Normally, we do not encounter what is real, but rather our thoughts, judgments, memories and ideas. When too many thoughts cloud our perception, we lose not only contact with ourselves, but also compassion and humanity. Being able to return to the space of silence again and again is very precious for us humans, especially in today’s fast-paced, digitalized, and complicated lives. The term “meditation” is actually a Western concept. In Zen, the word “Zazen” is used instead. “Za” means “sitting.” Zazen therefore means “Zen while sitting.” Zazen is a direct look into the nature of our own being. When thoughts and emotions calm down, we begin to remember our own nature. Like undisturbed water, our consciousness returns to its natural state.
–
Open Zazen Evening
Every Wednesday evening, you are warmly invited to practice zazen with us. We sit for two 45-minute periods with a slow walking meditation (kinhin) in between.
6:15 p.m. Introduction for beginners
7:00-7:45 p.m. Zazen
7:45-8:00 p.m. Kinhin
8:00-8:45 p.m. Zazen
Location: Le Petit Zendo (Villeberny – France)
Please arrive 10 minutes before the start.
Participation is free of charge. Individual introductions are available.
Before participating for the first time, please register using our contact form.
Dates: Every Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
| What is Zazen ? |
Today, there is no shortage of information about Zen, but Zen cannot be understood by simply gathering information. A core quality of Zen is direct experience. A deeper understanding comes through the practice of zazen.
“Zen” originally comes from the Sanskrit word “dhyan” and etymologically changed first to ‘chan’ in China and later to “Zen” in Japan. However, the meaning of the word “zazen” is not easy to describe. Terms such as “concentration“ or “meditation” are rather inappropriate because they imply that the mind is focused on an object.
Zazen is neither contemplation nor concentration. There is no idea, no object to meditate on. Zazen is not goal-oriented; it is without purpose. Consciousness in zazen is wide and open and not focused in any way. It is not brooding or wandering around concepts or fantasies, but rather observing and letting go.
Zazen means becoming aware of the movie playing on the screen of our mind and watching thoughts come and go without judging or fixating on them. Zazen is being. In the here and now. However, we only experience the present moment when our consciousness is free of thought and identification processes. It is not about achieving a goal, but about the state of being awake, which then has its own meaning.
Zazen is silence, stability, and openness. The body is like a mountain, the mind is like the sky. With alert presence, be this moment itself. Our brain constantly forms and stores emotional, conceptual, and graphic patterns and interprets them. All interpretations are attempts to deduce the future from the past. In this way, however, we miss out on the direct perception of the world. Zazen means to immerse oneself deeply in silence, allowing the body and mind to recover and come to rest. In silence, the wisdom of life takes effect and allows us to see and understand more deeply. Zazen is a return to the source, a familiarization with oneself, our true nature.
Zazen has nothing to do with skill or knowledge, nor with right and wrong, better and worse. Nor does it have anything to do with metaphysical speculation or spectacular experiences, mystification or esotericism. Zazen is also not an autohypnotic technique and has nothing to do with visualizations of any kind.
Zen is not concerned with ideas or speculation and does not provide ready-made answers. Zen is not a doctrine, a philosophy, or a moral system, nor does it have anything to do with escapism, idealization, or fanaticism, nor is it a panacea.
| Practical Instructions for Zazen |
Zazen can be practiced alone or in a group. In a quiet room, choose a place where you feel comfortable and can remain still while sitting. Zazen is not an escape from the world. You should not create a separation between yourself and the world, and it is not necessary to seek out a perfect external situation.
Before sitting
Before you begin sitting, it is good to relax by stretching or doing other physical exercises. Your clothing should be loose so that you can breathe freely. As a beginner, you should not struggle to sit for an uncomfortably long time. It is good to start with half an hour and intuitively extend the sitting time.
The posture
Normally, you sit in the half lotus position on a cushion facing a neutral wall or looking forward into an open space. A zafu cushion filled with kapok or buckwheat has the right hardness so that you neither sink in nor sit uncomfortably hard. As a substitute, you can also use a folded blanket to sit on. A blanket or soft rug on the floor provides additional comfort and protection from the cold. The body is upright, with the knees touching the floor so that the spine is comfortably in a vertical position. Sit on the front part of the cushion and cross your legs. In the full lotus position, the left foot is placed on the right thigh and the right foot on the left thigh. However, as we in the West are not used to sitting this way, the half lotus position is recommended as an easier alternative. In this position, only the right foot is placed on the left thigh. If you are sitting upright correctly, both knees should touch the floor. It is important to realize that you do not have to torture yourself in any way! The form serves only to allow you to sit freely. Asceticism or other ideals have nothing to do with Zen. If the half lotus position is not possible, you can cross your legs without placing one foot on top of the other. If that is not possible either, you can sit on a meditation bench or kneel on a cushion. If you are unable to sit on the floor, you can sit on a chair during meditation. Ultimately, when searching for the correct sitting posture, one should be guided by trust in one’s own senses. When the body is in balance, it supports itself and one is able to sit calmly, and there is no reason to do anything, either externally or internally. It is important not to lean anywhere and to find a relaxed and stress-free posture. The back is held naturally and the shoulders are relaxed. The arms fall easily and freely, slightly away from the body. The head is held upright, the chin is relaxed and slightly back. The hands rest below the navel, with one hand resting in the other so that the middle joints of the fingers are on top of each other. The thumbs touch lightly and the gaze is soft and directed about one meter in front of you toward the floor. The half-closed eyes do not look at anything in particular, even though you intuitively see everything! The gaze is directed inward.
Breathing
Breathing is not manipulated. When you sit correctly, breathing happens naturally on its own. After a short time, a natural rhythm sets in, the body’s center of gravity shifts downward, and the breath flows gently on its own. After a deep exhalation, inhalation follows quite naturally.
The Mind
Zazen means seeing the reality of one’s own existence without interpreting it. Perception is direct. One simply sits, and that is all. There is no control, no effort, no direction—only alertness that arises quite naturally. Alert observation that encompasses everything, including the thoughts that come and go. One neither tries to hold on to thoughts nor suppress them. Although they are present, you are free from them. The mind flows freely, without clinging to anything. The journey is completely open. Relieved and open, you enter with your whole being, without wasting energy. There is no work to do here, no right or wrong, no confusion. Without notions of space and time, you are here and now. You are free and at the same time dependent on everything.
Kinhin (walking meditation)
Kinhin is practiced between zazen periods to relieve and relax the legs. Kinhin is a very slow walking meditation. At the end of a zazen period, you stand up and loosen the sitting cushion. You turn in the direction of walking. The right hand lightly encloses the thumb, points downward, and rests at the level of the solar plexus. The left hand is placed on top, the forearms are held horizontally, and the shoulders are relaxed. The body is upright, and the gaze rests on the floor in front of you. Lift your foot as you inhale and place it back down with a half step as you exhale. Walk very slowly and naturally. It is zazen in motion.
Zen in Everyday Life
The first step is to remember your own nature and become rooted in it. When you become able to observe your thoughts and feelings in everyday life, you become independent of the form of sitting. Without chasing after things, you actively participate in daily life. From the polarity between stillness and action, contrasts and contradictions appear in a new light. From this arises an insight into the interdependence of all phenomena, compassion, an intelligence of the heart, and a great freedom.
A monk visited Gensha and asked how to arrive at reality.
Gensha asked, “Do you hear the murmur of the stream?”
“I hear it,” said the monk.
Gensha said, “That is one way to arrive.”
–
| – |
–