What is zazen?
Zen is K when there is K. When there is L, it is immediately L. So zazen is what is actually real (the real thing itself) when sitting. As I am writing this, for example, there is chirp chirp. Zazen is chirp chirp. As I have explained up to now, the way it is now M is what is actually real. The real thing itself, with no before or after.
When there is N, it is N. So zazen cannot be difficult or easy. There is no space for that. During zazen, there are no methods nor means to implement. There are no abilities acquired or some “Zen state” to be maintained. Any question you may ask yourself about if you’re doing zazen right or not is actually off the mark. Questioning if you are doing zazen correctly creates concern about correctness. But zazen is not about doing something correctly. Zazen is the way things already are. O
What is actually real is always the real thing itself now, with no before or after time-wise. P So there is no such thing as a constant, continuing state. Once you understand this, you also understand that any state, including a so-called Zen state, is a concept that does not exist in reality. You will understand that a state, therefore, cannot be created or maintained, and you will stop even thinking about trying to create such a thing.
As you can tell from the above, “correct zazen” is the way what is actually real now already is. Q So just sit as Q. There is no need to try to become Q or to even try to sit as Q, because the real thing itself is already Q. And by the time you are aware of Q, it is gone, so any effort is futile. When sitting in zazen, we do sit and place our hands in a mudra, but there is no need to initiate something based on concepts. For this reason, incorrect zazen would be to actively try to attain or maintain a state that you consider to be desirable. Actually, rather than “incorrect zazen,” it is more accurate to say that actively trying to attain or maintain a state is simply not zazen. Trying to attain or maintain a state is doing something other than zazen.
Let me explain more about what it means to actively try to attain or maintain a state considered to be desirable. For example, someone might misunderstand and think that stopping thoughts is required for enlightenment. Such misunderstanding would lead a person to make a sustained effort to focus and try to prevent thoughts from arising. This is not zazen.
If, however, the thought I wish my thoughts would stop just happened spontaneously, that is not done intentionally. And what is actually real with that thought is I wish my thoughts would stop itself. So zazen is sitting just as I wish my thoughts would stop itself is.
Satori or not—a crossroads
Once you know what Zen is, you know what zazen is. And then you sit every day. As you sit every day, doubts about your practice and questions about satori might arise. When questions such as, what was zazen again? arise, if you know what Zen is, you know that the question what was zazen again? is itself, what was zazen again? So just sit like that. But if you do not know what Zen is, you’ll repeatedly try to find a convincing conceptual answer to resolve the doubt.
But even if you know very well what Zen is, seriously wanting to enlighten also means you want to do zazen correctly. So when doubts about Zen arise, or there is a feeling of not understanding, it can cause anxiety. When this anxiety arises, you might be tempted to look for a conceptual answer to feel more at ease while sitting. From my experience as a practitioner, I believe this is a crossroads in Zen practice.
I myself felt anxious when I had questions arise during zazen. So I would turn to books such as Mou Mayou koto ha nai (“No More Delusion”) and Gennibi (“Eyes, Ears, Nose”), written by enlightened Japanese Zen masters. I wanted to find a convincing answer and ease my anxiety. But after some time, I understood that meow is meow. I also had read the books enough that I already knew the passages I would re-read anyway. I realized how I was repeating the same thing over and over. So I decided that even if I felt anxious, I would just sit that way. There was anxiety and resistance, but I just sat like that. Then before I knew it, there would be a different thought. It wasn’t that doubts never arose again, but even if they did, I just sat the way they were. This is when my zazen became real zazen. What was actually real was all there was, and I didn’t do anything of my own initiative.
Just so you know, doubts about practice and enlightenment will arise until satori happens. Even if they arise, just sit as is.
One more crossroads is how one handles unpleasant feelings. When unpleasant feelings arise, people usually try to do something to alleviate the discomfort, even when understanding what Zen is. For example, while doing zazen, you might think, So-and-so doesn’t like me and feel uneasy. In effort to feel more at ease, you might try focusing on something else, or try to change your way of thinking about the person. But so and so doesn’t like me is so-and-so doesn’t like me. So just sit like that. Even if it feels like there is internal conflict, it isn’t like you are trying to create the conflict yourself, so just sit the way it is.
If rain starts to leak from the roof or some other concrete problem arises, then take concrete action to fix it. But while sitting in zazen, discomfort from a thought will become another thought, and as a result, the thought creating discomfort will disappear before you even know it. So just sit.
How to confirm if your zazen is actually zazen
If you would like to check if your zazen is correct or not (or more accurately, if your zazen is actually zazen or not) you cannot do it by using concepts about zazen. Instead, it is necessary to bring your attention to what is actually real now, directly. For example, when you face forward, how is it facing forward? When saying, “ah,” how is it saying “ah”? Check how it is when thinking what is zazen? If you can confirm even once that what is manifesting now is definitely only what is manifesting now, there is no need to check again. Do not make it a practice to check constantly.
Please also be aware that if you are intentionally trying to create and maintain some state of being, this is not zazen. Zazen is not a state. It is what is real, itself.
If you do not turn your attention directly to what is actually real, you will want some convincing explanation (concept) every time doubts about zazen or truth arise. You might try to reassure yourself with something like, “there is only the way it is now, so it’s ok just to be as I am” or “I can just be natural,” or “I should just leave thoughts alone.” If you find yourself doing this, you probably do not understand what Zen is yet.
If a doubt such as, "Am I sitting right?” arises, check with what is real. How it is when thinking, am I sitting right? It’s, am I sitting right? That itself is the answer. This is why you should just sit as is.
The wrong way to confirm if your zazen is really zazen is to use conceptual standards that you believe are important and evaluate whether your state meets those standards or not. For example, if you make “no thoughts” into a criteria for zazen, then you’ll evaluate your sitting based on how many thoughts you had while sitting. If there were many thoughts, you’ll think it wasn’t good zazen. And if there were few, you will think it was good zazen. If you hear that an enlightened state is one in which there is no sense of self or other, you might think your zazen is not good because you still feel a sense of self or other.
The need for dokusan
Dokusan is one-on-one question and answer with a Zen teacher. If you want to know what satori is, then dokusan with a truly enlightened master is essential. Dokusan is necessary in situations like the following:
- You do not understand that Zen = what is actually real itself.
- You do not know if your zazen is really zazen (i.e. you’re not sure if you’re doing zazen or unwittingly doing something else).
- You are not sure if you are checking your zazen correctly or not.
- You feel anxious when questions about Zen or zazen arise, and you start looking at videos, reading, or listening to recordings of teisho (“lectures” in which Zen masters point out to you what is real) in search of answers.
- You are so bothered about something that you feel like you might be or might become mentally unstable sitting in zazen.
Do not hesitate to do dokusan for the above reasons. There may be other reasons as well, so just do not hesitate to request dokusan. Sometimes people practice for months, thinking they are sitting correctly when they are not, so dokusan is important to prevent such time going to waste.
Sometimes someone will come to dokusan after a long time, and when I ask about their sitting, they realize that they had been practicing something they thought was good, but that was completely unnecessary for zazen. Or, some come to dokusan saying they have no more questions, but when I ask how they do zazen, they say something like, “I just sit with what actually is,” or “I prevent my thoughts from developing,” or something else that shows they are making unnecessary efforts.
In this way, many people think they are doing zazen when they are actually doing something else. So feel free to request dokusan and check. When people do dokusan with me, I might tell them to just sit even if they have questions, or I might recommend dokusan once or twice a month. I advise each person based on their individual needs.
Are there stages to practicing zazen?
Meow is Meow, so there are no stages in zazen. Remember, zazen=the real thing itself. Meow
After practicing zazen for some time, people generally have fewer questions about Zen or feel a reduction in doubts while sitting in zazen. But until there is what we call “satori,” doubts and concerns will arise. Even if they arise, just sit. Sit just as the questions, doubts, and the accompanying anxiousness is. This is when zazen is really zazen.
About thinking--many people worry about this
In the midst of a thought, you don't also think that you're thinking, or think that a thought exists. But when you call it "a thought" and treat it as a noun, it feels like it exists as a tangible thing that can get in the way of zazen. When you realize you were thinking, however, the thought that you were thinking has already disappeared. Therefore, there’s nothing you need to do about it and you can just sit.
If the thought, I keep thinking arises, the real thing itself is I keep thinking. Whether you think you have repeating thoughts, many thoughts, or are lost in thought, the thoughts are just as they are, as the real thing. So it is fine as is. Even if you realize you’ve been lost in thought, there is no need to try to return your focus to something right in front of your eyes. If you are trying to return your attention to something, or are trying to focus on something as a Zen practice, there is something you are misunderstanding, so please try reading again from the top or do dokusan (one-on-one question and answer).
With thoughts too, there is only the current thought. So any notion of continuing thoughts, repeating thoughts, or many thoughts existing is a result of memory. For example, you might think 1 then 2 then 3. When 1, it is 1. When 2, 2. When 3, 3. But memory leads us to believe that the thought 1 lead to the thoughts 2 and 3, or that there were many thoughts of 1 2 3.
Also, let’s say you think 1, you think 2, you think 3, you think 1. When thinking what I’ll call “the last 1,” what is actually real is 1. The last 1 is not the same as the first 1. Only the present 1 now is real. And to think that 1 repeated itself is a function of memory. Memories too are just as they are when they arise.
Also, some Zen practitioners become concerned about their zazen when they notice that they had been unintentionally judging something or doing something based on concepts they learned and valued in the past. For example, they might notice that they had unwittingly started doing a meditation technique they learned before. As long as it was not a conscious decision to sustain the effort to do the technique, just sit as is.
Efforts that turn zazen into something else
As I have been explaining, once you know what Zen is, you will not think to do the following unnecessary things. To sum up, incorrect zazen (i.e. something other than zazen), is an intentional and sustained effort to create and maintain a state you think is desirable.
Continued and intentional efforts to do the following are not zazen:
・observing how you are sitting
・just letting thoughts flow by
・trying to prevent thoughts from arising
・trying to create a state of letting things be
・concentrating or focusing on what is real
・trying to be one with what is real right in front of your eyes
・trying to refrain from trying to become what is actually real
・trying to just be as you are in a natural state.
・trying to create a state of no self (no witnessing)
・trying to stop or turn off cognition
・trying to be more aware of something
・trying to stay aware of what is happening now.
Common misunderstandings resulting from not knowing that Zen=What is actually real itself
- Believing that you cannot do zazen until you’ve gotten rid of attachment, fixed ideas, or other unnecessary things
- Thinking that the more insights you have, the more progress you’re making in zazen.
- Misunderstanding that zazen is better if there are fewer thoughts. That zazen is not going well if there are many thoughts.
- Believing that you’re not sitting well if you’re not in the mental/emotional state that you want to be in. Or that if you’re in your preferred mental/emotional state, then you’re doing zazen well.
- Misunderstanding that shikantaza (zazen) is difficult, and that you therefore need more basic training in other methods first.
- Believing that if you cannot focus and your attention bounces here and there, zazen isn’t going well.
Do not try to become convinced of what can only be known with satori.
Below are things that become clear only with satori. They cannot be discovered or known with any conviction through contemplation. So please sit in zazen and quit contemplating things that cannot be known that way.
- There is only what is real, without self.
- There is no separation (no self and other; no I)
- Everything is the way you are
- What is actually real is what you are. Etc.
Posture in zazen
Zazen is, deciding to sit, sitting down, adjusting your posture, having your eyes naturally open, placing your hands on your lap, and that’s it. The posture should be one that is easy to sit in and that is not hard on the body. Sitting in a chair is also ok.
If you are not feeling well, it is ok to lie down. If you lie face up, then it’s just the way the ceiling is.
Open the eyes naturally, and place your hands on your legs or lap (generally, we place the right hand palm up first, then rest the back of the left hand on the right palm, and then touch the tips of the thumbs together. This is called hokkai jouin, sometimes referred to as cosmic mudra).
The eyes are kept open, but it is ok to blink naturally. There is no need to try to keep the eyes half open or wide open.
The eyes can rest wherever is natural. It is not necessary to make sure that you are looking 1 meter in front of you or that your line of vision is exactly 45 degrees down.
By keeping the eyes open and having your hands placed with thumbs gently touching, it maintains the minimal amount of consciousness needed and prevents you from falling asleep. As for your legs, if you do not sit in a chair, you can sit in lotus position, half lotus, cross legged, or some other way that is stable for you.
During zazen:
- If you notice that your posture deteriorated, adjust it
- If you sit cross-legged and your legs start to hurt, you can change the crossing of your legs.
- If it’s too tiring to maintain the same posture, adjust it.
- If you notice your eyes have been closed a while, open them. If you notice the position of your hands has changed, return them to the initial position. It is likely you’ve become sleepy.
- If you feel sleepy but can still stay awake, then sit as is. If it feels like you’re going to fall asleep, then do kinhin (walking Zen) or wash your face to wake up.
- If you are sleepy because you didn’t get enough sleep or you are physically tired, then take a 10-20 minute nap.
- The body can become stiff when it is in the same position for a long time, so stretch and do kinhin as needed. Make sure not to sit still without movement for too long as not to get thrombosis.
- When trying to look at something, the eyes naturally focus, but during zazen, things may become blurry because there is no effort to see or look. When blurry, it’s blurry. Because the way it is when blurry is blurry, it’s fine like that. If your eyes get tired, it is also ok to refocus if that feels better. Once back in focus, the way it actually is, is just the way it is focused.
Tips for Zazen
How long should one sit (in zazen) each day?
Everyone has different schedules, so I cannot give a uniform number of hours for everyone. But you should sit as much as your schedule allows. It may require some effort for Zen practitioners to make time to sit by completing work as efficiently as possible to make time to sit, or get the cooperation of their families so they can make time to sit.
It is important to sit not only for longer periods of time, but also to sit after completing one task and before starting the next. Some people mistakenly think that it isn’t worth sitting less than 40 minutes, but it is good to sit even for 1 or 2 minutes, or 10. For example, it is possible to sit at work. If you work at a company and it looks weird to have your hands in a mudra, there is no need for the mudra.
By the way, when I was a practitioner, I sat while riding the train, taking a bath, going to the toilet, and waiting for people. When I went to hot springs, I sat in the outdoor bath.
The way it is sitting (an example):
What is the way things are while sitting? Here is an example:
Click …my leg hurts…I’m tired of sitting…there’s a cat...view itself of the floor…Will I ever enlighten?...oops I was thinking about work… clatter… how much longer? …there’s the floor…I’m hungry…I want to stand up… the way the floor is… ding dong (doorbell sound)…I’m tired of this…so many thoughts!...now it’s quiet…I wonder if I’m sitting well… sensation of numb legs…I’m still not enlightened…maybe I’m not sitting right… bzzzz (sound of mosquito)…
Practice in everyday life, outside of zazen
It is ok to categorize zazen and other activities as separate things, but no matter what one is doing, what is actually real never disappears. What is real is always the way it is now. Zazen is what is real when sitting, right? When washing dishes, it’s the way it is washing. It’s dishwashing Zen. When washing dishes, there is the dish, soap, sponge, and if there are thoughts, the thoughts themselves. So there is no need to try to become what is already there, or to concentrate on what is being washed, or to stop thoughts and feelings.
As for work, if you’re negotiating at work and the other person says “Could you discount 10 yen?” then that is exactly the way it is. Whether negotiating, thinking, or feeling. You can use whatever thoughts and ideas you need for negotiation. Thoughts unnecessary for negotiations don’t need to be done away with. They are immediately replaced with other thoughts. If it’s “good morning,” there is “good morning.”
If you have spare time, regardless of the length, sit then and there as much as you can. The posture is whatever posture you can take where you are. If you’re standing on the train, what is actually real? It’s the way other passengers look… “Next stop is Tokyo…” clickity clack… the scenery out the window… etc. The way it is going to the toilet or soaking in a bath can also be zazen.
Do not contemplate what cannot be known through contemplation
Do not intentionally contemplate questions that cannot be resolved by thinking about them. Even if such thoughts arise, just leave them alone. When I say “leave them alone,” I do not mean to make some effort to leave them alone. I mean, as long as you are doing something, there will naturally be something else before you even know it. The thoughts that you think you need to leave alone will have already disappeared by the time you think to leave them alone. If you turn towards a green light, it is the way the green light is.
