This is an AI translated post.
Select Language
Summarized by durumis AI
- Zazen begins in a clean and quiet place, in either full lotus or half lotus posture, with your hands on your lower abdomen and your thumbs touching.
- Keep your body straight, gaze at a point about 1 meter in front of you, close your mouth, and place your tongue against the roof of your mouth.
- Inhale and exhale naturally through your nose, concentrating on your breath, which will stabilize your body and mind and revitalize your life force.
⊙ How to Sit in Meditation
Those who wish to practice Zen must first start with the great vow to attain the Way and save all beings.
When meditating, it is best to choose a clean and quiet place.
Place a cushion or a board so that the cold or heat of the floor does not directly penetrate the buttocks, then tie a belt loosely so that clothes do not fall off and sit down with a soft body and breath.
·There are full lotus (結跏趺坐) and half lotus (半跏趺坐) sitting positions. The full lotus is a sitting position in which the right foot is placed on top of the left thigh so that the instep touches, then the left foot is placed on top of the right thigh so that the instep touches.
The half lotus is a sitting position in which the right foot is placed on the lower part of the left calf so that the toes touch, and the left foot is placed lightly on the upper part of the right calf so that the two legs overlap. ·
The hand shape is to place the right palm facing upwards on the lower abdomen, overlap the left back of the hand on top of the right palm, and then touch the tips of the thumbs of both hands together to form a circle. ·
Once these postures are in place, sit still and slowly straighten your back, gently swaying back and forth, left and right.
The body should be natural and stable, not tilting forward, backward, left, or right. At this time, the waist, head, neck, and all bones should be straight and stable, like a stupa (浮屠: a stone structure containing relics), and the shoulders should not be tense, and the chin should be gently pulled towards the neck so that it does not rise.
·The eyes should be neither too wide nor too narrow, but normal, and the gaze should be naturally fixed on a point about 1 meter away. The mouth should be closed tightly, the lower and upper teeth should be together without any gaps, and the tongue should be pressed against the upper palate. ·
After sitting still, sway your body 3-4 times forward, backward, left, and right to find a comfortable and stable posture, and take a few deep breaths. Always focus your attention on the lower abdomen and breathe naturally and gently in and out through your nose. The interval between exhaling and inhaling should always be the same, and it is not good to force the inhaled breath to stay in the lower abdomen for a long time.
However, if you focus purely on breathing, following the process of breathing flowing through your nose, throat, chest, belly, and lower abdomen, your body and mind will gradually become stable.
If you continue for a long time and your body and mind become deeply stable, your whole body will naturally feel comfortable, your mind will be refreshed, and your judgment will become clear, like a dragon getting water or a tiger relying on a mountain, and a fresh life force will emerge.
