Drury,+David


 * Topic: Meditation in Zen Buddhism**

**Zazen** Zazen is a particular kind of meditation, unique in Zen, that functions centrally as the very heart of the practice. Zen Buddhists are generally known as the meditation Buddhists. Basically, zazen is the study of the self. There are different kinds of meditations. The first, and simplest, meditation, is the Burmese position, in which the legs are crossed and both feet rest flat on the floor. The knees should also rest on the floor, though sometimes it takes a bit of exercise to be able to get the legs to drop that far. After awhile the muscles will loosen up and the knees will begin to drop. To help that happen, sit on the front third of the zafu, shifting your body forward a little bit. By imagining the top of your head pushing upward to the ceiling and by stretching your body that way, get your spine straight - then just let the muscles go soft and relax. With the buttocks up on the zafu and your stomach pushing out a little, there will be a slight curve in the lower region of the back. In this position, it takes very little effort to keep the body upright.

**Half Lotus P** **osition**

Another position is the half lotus, where the left foot is placed up onto the right thigh and the right leg is tucked under. This position is slightly asymmetrical and sometimes the upper body needs to compensate in order to keep itself absolutely straight.

**Full Lotus Positio**

By far the most stable of all the positions is the full lotus, where each foot is placed up on the opposite thigh. This is perfectly symmetrical and very solid. Stability and efficiency are the important reasons sitting cross-legged on the floor works so well. There is absolutely no esoteric significance to the different positions. What is most important in zazen is what you do with your mind, not what you do with your feet or legs.

**Seiza Position**

There is also the seiza position. You can sit seiza without a pillow, kneeling, with the buttocks resting on the upturned feet which form an anatomical cushion. Or you can use a pillow to keep the weight off your ankles. A third way of sitting seiza is to use the seiza bench. It keeps all the weight off your feet and helps to keep your spine straight.

**Chair Position** Finally, it's fine to sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor. You can use a cushion, or zafu, the same way you would use it on the floor - sitting on the forward part of the cushion. You can also place the zafu at the small of the back. It's very important to keep the spine straight with the lower part of the back curved. All of the aspects of the posture that are important when seated on the floor are just as important when sitting in a chair.

**Breathing in Zazen** Begin by inhaling through the nose, and exhaling out of the mouth. Begin rocking the body back and forth, slowly, in decreasing arcs, until you settle at your center of gravity. “The mind is in the hara, hands are folded in the cosmic mudra, mouth is closed, tongue pressed on the upper palate”.



**REFERENCE:** “Zen Meditation Instructions.” 10 April 2011. Web. 10 April 2011. < [|__http://www.mro.org/zmm/teachings/meditation.php__] >.