ZEN MEDITATION
Zen Meditation focuses on opening the eyes to see the “true nature” of a person for enabling him or her to live a truly awakened life. Zen Meditation gets us in touch with the pure “being” of a person. It opens a person to the realization of “emptiness.”
In Zen Meditation, some people consider 10 minutes to be an enough length of time while others prefer 20, 30, or even 40 minutes or more. It depends on an individual to find a time that works for him best. As the confidence and experience grows, a person may lengthen the time for sitting.For some people, early morning hours work best and for some, evenings are good.
It can be noticed often that while sitting, the feet sleeps, or aches or cramps are experienced in the back and legs. So, the body should not be forced to endure serious pain. A person should know his/her limits and the body should not be forced past them. The endurance builds with the continuous meditation.
It is advisable to wear loose clothing while meditating. It is not advisable to meditate after a big meal. Meditating with a full stomach can really create discomfort.
Items like a bell, an incense, or a “ringing” bowl to signal the beginning and the end of a meditation period are used with Zen Meditation. Incense is most commonly used by many practitioners to time the meditation periods. Incense sticks are widely used - short sticks last for twenty-twenty five minutes and long sticks last for forty-fifty minutes.
The Technique -
The place for meditation should not be too hot or too cold and not too bright nor too dark. A cushion is placed on the floor, (it is better if it rests on a thin pad like a carpet or blanket). Cushions specifically made for meditation are easily available for this purpose.
The sitting postures in Zen Meditation are:
1. The Full-lotus posture.
2. The Half-lotus posture.
3. The Quarter-lotus posture.
4. The Burmese posture.
5. The Seiza posture.
6. While sitting in a chair.
With all the above-mentioned postures, it is advised to keep the spine straight, the buttocks are thrust out and the chin is tucked in. The hands are held close to the body, where the left hand rests on top of the right, with palms open and up. The joints of the both the two middle fingers rests on top of the other. Tips of the thumbs touches lightly.
The nose and ears is in line with the naval and shoulders respectively. The belly is relaxed and allowed to “hang out” slightly. The eyes should be half-closed, and the gaze should be at about a 45-degree angle to the body. If agitation begins with the meditation, it might be started with the eyes closed completely for helping the mind get calm. If a person becomes sleepy during meditation, he might open the eyes wide to help himself wake up. The head should be pointed at the ceiling. The knees should rest. Between the sitting surface and the knees, there should be no space.
While sitting in a chair, the body should be positioned on the front edge of the chair with the back erect. The feet should rest while the legs should be held apart slightly.
After achieving thecorrect sitting posture, rock back and forth a few times in orde to establish the balance point and a relaxed stability feel.
A few deep breaths should be taken, it allows the lungs to expand fully, and then exhale.
As the breath settles back to normal, breathe should be taken, with the tongue touching lightly the palate behind the teeth.
If a person has never meditated before, it is advisable that he follows the breaths or count the breaths. Let all thoughts pass. If any kind of thoughts arise, they should bet treated like “clouds passing by.” Rather they should be acknowledged and then passed. The whole attention should be focused on the breath or on the counting. Breathing can be counted from one to ten after exhaling.
Pett April 11th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Hi,
I have already seen it somethere…
Have a nice day
Pett
Kelly Brown June 13th, 2009 at 2:44 am
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