In connection with Shambhala Sun's new "How to Meditate" issue, I'm often asked to describe Shikantaza Zazen in a nutshell. Well, perhaps the simplest and most basic instructions for Zazen are neatly summarized in the verse "Faith in Mind," traditionally attributed to the Third Patriarch in China, Sengcan:
.
- The Way of the supreme is not difficult,
- If only people will give up preferences.
- Like not, dislike not.
- Be illuminated....
- If you want to see Truth,
- Call no life experience favorable or unfavorable....
- There is nothing lacking, and nothing in excess.
- Only the discriminating mind
- Renders the All-Roundedness not whole....
Sit without likes and dislikes, aversions and attractions... even amid likes and dislikes. [Click through for more, and to "sit-a-long" with today's video.]
Sit serenely in an action that is whole and complete, unhindered by the conditions of life, allowing all to be. One is spacious and content, unattached and ungrasping.
A simple, elegant, vibrant and complete practice.
Today's Sit-A-Long video follows. Remember: recording ends soon after the beginning bells; a sitting time of 20 to 35 minutes is recommended.
Leave a comment