I just started meditating and I was wondering if there were any way to know that I was meditating correctly. I mean, is there a certain feeling that must happen while in meditation, or something?
Jon
I just started meditating and I was wondering if there were any way to know that I was meditating correctly. I mean, is there a certain feeling that must happen while in meditation, or something?
Jon
Jonathan Wood
The best thing you can do is get guidance from a qualified teacher. There are a vast number of different mediation techniques, due to the vast number of traditions included in Buddhism/Yoga/Hinduism. Find a suitable teacher and do what they say, and whatever you do, don't try to mix and match different techniques you find in books, online texts etc.
Peter Ross
Waiter: "Can I tell you about today's specials?"
Patrick Bateman: "Not if you want to keep your spleen"
Alas, I have checked and there are none even remotely near. Until I do decided to move to a more urban place where it is available I guess I shall continue the way I am currently meditating. I've done it a full week now, though I'm not exactly sure if I notice anything yet, I am starting to feel a bit more calm. I was at work today and they asked me to do something that had usually made me a bit uneasy, but today I felt fine with it. I guess that is what meditation helps to do.
Jon
Jonathan Wood
Jon,
Do you do martial arts? If so, do you feel that meditation is needed, i.e. is it something lacking in your training?
John Lindsey
Oderint, dum metuant-Let them hate, so long as they fear.
I do Aikido. I do some what feel that meditation is needed in my overall training.
Jon
Jonathan Wood
As a previous poster said, there are many traditions and the best way is to find a good teacher (just like MA). However in the meantime, you might like to check out this link http://www.jikishoan.org/ and go to "what is zen practice". It is a very clear and straightforward description of the basic steps to starting "shikantaza" (just sitting) by a very reputable teacher of the Soto zen tradition.
HTH
Excellent site. For a more precise description of the body position during Zazen, have a look at this page:
New Orleans Zen Temple
I wouldn't exactly call the NOZT Soto lineage reputable, though, Deshimaru was a shameless self-promoter, much the same as Ralph Severe.
---
Jason Leonard
PS- Read everything by Deshimaru you can get your hands on.
Thanks for the sites guys. I'm sure they will suffice until I get some formal training.
Jon
Jonathan Wood
With Capital "Z" Zen considered as a group of sects centered on a particular style of meditation, and little "z" zen recognized as east asian pidgin for dhyana or simply...."meditation" we have a field ripe for confusion here.
Yes, the Japanese Zen Lineages and all of their cultural and aesthetic trappings have been the most common face of the practice of meditation and it is natural to refer inquiries back to major data points within those lineages.
But....Shikantaza (or "just-sitting" practice) is only simple in the same way that an all-white minimalist field painting seems simple. Underlying that apparent simplicity is a couple of thousand years of practice, history, and theory.
The best book I've found on fundamentals of meditation practice is
Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratna
Of course, I didn't exactly find the book....first I found a qualified teacher and she said: "you might want to read this."
Fred Little
Fred, thanks for the book recommendation. I followed the link to amazon.com and read a bit of the exerpt it provided and it looks good. I believe I shall pick up a copy.
Jon
Jonathan Wood
Interesting clarification Fred. I like to use lower case because it implies a directness and lack of ostentation without dependence on honourifics. Besides I never know when to capitalise since Japanese doesn't have caps.Originally posted by kokumo
With Capital "Z" Zen considered as a group of sects centered on a particular style of meditation, and little "z" zen recognized as east asian pidgin for dhyana or simply...."meditation" we have a field ripe for confusion here.
But....Shikantaza (or "just-sitting" practice) is only simple in the same way that an all-white minimalist field painting seems simple. Underlying that apparent simplicity is a couple of thousand years of practice, history, and theory.
Fred Little
I agree that shikantaza is a bit like a Malevich. But you don't *need* to know that there's thousands of years of tradition in order to "just sit". Just a good teacher and a mind that sincerely seeks the way.
Hello,
Just a note that the Jikishoan website is now www.jikishoan.org.au
I am glad people find it useful. There will be some new Zen Buddhist information and links there soon. Anyone visitig Melbourne, Australia would be most welcome to visit.
_()_
Regards, Richard.
Thanks for the updated Web link, Richard.Originally Posted by Richard H
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---Brian---
@ Peter Ross : I agree that finding a good teacher is always the best thing to do. But it won't hurt you experimenting with different methods, even when they are found on the internet. After all, if you do it wrong, it'll probably just fail to work. As a genreal guideline in this particular field : if it works, it's okay.Originally Posted by meat
-sorry for barging in like this, but I thought it was worth dropping a note-
cheers, Christophe.
Regards,
Christophe van Eysendyck.
I think the best book I've found on the subject is "Meditation: Now or Never" by Steve Hagen. He describes it in very accessable language, and the book is in print and available through amazon.
Kevin P. France