I'm not very good at zazen

[Jundo]

Besides, it's not like they give out awards for best sitter. Or do they? Well I'll settle for the participation trophy.

Gassho, Entai
#SatToday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_6M0iJdDfc

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

[Ryudo]

Hi all,
I read many recognisable quotes here. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
And if I may put in my "five cents":
Not trying to be good at it makes it a lot better.
(I know, its a paradox as many things in Zen)
Never the less: Thank you all for your practice.

Gassho
Marcus
SatToday/LAH

[Jakuden]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_6M0iJdDfc

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

Lol!! This is hilarious.

And, a little over a year since I last posted on this thread, I still am lousy at Zazen but I worry a lot less about it now [emoji16]

Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH


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[Shinshou]

I posted this in our readings on the Book of Serenity, but it seems to work here too. All this fits together ...



Perhaps we can say that so often we get lost in thoughts and in judgments about our Zazen (not to mention about life in general). Human beings and our brain think thoughts, for otherwise we would be lifeless, insentient, in a coma or dead. Yet through this Practice we realize such which is Clear beyond and right at the heart of all thought, Good beyond all small human judgments of good and bad. All at once. (This Good Clarity sometimes manifests when the mind is free of all thoughts and judgments, sometimes manifests like a light shining through and illuminating even as all thoughts and judgments ... is present always, even when hidden in our mental fog and storms of thoughts and judgments like the moon which always shines even when shining through or totally covered by clouds). Nonetheless, when sitting we constantly return again and again to opening the hand of thought, not getting tangled in trains of thought, and dropping judgments ... 10,000 times and 10,000 times again ... so that the Illumination at the Heart of thought or no thought, judgment and no judgment is easily seen.

Something like that.

Practice-Enlightenment.

Gassho, J

SatToday

Thanks you for this, Jundo. I think you've touched on a main difference between meditating and sitting. In shikantaza (IMHO), things are, in one sense, accepted as they are without judgment. When we sit, our shoulder discomfort is just discomfort. Our looking is just looking. Our breathing is just breathing. Additionally, our thinking is just thinking - it is no more "me" than the aching shoulder or steady breathing. The job of the bird is to sing, the job of the mind is to think. No problem.

Dan
ST/LAH

[Shoki]

Of all the things I'm bad at. Zazen is the least of my worries.

Gassho
Sat Badly Today
LAH
James

[Entai]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_6M0iJdDfc

Gassho, J

SatTodayLAH

Well.... That was unexpected! Thanks for this. It made my day.
Gassho, Entai
st

[Amelia]

When I think zazen is "not so good" (and we must not forget that there really is no such thing), I tell myself that this is my chance to not do, not be and not think. I look at is as a "break" and not something on my to do list.

Gassho, sat today, lah

[Shokai]

There is no "good" zazen nor is there any "bad" zazen. There is just "YOUR" zen. As with life it's always changing. Flow with it; Enjoy and discover !

Gassho, Shokai

sat/LAH

[Jakuden]

Funny I just listened to another Domyo Burke podcast today about deepening Zazen without getting "stuck" in either complacent satisfaction or chronic dissatisfaction with it. It reminded me of Jundo's "not too tight or too loose" talk. I definitely can fluctuate to both extremes. I wonder if that is where retreats and/or Sesshin help? They put you in a place where complacency is almost impossible and you have no choice but to stay in the present, one moment at a time, just to keep going!
Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH


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[Doshin]

I am an imperfect person so imperfect at Zazen. I have meditated off and on for 50 years (though gravitating towards Zen only the last 18 years) though there were many weeks, months and even years between sits during my youth and career years. I always thought I would get good at it if I lived long enough and kept practicing. I have gone to several week long retreats, a couple dozen weekend Zazenkais thinking practice (and there extensive practice) makes you better. I assumed I was good at it because I made it through without leaving! Of course I could have just been stubborn When I began I thought I would know I was good when I reached some elevated plane, a higher state of consciounes, nirvana, walking around with a constant smile on my face with nothing but good thoughts and deeds in my wake, etc. However.....so I stopped looking for those indicators, I now sit with few expectations except that stretching at the end feels good. So I don't know if I am good or bad or neither (and actually do not think about it much anymore) but I stay with it, even if short, medium or long breaks come. I just work for consistency.

This is just me. And I am always ready to learn.

Gassho
Doshin
st/lah

[aprapti]

i am a lousy sitter too. For years i had two questions: a) why can everybody sit so well b) why cannot i sit that well.
But as often happens in zen : i do not know the answer on those questions, but i do not have those questions any more..



Coos

std

[Kyonin]

I am the worst at zazen.

That's why I sit twice a day. Maybe some day I'll get it right... or not.

The video was amazingly funny!

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

[JimH]

I think there's a very good reason that what we do is called......"practice".

Some days, I'm *great* at zazen (or so I tell myself. ).....other days, I count myself lucky if I remember which cushion is the zafu. But seriously, I don't think the issue is with the sitting itself -- it's with having that moment of mindfulness, and being "where you are". Sitting is a device, a means of focusing (or sometimes just trying to focus) and being in the moment. If you are working too hard at it, or worrying too much about it, are you really accomplishing what you want?

The perfect sitting is, in my opinion, *any* sitting you do. I'd be willing to bet you at least a dollar that even some of the great "zen masters" had doubts about their sitting.

Don't worry, don't overthink, don't stress.....just sit.

Just my opinion....your mileage may vary!

Gassho --

--JimH (SatToday!)

[Mp]

Here is a lovely talk by Shohaku Okumura on Zazen is good for nothing ... =)

Gassho
Shingen

SatToday/LAH

[davidh]

Thank you, I had a sucky zazen today and reading this thread made me feel a whole lot better

Something to learn here perhaps about 'radical acceptance' as Marsha Linehan calls it. Maybe if I can learn to accept how much I suck at zazen, then I can learn to accept other aspects of life as well

Gassho

sat today

David