Okay, I've outlined the basic instruction as sit down, shut up, and pay attention. But pay attention to what? Well, there are three domains worth paying attention to while doing meditation, and three different aspects to notice about them. This creates a simple 3x3 table that is sometimes a useful guide for beginners (but should latter be discarded). The three domains are Body (the physical sensations that are occurring), Mind (the thoughts that are occupying the mind), and Heart (the emotions being felt). Each of these can be noticed and attended in three aspects:
So the instruction for practice is to take your seat and correct posture, and then be present for whatever arises in the body, the mind, or the heart. And when you become aware of something be present, to hold it in simple awareness (see it fully and directly, know that it is present), to be aware of the feeling tone that comes with it, and see its effect on your quality of mind. And when it passes away, to be replaced by something else, to be fully aware of that too.
Sounds too simple, too easy? Were you expecting something more esoteric? Don't be fooled. Simplicity can mask great profundity. First, it is not at all easy to do with an undisciplined mind (try it and see for yourself). Maintaining awareness and presence for all the myriad things arising and falling away in the body, mind, and heart is a real challenge. And as you practice more, you will become aware of increasingly more subtle phenomena occurring. So it is not nearly as simple as it seems. AS you gain experience sitting zazen and holding simple awareness, the great complexity of the inner landscape will reveal itself to you. And you will begin to notice patterns and correlations (but this is a topic for another day).
Finally, be careful not to use this framework as a "to-do" list during meditation. One of the main points of meditation is to not do anything - to just be. And expecially, don't go trying to "fix" anything or figure something out. That may be a fine thing to do later, but that is not what time in zazen is for. Becoming mindful does not mean to be "fixing" things, to be trying to solve anything. As the excellent teacher Gil Fronsdal sometimes says, this practice doesn't "solve" problems - it dissolves them.So don't go scanning deliberately, trying to figure out what's happening inside you. Instead just sit in awareness, letting things arise naturally, abide for a while, and eventually change or pass away. But when something (body, mind, or heart) does come to your awareness unbidden, it might be helpful for you to fully notice it in its totality, to hold it in simple awareness, to be aware of the feeling tone that it generates, and to see the resulting quality of mind. With steady practice, it will all become clear to you.
- Simple awareness - Being present for whatever is here. Noticing what has arisen in that domain. And doing so without judgement, without reacting, without trying to decide where it came from, or why, or what ought to be done about it. Just seeing that it has arisen, and then seeing it eventually pass away.
- Feeling tone - Noticing whether the thing that has arisen is pleasant or unpleasant (or, I guess, theoretically it could be precisely neutral too). Noticing the evalautions that arise: this is good, I like it, I hope it stays for a while, etc.
- Quality of mind - Seeing the overall effect of this feeling tone. Does the mind become more settled, or more agitated? More open and expansive, or closed and contracted? More outward facing, or more turned inward? More oriented to growth, or to consolidation and preservation?
So the instruction for practice is to take your seat and correct posture, and then be present for whatever arises in the body, the mind, or the heart. And when you become aware of something be present, to hold it in simple awareness (see it fully and directly, know that it is present), to be aware of the feeling tone that comes with it, and see its effect on your quality of mind. And when it passes away, to be replaced by something else, to be fully aware of that too.
Sounds too simple, too easy? Were you expecting something more esoteric? Don't be fooled. Simplicity can mask great profundity. First, it is not at all easy to do with an undisciplined mind (try it and see for yourself). Maintaining awareness and presence for all the myriad things arising and falling away in the body, mind, and heart is a real challenge. And as you practice more, you will become aware of increasingly more subtle phenomena occurring. So it is not nearly as simple as it seems. AS you gain experience sitting zazen and holding simple awareness, the great complexity of the inner landscape will reveal itself to you. And you will begin to notice patterns and correlations (but this is a topic for another day).
Finally, be careful not to use this framework as a "to-do" list during meditation. One of the main points of meditation is to not do anything - to just be. And expecially, don't go trying to "fix" anything or figure something out. That may be a fine thing to do later, but that is not what time in zazen is for. Becoming mindful does not mean to be "fixing" things, to be trying to solve anything. As the excellent teacher Gil Fronsdal sometimes says, this practice doesn't "solve" problems - it dissolves them.So don't go scanning deliberately, trying to figure out what's happening inside you. Instead just sit in awareness, letting things arise naturally, abide for a while, and eventually change or pass away. But when something (body, mind, or heart) does come to your awareness unbidden, it might be helpful for you to fully notice it in its totality, to hold it in simple awareness, to be aware of the feeling tone that it generates, and to see the resulting quality of mind. With steady practice, it will all become clear to you.
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