Mind to Intellect,
Intellect to Self,
and Beyond.
To do Meditation, the first thing is Posture.
We may sit in any posture. Posture must be comfortable and stable.
We may sit either on the floor or on a chair.
Cross your legs clasp the fingers.
Close your eyes gently.
Relax, relax.
Then, Observe your normal Breath
Do not chant any Mantra, do not think of any God.
Just witness the Breath.
If any thoughts come, do not go behind the thoughts, do not negate the thoughts
Just come back observe the Breath.
Witness the Breath.
Be the Breath.
Just Be.
This is the WAY. This is the Meditation Technique.
Then one reaches:
No Thought and No Breath state.
This is the Meditative State.
By more and more Meditation, we receive abundant Cosmic Energy.
With this Meditation Technique,
Our Energy body gets cleansed, Third Eye get activated, and further perfected, Astral Travel happens, we understand Life After Life and many more.

What is Meditation?
Meditation is the greatest and wonderful experience.
Meditation is the easiest and natural phenomenon that is there with every one of us.
Meditation is the only way to understand and to elevate to state of Bliss.
Meditation is the journey from known frequency to unknown frequencies.
Meditation is the journey from our limited perception to unlimitedness.
Meditation is the journey from Body-Mind Consciousness to Self Consciousness.
How to do Meditation?
There are 3 steps to do Meditation:
1. Posture
2. Meditation Technique
3. Meditative State and its Experiences
Posture:
Posture is defined as the way you sit for Meditation
Posture must be comfortable and stable.
Posture is the first and foremost step in the process of Meditation.
You can select a comfortable place in your natural environment. The place should be very comfortable and esthetic to you. You should feel comfortable in that environment.
In that place select a comfortable place.
Then sit in that place.
How you sit is what we call Posture.
You can sit in your normal way or you can sit cross legged, Sukhasana.
Then clasp your fingers. You can also do Mudras.
Then when you feel comfortable,
Slowly close your eyes.
Meditation Technique:
Meditation Technique is the technique one adopts to reach Meditative State.
The easiest and profound way is to:
Observe one’s own natural Breath.
How to adopt the technique?
After selecting the place, posture with the eyes closed,
Take deep breath.
Inhale deeply. Exhale deeply.
Do Inhalation, Exhalation consciously with total relaxation for 5 times.
Inhale slowly and exhale slowly. Take your own time.
Then,
Slowly stop the inhalation and exhalation which you were doing consciously.
Relax…totally relax…
Slowly you will witness a miracle.
What you were doing consciously is still happening without your commands.
Breath is happening on its own. Sometimes erratic, some times rhythmic.
Observe that natural flow of Breath.
Let it happen on its own. Just witness it.
Do nothing. Just witness the Breath.
Do not do conscious breathing. Breath happens on its own.
Just be with the Breath and its flow.
Miracles start happening.
Breath slowly becomes thinner and thinner. Breath becomes shorter and shorter.
Slowly you will transcend the mind zone.
Here in the process,
Thoughts may creep in. Known and unknown thoughts may just creep in.
It may or may not disturb you.
If it is not disturbing you,
Just be with breath. Slowly thoughts reduce.
If thoughts are disturbing you.
Thoughts will be there in the process of transcending the mind, because mind is nothing but bundles of thoughts.
When thoughts come and haunts you,
Just witness consciously your in-breath and out-breath.
Do not negate the thoughts. Do not energize the thoughts. Do not go behind the thoughts. Just allow it to happen.
Relax…relax…
Just observe the Breath.
Witness the in-breath … out-breath…
Breath will be erratic…
Slowly the breath becomes rhythmic.
Breath becomes thinner and thinner.
Thoughts too become lesser and lesser.
Thoughts will not disturb you. It just happens as if it is happening some where and you are only witnessing it.
Slowly thoughts become zero and breath becomes shorter and shorter.
Slowly you will transcend the mind/thought zone.
Meditative State and Meditative Experiences:
By Observing, Witnessing
you will slowly reach No Thought No Breath State.
It is the Meditative State.
In this state you will receive abundant Cosmic Energy.
By continuously doing Meditation,
Third Eye gets activated. Further, Third Eye gets perfected.
Astral Travel starts happening. We ‘see’ our own physical body.
Our Energy body gets cleansed.
We will get glimpses of our past-lives.
You will ‘Experience’ many more.
By doing Meditation,
Our understandings will change.
Our perceptions will change.
We will understand our unlimited less.
We will understand Death and Beyond.
We will be blissful at all times and situations.

HEALING OF BODY AND MIND THROUGH MEDITATION

 

Mind and body are connected through yoga. Meditation is a part of Yoga. The Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali speaks about eight “limbs” or steps of yoga which are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. The first thing we are taught when we start pranayama is how to sit straight with the spine erect. This is known as Asana Jay (i.e. perfecting of posture). Pranayama is control of prana or vital breath. Pratyahar is withdrawing the senses inward. Dharana is fixing the attention on a single object i.e. concentration. Dhyana is meditation or becoming thoughtless. Samadhi is the experience of unity with God and a kind of superconciousness.

Meditation is a technique that we can use at any time and place to quieten the mind and restore peace and harmony within ourselves. This subsequently gets manifested in our outward life as well. Meditation is intended not to stop us thinking but to help us to produce order in the midst of our confusion. By relaxing our mind through meditation, we can clear the chatter for a time and experience a renewed sense of energy. This enables us to bring identity, clarity and freedom to take control over our lives to become healthier and happier.

Accumulated stress is the root cause of a high proportion of illnesses, including many common and serious conditions. By eliminating stress, meditation offers important benefits for the cure and prevention of a wide range of health problems and allows the mind and body to function with maximum effectiveness. This leads to good health and longevity.

The manifold benefits of meditation can be categorized as under:

• improved hearing and mental performance

• improved memory

• improvements in psychosomatic and stress related disorders

• benefits for mother and child during pregnancy and childbirth

• improvement in heart disease

• reversal of tumours

• disorders of the nervous system can be improved

• nose, throat and lung problems can be minimised

   

• increased muscular tone and flexibility

• Posture gets corrected, allowing deep breathing

• Resetting of the navel point to strengthen the lower triangle

• Strengthening of the nervous system

• Bringing normalcy to the glandular secretions of the endocrine system

• Improving resistance to stress and disease

• Opening of the chakras, rendering you more loving and open to others

• Deep relaxation and spontaneous healing

 Meditation can also be termed as an energizing practice that strengthens the body and improves concentration abilities.

Description:

As the name suggests, this guided meditation technique called ‘Tratak’, begins with fixing the gaze at one single point, for a certain period of time. The mind is subtle and difficult to catch, however gaze can be fixed at a point and eventually the mind follows. There is a subtle connection between your body movements and cognitive power of the mind. As we are able to cease the restlessness of eyes seeking something or the other, by fixing its gaze, the restlessness of mind too comes to a halt. Tratak meditation extends beyond a simple gaze; it is about attuning to your higher-self. If a seeker sincerely enters into Tratak meditation daily, he will quickly experience the beauty it adds to his life. The seeker is filled with will power, determination and focus. The mind energy which was dispersed into various thoughts comes to one single point. And this point sinks too into vast silence. Silence is the ultimate source from all derivations that comes through - creativity, power, focus, lucidity. It is a highly apt meditation for students, it not only sharpens memory and improves concentration, it also brings with it relaxation and stress relief. The meditation music as a back drop facilitates the seeker to absorb the technique in a very beautiful manner and discover the treasure of peace and tranquility within.

Pranayama and meditation correct basic faults within the body system, remove energy blockages and stress, improve blood circulation and enable higher level of oxygen intake. Pranayama helps us in removing symptoms of irritation, anger, listlessness, and lack of energy through retention of breath, both inward and outward (kumbhak and rechak). Meditating twice a day helps in prevention, regression and reversal of ageing. Meditation is the perfect medicine. It is thousand times superior to medication. It helps in coping with negative stress which accelerates ageing whereas positive stress helps in reversal of ageing. Meditation can help us in changing our physiology, biochemistry and improve our immunity to combat diseases. 

Meditation enables us to remain in the present and removes regret for the past and anxiety for the future. 

It is said that the deeper the meditation, the deeper would be the healing. The mind and body are intimately connected, and the relationship of the mind to the body in meditation is very interesting. The mind creates a situation in which we see the body as peaceful and beautiful. By creating peaceful feelings in the body, the mind is absorbed in those feelings. So although the body is the object to be healed, it also becomes the means of healing the mind – which is the ultimate goal of meditation.