Zen Training

1. Zazen: The Foundation of Zen Practice

"Zazen is a matter of training yourself to become a Buddha; rather, to return to being a Buddha, for you are one from the beginning."

The essence of Zen. Zazen, or seated meditation, forms the cornerstone of Zen practice. It involves adopting a specific posture, regulating breathing, and focusing the mind. The goal is to achieve a state of mental clarity and spiritual insight.

Practical aspects:

• Proper posture: Sit with a straight spine, either in full lotus, half-lotus, or a comfortable cross-legged position
• Breathing: Focus on abdominal breathing, using the diaphragm
• Mental focus: Concentrate on counting breaths, a koan, or simply observing thoughts without attachment

Zazen is not merely a relaxation technique, but a rigorous practice aimed at transforming one's entire being. Through consistent practice, practitioners gradually peel away layers of delusion and habitual thinking, revealing their innate Buddha nature.

2. The Three Nen: Understanding the Structure of Consciousness

"The first nen is a baby tied to its mother's apron strings, limited in its sphere of independent activity; or it may be compared to a horse wearing blinkers to prevent its receiving unwanted or dangerous stimuli."

Cognitive framework. The concept of "nen" in Zen refers to thought impulses or moments of consciousness. Sekida identifies three types of nen:

1. First nen: Direct perception or thought
2. Second nen: Reflection on the first nen
3. Third nen: Self-awareness and integration of experiences

This framework helps practitioners understand the structure of their own consciousness and how thoughts arise and dissipate. By recognizing these processes, one can learn to observe thoughts without becoming entangled in them, leading to greater mental clarity and insight.

3. Samadhi: The Gateway to Pure Existence

"In absolute samadhi, time, space, and causation drop off. And when consciousness comes out of a deep samadhi, it takes time to recover its framework of cognition (time, space, and causation), and the ego is not immediately identified."

States of concentration. Samadhi refers to a state of intense concentration or absorption. Sekida distinguishes between two types:

1. Absolute samadhi: Complete stillness of mind, where all conceptual thinking ceases
2. Positive samadhi: Focused concentration on a specific object or task

Achieving samadhi is crucial for experiencing pure existence, a state beyond ordinary conceptual understanding. In this state, practitioners can directly perceive reality without the filters of habitual thinking or ego-based perceptions.

4. Kensho: Glimpsing One's True Nature

"Kensho is nothing more nor less than your recognition of your own purified mind as it is emancipated from the delusive way of consciousness."

Awakening experiences. Kensho refers to momentary glimpses of one's true nature or Buddha-nature. These experiences can vary in intensity and duration, but they typically involve:

• A sense of unity with all existence
• Dissolution of the ego
• Direct perception of reality without conceptual filters

While kensho is often seen as a goal in Zen practice, Sekida emphasizes that it is not an end in itself. Rather, it serves as a catalyst for deeper practice and integration of insights into daily life.

5. The Tanden: The Center of Spiritual Power

"The tanden has come to have such spiritual importance because it forms part of an oscillatory circuit of which the brain is the other main component."

Physical energy center. The tanden, located in the lower abdomen, is considered the source of spiritual and physical power in Zen practice. Key aspects include:

• Breathing: Focus on abdominal breathing to activate the tanden
• Posture: Maintain proper alignment to enhance tanden awareness
• Mental focus: Direct attention to the tanden during meditation

By cultivating awareness and strength in the tanden, practitioners can develop greater mental stability, physical vitality, and spiritual insight. This concept aligns with similar ideas in other Eastern traditions, such as the dantian in Chinese practices.

6. Breathing Techniques: The Key to Mental Control

"The art of breathing in zazen is to maintain this tension. Further, when the respiratory muscles are contracted, the muscles of the entire body are put under tension, so that the tanden is the leader of the muscles of the whole body."

Breath as a tool. Proper breathing is essential for effective Zen practice. Sekida emphasizes several key techniques:

1. Abdominal breathing: Focus on the movement of the lower abdomen
2. Long exhalations: Extend the out-breath to promote relaxation and focus
3. Bamboo method: Intermittent exhalation to maintain alertness

These techniques help practitioners:

• Calm the mind
• Increase concentration
• Develop awareness of the body-mind connection

By mastering breath control, Zen students can more easily enter states of samadhi and gain insights into their true nature.

7. Laughter: A Path to Ego Dissolution

"Laughter is the safety valve of the world. It is a means of disposing of one's ego and abolishing the world of opposition."

Humor in practice. Sekida presents laughter as a powerful tool for spiritual growth. Key aspects include:

• Ego dissolution: Laughter helps break down rigid self-concepts
• Tension release: It serves as a physical and mental release valve
• Unity experience: Shared laughter can create a sense of connection with others

By cultivating a spirit of humor and lightness in practice, Zen students can more easily let go of attachments and experience the fluidity of existence. This approach contrasts with overly serious or rigid attitudes towards spiritual practice.

8. The Stages of Zen Training: From Searching to Enlightenment

"Zen training continues endlessly. The mean or petty ego, which was thought to have been disposed of, is found once again to be secretly creeping back into one's mind."

Progressive development. Zen training follows a series of stages, often illustrated by the "Ten Ox-Herding Pictures." Key stages include:

1. Searching for the ox (one's true nature)
2. Glimpsing the ox
3. Taming the ox
4. Riding the ox home
5. Transcending both ox and self
6. Returning to the marketplace with helping hands

This framework helps practitioners understand their progress and challenges along the path. It emphasizes that enlightenment is not a final destination, but an ongoing process of deepening insight and compassion.

9. Pure Cognition: Seeing the World as It Is

"When you look existentially into the boiled rice in the bowl, or the water in the pail, or the flower on the table, or the bustling street scene, the fall of leaves or the flight of butterflies, you find there the rice is, there the water is."

Direct perception. Pure cognition refers to the ability to perceive reality directly, without the filters of conceptual thinking or habitual patterns. Key aspects include:

• Non-dual awareness: Experiencing unity between subject and object
• Present-moment focus: Fully engaging with immediate experience
• Suspension of judgment: Observing without categorizing or evaluating

By cultivating pure cognition, Zen practitioners can experience a more vivid, authentic engagement with life. This state is closely related to the concept of "beginner's mind" in Zen.

10. Overcoming the Fear of Death Through Zen Practice

"If once our body and mind have fallen off in absolute samadhi, we are then simply emancipated from the spell of the problem of life and death."

Existential liberation. One of the profound benefits of Zen practice is the ability to transcend the fear of death. This occurs through:

• Direct experience of non-dual awareness in samadhi
• Recognition of the impermanence of all phenomena, including the self
• Cultivation of present-moment awareness, reducing anxiety about the future

By repeatedly experiencing states beyond ordinary ego-consciousness, practitioners can develop a more expansive view of existence. This allows them to face death with equanimity and live more fully in the present moment.

Last updated: April 21, 2025