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1

What is Zen?

Understanding Zen Practice

Understanding Zen Teachings

Over the next several weeks I would like to explore deeper and further into Zen and Zen Meditation (Zazen), as I feel the teachings from this school can profoundly impact ones life and greatly help one in their spiritual evolution.  Fortunately Zen teachings have been spread far and wide by many recent Zen Masters and so are now more easily accessible to us all.

The 2 zen masters who I would certainly recommend for those looking to understand what Zen is and how to practice it, are Charlotte Joko Beck and Shunryu Suzuki.  The respective books by each that are excellent sources of Zen teachings are Everyday Zen, Love and Work and the classic, Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind.  On the website itself, there are many articles on Zen teachings and techniques, and you can find them in the following category: Zen Buddhism.

The key to understanding Zen, like all profound spiritual approaches, comes from practicing it for oneself, and the heart of Zen practice is Zen Meditation or Zazen.  You will find video and written instructions on how to practice Zazen in the following 2 articles:

Zen Meditation Technique
How to Meditate By Yourself (Zazen Practice)

For those who are new to Zen and looking for an introduction to what this spiritual path is all about, I would like to share the following excerpt from a talk by Zen Master Sheng-yen.  The full excerpt is available on the Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association website.

What is Zen (Chan)?

Chan was first discovered by a prince named Siddhartha Gautama (called Shakyamuni after his enlightenment), who was born in India about 2500 years ago. After he became enlightened and was called a Buddha, he taught us the method to know Chan. This method was transmitted from India to China, and then to Japan. In India it was called dhyana, which is pronounced “Chan” in Chinese, and “Zen” in Japanese. Actually, all three are identical.  Chan has universal and eternal existence. It has no need of any teacher to 
transmit it; what is transmitted by teachers is just the method by which one can 
personally experience this Chan.

Some people mistakenly understand Chan to be some kind of mysterious 
experience; others think that one can attain supernatural powers through the 
experience of Chan. Of course, the process of practicing Chan meditation may 
cause various kinds of strange occurrences on the level of mental and physical 
sensation; and also, through the practice of unifying body and mind, one may be 
able to attain the mental power to control or alter external things. But such 
phenomena, which are looked upon as mysteries of religion, are not the aim of 
Chan practice, because they can only satisfy one’s curiosity or megalomania, 
and cannot solve the actual problems of peoples lives.

Chan starts from the root  of the problem. It does not start with the idea of conquering the external social and material environments, but starts with gaining thorough knowledge of one’s own self.  The moment you know what your self is, this “I” that you now take to be yourself will simultaneously disappear. We call this new knowledge of the notion of self “enlightenment” or “seeing ones basic nature”. This is the beginning of helping you to thoroughly solve real problems. In the end, you will discover that you the individual, together with the whole of existence, are but one totality which cannot be divided.

What is Zen Summary:

Those who are familiar with Advaita Vedanta or the works of other non-dual masters will immediately see the parallels in the teachings.  After all the Truth is the Truth.  The practice is designed to help us see the false nature of dualistic reality and experience the absolute Oneness of Reality.  This enlightened state requires no addition, but subtraction or removal of the false sense of separation that is due to our conditioned thinking.  The approach is that of mindful living and meditation practice (Zazen).  So as I mentioned I will be sharing more on Zen and Zen teachings in the near future, so we can all be free of suffering and realize our true, basic nature.

2

Best Spiritual Books

Best Books for Spiritual Growth

List of Best Spiritual Books  

 
In the article, 3 Simple Tips to Inviting Enlightenment, one of the tips for attracting enlightenment experiences was reading great spiritual books.  Although, these suggestions came from personal experience, comments scattered throughout the blog have confirmed that these techniques have worked for others as well.  Below are examples of such testimonials with regard to enlightenment experiences taking place simply on account of reading great books on spirituality. 

Books

The goal of this article is to compile a list of the best spiritual books out there and this will require your help to do .

 

Readers Experiences Just from Reading Spiritual Books:

Mahesh Says:

I got and read some books regarding enlightenment.  Now I feel same like Anmol.  I did not do even a continuous meditation.  I got kundalini pressure in my spine too.  I got only love, all other are same like before. Happiness but no reason. I have told to my wife.

You know, I feel more happy and I never felt before.

 

Malini (who had spontaneous Kindalini Awakening simply from reading), says:

My question is: “is it possible to have the awakening without any effort?”  Because I never tried or wanted that. I even never heard of Kundalini.  Only thing which I think might have contributed to it was resigning from my job (from World Health Organization) and sitting at home and reading Bhagawat Gita. Though I don’t know whether I did that consciously.  It was very unlike me.

Stewart says:

Anyway after my friend left, for about the next two weeks i started reading my bible and borrowed an old cassette tape with songs on… On a sunny day in April 1994, i was walking throw a park listening to this tape, the song was ”Breath of God Breathe on Me” as i listened to this acappella song and the harmony unity in all the singing, something inside me broke, gave up, i started crying and as i did i was suddenly overwhelmed with this amazing love, heat, and i felt something travel up through and out of top of my head. For the next 3 weeks or so, i felt this burning ball of energy in my navel/stomach area, and was in love with everything, i mean a deep divine love and i felt so pure.

Nyporter says:

(I get) Intense pressure/energy in crown head area when in temples/religious places and reading religious scriptures.

Best Spiritual Books:

One of the best aspects of blogs and the internet is that the sharing of knowledge and resources can take place so easily, and my hope is that in this article and thread we can share with each other what books we have found to be helpful with regard to spiritual evolution. These can be books on spirituality, meditation, yoga, God, enlightenment, religion, anything at all which you have found was helpful to your spiritual growth.  This way we can compile a very useful resource of the best spiritual books, which can then be used by others to accelerate their own progress. 
 
To that end, I would like to share with you some books on spirituality and meditation which were instrumental in helping me on my own spiritual journey.  Although, this can be a long list, I want to give you a few of those which I found to be the very best.
 
If you are interested in getting these books, make sure you search for them on the web first as some are freely available as online e-books.  If you want to purchase them, you can use my quick links at the bottom of the article.
 
Best Spiritual Books:
  • Think on These Things – J. Krishnamurti (other books by JK are great too)
  • Krishnamurti’s Notebook – J. Krishnamurti
  • Courage, The Joy of Living Dangerously – Osho (other books by Osho are great too)
Best Books on Advaita Vedanta (Non-dualism):
  • I Am That – Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
  • Ease of Being – Jean Klein
Best Books on Zen Buddhism:
  • Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind – Shunryu Suzuki
  • Everyday Zen, Love and Work – Charlotte Joko Beck
Best Books on Yoga & Tantra:
  • Autobiography of a Yogi – Paramhansa Yogananda
  • Aghora, At the Left Hand of God – Robert E. Svoboda

Best Spiritual Books Summary:

From the reader testimonials above, The Bible and the Bhagavad Gita have been mentioned as well,  which I am sure is not a surprise .  So what other books have you found to be great?  What other books do you feel you were lucky to come across and have been helpful to you in your spiritual and personal growth?  Which spiritual master pieces are your favorites and you feel should make the Best Spiritual Books List?  Please do share these with us in the comments section below.  

If you are interested in purchasing any of these books from Amazon, you will find easy and quick links on this page using my affiliate account .  Thanks and Happy Reading!

3

Meditation Help & 5 Great New Meditation Tips for Beginners

Meditation Help

Meditation Tips for Beginners

In the 2 previous article, Essential Meditation Tips & Tools for Daily Practice and the Top 5 Mistakes in Establishing a Meditation Practice, I shared many important meditation tips to help you establish a strong meditation practice.  Today I would like to give you some more valuable meditation help.  Today’s article will give you tips which are very practical in nature and should help you deal with common issues that many beginner meditators have.

Meditation Help

First, I will do a quick review of the tips from the previous articles I mentioned above and then, I will move ahead to the new meditation tips I would like to share with you today.  If you are familiar with the two article above, then you can skip down to the New Meditation Help & Tips Section below.

Meditation Help for Beginners

1- Meditation Space: 

This is a must.  Gorilla meditation tactics, meditating here there are everywhere are usually just good for short bursts.  If you are interested in a sustained campaign, designating a meditation space is a huge help.  Those college students who complain to me about this suggestion due to living in a dorm, your entire room is your meditation space … mine was.  Of course, in this case just do the best you can.

2- Meditation Tools:

Loose fitting clothing, that doesn’t bunch up behind your knees, an alarm clock, good firm meditation cushion (preferably a Zafu or Smile Cushion) are all very helpful meditation accessories.

3- Set Meditation Time:

This should have been number 1, but I am feeling too lazy to cut and paste it up there now, so here it is incorrectly at number 3 .  Set a specific time to do your daily meditation practice.  Preferably this should be early in the morning, earlier the better, but certainly before your day kicks into full gear.  There are many good reason for this and you can read about those in the article: The Secret to Becoming an Early Riser.

4- Right Meditation Attitude:

Here are attitudes that get in the way of establishing a strong meditation practice.  Some of these are the ones I listed in the meditation articles above, but some are from the comments of other meditators offering their ideas and meditation help.

  • Think meditation is too hard and give up.  Be patient, persist and do as much as you are comfortable doing.  Overdoing it and not enjoying your practice becomes an obstacle to long term practice.
  • Want enlightenment or positive changes fast.  The rewards take a little time to emerge, but they do come and are certainly worth it.  Just keep going, without expectations or desire for lollipops and psychic powers.
  • Try to Stop/Empty the Mind:  It is ok for thoughts to come up, the Big Mind and unearthly silence will emerge.  It just takes time for such evolution to happen.

Meditation Help & 5 New Beginner Meditation Tips

Here are 5 more helpful meditation tips which should help you raise the level of your meditation practice.  These are very practical tips and deal with difficulties both, beginners and others, will typically encounter during their actual meditation sessions.

Meditation Tip #1- Sitting Through Restlessness:

This is perhaps one of the most common difficulties encountered by beginner meditators.  You have set the alarm for 20 minutes and about 10 minutes in, you are cruising along doing your Zen Meditation counting your breath, when you start to feel restless, start wondering how much time is left and start to feel the urge to get up and get busy with life… oh oh!

If this is happening to you, you are lucky.  Yes that is correct, you are lucky and I am jealous. This is precisely why meditation, especially silent, still meditation, is so effective and why you will benefit so much from your early practice.  At the very end, enlightenment is nothing but the art of being ok with “what is”, no matter what that “what is” is.  It is the art of embracing the present, and being empty of the desire to change or escape it.  Guess what, here is your chance to develop that art. 

You see, once you become an expert meditator, that restlessness and boredom tends to come up much less, so really you get less opportunity to practice this great art of staying with the unpleasant present.  Developing this art is what Zen Meditation (or other such meditation) facilitates and that is precisely why it works wonders for you during the early days of practice.

So the next time you get the urge to end your session early, bear down… remember this is your chance to grow.  Treat this unpleasantness as a gift and remain with it.  Neither suppress, nor run away from it.  Just observe it.  You are now developing your highest potential, the muscle of awareness… you are now developing the Witnessing Consciousness.  You are now mastering the Art of Living.

Meditation Tip #2- Just Sit Down:

If you are a gym rat, you know that if you can just get to the gym, you will get some degree of workout done.  Half the battle is won if you can just get there.  The same is with meditation.  If you can just get your butt down on the Zafu (meditation cushion), half the battle is won.  And if you can remember meditation tip #1 above, well then the battle is really going to go well, as you are now probably going to complete the entire session.

This is further facilitated if you have a set meditation time and a set meditation space.  Although, meditation is the ultimate science and bestows the ultimate freedom, if you need to respond like Pavlov’s Dog (classical conditioning) did to the sound of a bell, in order to jump onto your cushion and start your meditation session, so be it .  Just find a way to get on the cushion, the rest will start to take care of itself.

Meditation Tip #3- Make it Count:

Well since you have already sat down, you might as well make the most of it .  Of course you could sit and spend the entire time thinking about all the things you need to do that day, but really that can wait till you are done meditating.  If many things are on your mind, then write them down before you sit and tell your mind that right after you are done, you will address those issues.  This technique works great if you have insomnia from over thinking as well.  It puts the mind at ease by telling it that it will get a chance to chew over all those problems later, so it leaves you alone to get your meditation done.

Also, always remind yourself how precious your time here is, remind yourself that life is short and you simply cannot afford to not use your meditation time as best as possible.  As Zen Master Charlotte Joko Beck points out, if you are going to sit and not apply yourself in any way to observe your mind or breath, you might as well be out playing golf.  So apply yourself as best you can.  Thus, you will be doing your part.  The rest, as usual, will take care of itself. 

Meditation Tip #4- Mind Over Body:

I know your knees hurt and oooooohhhh that aching back.  No, that is not reason to stop, in fact, that is not even reason to move or flinch.  Unless you are going to blow out a knee and have to go to the emergency room, you are not to move unnecessarily.  If its Zen Meditation or other such Insight Meditation Technique, then it is not necessary to move at all, so you should be as if you are frozen in time…. aching knees and all (see meditation tip #1 above for inspiration).

Once you give in and start adjusting during meditation, there will no end to it.  Why?  Because the body knows then that it is still the master.  It knows that it still calls the shots and by a little pain here, a little phantom itch there, a little phantom tickle here, it can still boss you around.  Yes phantom sensations.  The body is not going to like being subdued and made to be still at your command, so it is going to create ghost feelings to get back on top.  Just say no.

If you can endure the first few attempts by the body to regain dominance, the body will understand that the true master is back in the house and it will stop troubling you.  Try this and validate it for yourself.

Meditation Tip #5- No Negative Thinking:

I don’t have the discipline.  I don’t have the gift of insight.  I can’t watch my thoughts.  I am not intelligent enough.  I can’t concentrate.  I am not flexible enough.  I don’t have the willpower.  After all I am not the chosen one… Eddie Murphy is (The Golden Child). 

Look, meditation is arduous.  It is not complex, but at it’s highest levels it is arduous, so don’t make it harder than it is.  The fact is you just don’t know what is going to happen, so there is no need to think that the worst is going to happen or that you don’t have what it takes to make the best happen.

This type of negative thinking just creates more obstacles and is totally worthless.  It serves no good purpose, so just don’t do it.  I know those beginning meditation can have such discouraging thoughts and you should guard against believing them.  They are just thoughts, don’t give them life by buying into them.  Just observe them, smile, and let them go.  As I mentioned above, your job is simple to do your best.  Leave the rest in the hands of the good Lord.

Summary of Meditation Help & Beginner Meditation Tips:

I think I will need another article on this topic as more and more great tips keep bubbling up into my mind  (must be this creativity experiment I am doing, but that too is another article ).  But for now I think the above tips will go a along way in getting your started with your meditation practice and help make it into one that is strong and deep.  If you have meditation help you can offer others, please do share them with us in the comments section below.

If you are looking for more meditation help or looking to enhance your current meditation practice, you can check out the Meditation for Beginners | Learn How to Meditate Class which is part of the Free Online Meditation Classes offered here.

4

Spiritual Test & Spiritual Growth – The Zen Way

Spiritual Growth – The Zen Way

Spiritual Test – The Zen Way

To approach something as complex as life it is important to keep things simple.  Zen Teacher Joko Beck does exactly that in how she describes what Zen considers to be spiritual living, spiritual growth and spiritual tests.

Below you will find an excerpt from her excellent book, Everyday Zen, which I think clearly explains how to gauge and grow your spirituality.

Title:       Everyday Zen – Love & Work

Author:  Charlotte Joko Beck

Pages:   51-52

We can talk about “oneness” until the cows come home.  But how do we actually separate ourselves from others?  How?  The pride out of which anger is born is what separates us.  And the solution is a practice in which we experience this separating emotion as a definite body state.  When we do, A Bigger Container is created.

What is created, what grows, is the amount of life I can hold without it upsetting me, dominating me.  At first this space is quite restricted, then it’s a bit bigger, and then it’s bigger still.  It need never cease to grow.  And the enlightened state is that enormous and compassionate space.  And how do we know where this cut-off point is?  We are at that point when we feel any degree of upset, of anger.  It’s no mystery at all.  And the strength of our practice is how big that container gets.

The-Zen-Way1

This practice of making A Bigger Container is essentially spiritual because it is essentially nothing at all.  A Bigger Container isn’t a thing; awareness is not a thing; the witness is not a thing or a person.  There is not somebody witnessing.  Nevertheless that which can witness my mind and body must be other than my mind and body.  If I can observe my mind and body in an angry state, who is this “I” who observes?  It shows me that I am other than my anger, bigger than my anger, and this knowledge enables me to build A Bigger Container, to grow.  So what must be increased is the ability to observe.  What we observe is always secondary.  It isn’t important that we are upset; what is important is the ability to observe the upset.

As the ability grows first to observe, and second to experience, two factors simultaneously increase: wisdom, the ability to see life as it is (not the way I want it to be) and compassion, the natural action which comes from seeing life as it is.  We can’t have compassion for anyone or anything if our encounter with them is ensnarled in pride and anger; it’s impossible.  Compassion grows as we create A Bigger Container.

Zen Approach to Spiritual Test & Spiritual Growth:

Following are the points that I would like to highlight from the excerpt:

1. Spiritual Growth:

The art of observation is the way to spiritual growth and freedom.  This is the heart of conscious living.  Live with as much moment to moment awareness as you can.  The more you are able to remember to witness, to observe, to be aware, the more you will grow spiritually.  As Joko puts it, the enlightened state is simply a vast quiet space, from where there is just witnessing.

2. Spiritual Test:

According to Zen, an upset is an opportunity and a test.  It is an opportunity to practice awareness and grow your ability to observe.  Awareness of your mental, emotional and physical states.  The upset is also an indication of where you are on your spiritual journey.  It is an excellent spiritual test.  The more easily you are upset, the more it indicates that you have spiritual work that needs to be done.

3. Rewards of Spiritual Living:

Finally, Joko points out the rewards of Zen practice and spiritual living.  Wisdom and compassion.  I will add to that joy.  The deeper your practice goes, the more access you have to the vast silence within, the more wisdom, compassion and joy you will have.

The following article details Zazen, Zen Meditation Technique, for those looking to learn zen meditation.  This technique is part of the free online meditation classes we run here on Mastery of Meditation.  The Beginner’s Meditation Class | Learn How to Meditate uses this meditation technique and is a great place to start.

5

Zen Definition of Spiritual Enlightenment

Summary: In this series, we will look to deepen our understanding of spiritual enlightenment, by studying the views from various different teachings and philosophies.  In the first article of this series, we will explore the explanation of enlightenment given by the great modern day Zen Buddhist teacher, Charlotte Joko Beck.

Spiritual enlightenment is the greatest mystery and the greatest Truth available to man.  Many explanations, descriptions, views etc., exist for enlightenment and each of these gives us some insight and understanding into what this great phenomenon is.  In this series, I would like to provide these various definitions on enlightenment from various great teachings in order to help you understand better what it is for yourself.

We will start off this series with the Zen Buddhist definition of enlightenment and who better to quote, than one of my favorite Zen teachers Charlotte Joko Beck.  Here is what this great Zen master had to say about what enlightenment is.

Zen Definition

Enlightenment is the core of all religion.  But we have quite often a strange picture of what it is.  We equate the enlightened state with a state in which we have become quite perfect, quite nice and quiet, calm and accepting.  And that’s not it.

I’m going to ask a series of questions about certain unpleasant states.  I am not saying we should not have strong feelings or preferences about them.  Nevertheless from these examples we can begin to get a clue; and when we have a clue we can see more clearly what we’re doing in practice.  Here are the questions.  (I have selected only a few that she asked).

  • If I am told, “Joko, you have one more day to live,” is that OK with me? or if someone told you that, is that OK with you?
  • If I am in a severe accident, and my legs and arm have been amputated, is that OK with me?  If that were to happen to you, is it OK?
  • If I must lose whatever or whomever I care for, is it OK with me?

Now I can’t answer OK to any of of those.  And if you’re honest, I don’t think that any of you can either.  But to answer “OK” is the enlightened state, if we understand what it means for something to be OK.  (She goes on to say).

What is the enlightened state?  When there is no longer any separation between myself and the circumstances of my life, whatever they may be, that is it.

Analysis of Zen Definition of Enlightenment:

Understanding and remembering well the above zen definition for what enlightenment is, will immediately change the way you look at your life.  Yes, immediately.  What is being explained is that you stop running away from the moment, no matter what it contains, and start instead, embracing it, observing it, being OK with it.  The more you are able to do that, the more “enlightened” you are.

This does not mean you will necessarily enjoy the moment, it may be full of hardship, but that is fine.  You will see hardship as an opportunity to evaluate, test and make progress in your spiritual growth.  Zazen, or Zen Meditation is one of the best techniques for developing this understanding and capability.

In Zen meditation, as you sit still for long periods of time, you learn to be OK and stay with the difficulties that inevitably arise, and that then translates into you being able to be OK with the difficulties that inevitably arise is your life.  The person who is evolved in this way, will have few complaints and selfish interests, and thus, will be far more capable of giving, enjoying and loving.

So, the Zen teachings are very clear as to what enlightenment is.  It is the state of residing in such great understanding and depth, that no matter what life throws your way, you are at peace with it, you are able to say, “That’s OK, no problem.”

6

Meditation Techniques, Types and Practice – A Comprehensive Guide

Best Meditation Techniques, Types & Practice

Guide to Meditation Practice & Types of Meditation

There are as many types of meditation techniques as there are wonderful flavors of ice cream.  This allows each person to find a flavor that is delicious to them.  This article is the combined result of the 3 part series “Comprehensive Guide to the World of Meditation Practice”.  I created this one article out of those three to provide a single document which one can refer to for an introduction to all the important meditation techniques and types available.  This article provides this overview of all the significant meditation techniques and hopefully this will help you find the style that is sweetest to you.

Some meditation styles suit those of an intellectual disposition, while others are more attractive to those who prefer the path of love and surrender.  Still others, with an active approach to life, may like the meditation techniques involving movement, while those with a strong mind would enjoy the approach of thought, mantra, visualization or concentration.  Overall, there are several broad categories under which we can capture most of these different meditation practices and this article will explore each of these types of meditation techniques.

Meditation Techniques

1. Insight Meditation Techniques: 

These are the meditations of choice for the Gyan Yogis or those drawn to the intellectual path.  It incorporates the advanced meditation techniques from the Zen school of Buddhism, the Advaita Vedanta school of Hinduism, certain schools of Western Religions among others.

  1. WHO AM I Meditation Technique:  This technique comes from the school of Advaita Vedanta (Non-Dualism / End of Knowledge).  The meditation was popularized by Shri Ramana Maharishi and is based on negation of the false self in order to realize one’s True Nature.  Here is an example of my experience with WHO AM I Meditation Practice.
  2. Koan Meditation Technique:  These meditations come from the Zen School of Buddhism and are designed to break down the ordinary pattern of conceptual, dualistic thinking.  By breaking down the interference created by the thinking mechanism the practitioner is brought to confront the non-dual reality of “what is” directly and thus Awaken.
  3. Contemplation Meditation Technique:  These meditations utilize introspection, self-study, reflection, study of spiritual texts and contemplation to cut through the layers of false conditioning and false understanding that deludes the mind.  These meditations have their roots in many Western Religions and are also a part of Eastern philosophies.
  4. Silent Mind Meditation Technique:  This meditation technique is my contribution to this category and it involves directly perceiving the fact of what is by acute observation of the thinking process.  This is the flavor that I enjoy best and I have explained it in detail in the The Silent Mind Meditations, which are part of the Silent Mind Meditation Program.  These meditations are an extension of the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti.

2. Sound (Mantra) & Thought Meditation Techniques: 

The meditations that fall under this category use the science of sound and thought vibrations (Naad Yoga), along with rhythm and music (Laya Yoga) to purify the heart and mind.  These meditations have a wide range of applications, from bestowing Enlightenment, to improving health, wealth, happiness, peace etc…

  1. Mantra Japa Meditation Technique:  This meditation method uses the repetition of a mantra (a particular sound, word or phrase) verbally or mentally to create the necessary conditions for purification, refinement or expansion to take place.  Mantras are essentially keys which allow one to tune into the individual energy field or tune into the Universal Energy field to produce certain desired results.  Here is an example of using OM Mantra to activate the Third Eye Chakra.
  2. Rhythm Meditation Technique: This form of meditation uses the combination of rhythm, chanting, music and breath to calibrate and perfect the system.  The excellent Three Step Rhythmic Breathing (3srb) meditation technique of Sage Pantanjali and many Kundalini Yoga meditations fall under this category, among others.
  3. Meditation via Song:  Most of the meditations from the path of Devotion (Bhakti Yoga) and Love, designed to dissolve the ego belong in this category.  This is a path most dear to those who are emotional in nature and feel a deep love for the divine.  Christianity, Gospel, Sufi Meditations, Hare Krishna Meditations, Kirtans and Bhajans are some examples of techniques in this category.
  4. Meditation via Prayer: All religions have meditations involving prayer and worship.  This may be the most practiced form of meditation.
  5. Thought Power Meditation Technique:  The power of thought is becoming well recognized world over and many of the ancient Eastern techniques using this science are starting to gain popularity in the West now as well.  Meditations that use the power of intention, law of attraction, desire manifestation, self-hypnosis, positive thinking, laughter as meditation, etc. belong in this category.  These meditations can be useful to everyone.
  6. Feeling and Emotion Meditation Technique: In these meditations one uses the combined power of feelings and attitude to produce the desired affects.  This type of meditation technique is usually combined with and is a part of other types of meditations, but can be done independently as well.  Meditation such as Zen’s Loving Kindness, Osho’s crying meditation and many meditations which deal with maintaining an attitude of surrender, giving, gratitude, forgiveness etc, fall under this category.

3. Concentration and Visualization Meditation Techniques: 

These are probably the most common and well know of all the meditations and often meditation is defined by these kind of meditations exclusively.  They are closely related to the Insight Meditation Techniques with the difference being that Insight Meditation Techniques utilize the active application of intelligence and discernment, while the Concentration Meditation techniques use the power of focused attention to a greater degree.  To some extent these meditations lay the groundwork for the Insight Meditations which need a high degree of concentration as a prerequisite to being effective.

  1. Breath Meditation Technique (Zazen):  The heart of Zen Meditation is Zazen, the meditation of the Buddha.  In this meditation awareness and concentration are brought to the breathing process to help build mastery over the mind and free the system from dualistic thinking.  An in-depth look of this meditation can be found in the popular article Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen) – Free Book of Guided Meditations.  Another breath based meditation is Vipassana.  In Vipassana one extends one’s awareness from one’s breath, to the body and the sensations that rise and fall within it.  The objective being to have insight into the workings of the mind through self-observation.  This form of meditation is also called Insight Meditation as it helps one develop insight into the true nature of things.
  2. Concentration Meditation Technique: There are many meditations that utilize an external object as a focus point for the mind.  Zazen/Vipassana belong in this sections as well, but due to their widespread use I mentioned them separately.  The objects of focus can be anything from a point on the ceiling, to a flower, to external sounds in the environment.  These meditations all develop focus, concentration, self knowledge, calmness and the witnessing consciousness.  Their ultimate objective, though, is to have the meditator finally drop the object of concentration and encounter the non-dual nature of Reality directly.  Some examples of these meditations can be found in the following articles: Sound Awareness Meditation Technique and candle flame gazing (Trataka) as described in Brain Development and Enlightenment – Awaken the Senses.
  3. Visualization Meditation Technique: This meditation technique is suitable for those who are creative and perceptive.  In this technique the meditator uses visualization techniques to produce the desired results.  These can range from simply moving awareness to various areas of the body, to visualizing internal flows of light, to imagining mental places etc.  Many internal Chakra Meditations, Kriya Yoga Meditations, Kundalini Yoga Meditations, Yantra (geometric shapes) Meditations fall under this category.  In additions meditations on the image of God, visualizing places of power or peace, etc, belong in this category as well.
  4. Mindfulness Meditation: This is a wonderful meditation technique and one that can be practiced throughout the day.  Mindfulness meditation means to have moment to moment flowing awareness of your physical, emotional and mental activities.  In other words, to be aware of what is transpiring in the here and now.  This is ultimately the goal of all meditation — to awaken you to the present.  Others definitions of this meditation are J. Krishnamurti’s Chioceless Awareness, Osho’s Double Pointed Awareness, Gurdjieff’s Self-Remembrance and S. N. Tavaria’s Awareness of the Divine Fragment.  An article demonstrating this meditation technique in action is The True Meaning of Laziness.

4. Body Meditation Techniques: 

These meditations and practices may suit those inclined to physical activity, but as you will see from the list below there are meditation techniques using the body which can easily by enjoyed by all.  In addition, the meditations of this type almost all have the added benefit of keeping us fit and healthy.

  1. Yoga as Meditation: All forms of physical yoga are meant to be done with full awareness of the postures and movements.  In addition breath is combined with the movements and poses to help open up the energy channels and free the system from the debris of the past.  There is no prerequisite for the practice of Yoga, such as flexibility or diet, and all can benefit from the blessings this ancient and powerful technique bestows.
  2. Walking Meditation Technique:  This form of meditation should not be underestimated.  It is really a treasure.  In Zen, walking meditation has been formalized and is called “Kinhin”.  There are many styles of walking meditation, but for all these styles, awareness is a key component.  In walking meditation you can either be fully tuned it to the physical process of walking, or you can be fully aware of the environment, either inner or outer, as you just walk.  It either case, the objective is be in the present moment as best you can.
  3. Dance Meditation Technique:  The only prerequisite to Meditation by dance is that you are alive.  The range of this meditation done via this technique is quite remarkable.  There is the Dervish dancing of the Sufi mystics, the Dance Meditation of Master Gurdjieff, Osho’s famous meditations using dance and movement, Lord Shiva’s Cosmic Dance — the Tandon and the list goes on and on.  Dance Meditation is not only for celebrating life, but is a valid and powerful method to build awareness, induce catharsis and encounter Reality.  An article that gives my experience with dance meditation technique is My Time at on Osho Retreat when my Body Disappeared.
  4. The Martial Arts as Meditation:  “Grasshopper… life is a dream within a dream.”  For those of us who grew up watching the TV show “Kung Fu” know well the intimate relationship between the martial arts and meditation.  Zen Archery, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and other related techniques all belong here in this category.  Common to all these techniques is understanding the intimate connection between the breath, the life-force it contains (Qi, Chi, Prana), the mind and the concept of Oneness.
  5. Sex as Meditation (Left hand of Tantra): No I did not forget this most profound, yet very misunderstood, type of meditation.  Tantra and tantric sex have been gaining notoriety over the past few decades as spirituality, tantra yoga and enlightenment have moved into the mainstream, where now most aspirants are married and sexually active.  This meditation technique requires first the disciplining of the mind and control over one’s passions.  Then one can learn the techniques of vajroli and sahajoli along with the various bandhas (body locks) and yoga asanas which help to maintain the height of sexual charge and the use of that energy to activate the higher centers.  This method of meditation is indeed wonderful and if two like minded people come together for its practice, for the right purpose, it can provide a powerful and potent vehicle for the attainment of enlightenment.

So there you have it.  All the main flavors of ice cream available to satiate your meditative appetite.  Most important thing for you to do is indulge.  Your soul craves meditation like children crave ice cream, so go ahead and take a bite — I promise, you will absolutely get addicted and it will be the most beneficial addiction you can ever have.

Internet Resources for Meditation:

Yoga Meditation Tips:  There are many positive benefits and advantages which come from Yoga Meditations; however it is important to understand the basics of the activity before becoming involved in it.

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Comprehensive Guide to the World of Meditation Practice – Part 2

In part 1 of this series we dove into 2 wonderful flavors of meditation, Insight Meditation Techniques, which use the active power of intelligence and Mantra-Thought-Intention type meditations which use the vibratory power of sound and thoughts to tune into the individual and Universal Electromagnetic field to produce desired results.  In part 2 we will explore the popular category of Concentration and Visualization Meditation Techniques.

3. Concentration and Visualization Meditation Techniques: These are probably the most common and well know of all the meditations and often meditation is defined by these kind of meditations exclusively.  They are closely related to the Insight Meditation Techniques with the difference being that Insight Meditation Techniques utilize the active application of intelligence and discernment, while the Concentration Meditation techniques use the power of focused attention to a greater degree.  To some extent these meditations lay the groundwork for the Insight Meditations which need a high degree of concentration as a prerequisite to being effective.

Guide to the World

  • Breath Meditation Technique (Zazen):  The heart of Zen Meditation is Zazen, the meditation of the Buddha.  In this meditation awareness and concentration are brought to the breathing process to help build mastery over the mind and free the system from dualistic thinking.  An in-depth look of this meditation can be found in the popular article Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen) – Free Book of Guided Meditations.  Another breath based meditation is Vipassana.  In Vipassana one extends one’s awareness from one’s breath, to the body and the sensations that rise and fall within it.  The objective being to have insight into the workings of the mind through self-observation.  This form of meditation is also called Insight Meditation as it helps one develop insight into the true nature of things.
  • Concentration Meditation Technique: There are many meditations that utilize an external object as a focus point for the mind.  Zazen/Vipassana belong in this sections as well, but due to their widespread use I mentioned them separately.  The objects of focus can be anything from a point on the ceiling, to a flower, to external sounds in the environment.  These meditations all develop focus, concentration, self knowledge, calmness and the witnessing consciousness.  Their ultimate objective, though, is to have the meditator finally drop the object of concentration and encounter the non-dual nature of Reality directly.  Some examples of these meditations can be found in the following articles: Sound Awareness Meditation Technique and candle flame gazing (Trataka) as described in Brain Development and Enlightenment – Awaken the Senses.
  • Visualization Meditation Technique: This meditation technique is suitable for those who are creative and perceptive.  In this technique the meditator uses visualization techniques to produce the desired results.  These can range from simply moving awareness to various areas of the body, to visualizing internal flows of light, to imagining mental places etc.  Many internal Chakra Meditations, Kriya Yoga Meditations, Kundalini Yoga Meditations, Yanta (geometric shapes) Meditations fall under this category.  In additions meditations on the image of God, visualizing places of power or peace, etc, belong in this category as well.
  • Mindfulness Meditation: This is a wonderful meditation technique and one that can be practiced throughout the day.  Mindfulness meditation means to have moment to moment flowing awareness of your physical, emotional and mental activities.  In other words, to be aware of what is transpiring in the here and now.  This is ultimately the goal of all meditation — to awaken you to the present.  Others definitions of this meditation are J. Krishnamurti’s Chioceless Awareness, Osho’s Double Pointed Awareness, Gurdjieff’s Self-Remembrance and S. N. Tavaria’s Awareness of the Divine Fragment.

The above category consists of many profound and powerful meditation techniques which are worth exploring and discovering.  I hope you will find some that suit you, but if not, no worries, part 3 is coming up soon.

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Zen Meditation Technique – Practice & Hidded Secret – Free Guided Meditation

Buddha Doing Zen MeditationThe Practice of Zen Meditation – Zazen

The first meditation we will explore in the Free Online Guided Meditation Techniques E-Book is the famous Zen Meditation Technique, also called Zazen or Breath Meditation.  At the end of the meditation script I will reveal the real secret behind this most profound meditation technique.

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Background of Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

This was the meditation technique of Lord Buddha – I should have to say no more in order to motivate you to try this meditation. It is one of the most widely used meditations in the world and is the heart of Zen Buddhist teachings.  If one was to make a short list of the best meditation techniques, Zazen would most certainly make the top 10 list.

Tools required for Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

  • Zafu (traditional Zen Buddhist meditation cushion), Smile Cushion or other firm meditation cushion.  I purchased mine from zafu.net. I also purchased a zabuton (meditation mat) from them, a zabuton though is optional.
  • Loose comfortable clothing.
  • An alarm clock, stop watch or other time device.

Benefits of Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

Primary Benefits: 

  • Builds Concentration and Focus.
  • Self Knowledge – both, the workings of little self (ego) and awareness of the Big Self (True Divine Nature).
  • Calmness
  • Compassion
  • Spontaneous Joy

Secondary Benefits: 

  • Improves health and wellbeing.
  • Increases willpower and builds character.
  • Bestows psychic powers.

Cautions for Practicing Zen Meditation Technique (Zazen):

There are very few cautions with regard to Zazen practice, but the one I would like to point out has to do with emotional storms. 

There can be periods of time, either during a single sitting or spanning across several weeks, when emotions you may have suppressed rise up to the surface and force you to deal with them.  During these turbulent times, don’t exacerbate the issue by chewing on the emotion laden thoughts that come up.  Traumatizing yourself in this way has no value.  Instead, sit with the emotions and related thoughts without resistance, then let them go and return your awareness to your breath. 

This emotional cleansing is due to the visibility of the subconscious mind once the conscious mind is quieted by the meditation.  In the short term, this can be a difficult time to go though, but in the long term its a necessary and healthy cleansing that will promote greater peace, depth, joy and clarity in your life. 

Basic Zen Meditation Technique:

  • Find a quiet place and sit in a comfortable cross legged position.  If using a zafu or similar meditation cushion, sit on the forward third of the cushion.  The objective is for your hips to be raised above your knees and to form a three point base with your knees and buttocks touching the floor/cushion (leave a comment below if want to use a chair or meditation bench and would like me to explain those details).
  • Set your alarm or other time device for 20 minutes.
  • Now elongate your spine upwards and to align it with the back of your head, subtly bring your chin back and in like a soldier at attention.  There will be a slight inward arch in your lower back.
  • Now rock gently from side to side in big arcs, making them smaller and smaller till you drift to a stop.  You should find yourself perpendicular to the floor with no tension or pull from either side.
  • Have your eyes half open with an unfocused gaze on the floor in front of you.  You should be looking down at a 45 degree angle about 2 to 3 feet in front of you.  You may also close your eyes if you prefer.
  • Bring your hands to your lap and place them in the cosmic mudra.  To do this rest your right hand on your lap, then rest your left hand on top of it and have your fingers overlap.  Now bring the thumb tips together thus forming an oval frame.
  • Close your mouth, swallow your saliva creating a slight vacuum and place your tongue against the roof of your mouth.  After this point there should be absolutely no more movement of the body.  No fidgeting, scratching, shifting – nothing – be like you are frozen in time.
  • Take 5 deep, slow breaths though the nose.  This will oxygenate your blood and relax you.
  • Now bring you attention to your breath without trying to manipulate it further in any way, just become aware of its flow.  Spend a few minutes just observing it intimately till it starts to become regular and relaxed.
  • At this point begin counting your breath.  Count an inhalation as one, then the exhalation as 2 and continue to count your breaths until you reach 10.  At which point return to 1 with the next inhalation.  If at any point you get caught in a mental story line and loose your count, gently, without passing any judgment, return to 1 and start over.  That’s it, continue for the duration of the meditation.

Intermediate Zen Meditation Technique:

Follow all the steps for the Basic Zen Meditation Technique, except for the last step a complete inhalation and exhalation cycle should be counted as 1.  So you will do 10 full cycles of inhalation and exhalation before returning to 1.  You can also increase the time to 30 – 40 minutes.

Advanced Zen Meditation Technique:

Follow all the steps for the Basic Zen Meditation Technique, except for the last step instead of counting the breaths, just “be the breath”.  Don’t try to jump to this step too soon, first build your concentration and focus.  You can also increase the time to 1 hour.

Hints and Tips for Zazen:

  • Do some stretching or Yoga before sitting in zazen.  It will help your body adjust better.
  • Be regular, the benefits of this meditation are vast, but they take time to manifest.
  • Some good internet resources and books on zen meditation and zen teachings are listed below…
    • Charlotte Joko Beck’s Ordinary Mind Zen School and her book Everyday Zen: Love & Work
    • Zen Mountain Monastery – Mountain and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism
    • Shunryu Suzuki’s San Francisco Zen Center and his book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

Secret of Zazen:

The secret of zazen does not lie in the awareness of the inhalation or the exhalation.  It lies in the gap in between these breaths.  It lies when the breath is spontaneously suspended.  It is in this gap where the mysteries of the Universe are hidden.  This gap and the gap between 2 thoughts are best friends, and in this silence between 2 thoughts the absolute is revealed.  Don’t try to force this pause, just continue with your zazen, it will come about naturally.

More Internet Resources for Zen Meditation

Zen and Zazen Information

9

How Much Time Should You Practice Meditation For Daily?

There is a famous story of a Kundalini Yoga Master who was desperate to increase the amount of time he spent doing his daily meditation practice.  The story says that the Yogi nailed his pony tail to the wall so that when he would start to dose off he would be rudely awakened by his contraption, and that this technique allowed him to successfully meditate for 22 hours daily.  Are you ready for that :-)?  Luckily, 22 hours of daily meditation is not a prerequisite for spiritual growth or enlightenment, but the point of the story is that the ask is not cheap either.  So how long should one meditate for daily?

Before we go into the numbers it is important to clarify exactly what type of meditation we are talking about here.  There are many schools of meditation, each with their own techniques and methods.  Here, we are referring to the meditations that are done being mostly physically still.  So this would include zen meditation (zazen), vipassana, insight meditation, jyana yoga, the Silent Mind (SM) Meditations, and meditations that utilize an object for concentration (3rd eye meditation, mantra meditation, visualization, sound, trataka (candle flame gazing), 3 step rhythmic breath (3srb) meditation or similar variation of breath meditation, etc).  The other types of meditations involving dance (shiva tandava – dance of death), Osho’s meditations (kundalini, dynamic, etc), laya yoga meditations, and other such meditations have specific time requirements to work their magic and I am not referring to them in this discussion.  So, now on to the numbers.

Practice Meditation For Daily

The minimum time one should aim to set aside for daily meditation is 20 minutes.  Let me tell you a true story.  In my post graduate years I was studying cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence, looking to actually do empirical studies on meditative states of consciousness.  One of my philosophy professor’s told me to join a Zen meditation club which practiced zazen regularly on campus.  Till then, I had only meditated on my back lying down or during long walks, but I decided to attended their zazen session.  It was meant to be two 20 minute sessions and let me tell you I ran away after the first 20 minutes.  I still to this day remember the sensei saying “I guess he is leaving,” as I snuck out the back door.  Only later, after luckily coming across Charlotte Joko Beck’s Everyday Zen: Love and Work, did I really start to established a strong, regular zazen practice.  The point here is that 20 minutes initially, if you have not done formal sitting meditation before, is much harder than you might think.  So, if it takes you some time to get to 20 minutes of daily meditation, that is perfectly fine.  Start with less, but aim at building up your meditation to this amount of time.  Read The Golden Rule to Stop Excuses and Start Meditation Now for more guidance to get your practice started if you need it.

Why 20 minutes of meditation?  From my experience I can say that 20 minutes daily proved to be very effective.  On its own everything just start to transform.  Others, over time, have also probably found that this amount of time has worked well for bringing about positive changes in themselves and so the number has become the de facto standard for a starting practice.

The next stage is 30 minutes, 2 times daily.  On my trip to Zen Mountain Monastery for their Zazen Training program, 30 minutes was the minimum time requirement for any zazen session.  I could relate to the difficulties some of the first timers were having with this length of time and unfortunately for them there was no back door to escape from either ;-).  Also, interestingly at Zen Mountain Monastery, you could request to be struck with a cane on your shoulders (at special acupressure points) to help you stay awake, drain emotional junk out of your system or as an aid to go deeper.  This is called keisaku and it can work as an alternative technique for you if you don’t have long hair like our Yogi friend above :-).  So work your way up to 30 minutes of meditation, and try to do that twice daily if possible.

Finally, you should build up to 1 hour of steady meditation practice everyday.  For extracting the maximum benefit from a meditation program this is the golden number.  To get to the experience of “Big Mind” as Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki describes the detached state, or the “Big Self” as described by the Advaita Vedanta teachers, or to get to the explosion of insight as put forth by J. Krishnamurti and the Silent Mind Meditations, 1 hour of meditation is usually needed.  This is primarily because it takes some time for the thinking process to slow down and for us to extract ourselves out of the daily drama of our little egos.  So there you have it.  Start and aim for 20 minutes of daily meditation and then build up to 1 hour.  You will find everything you are looking for, as you will discover that everything is you.

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Gratitude