Sounds for Sitting

[BillH]

What music have you sat with? I came upon a track from my youth, sat with it, and it was a great way to appreciate it all the more. I'd love to put together a list of our favorites. I'll start with mine:

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble's "Riviera Paradise". Here's a brief write up from Rolling Stone:

-Producer Jim Gaines nearly ran out of tape while recording Vaughan's perfect first take of In Step's nine-minute closing instrumental "Riviera Paradise." Vaughan's jazziest track is a slow, shimmering slice of heaven, with gorgeous solos from both the guitarist and Double Trouble keyboardist Reese Wynans.

What do you have?

Gassho - Bill - Sat with Vaughan Today

[Hoko]

I generally don't sit with anything (which is to say everything) but rarely, if my three sons are playing really loudly downstairs and I just can't handle the cacophony of shrieks and video game explosions I will push the ear buds into my head and put on "Weightless" by Marconi Union which is an ambient score clinically researched and proven to promote relaxation.

Jundo and others may have more to say on the matter. I know he did a zazen instructional video from a construction yard! We don't sit to achieve a certain mental state, "level" or goal so while clearing the area in which we sit so that there is freedom from distraction is always a good idea, we also sit with what IS; be it tingly legs, chirping birds outside or the neighbor's lawn mower...

I look forward to others' responses below!

Gassho,
Hōkō
#SatToday
LAH

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[Chishou]

I don’t use any sound track during zazen. The main point of this style of Buddhism that Jundo expresses is Shikantaza, literally “just sitting”. To sit with space/time/being just as it is, not wishing to add or change anything. We aim to sit somewhere comfortable to minimise unnecessary distraction, but if it is noise, then sit with the noise. Let the sound come into your mind and go naturally without serving tea.

Last night I sat at work, a busy and chaotic envirnoment. It was difficult, so a good experience.

Have you watched any of Jundo’s many good videos?

Simon
(About to sit as I’ve just awoken from a nightshift).


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[Seishin]

Simon and Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence (No Sound Edition)


STMIZ lah

[BillH]

I think any sitting is good sitting. Sit with nothing, everything, in peace, and quiet. Birds chirping, jackhammers jacking, and guitarists strumming. It's all good and I'd like to hear from those who've sat with tunes. Not a philosophical discussing, just the names of tunes.

I don’t use any sound track during zazen. The main point of this style of Buddhism that Jundo expresses is Shikantaza, literally “just sitting”. To sit with space/time/being just as it is, not wishing to add or change anything. We aim to sit somewhere comfortable to minimise unnecessary distraction, but if it is noise, then sit with the noise. Let the sound come into your mind and go naturally without serving tea.

Last night I sat at work, a busy and chaotic envirnoment. It was difficult, so a good experience.

Have you watched any of Jundo’s many good videos?

Simon
(About to sit as I’ve just awoken from a nightshift).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jakuden]

I don’t use any sound track during zazen. The main point of this style of Buddhism that Jundo expresses is Shikantaza, literally “just sitting”. To sit with space/time/being just as it is, not wishing to add or change anything. We aim to sit somewhere comfortable to minimise unnecessary distraction, but if it is noise, then sit with the noise. Let the sound come into your mind and go naturally without serving tea.

Last night I sat at work, a busy and chaotic envirnoment. It was difficult, so a good experience.

Have you watched any of Jundo’s many good videos?

Simon
(About to sit as I’ve just awoken from a nightshift).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[emoji106][emoji120]

Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH


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[Mp]

I don’t use any sound track during zazen. The main point of this style of Buddhism that Jundo expresses is Shikantaza, literally “just sitting”. To sit with space/time/being just as it is, not wishing to add or change anything. We aim to sit somewhere comfortable to minimise unnecessary distraction, but if it is noise, then sit with the noise. Let the sound come into your mind and go naturally without serving tea.

Last night I sat at work, a busy and chaotic envirnoment. It was difficult, so a good experience.

Have you watched any of Jundo’s many good videos?

Simon
(About to sit as I’ve just awoken from a nightshift).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, we sit with whatever arises ... Not adding or taking away. Shikantaza is just sitting, nothing more. Yet life is life and it has it's own flow of sounds and such, again we don't push away or shut it out ... we just sit with it all.

Just as a reminder, when sitting Shikantaza we don't add extra sounds and such ... that is more an action to create a meditative or relaxed state, which is not Shikantaza. This doesn't mean you can't do that ... grooving non-grooving is a good thing too. =)

Also Bill, do you have an Avatar that you could post to create that personal connection? Thanks. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[BillH]

I was having a cup of coffee this morning when the SRV tune came on. I closed my eyes and went with it. I'm not sure I communicated that effectively and my question seems to imply that I want to add something to my sitting. Maybe so. Maybe not. Maybe a philosophical debate is good around this topic. What constitutes adding or taking away? I'm going to watch some videos. Avatar to come.

Yes, we sit with whatever arises ... Not adding or taking away. Shikantaza is just sitting, nothing more. Yet life is life and it has it's own flow of sounds and such, again we don't push away or shut it out ... we just sit with it all.

Just as a reminder, when sitting Shikantaza we don't add extra sounds and such ... that is more an action to create a meditative or relaxed state, which is not Shikantaza. This doesn't mean you can't do that ... grooving non-grooving is a good thing too. =)

Also Bill, do you have an Avatar that you could post to create that personal connection? Thanks. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[Mp]

What constitutes adding or taking away?

Hey Bill,

As I said life is life and sounds and situations get added whether we won't them or not - so in this case we try not to take/push away, we accept those conditions as they come. As for adding, these conditions we can control. When sitting be present and not allow your mind to wonder or become fixated onto something else. If one is doing Shikantaza we don't add music while we sit, we don't add extra bells and whistles, again we just sit - we add nothing, as nothing needs to be added. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[BillH]

Thank you, Shingen. I see the folly in my initial question and appreciate this lesson from everyone.

Gassho
Bill
Sat & LAH

[Mp]

Thank you, Shingen. I see the folly in my initial question and appreciate this lesson from everyone.

Gassho
Bill
Sat & LAH

No folly in questions, always nice to have good conversations. =)

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH

[Chishou]

Simon and Garfunkel - The Sound of Silence (No Sound Edition)


STMIZ lah

Have you tried John Cage’s 4-33?

Simon
Just Sat with all of space/time/being.


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[Shinshi]

I don't play music when I am sitting. But I will sometimes play Tony Scott's - Music For Zen Meditation And Other Joys as background music when I am working.

[Rakurei]

I'm a musician - a drummer, and I worked in the music industry (Sony Music, BMI, ASCAP, TuneCore, blah blah blah) for around a decade or so. I actually did work with Stevie Ray's estate!

There's a dynamic aspect that can arise in active meditations surrounding music and be very beneficial - chanting, japa, dance and more. I've practiced a few of those! And we see them in Buddhism! It's good.. but here's my personal down-to-earth take.

1) Sure, as everyone said - it's not our flavor of meditation. We sit with what's there, going beyond both a negative or positive mindset of our surroundings. Sure, if Stevie Ray somehow manifests, sure lol. But music suddently appearing, I'd imagine, is a rare occurance when sitting Zazen.

2) But here's my personal takeaway. Music can be a crutch. Sure, we light incense and chant our kesa verse before we sit Zazen to get us "in the zone", but one benefit of Zazen is that it helps us take that stillness into everyday life. When your boss is pissing you off, you can't just pop-in the earbuds, or when you're faced with a challenge, you can't just chant and expect it to be taken care of. Zazen, without music, without crutches, helps avoid using meditation as a detrimental escape tool.


ST,

Tyler

[Shinshou]

Have you tried John Cage’s 4-33?

Simon
Just Sat with all of space/time/being.


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Nah, too dissonant for me.

Dan
Sat today