8 votes

Does Shikantaza lead towards attaining Jhana, if not, is there any progression?

Of course you can. Think of the etymology - zen -> chan -> dhyana -> jhana. It's the same word bastardized and modified over the course of four languages. Zen is absorption practice. It's ...
user21578's user avatar
  • 231
4 votes

Does Shikantaza lead towards attaining Jhana, if not, is there any progression?

Stop craving attainment and obsessing about attainments. Shikantaza is just sitting, no jhanas, no BS. You know you have this thorn stuck deep inside your heart, you want to be special, your want to ...
Andriy Volkov's user avatar
  • 58.2k
4 votes

Does Shikantaza lead towards attaining Jhana, if not, is there any progression?

Ven. Ajahn Brahm is widely recognized as an expert of samatha meditation leading to jhana from mindfulness of breathing, with his book, "Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond". I quote a part of ...
ruben2020's user avatar
  • 36.9k
3 votes

The mind during Shikantaza

Look, there is nothing special about Shikantaza or any other type of meditation. If you ask me honestly, I say that meditation is for fun really. You don't do it to achieve anything. In fact the idea ...
esh's user avatar
  • 2,244
2 votes

Does Shikantaza lead towards attaining Jhana, if not, is there any progression?

Without a teacher and teaching, meditation alone may succeed. Indeed, the Buddha own insight and practice were ultimately required for his enlightenment. The Buddha had teachers that brought him to a ...
OyaMist's user avatar
  • 9,388
2 votes

Does Shikantaza lead towards attaining Jhana, if not, is there any progression?

If Shikantaza helps you stop thoughts, then it's useful for that. That's a necessary skill for entering second jhana. If breath meditation is triggering thoughts, you're not doing it correctly. The ...
frankk's user avatar
  • 1,901
2 votes
Accepted

Is shikantaza meant to spontaneously relax you, unlike ch'an meditation?

Shikantaza in original usage means ~'only sit', and the term was introduced into fairly standard usage by Dogen Daishi c.1250AD. This is in the context of Original Traditional Authentic Soto Zen, ...
M H's user avatar
  • 259
1 vote

Does Shikantaza lead towards attaining Jhana, if not, is there any progression?

It's good, that you know your comfort zone. But if you do not come out of it and instead get trapped yourself there, then it's not good. The purpose of meditation is to get rid of meditation. In fact, ...
enRaiser's user avatar
  • 861
1 vote

Shikantaza vs counting breath

For last two years i am practicing Vipasana meditation and by observing the process of breath. I am work-ably become thoughtless during meditation and helpful even any time for few seconds or a minute ...
user16541's user avatar

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