What to do during Zazen?

[Simon]

I recently watched a video by Muho (???? How does meditation work? ????), where he talked about Zazen instructions. He basically said it's impossible to give precise instructions on what to "do" during Zazen. When he first arrived at Antaiji, no one explained anything beyond the basic form: how to sit during Zazen, how to walk during Kinhin, and that was it. No further guidance. He had to figure it out for himself.

I believe this approach aligns with Dogen's teachings, particularly in the Fukanzazengi, where Dogen goes into great detail about posture but says very little about what we should do. I think this is intentional, we’re meant to discover it for ourselves. Dogen was not trying to be mysterious or complicated. Muho explained this idea well when he said something like "You can't have a map to go beyond the map" (or something like that, I don’t recall the exact wording).

So when we sit Zazen, we adopt the correct posture, breathe with the belly, and “think not-thinking”. How do you think not-thinking? You’ll have to find out for yourself. A small hint: it’s non-thinking (or beyond thinking if you prefer).

Gassho
stlah

[Jundo]

I recently watched a video by Muho (???? How does meditation work? ????), where he talked about Zazen instructions. He basically said it's impossible to give precise instructions on what to "do" during Zazen. When he first arrived at Antaiji, no one explained anything beyond the basic form: how to sit during Zazen, how to walk during Kinhin, and that was it. No further guidance. He had to figure it out for himself.

I believe this approach aligns with Dogen's teachings, particularly in the Fukanzazengi, where Dogen goes into great detail about posture but says very little about what we should do. I think this is intentional, we’re meant to discover it for ourselves. Dogen was not trying to be mysterious or complicated. Muho explained this idea well when he said something like "You can't have a map to go beyond the map" (or something like that, I don’t recall the exact wording).

So when we sit Zazen, we adopt the correct posture, breathe with the belly, and “think not-thinking”. How do you think not-thinking? You’ll have to find out for yourself. A small hint: it’s non-thinking (or beyond thinking if you prefer).

Gassho
stlah

Hi Simon,

First, what is that strange video where Muho appears to be dubbed with an AI voice as he sells a meditation App? Weird. I guess the original is in German?

Muho is right that there is a strange phenomenon in Japan where some folks explain how to sit Zazen, very clearly, and others just point the newcomer to a wall and let them figure it out for themself. Japanese often teach this way, e.g., they teach cooking, caligraphy and martial arts by the student's watching and doing rather than explaining. It is great for those, but for other things, like learning medicine or how to fly a plane, it does not work so well! Muho's teacher was apparently the latter type, and I have run into those. But sometimes it is done because the teacher is also unclear. I used to hang out at a Japanese monastery and like to ask questions, e.g., "what is this, what is that." I was just a curious newcomer. The number of priests, even experienced priests, who knew little about their own history and traditions was really surprising sometimes. I have run into a like phenomenon across Asian Buddhism. It sounds like a plus, e.g., "just do, don't ask why," but sometimes it is simply that people don't have a clue about their own teachings and history. (Well, I come from a country, the USA, where 90% of folks have little idea about our own history and institutions ... so it is much the same. )

On the other hand, Muho's Dharma Grandfather, Uchiyama Roshi, also happens to be the author of the best "How To Shikantaza Zazen" book in English, very detailed and clear: Opening the Hand of Thought. So I am surprised that Muho never mentions that book from his own lineage which spells it out more than any other book in Soto Zen!!

https://wisdomexperience.org/product/opening-hand-thought/

In any case, Dogen --does-- say much about "what to do" in Fukanzazengi besides the posture: To highlight but a few sections of Fukanzazengi ...

... put aside the intellectual practice of investigating words and chasing phrases, and learn to take the backward step that turns the light and shines it inward. Body and mind of themselves will drop away, and your original face will manifest. ... Put aside all involvements and suspend all affairs. Do not think "good" or "bad." Do not judge true or false. Give up the operations of mind, intellect, and consciousness; stop measuring with thoughts, ideas, and views. Have no designs on becoming a buddha. ... Think of not thinking, "Not thinking --what kind of thinking is that?" Nonthinking. This is the essential art of zazen. The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the dharma gate of joyful ease, the practice realization of totally culminated enlightenment. It is the koan realized ....

In my essay on sitting in the completeness of sitting, I highlight other sections where Dogen says that sitting itself is a complete and sacred act. For example, this famous passage which highlights the wonder of sitting with no other task to do ... Dogen is really over-the-top in his words ...

From Zanmai-o-Zanmai (SZTP Translation)

Abruptly transcending all realms, to be greatly honored within the quarters of the buddhas and ancestors—this is sitting with legs crossed. Trampling the heads of the followers of alien ways and the legions of Māra, to be the one here within the halls of the buddhas and ancestors—this is sitting with legs crossed. Transcending the extreme of the extremes of the buddhas and ancestors is just this one dharma. Therefore, the buddhas and ancestors engage in it, without any further task.
https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/tea...a-explanations

In any case, Muho spends a heck of a lot of time on youtube showing folks how to sit Zazen for someone who claims not to know.

Gassho, J
stlah

PS - A friend happened to post this Dogen quote today about how we have to explain AND do! Words alone are not enough without doing, but doing benefits from worded explanations ...

“Zen Master Kanchu of Daiji said,
"Explaining one yard is inferior to practicing one foot, and explaining one foot is inferior to practicing one inch. This sounds like an admonition directed to people present at that time who seemed to be negligent in practicing conduct and observance and to have forgotten real penetration of the Buddha's truth; but it does not mean that to explain a yard is wrong: it means that the merit of practicing a foot is much greater still than the merit of explaining a yard.”
—Dogen, Gyoji/Conduct & Observance (Nishijima/Cross translation)

[Shonin Risa Bear]

in my hut I have a little stone my daughter brought me a decade ago. It is stone-sensei.

gassho,
sat and lah

[Jundo]

in my hut I have a little stone my daughter brought me a decade ago. It is stone-sensei.

gassho,
sat and lah

Ah yes. He taught here too ... But he was Stone Roshi then, not just Sensei ...
.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah