Questions tagged [meditation-zazen]
The meditation-zazen tag has no usage guidance.
23
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How is Zazen different from Anapanasati?
As far as I am aware, in Zazen the hands are folded in a mudra, a larger emphasis is placed on holding the specific posture, the eyes are held open, and attention is placed underneath the navel. But ...
- 227
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Does Shikantaza lead towards attaining Jhana, if not, is there any progression?
I have been practicing two different meditations over the years, one is Anapanasati, i.e. mindfulness of breath as I learned from S.N.Goenka, and the other is Zazen or Shikantaza i.e. just sitting, ...
- 2,221
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Zazen for metta reasons
Is it OK to use zazen for the purposes one would use metta meditation? Because I don't want to do any meditation except zazen.
user19950
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Is shikantaza meant to spontaneously relax you, unlike ch'an meditation?
Is shikantaza meant to spontaneously relax you, unlike ch'an meditation? I've never taken classes in the former, but the latter seems to teach you to relax -- and then follow the breath spontaneously.
...
user2512
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Is there anything akin to 'Jhana' in Zen Buddhism?
I have read about 'Jhana' in Ajahn Brahm's book, 'Mindfulness, bliss and beyond'. It looks like, from his teaching of Theravada Buddhism, 'Jhana' is a pre-requisite to attain 'Nirvana'.
I want to ask, ...
- 2,221
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How to practise Zazen so that it leads to Satori?
Currently I practise Zazen as I have read from books i.e 'Just sitting doing nothing'. I keep an erect sitting posture, back straight and eyes closed.
This hasen't led me anywhere.
So I am asking the ...
- 2,221
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Zazen to get an LSD effect?
In Zen the key practice is sitting meditation (Zazen or 座禅).
Is monks' experience in Zazen like the LSD effect (i.e. "ego is dead")?
Does Zazen give at least approximately some experience similar to ...
- 111
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Law of attraction to reach enlightenment?
This may be a crazy question. But just out of curiosity when we do law of attraction method they say that we can attract money, success or something.
Can we attract enlightenment like that???
So in ...
- 201
4
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311
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Irritation due to breathing noises in dojo
This might seem a silly question, but unfortunately I am extremely oversensitive to human noises. I don't mind meditation with the noise of traffic, or a thunderstorm, or the monotonous drone of a ...
- 41
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Does Dogen bring good news?
As I understand it, Dogen says that, at least for those new to seated meditation, there is no enlightenment outside seated meditation.
Well, to me that if true that's awful! No speech, no writing, no ...
user2512
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67
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Feeling concern for others but like my efforts in anything are wasted
I feel concern for others, but like my efforts in anything are wasted. Is there any practice I could engage in, to remedy the latter?
I've been taught meditation in a handful of contexts. What about ...
user2512
2
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3
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343
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What does "ease" mean in the phrase "dharma gate of ease and joy"?
What is the "ease" of the "dharma gate of ease and joy"? Can an unelightened person achieve it outside seated meditation?
Ought I imagine everything is difficult, or everything is easy? How can we be ...
user2512
2
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2
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467
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The mind during Shikantaza
In Soto-Zen Buddhism there is a sitting meditation known as Shikantaza which is the art of just-sitting. My question, what techniques are given to Soto-Zen practitioners to prevent the mind from being ...
- 356
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What does "joy" mean in the phrase "dharma gate of great ease and joy"
Dogen's zazengi says
Zazen is the dharma gate of great ease and joy
What does the term "joy" mean here?
And if I can feel something like that without zazen, should I cultivate it? As well as ...
user2512
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Is this a passable translation of Dogen's "without thinking"?
His, Dogen's, Fukanzazengi, says
Think of not-thinking. How do you think of not-thinking? Be before
thinking. These are the basics of zazen.
I haven't, I think, been formally taught zazen. But ...
user2512
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Where to do a 'Rains Retreat' in South Korea?
I would like to attend a 3 months "rains retreat" (Kyol-Che), in a Zen (Seon) temple in South Korea. I would have to go to a temple where they give instructions in English, though.
'Mu Sang Sa' ...
- 5,206
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Is 'Just Sitting' the same as zazen?
In the Triratna Buddhist Community we do a practice that we call Just Sitting. It's described as
Just Sitting is a space of non-action in which anything can emerge.
Often the fruit of the ...
- 21k
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647
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Leg pain in retreats and even zen short sessions
I've never had a problem with sleepiness, and I only get impatient when sitting on my own.
But oh that leg pain is something else.
Does anyone have any advice from a Zen perspective - not ...
user2512
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1
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101
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The experience of silence
Is there anything out there in the zen tradition about whether "silence" (do I mean this metaphorically) is to be embraced in meditation?
user2512
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What role does zen or zazen play in Tendai?
I would like to know how Tendai or indeed Tiantai, views its use of zazen or zen.
I would provisionally assume it serves a different role than it does or is in Soto and Rinzai and contemporary Chan.
user2512
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Shikantaza vs counting breath
As we know, in soto-shu we don't count nor observe the breath during zazen.
I would like people who have a long experience with zazen meditation to explain if they consider that counting and ...
- 654
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What's the relationship between effort and zazen?
I'm currently reading Zen Mind Beginners Mind which I am enjoying. However when I read Zen books I'm always confused about the role of effort in zazen practice. Reading the book it makes it seem like ...
- 21k
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Is zazen practised for its own sake, or as a means to end suffering? Experts seem to say different things
It is confusing to me that what what the goal of zazen is (and is not), as proposed by various people with more or less authority on the subject, varies so greatly. Some say no goal, and others ...
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