Some questions about my zazen (shikantaza) practice. I know that experiences in zazen are mostly passing moments, that I donīt have to pay that much attention to them, but I still want to ask about some of them.

1. Sometimes in periods of sitting Iīve had some minor tension issues (mostly after a period of not sitting regularly) in the neck and top of the head. They usually disappear when I sit regularly. Is that usual?

2. Often when I sit I get deeply still or relaxed, my breath gets very slow as my body goes to a kind of rest. Is that ok, or am I unintensionally (is that a correct word?) going too deep, getting too relaxed? Still aware, but maybe a bit kind of numb feeling in my body, like my body is resting and Iīm watching it rest. Next question is also related to this.

3. As I stop engaging in both external and internal noice when sitting, it brings to mind something that John Daido Loori said (if I remember correctly), that when sitting zazen you will hear but not hear, see but not see. We are not engaging in thought, seing or sounds, we are dropping it all, yet being openly aware. Is it correct (in our shikantaza practice) to say that we are aware but not aware, as in giving attention but not engaging in anything?

Janne