California Zen Center Blocked
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Zen tourist attraction?
Mosques apparently aren’t the only religious buildings being blocked. I came across a post today on the California Watch blog indicating that the U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the city of Walnut, California for denying a permit for the construction of a Zen center. It seems they denied the permit on religious grounds, as every other permit for a place of worship since 1980 – all of them for Christian houses of worship – have been approved. Commissioners stated they believed that the Zen center would be a “tourist attraction.”
For the full article, click here.
What’s All the Hubbub About Socially Engaged Buddhism, Bub?
141 year ago
Since the Zen Peacemakers held the Western Socially Engaged Buddhism Symposium in August there have been many posts out there on Buddhist blogs, many railing against the idea of “Engaged” Buddhism. This caught my attention and inspired me to jump on the bandwagon and write my own post – mostly in an attempt to clarify what I think about the issue, as my own thoughts about it are mixed.
When I first heard the term “Engaged Buddhism,” I thought it was a reaction to the misconception that some people seem to have that non-attachment means detachment or disengagement. In his 2003 article, “Why I Ditched Buddhism,” John Horgan states:
But what troubles me most about Buddhism is its implication that detachment from ordinary life is the surest route to salvation. Buddha’s first step toward enlightenment was his abandonment of his wife and child, and Buddhism (like Catholicism) still exalts male monasticism as the epitome of spirituality. It seems legitimate to ask whether a path that turns away from aspects of life as essential as sexuality and parenthood is truly spiritual. From this perspective, the very concept of enlightenment begins to look anti-spiritual: It suggests that life is a problem that can be solved, a cul-de-sac that can be, and should be, escaped 1.
Ideas like the above are, unfortunately, common. Non-attachment sounds a lot like detachment, though one is being able to let go and accept change; the other is being like an emotionless Vulcan.
The term, “Engaged Buddhism,” was originally coined by Thich Nhat Hanh during the 1960s in response to the suffering caused by the war in Vietnam. As he put it in a Shambhala Sun article, “When bombs begin to fall on people, you cannot stay in the meditation hall all the time 2 .” It was a term that acknowledged that Dharma practice meant taking action to reduce the suffering in the world; in fact the dukkha, “in here,” and the dukkha, “out there,” are the same.
According to the Buddhist Peace Fellowship website:
Socially engaged Buddhism is a dharma practice that flows from the understanding of the complete yet complicated interdependence of all life. It is the practice of the bodhisattva vow to save all beings. It is to know that the liberations of ourselves and the liberation of others are inseparable. It is to transform ourselves as we transform all our relationships and our larger society. It is work at times from the inside out and at times from the outside in, depending on the needs and conditions. It is to see the world through the eye of the Dharma and to respond emphatically and actively with compassion.
—-Donald Rothberg and Hozan Alan Senauke
Turning Wheel/Summer-Fall – 2008 3
Since Thich Nhat Hanh formed the Order of Interbeing, a host of other Engaged Buddhist organizations formed; among these are the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, founded in 1978 by Nelson Foster and Ann and Robert Aitken, Zen Peacemakers founded in 1980 by Bernie Glassman, and The International Network of Engaged Buddhists, founded in 1989.
The above quote about socially engaged Buddhism above sounds a lot like…regular Buddhism? What is the difference between Engaged Buddhism and just regular Buddhism? According to Thich Nhat Hanh, there is no difference: “Engaged Buddhism is just Buddhism.” There is no Buddhism that is NOT engaged. And this is where some of the criticism of Engaged Buddhism as a movement starts. There seems to be a fear that Engaged Buddhism, as a movement, will attempt to circumscribe the opinions that we, as Buddhists, should have about political matters,to and the way in which we should be engaged with the world. That there will be a delineation between “regular,” and “engaged” Buddhists (something like, “You aren’t engaged in this Approved Engaged Buddhist® social cause, so you are not an “Engaged” Buddhist and therefore your practice sucks.”).
John at Point of Contact states:
So overall, I think that the “Engaged” Buddhism movement is similar to SGI or any other religious group that starts mixing spirituality/religion with politics in an organizational context. It is a dangerous recipe that leads to groupthink. I can’t think of one thing more dangerous or detrimental to practice than groupthink 4.
At a small sangha I attended, someone told me about a man who was new to the sangha, and wanted to criticize the group for not being socially active enough, for working just for themselves, instead of involving themselves with society. There were several problems with this (other than someone just criticizing a group he just stepped into). Several members did work privately, on their own, for causes that moved them. No need to do it as a Buddhist or as a sangha . The other problem is that we cannot see another’s experience, and we cannot always see how someone else is being engaged through their practice. It is not up to us to judge another person’s practice – and there can be a tendency to do just this when it comes to social issues.
In Zen, we practice present-moment awareness, and there seems to be the notion that if we can practice this awareness, we will simply know what will be the most appropriate, helpful action when situations present themselves to us (I don’t say, “problems,” because many situations we turn into problems with our thoughts). When we see somebody come in front of us who is suffering, we will be moved to be Bodhisattvas and help to alleviate their suffering, to the best of our ability. But the world is much different now than it was before the age of the radio, the television, the Internet. We are confronted with suffering not in our immediate vicinity. We are confronted with suffering — the actual suffering of suffering variety of dukkha, not just the commonplace garden variety of low grade, “I can’t have what I want,” kind of dukkha that us middle class westerners seem prone to. It can be very frustrating to see all this suffering in front of us, and feel impotent to do much about it. To address this, involvement in organizations can be empowering – it takes more than individuals acting alone to confront such issues.
But does an organization acting under the “banner” of Buddhism promote an increased appreciation and awareness of Buddhism in the general community, or does it, as Bernie Glassman says he was accused of doing 5, “stain the dharma”?
Again, John at Point of Contact states, about this:
The answer to his question, however, is simple: Don’t practice social engagement as a Buddhist. Don’t practice charity as a Buddhist. Don’t show compassion as a Buddhist. These are the things that every personal practice should contain without con[s]training them with religious identity. When you chose to show charity, compassion or social engagement as a part of your personal practice you can do so without waving a religious banner. Do it for the benefit for others. Period. End of sentence. No strings attached. No politics or banners. Slogans or comments. No conversions or evangelizing 6.
Overall, I’d agree with this. Compassionate action should be an outgrowth of practice. It would be strange to do something for someone else on my own and then say, I’m helping you because I’m Buddhist, rather than just because I was moved to do it out of need, compassion, concern. It would be like saying, well, “it’s the Christian thing to do.” Compassion is non-denominational. No one religion has the patent on compassion or social justice. In the past, I’ve found myself having negative reactions to social projects through, for instance, our Girl Scouts group. We were to collect boxes to fill with items to send to an impoverished company through a charitable organization. Of course, in these boxes were…evangelical pamphlets. The giving was a good idea, but I had difficulty participating in this because of my reaction toward the attempt to evangelize and convert. I don’t think I would have had the same reaction if there had been a small card in there simply stating that it was through a particular religious organization. Is there anything wrong with an organization with a Buddhist perspective tackling social issues if there is no attempt to convert or evangelize? I used to attend a Unitarian Universalist church. Our Social Action Committee would do social projects, yes, in the name of the church, but with no attempt to convert 7, and I never had issue with it. In Buddhism there is no political agenda, but I think one’s beliefs/insights necessarily inform their political opinions – whether or not we stick a religious label on what we do.
However, not all Buddhists believe exactly the same things, and not all can agree on what is the best way to reduce suffering, as Kyle at the Reformed Buddhist points out on his blog, exaggerating his opinions to make a point, suggesting that the death penalty will help to alleviate the suffering of the loved ones of victims, and that a strong military is needed to use force to oust dictators who cause suffering to their people 8. But does having an organization under the auspices of “Buddhism” imply that all the people in that organization believe the same way? That all Buddhists believe the same way? That there is a certain set of attitudes/opinions/politics that are necessarily Buddhist? Or is there room within a socially active Buddhist organization to act, publicly, as Buddhists while encompassing different viewpoints within the organization and without implying that all Buddhists are necessarily of the same political ideologies?
There seems to be a risk of valuing overt social activism over the myriad small, compassionate actions, and peacemaking efforts we do every day, responding to what is really right here, right now, and right in front of us. Brad Warner talks about this in Hardcore Zen :
Some of my best friends are people who’ve made it their business to solve all the world’s ills – and God love ‘em for it. Most people think this kind of behavior is the most intensely moral thing anyone could engage in. My friends certainly do.
For years and years I labored under the impression that people like this were really, “doing something” while I was just sitting around staring at walls or contemplating my navel lint…But is what they do really what it means to be moral? When you decide that helping feed homeless transgender crack addicts to the baby whales—or whatever—is somehow more worthy than helping your mom clean the dead squirrel out of the gutter, that’s when you get in trouble. It’s that all too often our image of “worthy” causes completely obscures the stuff right under our noses – and that’s the stuff that needs our attention, right here and right now. 9
Does seeing interconnectedness necessarily manifest itself as involvement in political causes? Each small, compassionate action we take that comes from a place of seeing interconnectedness, the lack of separation between self and other, between in and out, is Engaged Buddhism. There’s a risk of glamorizing those who we see publicly performing “good works,” and those who go about their simple, mundane tasks in a engaged, but quieter way (this reminds me of the passage in the Bible where Jesus criticizes those who pray publicly vs privately). We all have our talents and our own ways that we can act in the world to accomplish the reduction of suffering – of ourselves and others (we’re important, too!). The world needs all of these; not our judgments about which form of engagement with the world is “better.”
This was kind of a rambling post, but, in summary, I think there is a place for engaged Buddhist organizations as long as they avoid claiming to represent all Buddhists and as long as they don’t claim to have a monopoly on engaged practice.
In addendum:
Maria at The Jizo Chronicles lists Ten Guiding Principles for Socially Engaged Buddhism by Diana Winston and Donald Rothberg. She concludes that yes, there is a difference between socially engaged Buddhism and, “someone with liberal politics who slaps a Buddhist sticker on to their beliefs and then heads out to a protest?” Another resource on her blog: the Mandala of Socially Engaged Buddhism
- Horgan, John. “Why I Ditched Buddhism.” Slate 12 Feb 2003: n. pag. Web. 18 Sep 2010. http://www.slate.com/id/2078486/. Don’t get me started about the rest of this article, either! ↩
- Malkin, John. “Peace Begins with You.” Shambhala Sun Jul. 2003: n. pag. Web. 18 Sep 2010. http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1579&Itemid=0&limit=1&limitstart=0 ↩
- http://www.bpf.org/about-us/what-is-socially-engaged-buddhism ↩
- http://zendirtzendust.posterous.com/buddhist-banners ↩
- http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=2171 ↩
- http://zendirtzendust.posterous.com/27805053 ↩
- My husband once expressed his concerns about our small kids “being indoctrinated” when they were small and I would take them to the UU church. My husband is pretty much an atheist, and this is laughable if you know much about Unitarian Universalism ↩
- http://www.thereformedbuddhist.com/2010/09/final-thoughts-on-socially-engaged.html ↩
- Warner, Brad. Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies, and the Truth about Reality. Wisdom Publications, 2003. 147. Print. Yes, another Brad Warner quote. ↩
Book Review: Sex, Sin, and Zen: A Buddhist Exploration of Sex from Celibacy to Polyamory and Everything in Between
21 year ago
*With more than a few of my personal opinions about these subjects added.
Sex. Problem. No Sex. Problem.
Shunryu Suzuki, as quoted by Brad Warner in this book
OK, this review is coming in a little after most of the others…I was not one of the lucky ones who got an advance reading copy of this book. I had to go to Barnes and Noble and shell $14.95 – or whatever it was – out of my very own pocket. No ebook edition was even available yet (at least not for the Nook).
I keep reading that there are two camps when it comes to Brad Warner 1 – you either love him or hate him. I’ll disclose right off that I’m mostly in the former category. I remember reading, “Sit Down and Shut Up ” and both learning something about Dogen and laughing my head off – one of the few times I’ve laughed while reading a Buddhist book. It was refreshing to me that here was this guy who was a Zen teacher who retained his love for really awful monster movies and told bad jokes 2. It showed me that Zen didn’t necessarily mean throwing out your silliness along with your delusions. When reading his books, at times I’ve found myself a little irritated at his criticism toward things like metta practice, the term mindfulness, and his criticisms of some other Buddhist teachers. And yet, I sometimes find myself also having similar responses to these things 3. He also has a tendency at times, perhaps more in his other books than in this one, to criticize some practices outside of zazen and some of his innuendo/jokes get a little repetitive. Maybe he should stop stoking 4his desire to add these jokes wherever possible. But I find his writing style enjoyable to read, and much of his writing about the Dharma insightful.
First things first…
The cover: A fat, tattooed Buddha sits in the clouds with a guitar – he has a kind of smug expression on his face. Down below, there is Brad Warner
…and a bunch of scantily clad tattooed women. Not that there’s anything wrong with tattooed women. Hey, I have a tattoo 5! But where are the guys? Where’s something for us straight chicks 6? If there are going to be half naked women on the cover, give me some bare chested hunks with rippling muscles as well. I’m not beyond preferences 
In this book, Warner deals with such wide-ranging topics as masturbation, BDSM (eventually getting to the point of making the comparis
on to power dynamics within student/teacher relationships), sexual abuse and zazen practice, abortion, women’s rights, celibacy, polyamory, sex as meditation, Buddhist attitudes toward sex vs. the western attitude of sex as sinful, prostitution, porn, dating and marriage, and an interview with porn star Nina Hartley whose parents were both Zen teachers. Amongst these disparate sexual topics, he also discusses such Buddhist teachings as no-self, right action, right livelihood 7, attachment, the Bodhisattva vow, karma, emptiness, and precepts. Along with all this are Warner’s usual pop-culture references, Gene Simmons and Star Trek among them. Whew! That’s a lot of stuff to cover, and a lot of stuff to think about for a book review.
Here’s my reaction/response to a few parts of the book:
Misuse of Sex…
I haven’t read/heard much about Buddhist attitudes toward sex, outside of the precept to not misuse sexuality. But what constitutes a misuse of sexuality? There are a few things we would all (I hope) agree constitute a misuse of sexuality. But outside of those things it’s a murky area and Buddhism largely leaves it up to the individual to decide what is “misusing sexuality.” Some of the early Buddhist rules address sexuality. In one chapter, Warner explores celibacy and some of the vinaya rules on sex, but many of these are so far out (as he recognizes) that they have little bearing on the lives of modern laypeople 8. I like the way he relates defining what would be a misuse of sex back to the Bodhisattva vows and “saving all beings…from [ourselves]:”
In terms of sexuality, this mostly means vowing not to be an asshole, vowing to respect other people, and vowing to live ethically, no matter what lifestyle we choose. This doesn’t mean that we have to lead our sex lives according to some arbitrary system that society has decided is moral. But it does mean that we have to do whatever – or whomever – we do in a way that causes as little harm as possible 9.
…and Polyamory
Even so, people define what is/could be harmful in so many different ways. I’m on the same page with Warner, in that I’m generally not concerned with what other people do as long as it’s not harming anyone else and as long as you’re not criticizing me for not being like you. Sexual acts between consenting adults should be a matter of private, personal choice, and I think that it’s outrageous that it was as late as 2003 that Lawrence v Texas would abolish all the sodomy laws in the US that hadn’t already been overturned and that we are still debating whether gay people 10should be able to marry. Be you straight, gay, bi-, polyamorous, I’m OK with that. But please don’t criticize me because I’m straight and monogamous. That’s what works best for me. When I was in my early 20’s, I was hanging around many Pagans for whom polyamory was common. I was fine with that, but sometimes felt like I was up for criticism because I didn’t choose the same. Of the few married polyamorous or “open marriage” couples I have known, the divorce rate was 100%. I know three couples does not make an accurate sample, and with the current divorce rate at 50%, the track record isn’t good for any marriage. I’m sure there are some couples that can handle polyamory 11. I have a certain admiration for people who are able to not feel threatened by their significant other(s) having sexual relationships with other people, or at least not react to their feelings of jealousy, though I do wonder how often open relationships and an “anything goes” approach…things like BDSM…lead to suffering 12. I just know I’m not there, and it’s not the thing for me. I even found myself having BIG negative reactions to a partner’s use of porn. Read on…
Porn…
My husband and I have had discussions about porn. Is it degrading to women? Is it a form of infidelity? Does it cause people to desire what they can’t have or to view their own sex lives and their partners in a more negative light ? My answer to these questions always come up as, “it depends.” It depends on how the women in the porn are treated, and the reasons the women are in the porn, their attitudes toward it. It depends on the attitudes both people in the relationship have towards porn and how secure they are with the relationship and with their own bodies 13.It depends on the person watching the porn – is it a compulsion, an addiction, an escape from reality or is the person able to separate fantasy reality and just enjoy the fantasy for what it is without making their own lives look bad in comparison?
Warner touches on this, rightly noting how mainstream media, to a much greater extent than porn, leads people to dissatisfaction with their own lives and to desire things they think will make them more fulfilled. He points out that most porn viewers probably just see it as an enjoyable fantasy and no more. The problem with this, as Warner acknowledges is that porn is a “strong stimulus” with a higher potential for obsessive/addictive behavior. The graphic below (from OnlineSchools.org, NOT from the book) attests to the popularity of porn 14:
So, is this bad? Certainly child porn is, and I definitely think it is negative for kids to be viewing online porn. I’d assert that some types of porn are degrading to women, but I wouldn’t make a blanket statement that all are, or that all porn is “bad”. Warner even links the acceptance of porn in a society with its openness and freedom — not that that porn causes that openness, but that it is a sign of it. He briefly addresses the question of whether viewing porn is consistent with Zen practice, and does not really come out on one side or the other. I would agree with his assertion that obsession of any sort might have a negative effect on Zen practice.
…and porn stars
One of the better parts of this book is an interview with porn star Nina Hartley who, incidentally, was also raised in a Zen monastery. A perfect interview subject for a book about Buddhism and sexuality. It’s a longer version of his interview with her at SuicideGirls. Read that, if you’re interested, instead of reading my commentary here (but be aware that the site has sexual content before you go there). Or buy the book — Brad points out that he could use the money. I don’t have too much to say about the interview except that it was a good read – she leads I lifestyle I wouldn’t want to, but I admire her authenticity. She is exactly who she is, with no apologies or explanations.
…and the difficult stuff.
I appreciate that there is a chapter on abortion. I think no book on Buddhism and sex would be complete without one. One of the precepts is “no killing,” — abortion is definitely a form of killing, and yet I could never be anything but pro-choice. Having an abortion is an experience that 
will stay with a woman through the rest of her life; a decision that few take lightly. I’m not so sure that Warner’s assertion that Christians are opposed to abortion because, it foils “God in his one and only chance to judge that soul,” is 100% correct for all Christians. Some Christians I’ve met believe that the soul of an unbaptized baby (which, for them, includes embryos and fetuses) will go to hell. Others oppose it on the grounds that it is taking a human life. Yet, I’d agree with Warner that the life that is taken is not yet a person. He gives a first-person account of an abortion here that’s both harrowing and touching. At the end, the woman talks about doing a Jizo ceremony with other women to honor this experience of loss; this was especially moving.
There’s too much more in this book to comment on everything here. I appreciate the part on the misuse of sex in Buddhist groups and the problem with student-teacher relationships 15. He also provides some counsel for those with a history of sexual abuse dealing with traumatic issues coming up during zazen, and muses on the need for hate as well as love. And, at the end of it all, he adds a section on how to do zazen. He does all this with his typical style and sense of humor. All in all, I’d give it a “thumbs up.” It’s worth a read.
Addendum
There are a couple of resources he mentions in this book that I haven’t read, but now might plan to:
- For those of you who don’t know who Warner is – and you probably do if you’re reading this –he’s a Punk-Rock Zen master who has written four books about Zen, keeps a blog at http://hardcorezen.blogspot.com , and used to write columns on the Suicide Girls (porn) website. ↩
- And used copious footnotes! ↩
- Especially teachers from any religion who claim their own Enlightenment®. This is one of the difficulties I have with trying to read/listen to Eckhart Tolle, who some people have recommended to me. Also see my post Puppy Metta if you want to read about some of my initial reactions to trying to do metta practice at a retreat. When you find yourself being irritated too much about something, it’s useful to look at what you, yourself do. For instance, I find myself criticizing people for being too critical. Warner touches on this just a bit in his book in an anecdote about a boss he hated. ↩
- Or stroking. Heh..heh…heh.. I said stroking! And I just used a Brad Warner style joke. This is an example of this type of thing, and the subject matter gives him ample opportunity to overdo. Eventually, you come to expect it, just like you expect Michael on The Office to blurt out his, “That’s what she said…” jokes. ↩
- Not a Buddhist one…so don’t look to me for any “body vows” photos or anything. My tattoo predates my Buddhism, though not my interest in it. ↩
- Uh, no offense Brad. I realize that you didn’t design the cover, but I want equal opportunity. ↩
- “the unstated, but nevertheless pervasive view that there are only two jobs that could possibly fit into the category of right livelihood. These are yoga instructor and therapist. This is nonsense, of course. “:) ↩
- According to Warner, laypeople were people who could get laid ↩
- p.46 ↩
- Warner uses the word queer a lot in this book. Like Warner, I had some discomfort with that word, and prefer “gay” or “lesbian.” As with anything else, when I have a reaction I need to examine it. I’m still not sure why, though…does it sound derogatory to me, or because all of us are queer — strange and odd — in one way or another? ↩
- Warner makes reference to a book called The Ethical Slut , which I haven’t read. Also, as I was writing this a new post on ElephantJournal.com about polyamory appeared.), but I agree with Warner that there is almost something instinctual about jealousy – which is different from the way we respond/react to that jealousy [8. p. 39 ↩
- And yes, I’m aware of what I just said – but here I mean emotional suffering ↩
- When asked, my husband says that he thinks that in a relationship where one person enjoys porn and the other person is hurt, angry or insecure about the porn, the one with a problem is the one having the strong feelings about it. I’m not sure. I think it also depends on way in which the porn viewer uses the porn. ↩
- In his book Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, Chuck Klosterman states that, “The main thing the Internet has accomplished is the normalization of Amateur Pornography.” He also indirectly points out some of the ways in which porn can be degrading to women. ↩
- For more on this, you might want to check out the Sex and the Sangha posts at Smiling Buddha Cabaret ↩
On Meditation Part 3: Stuff You Absolutely Need for Meditation Practice (NOT)
21 year ago
Here’s a list of the things you really, absolutely MUST buy for your meditation practice:
No, not notebook paper, silly. The only thing you really, truly need to bring to your meditation is you, and your attention and intent. There is nothing you need to buy. When I had my first encounters with a Tibetan center, it was suggested that it would be helpful to create a home altar in front of which to practice my prostrations. This needed to include a specially filled and blessed Buddha statue, an altar card, butter lamps, bell, dorje… The trouble was that I wasn’t working at the time – I was staying home with two small kids and had little extra money to spend on these things. I found that the desire to “accessorize” my practice with these things only lent itself to more craving, more dissatisfaction.
I’m not saying that a home altar isn’t nice – it’s great to have a regular place to sit on a daily basis, and physical reminders to practice. I love Buddha statues, and have a small, simple area with a statue and some incense near where I sit. I’m just saying that going out (or sitting in front of your computer) on a shopping excursion is not necessary to begin practice. That being said, there are some things that are helpful, and other things you may want to consider for your practice, so here’s my two cents worth:
Stuff for meditation:
- What you absolutely need: You, and a place to sit with your back straight (or lie down if you absolutely can’t tolerate sitting…but I’ll get to sitting positions in a future post).
- Recommended/good to have:
- Something to sit on:
If you can sit on the floor: A pillow or household cushion will do, a zafu is nice. These are the round cushions used for zazen. They also make moon-shaped ones. I’d recommend the ones stuffed with kapok or buckwheat hulls as they are firmer and more supportive – some even come with a zipper so you can add or remove the filling to adjust the zafu to your liking. A long time ago I made my own zafus (even sold a few on ebay) based on the following instructions because the only place I could buy them was at a local new age store and they were very expensive. Making your own is nice if you have the time and inclination to sew. Now you can buy Zafus like the Hugger Mugger ones for $30 and up or if you are willing to pay a bit more and want to support a small Buddhist-owned green business you can purchase from places like Carolina Morning.
If you can’t sit on a cushion: A seiza bench 1. or seat may help. This is a small bench with a forward slant to the seat – you kneel on the floor with your behind on the seat and it puts your pelvis into an anterior tilt which helps to keep your back in a proper position. Sitting like this keeps the pressure off your knees vs. one of the cross-legged positions, and may be better for those who have knee problems.
- Something to sit on:
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A zabuton is basically just a big, flat pillow that sits on the floor that you put your zafu or seiza bench on that cushions your knees. I’d really recommend one. If you sew, again, no need to buy one, just get some cotton fabric and thick batting and cut some squares and stitch ‘em together.-
I sit in a chair. Yes, of course, but I mean I sit zazen in a chair.
-Susan Moon, This is Getting Old 
If you can’t sit either of these ways: A chair is OK to sit in. I have trouble keeping my back straight when I’m in a chair (old habit, I guess) 2. If you need to use a chair for your practice try find a sturdy chair, not a cushy one, and sit up tall with both feet on the floor, not using the backrest for support.- A quiet location: Cost: priceless. But don’t get too caught up in getting angry or irritable about noise that happens during your sitting. Try to plan your meditation for a quiet time of day, but if noise happens, just sit with it. Our practice is present moment awareness – and if, like me, this occasionally means sitting while your dog makes licking noises directly outside the door for the entire 30 minutes, just be with it 3.
- A way to time your practice: Keep yourself from clockwatching. You must have some sort of timer around your house. If not, there are plenty of meditation timers online. Just Google “Online Meditation Timer.” and you’ll find plenty. I just use the timer on my oven.
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- Nice, but unnecessary
Altar stuff: I love Buddha statues, and have a few. I know some non-Buddhist “Buddha admirers,” who seem to have a house full of Buddhas 4. But when it comes down to it, we don’t need Buddha statues for our practice. Practice realizing that “everything is Buddha.”- A designated location for meditation: You can meditate just about anywhere. Still it’s nice if you can find a regular spot; it’s a good encouragement for regular practice
- Incense: Oh, how I love incense. But still, I can do without.
- Fluff
- The Enso timer. Oh, how I want the Enso timer. I see this on the back of almost every issue of Tricycle magazine, proving that advertising has an effect on (some) of us who are trying to practice non-craving 5. This is a beautiful clock. With an enso! But, I suspect, my oven timer works just as well.
- You can also make your own seiza bench if you have any woodworking experience, or if you have absolutely NO woodworking experience and you’re just crazy, like me. I made one of these years ago, frightening my husband as he watched me in the garage with the saw. I ended up unscathed and with a seat. Just figure out the best tilt for your pelvis, cut two side panels of wood with an angle at the top, tall enough for you to fit your legs under if kneeling, cut a center piece, sand everything, then screw some hinges in between the panels and the seat. You can then use your staple gun to add some padding and fabric, if you want. ↩
- I visited a Zen group where everyone sat in chairs once! I was told I could bring my zafu…but then I’d be the one sitting low – the exact opposite experience of people who go to zendo and find themselves the only one sitting in a chair. ↩
- And use it as an “opportunity” to “just sit” with your anger, instead of yelling at your poor dog ↩
- Does this sound like I have a bit of, “Buddha envy?” Maybe. It seems that these days, Buddha is everywhere — shelves full of Buddhas and Buddha t-shirts at Target, Buddha pillows, window shades, rugs at World Market. Is this commercialization of Buddha negative (see Buddha for Sale), or does it promote more awareness of Buddhism? Maybe a good topic for a future post. ↩
- OK, in the words of Yoda, “Try? There is no try. There is only do.” ↩
How to Make Your Own Zafu
31 year ago
I “borrowed” this from Michigan Buddhist and Buddhamind. The borrowed is in quotes because I am re-borrowing it. This article first came from a site called No Zendo, who, in turn, found it in an out-of-print book, “To Forget the Self: An Illustrated Guide to Zen Meditation
” by John Daishin Buksbazen 1. I posted it on a small directory and article site I had at the time, and it got more of a response than any other article. That site has been down since 2002 or 2003, and I was pleased to see that the article was still out there… I even recognized my own edits and additions to the original 2.
Here’s the article with a few additional additions:
First, what is a zafu?
It’s a cushion to sit on during sitting meditation.
Do I need one?
Nope.
Having said that, here are some instructions which I borrowed from a wonderful web site called No Zendo. Unfortunately they are no longer online.
The following information was originally published by the Zen Center of Los Angeles and was found in one of their fine books, entitled “To Forget the Self: An Illustrated Guide to Zen Meditation” by John Daishin Buksbazen. Unfortunately, this book is now out of print. It is gratefully presented here as a help for those getting started on their own.
SUGGESTED FABRIC
A sturdy material such as a cotton/polyester blend. I used 100% cotton duck fabric in my zafus. It’s natural, and heavy duty…but make sure you have a strong needle in your sewing machine! Unless you plan to use your zafu strictly at home, you might want to consider using a solid, dark color of fabric. That wild, Hawaiian print you find so attractive in the store might be distracting if you are doing zazen with others.
SUGGESTED FILLING
Kapok is traditional. I like using buckwheat hulls. This can make the zafu a little messy to fill at first 3, but the buckwheat provides a nice, firm seat. You can also use polyester fiberfill, but I find that makes it too soft.
BASIC PIECES
STEP 1.
Pleat the length of cloth. There should be fourteen 3/4 inch pleats, 3 inches apart. To pleat:
a) Beginning 6-1 /2 inches from the left edge of the length, make three marks, 3/4 inch apart, thus marking out the first pleat:
Three inches after the first set of pleat markings, make the second set, as indicated above. Continue doing this till you have 14 pleats. When you finish, the last pleat marking should be 3 inches from the right edge. (If you wish to have narrower pleats, of course, simply increase the number of pleats.)
b) Next, iron the pleats and pin them. They should all be folded and ironed in toward the left-hand side. For each set of pleat markings, fold the third in toward the first as shown, and then pin as shown below:
STEP 2.
Now, having completed the first step, take the right edge of the pleated strip cloth and pin it to the left end of the strip, 3-1/4 inches from the left edge:
STEP 3.
Mark each circle of cloth at four equidistant points. Turn pleated length of cloth inside out. Pin each circle to the pleated strip, one circle to the top edge and one to the bottom edge, at each of the four points:
STEP 4.
Next, ease (pin) all the pleats in to the circles, top and bottom. Sew the circles to the length of cloth:
STEP 5.
Turn inside out and stuff with kapok or buckwheat hulls (through opening in the side that the zafu will have) It’s best to use a lot of stuffing material. Kapok will slowly compress with use and buckwheat hulls eventually breakdown:
That’s it!
You could sew a zipper in the opening or simply sew it closed.
If you’re like me, your zafu may end up with a bad-looking hand stitched opening on the side. To cover it up try sewing an extra piece of fabric on for a handle. Take a piece of cloth 2-3 inches wide and little longer than the zafu is high. Sew the long edges together and then turn it inside out. Iron with the seam in the middle. You could try a decorative stitch down both edges or embroider your name (if it will be on the floor with many other zafus). Sew the handle over the opening into the top and bottom seam line as you stich the top, bottom, and sides together.
Most important of all…..
sit on it regularly!
Love your handiwork by regularly meditating
- I’m going to have to pick this one up sometime, though it’s out of print, looks like it’s available online. ↩
- Including the intro and the strap to hide my bad side stitching – which I had not seen at the time, but that I was pleased to find as a feature on a new Zafu I ordered a few years back (I’m lazy about sewing these days). The handle makes a heavy, buckwheat-filled zafu much easier to carry. ↩
- And make sure you sew all the seams very carefully, so you don’t leave a trail of hulls behind you. ↩
Unconditional Love
71 year ago
“Everyone is loving you perfectly,” the teacher at the Tibetan center liked to say to her class. When she would say this, I would look at her skeptically, thinking about my own life, thinking about the world. Had my father loved me perfectly when he would drink and become verbally abusive? Did my ex-boyfriend love me perfectly when he wrote with Sharpie marker all over my car? Were all the warring nations, lying politicians, murderers, etc. actually, beneath the surface of things actually practicing perfect love without realizing it? Perhaps she would see my skeptical look, because she would then add on that that was the teaching – that even though at this level of reality it didn’t seem so, that at the ultimate level of reality everyone was, “loving us perfectly.”
Now, I understand this in some way. There is this reality of forms and particulars and specifics and distinctions that we operate with on a daily basis. This is the reality where we are separate selves, where “I” defend what’s “mine.” But on another level there aren’t all these boundaries and separations between ourselves and others, between us and nature, between one thing and another. They’re formed by all these words, concepts, ideas that we attach to things. These may allow us to function on a daily basis, but they also get in the way of seeing this level of reality. Yet, saying that everyone is practicing perfect love seemed like a strange way to put it. From a Buddhist perspective, though, unconditional love is true nature, who we are beneath all of the delusions with which we normally operate.
How often do we really practice unconditional love? There are some people, undoubtedly, who are able to be more open to practicing unconditional love than, say…me. Part of practicing unconditional love means being open, being willing to see beyond the surface of a person to this true nature. This is very difficulty to do when you are feeling pain about the actions of another person. Often some of the most difficult people in our lives to feel unconditional love for are those closest to us, because we have more attachment; we feel hurts and betrayals stronger. If Sue finds out an acquaintance has been gossiping about her, she will feel hurt for a while, but can move on. If she finds out her husband has been lying to her (for instance) about their bills, it’s a whole different level of hurt, and one that she’ll cling to much longer. She might even start thinking about other negative things about him, thinking about old wounds and other disappointments…all things that just add an extra charge to the anger and hurt. Maybe she even starts thinking about those 100 lbs he’s gained since they got married…and the fact that she does yoga and tries to keep in shape and meditates and is “peaceful” and all those times he’s complained because the house was less than perfectly clean and…and..and… (while of course, he has an anger problem). Pretty soon she has built a multi-layered wall between herself and her husband, which prevents her from communicating with her husband effectively about the original issue, or anything else, from a position of love rather than defensiveness.
I am not saying that practicing unconditional love means being a “doormat.” Practicing compassion doesn’t mean that we let people do things that are harmful to us. The Buddha said that, “You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” But, though I don’t do it well myself at this point, I believe it is possible to approach hurts and betrayals from a place of love for both ourselves and the person to whom we attribute our suffering (what causes me to suffer is, of course…me. And the thoughts I have about my experiences).
Most of the time we work in relationships with what Charlotte Joko Beck in Everyday Zen 1 refers to as ideas of exchange: that I give this to you, and you will give something back to me. We expect something in return for what we give in our relationships. We spend our time cleaning up and expect our spouse to show us approval. We think we’ve done well on a project at work and expect everyone to notice and give us praise. We expect our kids to show us gratitude for the myriad things we do for them and then ask, “What’s their problem?” when they don’t show us the appreciation we think we deserve. Most people do this. I do this – a lot. We also come to relationships with expectations about how other people should be and get disappointed and angry when they don’t behave as we think they should.
Unconditional love does not mean we have to like everybody or approve of everything they do. In The Practice of Love, John Welwood states:
…When I first started practicing therapy and found myself disliking certain clients or certain things about them, I felt guilty or hypocritical. But eventually I came to understand this in a new way. Unconditional love or loving-kindness did not mean that I always had to like my clients, any more than I liked all the twists and turns of my own scheming mind. Rather, it meant providing an accommodating space in which their knots could begin to unravel.
It was a great relief to realize that I did not have to unconditionally love or accept that which is conditioned—another’s personality. Rather, unconditional friendliness is a natural response to that which is itself unconditional—the basic goodness and open heart in others, beneath all their defenses, rationalizations, and pretenses. Unconditional love is not a sentiment, but a willingness to be open. It is not a love of personality, but the love of being, grounded in the recognition of the unconditional goodness of the human heart.
Buddhism does not teach, “detachment,” as some people might think…it teaches nonattachment. Detachment means “whatever…” — you don’t really care. Nonattachment means that you realize everything changes, people come and go, and you are open to letting them be who they are, open to changes in your relationships even if it means letting that person go.
What keeps us from practicing unconditional love ?:
- Our views, which keep us in the delusion of being a separate, independent self or suggest to us a way things “should” be.
- Not being in the present. Especially holding onto and revisiting past hurts again and again, letting them color the way we see ourselves and others right now 2. Or, dreaming about the way it might be in the future (and imagining a fantasy person instead of really seeing the one right in front of you).
- Self-hatred. The Dalai Lama was surprised how much self-hatred westerners had because the concept was foreign to him 3. When we are being critical, demanding, perfectionist with ourselves, it obstructs our ability to love others…yet sometimes loving ourselves seems to be the hardest thing to do.
- The expectation of reciprocity. Often people do reciprocate. But we cannot simultaneously love unconditionally and keep a scorecard.
How do we learn to love others unconditionally? Practice, practice, practice. Keep up a consistent sitting practice. Be totally honest with yourself about your feelings — even, and especially when they are not perfectly loving (but without judging or adding labels of “good” or “bad”). And, especially, keep in mind that others have the same hopes and fears that we do, and want the same things—to be happy, to be loved, to be free from suffering.
- Beck, Charlotte. Everyday Zen. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 2007. Print. ↩
- Sometimes, it seems like I have certain memories set on “replay”. This is something that I’m working on. ↩
- Salzberg, Sharon. “Sit.” DharmaWeb.org. N.p., December 2006. Web. 22 Aug 2010. http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/Sit_by_Sharon_Salzberg ↩
Duck-Viewing Zazen
01 year ago
One of the things I am grateful for is a park within a short walk of my house. Full of shady wooden paths that, right now, have an autumn glow as the sun shines through on the falling leaves, and dirt and gravel trails passing by marshes and ponds, it is the perfect place to practice walking meditation (or biking, or running…). I’m thoroughly enjoying it while the weather is still nice around here.
Usually, this park is populated by me, a few other people now and then, and various small critters that mostly keep to themselves. However today, down in the pond, there were about six ducks swimming around the pond algae and, from what it appeared, having quite a feast (bugs, I presume). My first thought was that I wished I’d brought my camera. I hadn’t sat this morning, and I decided that (while I make it my goal to try to be in the moment, every moment, I fall far from this in actuality) I would use this time to just be in the moment, doing nothing but just watching the ducks. I did this for, oh…a few minutes at most, and then, without realizing it my thoughts drifted off, jumping one to the next, until I was not even thinking about the ducks.
At this moment – *SNAP* – a branch snapped off a tree and hit me square on the shoulder. Nature’s own kyosaku, telling me “Wake Up! You’ve drifted off again!” Nothing like the unexpected to bring you back into the present moment.
On Meditation: Part Two: What Meditation Isn’t
51 year ago
In my last post, I stated that I thought the best definition for meditation was, “A practice for training the mind 1. Sometimes, I’ve run into misconceptions about meditation—some of them my own, some of them from other people. I think my last post would have been more complete if I had stated not just what meditation is, but what meditation is not. This is based on my own experience and practice, feel free to disagree. So, here goes…
10 Things that Meditation Isn’t
- Total lack of thoughts: I’ll probably say this again in a future post, but you are going to have thoughts when you meditate. This happens to everyone. We all have time, even spontaneously during that day when we are not meditating, even that we don’t notice, when we are not thinking. But thoughts will come during our meditation time, just like they do at any other. Don’t judge yourself or your practice negatively because you keep thinking when you’re on the cushion. My favorite analogy 2is of thoughts as clouds that pass. Thoughts will come and thoughts will go. Let them drift across your consciousness – don’t criticize yourself for having them and push them away (aversion), or cling to them and follow them (attachment). Just let them go. When we grasp at a thought, and then follow it to the next thought and the next like a monkey swinging on vines in the jungle (monkey mind), we soon find ourselves lost. But, that happens. When it happens, just gently bring yourself back to your breath or whatever your focus of meditation is.
- Something that will make you constantly blissful: This misconception goes something like this: “I’ll meditate, become enlightened, and then I’ll be in a state of bliss.” OK, I’m exaggerating – a bit. I think that some come to meditation striving for enlightenment or looking for a quick path to happiness. You can have feelings of bliss during and resulting from your practice. And meditation is part of a lifestyle that can lead to greater happiness. But, like everything else, bliss is impermanent. As the saying goes, “After the ecstasy, the laundry.” We meditate, but ultimately the real measure of our practice is how it helps us deal with those day to day tasks and dilemmas we find anything but blissful 3.
- An instant antidote to your problems: This is a companion to #2. Remember that parable where the Buddha tells the farmer that everyone has 83 problems, and he can’t help the farmer with any of them – but he can help with the 84th problem? “What’s that?” the farmer asks, and the Buddha tells him that the 84th problem is that we don’t want to have any problems. Meditate, get off the cushion, and your problems will still be there. Not only that, but you might develop more insight and realize you have even more problems that you thought you did. But as you develop the ability to take things more moment-by-moment, you might find that you are able to deal with these problems with more equanimity and with a greater sense of calm…and eventually get to the point where you either have fewer problems because you’ve finally dealt with them, have accepted the problems that you can’t change, or even befriended some of your problems and changed your attitude to where you no longer see them as problems.
- Progressive relaxation: Got anxiety? Got muscle tension? Progressive relaxation can be great. Lie yourself down, start at your toes, tense up your muscles and release. It can been a great way to get rid of that tension. It can even been a great way to relax your body before meditation, if it doesn’t make you sleepy. But progressive relaxation is not meditation.
- Creative visualization: This one is debatable. Tantric Buddhist practices involve a lot of visualization – the practitioner visualizes him- or herself as a specific deity to identify with and take on the qualities of that deity – for example, Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara) to develop qualities of compassion. I am not criticizing this practice, though I have not found it to be for me at this time, and I suppose it could be counted as a tool for training the mind. But somehow, I see meditation and visualization as different practices, though they can complement each other.
- A tool of Satan: I really hate that I have to include this one. Many years ago when I was younger and told my mom I was meditating, she 4 mentioned that she had seen someone on TV who said that meditation would open your mind, “and then anything can get in there.” I also had Pentecostal neighbors as a child and teenager who told me something similar. I hope I don’t have to say that an open mind is NOT a bad thing. A closed mind = attachment to views. We all, of course, get attached to our views and want to see them as right, but some people take this to the extreme and are afraid of anything that conflicts with their world view.
- A competitive sport: I posted about this at http://dukkhagirl.thisiszen.com/2010/07/29/zen-is-not-a-competitive-sport/ as well. Your meditation practice is going well? Great! But it’s not the occasion to brag or show off about how many sesshin you’ve attended, what teachers you have studied with, how long you can sit in full lotus, how many experiences of kensho you’ve had, or how many koans you’ve mastered. If you’re just sharing information, OK. But, I’ve met or heard of a few who seem to want to brag about their practice. Remember, elevating yourself above others is not in keeping with Buddhist practice. Yes, there are people who know more, are more experienced, or have a deeper meditation practice—that’s why we have teachers…but the best teachers and practitioners I’ve met don’t brag. Also see below (#8).
- A reason for negative self-judgment or comparing yourself with others: As in #7, don’t brag – but also don’t condemn. Be OK with where your practice is right now. My teacher compares this self-judgment to a sandwich – we make one layer by making a judgment about our practice, then we add a second layer for judging ourselves for judging – and on it goes – you can have a sandwich with as many layers as you want. I’m trying to convert mine from a multilayered Dagwood-sized sub to a thin panini. In the book Nonviolent Communication , Marshall Rosenburg refers to a book called How to Make Yourself Miserable by Dan Greenburg in which he states:
(Dan Greenburg) suggests that if readers have the desire to make life miserable for themselves, they might learn to compare themselves to other people. For those unfamiliar with this practice, he provides a few exercises. The first one displays full-length pictures of a man and a woman embody ideal physical beauty by contemporary media standards. Readers are instructed to take their own body measurements, compare them to those superimposed on pictures of the attractive specimens, and dwell on the differences…He turns to the phone book to give readers a few random individuals to compare themselves with. The first name he claims to have pulled out of the phone book is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Greenburg lists the languages Mozart spoke and the major pieces he had composed by the time he was a teenager. The exercise then instructs readers to reflect on their own achievements at their current stage of life, to compare them with what Mozart had accomplished by the age of twelve, and to dwell on the differences 5
Role models are OK, but don’t go around comparing yourself with Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama, your teacher, or even that guy sitting on the zafu next to yours at the zendo.
- Selfish: Is using your time sitting on a cushion everyday selfish? I’ve heard criticism toward some Buddhist groups for not being activist enough. Meditation is a self-care activity in some ways. So is exercise, brushing your teeth or taking a shower. Are those things selfish? If meditation makes me a better person to be around; if it helps me to be calmer, more aware, more present that benefits everyone around me. Most of our hours of the day are spent off the cushion. If our sitting practice helps us be more mindful in all the other stuff we do, is that selfish?
- Easy/Difficult: Here we go judging again. Maybe both of these things are true. Maybe neither are. Maybe both are just stories we tell ourselves. Sitting on a cushion and following the breath or counting to ten is easy, right? What could be more simple? And yet, staying present can be difficult. That monkey mind creeps in again. Again, your practice is what it is. Try not to slap labels on it.
- OK, maybe I didn’t say exactly, that, but I do think this is the best definition I can give for meditation ↩
- I think this is from Shunryu Suzuki ↩
- The day after I wrote this part of this post, I came across the following article on Elephant Journal: Buddhist Haters Gonna Hate! I agree with Blake Wilson here that the point of practice is not to eliminate all “negative emotions” – that it’s better to stop judging our emotions as good or bad and be present to what’s going on right here and now. ↩
- Please note, my mom is a very accepting person and has never been opposed to me practicing meditation, but she’s also a person who repeats whatever she hears ↩
- Rosenberg, Marshall, , and . Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. PuddleDancer Press, 2003. 18-19. Print. ↩
WB Japan Buddha Movie Anime
11 year ago
I came across this on The Worst Horse. Looks like an anime about the Buddha is coming out soon in Japan. I don’t read or speak Japanese, but it looks interesting. Click here to view the trailer.
On Meditation: Part One: What is Meditation and Why Meditate?
31 year ago
Oh, to look as peaceful and tranquil as Julia when I meditate...and to be able to sit in lotus position comfortably on concrete.
This is the first in a series of short articles about the subject of meditation that I plan to write. Why write about meditation when there’s so much already out there on the Internet about this? So many books? The only answer I could come up with is, “Because.” Because I want to. Because, perhaps, it will help me with my own practice. Maybe it will even help someone else. Maybe it’s just my egotistical self-promoting Leo side trying to find an outlet for my drive to write. I asked, “Why not?” but I was able to answer that: I am not an ordained anything. I am not a teacher, except in the way that we’re all teachers. I haven’t been practicing for a lifetime, though I practice regularly now 1. The group I sit with on a regular basis is Zen, but I plan to write about other things I gleaned from books I’ve read, teachers I’ve met or listened to (Buddhist or just teachers in the school of life).
I don’t think Vipassana is necessarily the path for me. It’s far too austere for my notions of devotional practice, which generally revolve around compassion and love and butterflies and bliss and a friendly God (what my friend Darcey calls “Slumber Party Theology’). There isn’t even any talk about “God” in Vipassana, since the notion of God is considered by some Buddhists to be the final object of dependency, the ultimate fuzzy security blanket, the last thing to be abandoned on the path to pure detachment. 2
Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love
In Zen, I have been told, we are supposed to come to our practice, to our zazen, to our cushions without ideas of achieving or gaining. Yet, who really does this when approaching meditation for the first time? We all have expectations. We all want something. That’s why we approach meditation in the first place, and maybe, eventually, get to that place where we can practice just to practice, sit just to sit, without throwing all of our stew of expectations, self-judgments, and evaluations into the mix. Wanting something, or a feeling of dis-ease (not as in sickness, but in the sense that something just is off – there’s that dukkha again), is what gets many of us onto the cushion in the first place.
But what we want, what we expect from our meditation practice can vary radically. The quote above from Eat, Pray, Love 3 is an illustration of this. Gilbert wants bliss, and love, and butterflies, and a connection with God from her practice. Another person might come to meditation looking for a way to deal with anxiety or because she’s read about the health benefits of meditation. Another person might come to meditation because he’s interested in the ethical aspects of Buddhism as a way to live a good life, and learns about meditation that way. Yet another might see his meditation as a self-experiment in the expansion of consciousness.
And just as we come to the cushion (or the bench, or chair, or whatever we use) with our own differences and expectations for our meditation, there are many, many different types of meditation out there. There are many non-Buddhist meditation practices, some of these are much like Buddhist meditation practices, and, even within Buddhism, there are many different types of meditation. It can get confusing. I spent a lot of time swinging back and forth between one type of meditation and another and another before I decided it was time to get consistent. I’ll probably say this again in another place: While exploring to see what works best for you is OK for a while, the best thing we can do for our meditation practice is to be regular and consistent.
But what is meditation? With all these different types of meditation out there, is there a common denominator defining meditation. Is there something consistent between all forms of meditation to define what meditation is? I thought I’d start with the dictionary definition. If you look up meditation at dictionary.com here’s what you find:
med·i·ta·tion
/ˌmɛd
ɪˈteɪ
–noun
1. the act of meditating.
2. continued or extended thought; reflection; contemplation.
4. devout religious contemplation or spiritual introspection.
Origin:
1175–1225; < L meditātiōn- (s. of meditātiō ) a thinking over r. ME meditacioun < AF < L, as above 4
But, somehow, these definitions didn’t to it for me. For me, extended thought and contemplation is something I do when I’m thinking or reading, but not what I’m going for when I meditate. Transcendental meditation is just one form of many, and though, I suppose religious contemplation can be one form of meditation, it’s not what I’d say I’m doing when I meditate.
Another, more simple definition that I’d agree with more is to be found at Wikipedia:
Meditation is a holistic discipline during which time the practitioner trains his or her mind in order to realize some benefit 5
Here we have the idea of training the mind.
So what is meditation, and why do we meditate? I think the definition, purpose, and goal of meditation varies with religion or tradition. Buddhism, of course did not originate, nor does it own meditation.
The goals of meditation according to:
Christianity: Christians pray, right? They don’t meditate, do they? One could argue that prayer is a variety of meditation, though I would argue that it depends on the type of prayer. Asking for stuff or bargaining with God certainly doesn’t count as meditation in my book, but I see something similar in counting hail Marys on a rosary and counting Om Mani Peme Hungs on a mala. Contemplative prayer traditions abound in Christianity. Centering prayer is one such type of Christian meditation, with the goal of, “clear(ing) the mind of rational thought in order to focus on the indwelling presence of God 6, using a (usually Christian-based) anchor word to dwell on, coming back to that word whenever thought arise. I see parallels between this, and my Zen practice, where I keep returning to the breath. There have also been clergy that have also had Zen training. Of course, the focus in Christian meditation would be God, which differs from the focus in Buddhist practice, though I have met Buddhists who are anywhere along the spectrum of theism.
Yoga: When I first hear the word “yoga,” my mind first goes to hatha yoga, as that’s how I first encountered yoga here in the US as a child. It was the 1970s, and my older mom had a young friend who would stand around on her head in our living room and talk to me. I thought it was very cool, so I started to spend a lot of time with Richard Hittleman’s 28-day yoga program, as that was the only book I had access to. This also pissed off some of my friends and neighbors. I was told that this was “Evil,” and a “tool of Satan,” because the Sun Salutation was worshipping the Sun instead of Our Lord Jesus Christ. These are the same people who would later suggest that I should be careful of meditation because it might open my mind too much – and then who knows what might get in there:) I would roll my eyes, and explain that yoga was healthy and good exercise (advice I wish I’d stuck with, as, I assure you my body right now is NOT yoga-toned…but I plan to get with it again soon) and NOT religious. I was right about everything but the last because, of course, yoga does have a religious or spiritual element, though hatha yoga is often practiced just for the workout. The word Yoga means something like, “union” or “joining.” Yoga is based in Hinduism and assumes the existence of God. So the goal of yoga is to reconnect with the divine. This is done both through meditation and asanas (postures)—which, of course, if done mindfully as they should be are, themselves, a form of movement meditation.- Transcendental Meditation: This is a form of mantra meditation (also Hindu based) introduced in the 1950s by Maharesh Mahesh Yogi. It was first promoted using more religious language, but then they began to promote the health benefits to make it more widely accessible and get more people to sign up (there is a cost to getting your mantra), and to allow it to be taught in schools.
- Science: Techniques like progressive relaxation and mindfulness meditation are being widely touted by science these days as being healthy: reducing stress, promoting relaxation, reducing pain, increasing overall feelings of well-being and happiness, increasing empathy, decreasing blood pressure, controlling anxiety, even possibly helping with allergies.
Buddhist meditation: I would place ending suffering as the primary goal of Buddhist meditation. I suspect that most would also place achieving enlightenment or Nirvana as the primary goal, though some would tell you that you should just practice without goal, and without striving for experiences of enlightenment or kensho. Of course, within Buddhism there are many traditions and many varying practices. I’ll go into some of these in a later article.- I realize I missed many religions here, and these are just a few paths that practice forms of meditation.
My "goal" is to practice zazen like a baby.
So, why do I meditate? On first thought, I would say that I’m definitely NOT practicing to deepen my connection with God. Because of part of my upbringing, I have initial negative reactions to the word “God 7. And yet…my practice deepens my feelings of connectedness, my insight into the interconnectedness between things, and is this whole – this everything-all-together—not God? I suppose I started getting interested in meditation because, first, I was interested in anything different than what I was taught as a kid. I think I first became interested in Buddhism for the same reason I became interested in other religious paths – out of disbelief in Christianity and a sort of rebelliousness. But Buddhism is where I am now because it makes sense to me (or does sometimes – I still have a sort of baffled amusement toward some Zen stories). And I became interested in meditation because I was an anxious person who was interested in finding ways to deal with anxiety besides popping the BuSpar my therapist was trying to prescribe me. Has meditation helped me to reduce my suffering? I would say, “yes,” though subtly. I do find that when I practice regularly, I am able to deal with things with a little more equanimity, a little more calm. Even with financial drama in my life, I am able to be a little more present right now, and worry less about the future 8.
- After having practiced various things sporadically since my teens ↩
- Gilbert, E. (2006). Eat,pray,love: one woman’s search for everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia (Digital Edition) ↩
- This quote came to mind as I read this book recently. But this post is not to review this book. I’ll just say that some of the few comments she made about Zen or Buddhism I don’t necessarily agree with, and I think she misinterprets what “attachment” is in the extended version of this quote. ↩
- American Psychological Association (APA):
meditation. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved July 31, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/meditation
Chicago Manual Style (CMS):
meditation. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/meditation (accessed: July 31, 2010).
Modern Language Association (MLA):
“meditation.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 31 Jul. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/meditation>.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE):
Dictionary.com, “meditation,” in Dictionary.com Unabridged. Source location: Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/meditation. Available: http://dictionary.reference.com. Accessed: July 31, 2010.
BibTeX Bibliography Style (BibTeX)
@article {Dictionary.com2010,
title = {Dictionary.com Unabridged},
month = {Jul},
day = {31},
year = {2010},
url = {http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/meditation},
} ↩ - Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, here… http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meditating the definition of meditation as an intransitive verb, the second one ↩
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centering_prayer ↩
- I’m one of those people who, if asked “do you believe in God,” will say, “what do you mean by ‘God’?” I believe this drives my husband a little nutty, but it often means such different things to different people, I prefer not to even deal with the word ↩
- Which, I need to point out, does NOT mean that you don’t plan for the future. Being in the here and now does not mean that you do whatever you want right now. Setting goals, financial or personal, and working toward them in the here and now is OK! ↩
