Good morning. I want to speak this morning about Zazen. In some ways, that's all I ever talk about. But I want to specifically talk about Zazen practice, a review for all of you, but maybe helpful for newer people. And I hope we'll have time for discussion afterwards. So just to start with posture. This is important because our practice is to sit like Buddha, to sit upright, steady, and calm. the way Buddha sits in the middle of the zendo, whether we're sitting cross-legged or kneeling or in a chair, to be upright and present. So a few particular things about posture.

[01:04]

First, the mudra, the hand position like this, should be held. One important thing that I think sometimes people miss is that it should be held against the abdomen. there's some tendency to let it slide out here. But actually, it's important that the little fingers are against the abdomen. And it can vary as to how high or low it works for you. You might be resting your mudra, your hand position, on your lap or not. But it's held in against the body. This is important because if you hold it out even a little bit, there's a tendency to slump. So really, it's to hold it in. If your shoulders get tight or are uncomfortable, it's OK to put your hands on your knees like this for a while. But really, to hold that in against the abdomen is important. The second thing I wanted to mention is the head.

[02:05]

The back of the neck should be straight, chin tucked in. And people here are pretty good about this, but sometimes, people kind of lift their chin and our gaze looking at a 45 degree angle down may shift, but the head should be back and straight. Sometimes some people have a tendency to, I'm exaggerating, to hold the head forward. Some people lift the chin up, but back of the neck straight, chin tucked in, Eyes down. Now, if you're feeling sleepy, it may help to raise your gaze from here up to here or wherever. Or if your mind is busy and there's lots of thinking, you might want to look down further, but the head should remain the same. Then the third thing I want to mention, and this applies just to some people, but to have some energy in your lower back.

[03:09]

to tilt forward a little bit in your pelvis, not to be strained. This opens this up. So this is a physical yogic practice, a classic yogic posture. And again, we're sitting like Buddha. And so we emphasize posture. And so this is a physical practice. So if you have questions about that, we can talk about that more. but also then what happens with our mind during zazen. Part of the point of zazen is to settle, to be steady, to calm. And sometimes there may be many thoughts going on, but even there, even when there's lots of thoughts, just to find your settling and your calmness. There's two aspects of that. One is focus.

[04:12]

So there are lots of meditation practices in Buddhism and elsewhere that emphasize this very much, just to focus on one point. This is part of our practice. The other side, and I want to say more about that, and the other side, which is space, spaciousness, openness. So both of these are part of our zazen. Without your trying to get to either one, just to recognize that as we sit upright, enjoying our breath, that there is this kind of, that there can be this focus and that there can be this kind of openness and spaciousness too. So just to, as a reminder of the point of our zazen, one way to say it is how Dogen, our founder in Japan in the 1200s, says it in Ben Doa, one of his earliest writings, maybe his first writing about the meaning of zazen.

[05:28]

He says that when one person sits upright displaying Buddha mudra, So this is the mudra, but also our whole posture is a mudra, is a physical position. So when one person sits upright displaying Buddha mudra in body and mind, even for a little while, Dogen says this remarkable thing, which I've talked about a lot, all of space awakens. So our practice is not about some self-help or self-benefit, although that's part of it. But really, Zazen is about our deep interconnectedness and relationship with everything. So we enact Buddha with our whole body mind. And that has some effect, Dogen proclaims, on

[06:34]

reality itself. This is not something we can figure out with our usual thinking mind, but this sense of our connectedness is part of what becomes apparent if we do this practice regularly, and I do recommend sitting at home in your spare time, every day if you can, a little bit, or several times a week. You don't have to sit 30 or 40 minutes, but even 15 or 20 minutes, just to have some time in the day, some rhythm of stopping, sitting down. Whatever happens is okay, but pay attention. Face the wall, face yourself, and allow this to Be part of your zazen body mind. When we do this regularly for a little while, we start to recognize this sense of deep interconnectedness, our relationality with everything.

[07:48]

So going back to the aspects of zazen that have to do with focus and spaciousness, this zazen, we could say, is objectless meditation. We're just sitting. There's not any particular object or objective. We're just being aware of this body-mind on our seat this morning as it is. But practically speaking, it helps to sometimes have some objects to focus on, and there are libraries full of Samadhi objects and meditations with Samadhi objects. So I could go into great detail about that, but I'll just say a few things that One of the most common Buddhist meditation objects is breath.

[08:57]

So just as we're sitting, I say enjoy. Enjoy your inhale. Enjoy your exhale. And if your mind is getting distracted and you want to settle and focus, focus on inhale and exhale. And especially the space at the end of the exhale. So some of you may do counting breaths, and that's OK if it helps. At the end of the exhale, silently one. Then at the end of the next exhale, silently two. Up to 10, and then start over. Don't try and see how high you can count. Or if you lose count, you can start over at one, or forget about the numbers, but just to be to feel how breath is part of your whole body mind. Inhale and exhale. Another good concentration object is sound.

[10:00]

So just to be present with sound, ambient sound. Sometimes there's the sound of traffic outside. Sometimes there's a sound of someone coming or going from the meditation hall or the heater kicking on or turning off. But actually, when it seems like there's no sound at all is when it's really most useful to be aware of sound. So focusing on the sound of the air or the sound of your body or the sound of sound is a way of finding some focus. The third concentration object I'll just mention is mantra, which is not usually talked about as part of Soto Zen, Zazen, but I think it can be helpful.

[11:08]

And so you can take a classic mantra from the Buddhist teachings, like at the end of the Heart Sutra when we say, gite, gite, paragite, parasamgite, bodhisvaha. You can say that to yourself silently as a way of focusing. And there are many others. There's a whole chapter in the Lotus Sutra full of mantras. Or you can take a line from some poem or popular song, or a line from one of our chants like, let go of hundreds of years and relax completely, as it says in the Song of the Grasshopper. Or just let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. Again, silently to yourself. Or the one I've often talked about is, how does it feel? Or you can take a line from a koan like, ordinary mind is the way.

[12:12]

Or many of those teaching stories. And it's not to think about, although thoughts may arise, but to just help you focus. So that's the side of zazen that is concentrated, focused, and in the course of sitting, and if you sit longer, like for a day, this becomes more apparent, there is this time when you want to focus. The other side, though, is openness. the sense of space. So you can actually feel the space of this room, feel the dimensions of the room, whatever room you're sitting in, or the building, or the city block, or the space between your body and Lake Michigan. This sense of spaciousness is again not something you have to try and create.

[13:22]

It's part of this awareness that allows all space to awaken when you sit fully. And this spaciousness also comes with a sense of openness. So this goes back to interconnectedness, that we are deeply connected and related to many beings, obviously to parents, ancestors of various ways, family, friends, loved ones, teachers, many beings. All are part of what's happening on your seat. as you inhale and exhale. And there's a kind of intimacy that this is about, a kind of, first of all, an intimacy with yourself.

[14:30]

So Dogen says to study the way is to study the self. So part of what happens when you sit regularly is that we see our own patterns of reacting, of grasping, of anger, of confusion, of fear. And what's really helpful in the practice is to just, without trying to figure any of that out or fix it or anything, just to become intimate with that. Of course, also with your relationship with the people you've interacted with this week or whatever, but also within your own body-mind. not to try and fix anything or change anything. Although sometimes if there's some problem, if you can do something to help, that's great. But when this sense of space and spaciousness has to do with an openness that allows you to be flexible.

[15:36]

And when you feel physically your own patterns of grasping or rejection, to also feel some options, some other ways of, instead of reacting, to respond helpfully. But that requires one to become friendly with oneself, to become intimate with oneself, to see our patterns of reaction, our attractions, our aversions, and be familiar, be friendly with the body-mind on your seat. That intimacy with yourself is a basis for intimacy with others, of course.

[16:49]

If you can accept your own greed and anger and confusion and so forth, it's a little easier to be patient with others. with loved ones and also with people who give you a hard time. So to see that dynamic in your shelf is the starting point for intimacy. to see that we really are connected with others, that others allow us to feel our fear or anger or resentment or whatever. And that's ours. How do we really breathe in and out from that? So I really want to have time for discussion. Just maybe the last thing I'll say is that this is an ongoing practice.

[17:56]

Dogen talks about going beyond Buddha often. So all of you have some familiarity with everything I've been saying. Some of you have been doing this for a long while, some of you for more recently, but just doing this practice, you realize this dynamic of what Zazen encompasses. And you may have some dramatic experience of that, of total openness. You may have some intellectual understanding of Buddha or Buddha's teachings. You may have some deep feeling of trust in Zazen.

[18:58]

and everything that's implied. But Buddha is always going beyond Buddha. So whatever realization you have, don't hold on to that. I mean, it's okay, but there's always new situations. There's always new circumstances. We are constantly changing. The world around us is constantly changing. The problems that confront us may be many. How do we meet and respond to the world? So Buddha is always going beyond Buddha. Buddha doesn't settle for some Buddhahood. The historical Buddha continued to practice every day and awaken every day for the rest of his life. So this is what Suzuki Roshi talks about, about beginner's mind. this not knowing, this openness to seeing something freshly.

[20:08]

It may be something that you've seen before, but how do we see it in the situation of today? So that's a kind of review of what I would say is important about zazen and about this practice. And again, it's a physical practice. We sit. reenacting Buddha in this body-mind. Nobody can tell you how to be Buddha. This is something we uncover ourselves. So maybe that's enough for me to say, but I'm really interested in hearing, especially from newer people, but from anyone. Comments, questions, reflections, please feel free. Yes, Phyllis. Good.

[21:18]

Are you talking about sitting for like a day or sitting for 30 or 40 minutes? OK, good. So it takes a while to find your seat. And like everything else, that may change, too. We have a variety of cushions in the cabinet that Brian so kindly made for us. Some of the cushions are harder. Some of them are softer. People have different preferences. We also have support cushions, so you can be higher or lower. and you can sit further back or further forward. So try changing how you're sitting if you feel some pain. And unlike some of the zendos I sat in in Japan and some in America where you might get yelled at if you move during zazen, it's okay to quietly change your position in the middle of a period if you really need to.

[22:21]

For longer sittings, there are certain pains that you should not keep sitting with. So if there's a burning pain or a line of pain in your legs, for example, that means you're sitting in some way that could be harmful. So change how high or low you sit. Try different things. Sit in a chair if you need to. That's fine. So there are various cross-legged positions, various kneeling positions. So you have to be creative about your Zazen posture. So I started by talking about posture, and you're asking about that again. So try different things. Is there some type of pain that we should simulate? Sure. If it's just some tightness or discomfort, part of what Zazen is about is going beyond our comfort zone.

[23:25]

So it's okay to be uncomfortable. It's okay if you have some ache. And if you sit all day, you're likely to have some ache in your knees or your shoulders or your back or whatever. the recommendation is just to stay still and keep sitting. But the kinds of pain I mentioned, or if there's a pain that when you get up after half an hour, it's still there, then you should change how you were sitting. So there are all kinds of practices of movement, yoga, martial arts, which can be good supplements to help to be able to sit still. There are other, in some ways, other aspects of zazen. But really just sitting upright and still like Buddha. And for those of you who have not done an all-day sitting, Eishin will be doing one at the end of this month, the last Sunday of the month, and try it.

[24:29]

And if you need to come for just half the day, that's OK. Come through lunch. But maybe wait till you've been sitting for a while. But one period of sitting, Trungpa Rinpoche used to say that was like garbage disposal meditation, because we're processing all this stuff from the last day or week or whatever. When you sit a second period and a third period and a fourth period during the day, other things happen. So I would encourage you to try that. And we have some longer sitting every month, so you're welcome to try that here. But if you don't feel like you're ready, that's OK. Or you could ask about coming for the morning. You're welcome. Other questions about anything about Zazen or what I said or any other questions? Hi, Miriam. Could you hear me back there? You're welcome.

[25:41]

Yeah, one of the things we say thank you is to imagine a string at the top back of your head up to the sky and you're just hanging there, your spine is hanging there. So we say to sit upright, that doesn't mean rigidly straight because we all have curves in our backs. So what is upright is different for each of our bodies and minds. So it takes a while to find. And again, the thing about a little energy in your lower back, that helps open things up, open up the chest. So other questions, basic questions. Jason. So one thing that I'm finding interesting, and I don't know if there's an answer to this, but if I read a text by a red-thighed person or somebody really interested in Yeah, so this is a samadhi practice too.

[27:09]

We don't talk about it in those terms so much, but what we're actually doing here is samadhi, which is originally a technical term for concentration. So the focusing side of zazen is kind of samadhi. What you all were doing during the period of zazen was kind of samadhi, focusing, concentration, even if your mind was wandering around. especially when your mind is wandering around, it's good to have that settledness too. In terms of the hara, well, I talked about the mudra and holding that against the body, and that's actually the hara, just below the navel. So we don't talk about that so much in Soto-sen, but sometimes there are good American Rinzai teachers who who tell you to concentrate very strongly on the hara. That's something you can concentrate on too. I talked about breath, talked about sounds, I talked about phrases, but concentrating on the breath also means concentrating on the body.

[28:32]

Sometimes they say to breathe, inhale into the hara, the abdomen, and exhale out. There are various kinds of breathing practices that I sometimes suggest to people. So it's really not different. Even though we don't talk about the hara, we actually are practicing with the hara when we hold our mudra. Other questions or comments? Yes, hi. Thank you. Good question. No. So all of the focusing things that I mentioned are something you can start off with.

[29:39]

If you feel like sitting that way with that as a focus for a whole period or for a whole week or for a whole month or a whole lifetime, that's fine. But in this practice, this isn't about methods because there's not some specific, objective, some specific realization, some specific state of mind that we're trying to reach. So these are not techniques. These are just ways of being open, sitting, just sitting, allowing Buddha to be present on your seat. So provisionally, we might call them methods, but they're really not methods to reach some other. A method is usually some mechanism to get to some other place.

[30:45]

And Dogen says in one of his writings, here is the place, here the way unfolds. So just to be present and pay attention. I mentioned this in the talk, but one of the other things that's really important is patience. So Zazen is a practice of awakening the patience, paying attention. whatever we think we should be doing. Of course, we have those thoughts. Whoever we think we should be, whatever we want to get out of our sitting or whatever, that's fine. That's just some mental activity. That's just some kind of thinking. But fundamentally, this is about just being present and patiently paying attention to what's happening. So patience is a technical practice in the Bodhisattva way.

[31:51]

To be aware and so I don't emphasize like sitting in some military uprightness or it's okay if you move during a period of zazen, but you should pay attention. Even if you're sleeping, what's going on there? Pay attention to that. Or if your mind is racing around, OK, feel what's there. Look at the floor or wall in front of you. Pay attention. So I hope that helps. Yes, Kathy, hi. There's something about focusing there that seeks the energy.

[32:55]

So the idea of when your mind is everywhere, And I was also going to say that around yoga, one of the reasons I find it helpful to combine the two, you know, I was thinking when you're sitting to notice where you tend to get sore or achy. Good. And then maybe searching out yoga methods that address that and doing those before or after I think helps. Yes.

[34:01]

Yes. Good. Yeah. A bunch of things to say about that, but I'll just keep it brief. But yes, it's a physical practice, and I just mentioned a little bit about that. But to be aware of where you're sore or where there's some ache, and use your breath. Inhale into that place into your knees or your shoulders or your back and exhale from there. So when part of Zazen I won't say a method or technique, but part of Zazen experience is that we develop a relationship with our breath.

[35:06]

And we can use our breath as kind of a massage to breathe into where it's tight or sore and exhale from there. And there are lots of really good Taoist breathing techniques, which I sometimes mention to people individually. I'm tempted to mention the water wheel, which I don't usually talk about in a talk with everyone. But just as an example of, well, just first before that, I talked about raising your gaze or lowering your gaze if you're sleepy, raising your gaze, or if you're thinking a lot, lowering your gaze. You can also do that physically like you were saying. If your mind is racing, you can really focus on the dantian or hara in Japanese. Or if you're feeling sleepy, raise your awareness to your chest or throat. I'll mention this breathing technique, and you're all welcome to try it, but it's not something you should or need to do.

[36:11]

But it's called the water wheel. It's a Taoist exercise. Inhale up the back to here or here, and then exhale down the front. So it connects your breathing with your posture. So inhale. Feel the inhale going up your back, and then exhale. down the front to the base of your spine. And then again, inhale. So you might try that. Again, all of these different focusing objects are optional, but they can help sometimes. So whatever helps is good. Yes, Agnes. I'm sorry, I can't hear you. Yes. Yes, impermanence.

[37:51]

So yes, exactly. So just observing the sensations is very helpful. But the other thing you can observe is, you know, if you have an itch somewhere, our natural tendency is to scratch. But if we don't, you might notice a little while later that it's gone without you having done anything. So part of sitting for a little while is to notice that, yeah, everything is changing. So yeah, observing. Thank you. Was there something else you were going to say, Ernest? No, not just that. Yes. Thank you.

[38:53]

Other comments or questions? Yes, Emily. Yes. Thank you for that question. So the first thing to say is that it won't be harmful if your legs fall asleep. It's okay if that happens. If you try sitting in a different way, like on a harder or softer cushion or further back or further forward or with more support cushions or less, then maybe that won't happen. But it's not like it's a harmful thing. But when it's time to stand up for walking meditation or whatever, if your legs are asleep, just take your time getting up. So thank you for that very practical question. Any comments on the side of spaciousness and openness that I was talking about?

[40:15]

And what Dogen says is the meaning of zazen in our connection with everything. Right. So those people or situations are dormitories and opportunities for you to deepen your practice. And part of it is recognizing that it's a difficulty and that you don't feel so open and spacious in that situation. And look at that. And that's partly about the situation, but it's also about you. It's a way of seeing yourself. Not that there aren't real difficulties, but our practice is to sit with it when there's some problem and feel how it feels.

[41:31]

How does it feel when somebody says something that you feel is hurtful or whatever, for example? Just feel it. How does it feel? And you might, when you really study how it feels for you, you might imagine what's going on for the other person. Not that you know. But, you know, maybe they're having a hard time for some reason. Or maybe they're having a hard life for some reason. and how can you be helpful in that situation? So one of our precepts is not to praise self at the expense of others and not to speak of the faults of others. So to think of the situation not as something where you have to find who's wrong or who's at fault or who to blame, but that's an opportunity to be helpful. So when something bothers you like that, first of all, be helpful to yourself.

[42:36]

Breathe into it, feel what you feel. But then how can you help the other person to find a little more spaciousness or a little more flexibility in whatever it is that they are doing to be hurtful? So it's a real, those situations, this is, so our practice, so zazen is not just about sitting formally in this room, or at some place, space in your house. Zazen is about, exactly about the kind of situation the nation just mentioned, when we have difficulties in our lives. So we talk a lot about how do we express Zazen mind in our life. We enact and express Zazen posture and Buddha's awareness in our body and mind during Zazen. But when we get up from formal Zazen, how do we express that awareness? This is, in some ways, the heart of the practice.

[43:40]

We learn it from doing the sitting practice, but how do we apply it when we have some difficulty? How do we be kind to ourselves and study how we feel and not get attached to our being right or wrong? but just, okay, what's going on? This is the practice of patience, to pay attention without making judgments, or if you're making judgments, not to make judgments about the judgments, or if you do make judgments about the judgments, not to make judgments about that. It's difficult. Being alive is difficult. It's also wonderful. So practicing with difficulties, that's where Zazen becomes alive. Whether it's some pain, physical pain on your cushion, or whether it's some situation in your world, in your life, where you're uncomfortable, where something happens.

[44:51]

It's not about fixing it, necessarily. I mean, sometimes you can do something that makes it better. It's about paying attention just to see what's going on and being patient with it because it'll change. The person who gave you a hard time last month might become a good friend next month. It's possible. So thank you. Other comments, questions, reflections?

[45:22]

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