Originally Posted by
glue_factory
Many thanks for all the helpful replies. I've grappled with the idea of their not being "good" and "bad" zazen for a while now, and think I'm beginning to appreciate it more.
I still worry, though, that there is a difference between 'Zazen' and 'not Zazen'. For the sake of argument, If I sit on the couch, listening to the radio, not particularly aware of the present moment, I would say that is not Zazen. If I sit on my zafu, but still listening to the radio, not returning to the present moment, I would say that is still not Zazen. If I sat on my zafu, but the moment the bell rings, I start to think about what I will make for dinner and don't stop thinking till the bell rings at the end, surely that is still not 'just sitting'. If I break my dinner thoughts for one moment, to return to the present, does that make it Zazen ?
Apologies for the slightly laboured point, but I wonder, at what point does 'just sitting' become 'just sitting' ?
I realise my argument here is more than a little 'dualistic' :-) which is probably the problem.
Jundo, feel free to move this to the other thread, if it's more appropriate.