Opening Meditation—Zazen

 

The Forms of Zen

 

Perhaps some of you studied Plato. If so, you may recall his theory of perfect or ideal forms. A thing is not a ‘thing’ until it has a form. A Platonic form would be ‘perfect,’ but it would not exist in physicality. All physical forms are derived from the perfect form but are themselves imperfect. The Platonic task of art and life is to move all extant forms closer to the ideal. The practice of Zen is similar but not exactly the same. In Zen, all forms in all states of existence are perfect. The task of Zen is to realize the perfection in all forms.

 

Sunyata

 

It may seem odd to begin a conversation about forms with the concept of Sunyata--the formless--however, this concept is central to the logic of Zen, so let's begin there. Nothingness has no form. Everything else has a form. No ‘thing’ exists apart from its form. Nothingness does not exist. With form comes existence. Existence is an expression of form. Nothingness is not a ‘thing.’ It is the absence of things. The idea of nothingness, however, is a ‘thing.’ It is an idea. All ideas have form. The Cosmic Nothingness, Sunyata, is formlessness, a nothingness beyond all human comprehension; therefore, it does not exist. Yet we have a word for it. Human comprehension is not the standard or measure of what does or doesn’t exist. Undoubtedly, many objects, conditions, energies, and ideas—many forms—are beyond human comprehension. Mind itself is beyond human comprehension, yet it has a form and is a ‘thing.’

 

Zen, as a practice, exists only in its various forms. The practice of Zen forms brings Zen out of nothingness and into existence. When the forms of Zen are not practiced, Zen does not exist. It exists only so long as the forms are practiced and only when they are practiced. The forms of Zen range from the very rigid and physical forms to the unimaginably subtle and invisible forms. Consciousness does not exist apart from the act of being conscious. The act creates the fact. Sitting upright and erect is a form of Zen practice, but consciousness coming face-to-face with itself in the nothingness of perfect silence is also a form of Zen. It is the form of Zen.

 

                       The Forms of Practice

 

Zen exists in only one place—the form of active practice. It exists at only one time—the moment of practice. In all other places and all other times, Zen does not exist, and you are not a person of Zen. No matter the form of practice, our purpose is always the same—to bring consciousness face-to-face with itself. In other words, to cause consciousness to realize itself within the awareness of body and mind. When one sits down for Zazen or even contemplates sitting down for Zazen, one's consciousness should begin contemplating itself in perfect silence. This is even though your emotions are raging and your mind is filled with unruly thoughts. The noise of body and mind should not interfere with consciousness contemplating itself. This will, of course, require lots of Zen practice. In the famous experiment, Pavlov taught his dogs to salivate at the ring of a bell. But the bell had to be rung.  All the many practice forms of Zen are the ringing of that bell.

 

                           Entering the Zendo

 

In the past, you may have heard me say, “Zazen begins the moment you enter the zendo.” Today, I’m revising that statement. Zazen begins the moment you think of entering the zendo, perhaps long before you have arrived at the physical location. This room is not the zendo. It is only the physical wood and plaster form of a zendo. Your real zendo is in the Xin Xin Ming of your existence. When you think of entering this room on Wednesday mornings, you should know you are already sitting in the real zendo. Your real zendo is a temple of upright and erect, a place of profound silence. This is the practice of Zen. This is the condition in which Zen exists. When you are not upright and erect, attentive and alert, you are not a person of Zen.

 

                 Dropping Off Body and Mind

 

Every room is a zendo when we are upright, erect, attentive, and alert. The Earth itself becomes a Zen temple. Here, we have a ritual—a Zen form. We pause at the threshold, fold our hands, and bow before entering the room. We can do this only if we know we are already sitting in silence inside the real zendo. At the time of our bow, we “drop off body and mind.” That means we leave our noisy thoughts and disturbed emotions outside the zendo. Here, in this informal setting, we chat with each other about anything and everything; we are supposed to maintain a relaxed and friendly environment. Otherwise, some people will take offense. Being relaxed and friendly does not have to mean being careless and unaware. Consider practicing inner silence and awareness even while chatting casually. What would that look and feel like?

 

                                   Bowing

 

If we bow before entering the zendo, what is the proper form for this bow? The proper form for any bow on any occasion is the form of ‘sincerity.’ A bow should always be sincere and from the heart. If it is, then it is a proper bow. If it is not, then it is an improper bow. There are traditional forms of Japanese bowing you can learn, but don’t make an affectation out of the traditional form by forgetting the true form—sincerity. An insincere bow is not Zen. An insincere bow is a lie and a deception.

 

                                    Zazen

 

The proper form for sitting Zazen is upright and erect. That is the conscious and proper form for all Zen practices—upright and erect, alert and fully attentive. In sitting Zazen, we sit upright and erect but without straining. Our spine is straight, our shoulders open and slightly back. This allows the chest to expand easily. If sitting in a chair, our knees should be lower than our hips, and our feet should be flat on the floor in line with the hips. It is easy to forget this form. We do it all the time. I do it all the time. If we want to improve our sitting practice, we can be more conscious of this one thing—posture. It will make a difference.

 

If you are sitting on the floor, a few positions are available for Zazen, depending upon your ability to sit cross-legged on a flat surface. Again, your hips should be higher than the knees. One option is kekkafuza, or full lotus position, where both feet rest on top of the thighs. Another is hannafuza, or half lotus, where only one foot rests on top of a thigh. In this class, anyone can sit as they like, due to the informal nature of Pilgrimage classes. We appreciate you not lying down, but any other sitting posture acceptable to you is acceptable to us. It, too, becomes a ‘Zen form.’ Please keep in mind that ‘acceptable’ and ‘optimal’ are rarely the same thing. Whether sitting, walking, or standing, practice the inward posture of upright and erect but remain relaxed and poised. Poise makes upright and erect a proper Zen form. Upright and erect make poise a proper Zen form.

 

                        Kinhin as a Zen Form

 

We have not and will not put a great emphasis on Kinhin because that form is not often used outside of a group retreat. It has an odd appearance in public if you are practicing alone, so it’s not popular, but an odd appearance is not a good reason for not practicing kinhin. Kinhin is meditative walking. It is the closest thing to formal Zazen. When we walk kinhin, we maintain upright and erect posture, alert and attentive awareness, strictly and formally. We will have one class and a practice session for kinhin, so you can see if it appeals to you.  

 

                               Internal Forms

 

The above are some of the many external forms of Zen practiced at home and at Zen temples and retreats. Let’s now look at some of Zen practice's ‘internal’ forms. Zen's internal or psychological forms can also be summed up in the phrase ‘upright and erect’—an attitude of ‘alert and attentive.’

Mindfulness

 

Mindfulness is an internalized form of Zen practice. In the practice of Zen, mindfulness should never cease. Mindfulness is a form without beginning or end. Mindfulness is consciousness coming face-to-face with itself in the one time that is all times. What are we mindful of? First and foremost, we are mindful of our experience in Zazen—that of consciousness coming face-to-face with itself in perfect silence. If you need a thought object for your mindfulness, there are the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the Six Paramitas, and the Five Hindrances, to name a few. If you want a physical object for your mindfulness, there is the sensation of your breath and your heartbeat. If you want a heart object for your mindfulness, there is metta, lovingkindness.

 

                  Recitation and Mental Practices

 

The recitation of suttas and teaching instructions such as The Metta Sutta, The Mind of Absolute Trust, and Xin Xin Ming are but a few that are available to you. A text of these particular documents has been emailed to you along with the class notes in past classes. If you haven’t received or deleted them but still want them, I’ll send them to you upon request, or you can wait for them to reappear in future class notes. When you recite passages from the Buddha or other Zen masters, you deny negative thoughts and feelings a space within you. That space is occupied by Great Light at that time. Your mind may continue to recite silently long after you think you have stopped. This is Great Light resonating in the mind and continuing the work of transforming mind.  

 

           The Eightfold Path and The Six Paramitas

 

Suppose you consciously attempt to reshape your life around The Eightfold Path and perfect your life with The Six Paramita. In that case, you are practicing Zen most effectively off the meditation cushion. In both cases, each of these will take you to unseen and previously unfelt depths of clarity and goodness because this practice clears way defilements and obstructions in your human consciousness. You will experience a gradual and long-lasting retention of light and delight from deep within yourself. 

 

                 Your Enlightenment is Dawning

 

Enlightenment is the personality and nature of your True Self. This deep and unfelt self is nothing but enlightenment. The True Self pushes upward and outward, trying to make itself known to your body and mind at every moment. When you practice Zen, you consciously give your enlightenment a helping hand. Be aware that you do not create enlightenment with your practice. Rather, your enlightenment creates your practice as True Self begins to manifest inside your body and mind. Your practice pushes aside that which veils and obstructs the dawn of your enlightenment and the awakening of your body and mind. This is difficult to believe and even more difficult to live out in your day-to-day life. It requires faith. Faith grows as your practice grows. Faith is an action, another and most essential form of Zen.

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                                  Patience

 

Patience, or kshanti, is one of the Six Paramitas. I mention it here because it is the one thing most people don’t have much of these days. Lethargy and a careless attitude toward practice is NOT an expression of patience. ‘Upright and erect,’ faith in your True Self, when all seems lost, IS the expression of kshanti. Only by developing an attitude of tireless patience can you bring your practice of Zen to fruition. There is no shortcut, no magic bullet. Only the pure and noble spirit will possess the patience required for enlightenment. Only the patient will become pure and noble in spirit. Do not be in a hurry! Take each day and each moment for the cosmic adventure it is, and don’t fall into the trap of impatience—wanting badly what you don’t yet have. Be grateful for what you have and willing to earn what you will eventually and inevitably get.

 

                        End Meditation—Zazen