Zen Philosophy and Practice

People who want to do Zazen should, first of all, be getting an appropriate amount of food and sleep. Select a place, put down something thick to sit on, loosen your belt, and sit. Put your right foot on your left thigh. Then put your left foot on your right thigh. This is called the "Lotus Posture." If this is too difficult just put one foot on the thigh. Alternate legs every thirty minutes to one hour if this is uncomfortable. Keep your eyes slightly open and gaze downward at a spot of concentration a few feet ahead of you. At first, to harmonize body and mind, silently count every out-breath from one to ten and then start over again from one.

Essentially, just lose yourself in the numbers, become the numbers completely. Then, as your mind and body become harmonized, you may naturally forget that you are counting. This is the best condition. This practice is called "counting the breath".

Fundamentally, Zazen is not something trapped in a form. The method of sitting mentioned above allows almost all people to sit in the most natural manner, however, people who are not comfortable in this position may sit in another way.

Sitting comfortably allows one to harmonize the body and mind. The appropriate time is generally about 30 minutes. This should allow one to enter into self-reflective contemplation. At the beginning of this contemplation imagine a round heart in the middle of your being. Since thinking become reality, imagine this to be a living body which gives life to all creatures.

Reflect upon your own faults and how you relate with others. You will understand where faults lie because they will appear as distortions in this big round heart which you have imagined. During this contemplation you will also come to understand the causes of your faults. After doing this once again imagine a round heart overflowing with life in the midst of your being. After doing the "Counting- the breath" and self--reflective contemplation as described here, if you have a regular meditative practice, please begin it.

The most important thing in self-reflection is to understand the basic standards for a correct heart (way-of-being). Syakyamuni Buddha taught these basic standards under the name of The Eight-Fold Path. This really refers to the "good heart" which doesn't lie to itself, or in other words, is a peaceful, harmonious, unprejudiced heart.

THE EIGHT-FOLD NOBEL PATH

Right seeing
Do I see things and people rightly and clearly?
Do I treat people with a Buddha-like heart?

Right thought
Do I think rightly? Do I conceive negative thoughts?
As negative thoughts pollute the world I must keep my heart pure.

Right speech
Do I speak rightly? Do I say things against my nature?
Do I say what may lead others into confusion and anxiety?
Do I hurt others with my words?

Right action
Do I work rightly? Do I effectively use the time in my day which is as precious as a diamond?
Do I use time for the benefit of others?

Right living
Do I live rightly? Do I have complaints? Do I know how to be content?
Am I thankful for all things?

Right effort
Do I study Buddha's Truth with the right attitude?
Do I respect Divinity? Did I help many people's minds today?

Right will
Do I have the right plan for my life?
Do my prayers for self-actualization agree with Buddha's mind and serve to ennoble my own character?

Right meditation
Do I have sufficient time for right concentration?
Did I reflect upon my past day, and thank my guardian and guiding spirits before going to sleep?

For those on the spiritual path these eight points provide a helpful guide
on the road to personal evolution and eventually enlightenment.