Zazen for Beginners Series: THREAD for QUESTIONS, COMMENTS

[Jakuden]

I have severe Cerebral Palsy. My. body moves almost constantly. However, when I focus on my breath my body becomes still without me trying. If I try to be still, my body starts to move. If I move while doing zazen in my wheelchair I just notice it and gently return my focus to the breath.

Hello Rising Crow, [emoji112] it is good to see you.

Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH


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[Jundo]

I have severe Cerebral Palsy. My. body moves almost constantly. However, when I focus on my breath my body becomes still without me trying. If I try to be still, my body starts to move. If I move while doing zazen in my wheelchair I just notice it and gently return my focus to the breath.

Hi Jesse,

Good to see you.

Then, you do what works for you.

Gassho, Jundo

SatTodayLAH

[SNPII]

Okay all, I haven't posted a lot in tree leaf lately because I have truly been focusing on the hinderances and my other studies and practices.

I have now reached the fourth week of my hinderance practice where I am to focus at least one meditation for the next 7 days on: restlessness, anxiety and worry. The opposite being focus and stillness.

I am reviewing beginner's teaching #11 about the breath and not focusing on it during meditation to sit Zazen. I feel I am now open to getting a little deeper with Shikantaza Zazen now, but still find difficulty in the "just sit" aspect. I am familiar with the Samatha and vipassana meditations and less with appasati and even less with Zazen (other than what I'm learning in here).

Can any of you share your journey about transitioning into Shikantaza Zazen as described in number 11 and the like?

Sat2daymaysitagain

In Sincerity
Shane

[Jundo]

I have now reached the fourth week of my hinderance practice where I am to focus at least one meditation for the next 7 days on: restlessness, anxiety and worry. The opposite being focus and stillness.

I am reviewing beginner's teaching #11 about the breath and not focusing on it during meditation to sit Zazen. I feel I am now open to getting a little deeper with Shikantaza Zazen now, but still find difficulty in the "just sit" aspect. I am familiar with the Samatha and vipassana meditations and less with appasati and even less with Zazen (other than what I'm learning in here).

Hi Shane,

Shikantaza is not a breath practice (apart from allowing the breath to be deep and natural). It is also a radical allowing of things as they are. One does not beat "restlessness, anxiety and worry" be trying to sweep them away, but rather by radically pay em no nevermind, not being bothered by any condition of life. I posted something else about this to explain ...

In most forms of Zazen or meditation, there is good and bad, successful and not successful sitting. In Shikantaza, it is impossible by definition to have any bad or unsuccessful sitting. Simply sitting is, ipso facto, success. Good or bad, successful or unsuccessful judgments are washed away in automatic "Good Sitting which is Successful Just By Sitting" (one possible way to translate the meaning of the word "Shikantaza" right there). Unlike most forms of meditation, that means that even those sometime days of angry, confused, cloudy, wallowing in emotions sitting is "good, successful sitting."

However (now the wondrous twist, the tricky catch!), when one truly lets each and every sitting be itself, good and successful just by being itself, there is thus something transcendent of anger, confusion, cloudiness and wallowing simply by letting "anger, confusion, clouds and wallowing" (and all conditions of life) just be "anger, confusion, clouds and wallowing" (and all conditions of life as they are). As strange as it sounds, one is thus "free" of anger, confusion, clouds and wallowing even in the continued presence of anger, confusion, clouds and wallowing, as much as in their absence too. The "anger, confusion, cloudiness and wallowing" is completely transformed in Wisdom and Clarity by our non-resistance and equanimity about even our passing feelings of resistance and lack of equanimity. So long as one is sitting, with the act of sitting as all that is demanded of the act of sitting, this is the universe in fruition.
https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...-in-Shikantaza

We are always trying to "fix" life. The cause of the "restlessness, anxiety and worry" is precisely our dissatisfaction with the state of things, need to fix or resistance to how things are. I am not proposing to wallow in "restlessness, anxiety and worry." Rather, the radical dropping of need to fix ... including to fix anything including some passing "restlessness, anxiety and worry" ... is precisely the contentment that is the cure for "restlessness, anxiety and worry". Rather counter-intuitive, but it works.

I am not sure what a "hindrance practice" is. Shikantaza is our "no hindrances even in a world of hindrances" practice.

Gassho, Jundo

SatTodayLAH

[Amelia]

I know that you sometimes feel like a broken record, Jundo, but sometimes rereading the "Jundo Classics" will cause something to click in a way it never has before, despite having read it the same way for years. Thanks for your persistence, and patience.

Gassho, sat today, lah

[dialectbird]

Hello all!
I seem to be having some troubles with using ‘Hangouts’. I’m not sure this is the correct thread to be posting this question in, but here goes.
I’ve been a member for a little while now, and manage to attend Zazenkai with my regular sangha often, but in the times in which I cannot attend, or make the drive to temple, I sit by the altar in our home. I wish to sit with this community when doing so, but have troubles with hangouts. I have noticed that there seems to be two sitting schedules on the site, one says Mon-Sunday sittings, and the other is a list that says “Zazen” with... and whoever the respective person is, I’m assuming leading the zazenkai. That being said, I’ve tried sittings from either list, and cannot see, nor hear if I’m in the right place, no bells, and either a blank screen or just myself on screen. I’ve checked the settings of the app on my phone, and it should be working properly, but this still keeps happening. Perhaps someone could help me determine what I’m doing wrong? Thank you so much.
Gassho
合掌
DB

[Troy]

Hello all!
I seem to be having some troubles with using ‘Hangouts’. I’m not sure this is the correct thread to be posting this question in, but here goes.
I’ve been a member for a little while now, and manage to attend Zazenkai with my regular sangha often, but in the times in which I cannot attend, or make the drive to temple, I sit by the altar in our home. I wish to sit with this community when doing so, but have troubles with hangouts. I have noticed that there seems to be two sitting schedules on the site, one says Mon-Sunday sittings, and the other is a list that says “Zazen” with... and whoever the respective person is, I’m assuming leading the zazenkai. That being said, I’ve tried sittings from either list, and cannot see, nor hear if I’m in the right place, no bells, and either a blank screen or just myself on screen. I’ve checked the settings of the app on my phone, and it should be working properly, but this still keeps happening. Perhaps someone could help me determine what I’m doing wrong? Thank you so much.
Gassho
合掌
DB

I had the same problem with my phone for the weekly Zazenkai. My solution was to use Google Chrome on my computer instead. My phone seems to work for the daily sits though. Don’t know why but that is how I got it to work.


Sat2day

[Mp]

Hello all!
I seem to be having some troubles with using ‘Hangouts’. I’m not sure this is the correct thread to be posting this question in, but here goes.
I’ve been a member for a little while now, and manage to attend Zazenkai with my regular sangha often, but in the times in which I cannot attend, or make the drive to temple, I sit by the altar in our home. I wish to sit with this community when doing so, but have troubles with hangouts. I have noticed that there seems to be two sitting schedules on the site, one says Mon-Sunday sittings, and the other is a list that says “Zazen” with... and whoever the respective person is, I’m assuming leading the zazenkai. That being said, I’ve tried sittings from either list, and cannot see, nor hear if I’m in the right place, no bells, and either a blank screen or just myself on screen. I’ve checked the settings of the app on my phone, and it should be working properly, but this still keeps happening. Perhaps someone could help me determine what I’m doing wrong? Thank you so much.
Gassho
合掌
DB

Hello DB,

Are you checking out our Calendar? They have all the sittings and times ... here it is: https://www.treeleaf.org/now/#calendar

If this is not the case and oyu have checked it out, can you PM me and I will help you out. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[dialectbird]

Hiya Shingen,
I have tried sitting with groups from that link as well as the other one that has a green heading, but each to no avail. I’ll try again today at four, and if that doesn’t work I’ll let you know.
Thank you very much.
Gassho
合掌
DB

[dialectbird]

Hiya Troy,
Yeah, I’ve been trying to sit with any group sitting really for some time, but neither my phone nor computer are working. I don’t think I’ve tried using Chrome on my computer, but I’ll give that a shot first today, and see what happens.
Gassho
合掌
DB

[Mp]

Hiya Shingen,
I have tried sitting with groups from that link as well as the other one that has a green heading, but each to no avail. I’ll try again today at four, and if that doesn’t work I’ll let you know.
Thank you very much.
Gassho
合掌
DB

Sounds good ... I see you are in the PST time zone. I sit at 7pm PST, maybe you can try then as well? But do let me know what happens today and with what sitting time and host please. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[Troy]

Sounds good ... I see you are in the PST time zone. I sit at 7pm PST, maybe you can try then as well? But do let me know what happens today and with what sitting time and host please. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

DB may need to be added to the Google Circle if he is not already. I remember I could not see your links until I was part of the circle.


Sat2day

[Mp]

DB may need to be added to the Google Circle if he is not already. I remember I could not see your links until I was part of the circle.


Sat2day

Hey DB .... can you give me your real name and Google+ profile url please. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[dialectbird]

Shingen,
My name is Dale, and here’s the link.

https://plus.google.com/113895207268648791993

[Mp]

Shingen,
My name is Dale, and here’s the link.

https://plus.google.com/113895207268648791993

Cool, thank you. I have added you to my sitting group just in case ...

Also, did yah get a chance to sit today online and what was the outcome? Are you getting into a room and it is just that no one is there?

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH