There are many online sources of meditation benches and cushions you can purchase from. But it's cheaper and more satisfying to make one yourself. Here are some easy instructions if you feel inspired to take on a project.
I generally use boards that are 3/4" thick (2cm). Pine is very inexpensive and light, but it is easily damaged and a bit dull in appearance. Oak is very solid and has attractive grain lines. Or maybe something more exotic if you have access to it. Only don't use particle board, plywood, MDF, etc.
The top board is roughly 18" x 7" (45cm x 18cm). The two sides are 6 1/4" (16cm) wide. They are 6 3/4" (17cm) tall in the front and 7 3/4" (20cm) tall in the back. All of these dimensions are approximate. The only critically important thing is that the heights of the two sides be exactly the same. Stack the two cut pieces together to check, and adjust if necessary. If these two pieces are not identical, the bench will rock when you sit on it. This is not conducive to good mediation!
Round off all the edges of the top piece with a rasp/file and then sandpaper. Especially round off the long edges on the top where your butt is going to be hanging over.
Drill holes for the screws through the top board. Use a drill bit big enough that the screws pass through easily (I use #8 or #10 screws with a "Robertson head" - one of the benefits of being in Canada). If you are using flat-headed screws you can countersink the holes a little using a larger drill bit. But it is also fine to use round-headed screws (since you don't sit on the part where the screws are. The holes should be 3/4" (2cm) in from both the long and short edges.
If you want to stain the wood, do it now before assembly. Use a stain that will dry thoroughly and not come off on your pants during use!
If you are using a hard wood like oak, it will be necessary to drill pilot holes in the side pieces before assembly. To do this, loosely assemble the top piece onto the side pieces (the top should overhang the front and back of the side pieces equally, and the drilled holes should be aligned with the centres of the side pieces). Press down through the drill holes with a nail or small drill bit, so that it leaves a mark on the top of the side pieces where each drill hole will be. Disassemble everything and drill the pilot holes into the side pieces: use a drill bit smaller than the size of your screws, and drill vertically down in the four places you have marked.
For the real assembly, first run a bead of wood glue along the top of a side piece. Then align the top piece over it, and screw it into place tightly. Wipe off any glue that gets squeezed out. Repeat for the other side piece.
Now is the time to apply any surface coatings you might like, such as linseed oil or polyurethane. Wipe on with a rag. Let dry thoroughly.
Check that the bench does not rock. If it does rock, a little filing of the bottoms of the feet can fix it. Bow to your new "workstation" and to the committed effort that went into making it. Inside you is some aspiration for freedom. Look at the material object it has manifested :-) And now take it for a test flight!
This round meditation cushion is the most traditional seat for zazen practice. And it turns out that a very good version can be made from an old pair of blue jeans if you have access to a sewing machine.
Cut two large and matching circles from the jeans, about 8 - 12"
diameter (20 - 30cm). You can cut this from the front or back of the hip
areas (depending on the pockets your jeans have). If you cut from an
area with a back pocket, you should remove the pocket patch material (it
will not be comfortable to sit on). These circles will form the top and
bottom of the zafu. Also cut one long and narrow rectangle from a leg
(front or back). Make sure it has an even width along its whole length.
This will form the cylindrical sidewall of the zafu (with pleats). Hem the short ends of this piece now.
All of the pinning and sewing is of course done with the "wrong" side facing outwards.
Form the sidewall piece into a circle (a short cylinder of great diameter) by overlapping the short ends together by about 4" (10cm). Pin this together. Pin one edge of this overlap to the top circle, at the "12-o'clock" position.
Now for the pleats. Find the midpoint of the sidewall cylinder, opposite the overlap. Pin this to the top peice at the "6-o'clock" position. This creates two loops of the the sidewall. Find the midpoints of these, and pin them to the top piece at "3-o'clock" and "9-o'clock". Your sidewall should now have four loops.
At this point, you face a design decision. You are going to keep subdividing these loops and pinning to the top piece. If you make many small loops, your zafu will have many small pleats and will tend to have a sidewall that stands up straight, making the zafu tall and firm. Conversely, you make only a few larger loops, your zafu will have few pleats and will tend to bulge easily, making the zafu shorter and less firm. Tallness and firmness can also be adjusted later by how you stuff the zafu, so don't worry too much about this. Settling for 8 to 12 loops is usually fine.
Now the loops have to be "folded over" to make pleats. This basically means collapsing the loop over to one side so that the loop top comes back into contact with the top piece and can be pinned there. Whether you fold them over going clockwise or going counterclockwise will be determined by how you overlapped the ends (back in the first step). Match that.
Flip the work over and attach the bottom piece by pinning it to the sidewall in the same way as the top piece is pinned.
Sew all around both seams (around the top piece, and around the bottom piece). Do not sew the overlap closed. Be careful to not break the sewing machine needle when sewing through many layers or sewing near a pin. Remove all the pins after sewing both seams (you don't want to discover one later). Reach inside the overlap and grab the far sidewall. Pull it inside out and you have a finished cover. Go drink some tea!
Kapok is the most common stuffing material. But you might consider anything that is firm enough (foam chips are generally not satisfactory) and that will not degrade with use (dry rice will soon be ground into a kind of rice flour very unsuitable for baking). People have experimented with dry beans, wood shavings, pistachio hulls, rags, and other materials. Feel free to try your own, since it's so easy to stuff or unstuff this cover.
The more stuffing you put inside, the more the cushion will become spherical and will be tall to sit on. Softer materials will need more inside to give you the desired height when bearing your weight. Firmer materials will need less. Again, you should experiment until you get the perfect zafu for your practice - one that will invite you to sit more and longer, and will not distract you with too many body sensations.
Seiza Bench
Kneel on the floor with your calves parallel. Stick the bench in behind you, over your calves (and with the lower side of the slope towards the front), sit down onto it. This position is one of the most comfortable for sitting long zazen. And such a bench is quite easy to make from a plank of wood if you have basic tools. |
| This pine bench has been deliberately distressed before staining |
The top board is roughly 18" x 7" (45cm x 18cm). The two sides are 6 1/4" (16cm) wide. They are 6 3/4" (17cm) tall in the front and 7 3/4" (20cm) tall in the back. All of these dimensions are approximate. The only critically important thing is that the heights of the two sides be exactly the same. Stack the two cut pieces together to check, and adjust if necessary. If these two pieces are not identical, the bench will rock when you sit on it. This is not conducive to good mediation!
Round off all the edges of the top piece with a rasp/file and then sandpaper. Especially round off the long edges on the top where your butt is going to be hanging over.
Drill holes for the screws through the top board. Use a drill bit big enough that the screws pass through easily (I use #8 or #10 screws with a "Robertson head" - one of the benefits of being in Canada). If you are using flat-headed screws you can countersink the holes a little using a larger drill bit. But it is also fine to use round-headed screws (since you don't sit on the part where the screws are. The holes should be 3/4" (2cm) in from both the long and short edges.
If you want to stain the wood, do it now before assembly. Use a stain that will dry thoroughly and not come off on your pants during use!
Assembly
If you are using a hard wood like oak, it will be necessary to drill pilot holes in the side pieces before assembly. To do this, loosely assemble the top piece onto the side pieces (the top should overhang the front and back of the side pieces equally, and the drilled holes should be aligned with the centres of the side pieces). Press down through the drill holes with a nail or small drill bit, so that it leaves a mark on the top of the side pieces where each drill hole will be. Disassemble everything and drill the pilot holes into the side pieces: use a drill bit smaller than the size of your screws, and drill vertically down in the four places you have marked.
For the real assembly, first run a bead of wood glue along the top of a side piece. Then align the top piece over it, and screw it into place tightly. Wipe off any glue that gets squeezed out. Repeat for the other side piece.
 |
| Zebra wood with urethane. Very heavy and solid |
Now is the time to apply any surface coatings you might like, such as linseed oil or polyurethane. Wipe on with a rag. Let dry thoroughly.
Check that the bench does not rock. If it does rock, a little filing of the bottoms of the feet can fix it. Bow to your new "workstation" and to the committed effort that went into making it. Inside you is some aspiration for freedom. Look at the material object it has manifested :-) And now take it for a test flight!
Zafu Cushion
This round meditation cushion is the most traditional seat for zazen practice. And it turns out that a very good version can be made from an old pair of blue jeans if you have access to a sewing machine.
 |
| Zafu in black canvas |
Pinning and Sewing
All of the pinning and sewing is of course done with the "wrong" side facing outwards.
Form the sidewall piece into a circle (a short cylinder of great diameter) by overlapping the short ends together by about 4" (10cm). Pin this together. Pin one edge of this overlap to the top circle, at the "12-o'clock" position.
Now for the pleats. Find the midpoint of the sidewall cylinder, opposite the overlap. Pin this to the top peice at the "6-o'clock" position. This creates two loops of the the sidewall. Find the midpoints of these, and pin them to the top piece at "3-o'clock" and "9-o'clock". Your sidewall should now have four loops.
At this point, you face a design decision. You are going to keep subdividing these loops and pinning to the top piece. If you make many small loops, your zafu will have many small pleats and will tend to have a sidewall that stands up straight, making the zafu tall and firm. Conversely, you make only a few larger loops, your zafu will have few pleats and will tend to bulge easily, making the zafu shorter and less firm. Tallness and firmness can also be adjusted later by how you stuff the zafu, so don't worry too much about this. Settling for 8 to 12 loops is usually fine.
Now the loops have to be "folded over" to make pleats. This basically means collapsing the loop over to one side so that the loop top comes back into contact with the top piece and can be pinned there. Whether you fold them over going clockwise or going counterclockwise will be determined by how you overlapped the ends (back in the first step). Match that.
 |
| Few pleats, carrying handle, zipper closing |
Flip the work over and attach the bottom piece by pinning it to the sidewall in the same way as the top piece is pinned.
Sew all around both seams (around the top piece, and around the bottom piece). Do not sew the overlap closed. Be careful to not break the sewing machine needle when sewing through many layers or sewing near a pin. Remove all the pins after sewing both seams (you don't want to discover one later). Reach inside the overlap and grab the far sidewall. Pull it inside out and you have a finished cover. Go drink some tea!
Stuffing
Kapok is the most common stuffing material. But you might consider anything that is firm enough (foam chips are generally not satisfactory) and that will not degrade with use (dry rice will soon be ground into a kind of rice flour very unsuitable for baking). People have experimented with dry beans, wood shavings, pistachio hulls, rags, and other materials. Feel free to try your own, since it's so easy to stuff or unstuff this cover.
The more stuffing you put inside, the more the cushion will become spherical and will be tall to sit on. Softer materials will need more inside to give you the desired height when bearing your weight. Firmer materials will need less. Again, you should experiment until you get the perfect zafu for your practice - one that will invite you to sit more and longer, and will not distract you with too many body sensations.
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