French philosopher Blaise Pascal, "All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." 😁 there ya go Brad, thanks for staying committed to teaching us all these wonderful insights, especially through these troubling times!! Hope your wall staring goes well 🧎
I have always understood the idea of Soto Zen is that Soto Zen Shikantaza is always exactly as hard as it needs to be, in every moment of practice. Clouds passing, grass growing, snow falling from trees.
@@HardcoreZen Some adherents of Ajaan Tong Sirimangalo describe two main forms of mediation within their Theravada traditions and I'm sure you are well aware, Samatha, the concentration meditation associated with tranquility and on the other hand Vipassana, insight meditation. . The Zen meditation of the type you describe falls under Vipassana and in a way the two types of meditations are opposite one another, these two in additiona to walking mediation with the Theravada . In Vipassana one sits still and without intention to react notices each thought, feeling, ache of the body, faint sound. In other words being aware of everything going on during it and in not reacting letting each event, internal or external, noticing and noting all of these things rise and fall away like dead leaves. However in Samatha all of these things are shut out and instead one concentrates on a single point. And for this you need and object to focus on, like the breath or a mantra. One form is aware of everything the other shuts everything out except that single point. But you described a sesshin at which you intent was to make you mind "free of random thoughts" for 50 seconds. But this is not Samatha because you are trying to not do something. That is not a single point. For concentration mediation you must select an object and stay focused on it to the best of your ability. So because you have 40 years of zazen you are perhaps unpracticed in this concentration form of meditation. Some may claim all forms are contained within sitting only but it is not so. The claim is just a preference. The mind itself is a random thought generator. Instead of trying to be free of random thoughts try concentrating on one point. You can call that a "thought" if you like but with some practice this will allow you to easily achieve 50 seconds "freedom" from of the random. In Zen one does not need to be ultra orthodox because each person is different. Insight awareness meditation has it's place but concentration meditation also has it's place. If you do your zazen for the day there is also the rest of the day. Therefore one cannot rank cleaning a toilet or playing a bass worth doing and practicing concentration not worth doing. One does not even have to label it "meditation" and place it as a threat to one's zazen. Focusing on a single point is just as good as playing a bass. I would hope you would try it more as opposed to looking at as competition to your zazen. It's an addition So look, sit in front of a wall. and on the wall just slightly lower than straight ahead place a mark or select a detail on the wall if it has a detail and stay focused on that point to the best of your ability for 15 minutes. Or will sitting still strum one note on the bass over and over for 15 minutes and make each note sound the same to the best of your ability that will begin to integrate two things you thought were one thing. And if after this you do your zazen it's contrast to the zazen will clarify the zazen and wipe some of the mist from your lens, this mist will all have as sentient beings
@@sat1241 in my experience, samatha meditation is insanely powerful, and It has been the sole driver for my ability to do insight effectively. Without prácticing the absorptions, my vipassana would have been extremely unproductive. i know this because I tried. Sadly now a days not enough people know about the benefits of practicing the jhanas. And its often not mentioned that the buddha himself before practicing insight, he first learned to enter the jhanas and became a master in doing so. It is even mentioned in Hakuin's biography that he learned one form of samatha meditation to "cure" his unwell body after incredibly rigurous insight meditation practice over the course of the years. Im pretty sure this is all figure of speech, however when one of the father figures of Zen places that ammount of importance on "calming" strands of meditation, one would not be wise to undervalue the lesson that is being taught. So yes, i completely agree with you.
@@Oi-mj6dv thanks for the comment. Open eyed gazing at a single point is also one of the best concentration practices. If after it one goes into a closed eye vipassana, that point weather it be a point on the wall or a flame carries over into the minds eye for a wall and then dissipates like it all
Excellent advice at the end, about not worrying about concentrating! You're still doing zazen! I will send you a PayPal donation soon! Love your work! (Loved the talks to Ziggy the dog!)
This was great Brad! A.) I love it when “different traditions” reinforce each other, and B.) Useful metaphors and C.) All those stores (Ross, Marshall’s, etc) usually have tons of Buddhist stuff, especially home and garden decor. :-)
Hey Brad, I’ve not checked in for awhile. I hope all is well with you. An analogy that I’ve often used for that central place during zazen is thinking about being in the eye of a hurricane, where it’s peaceful and serene, whilst the storm rages all around you; aka, our crazy monkey minds and the chaos of the human condition. I’m so glad to see you’re still out here sharing knowledge and wisdom. All the best to you and yours…even Ziggy! 😎
I dont know what one might say is "The point" of sitting still like the Buddha. But in my thinking, one valuable part of it, is being able to consciously do it at all for a little while, regularly. So that you dont go for days without stillness, get swept up in thinking, ego, stress, and cause damage to the world. Also its not good for the body to get too wrapped up in mind-stuff for too long. So its a bit like an internal hot-spring that you return to, to regenerate regularly. -Thats what I think.
The parable of Hui Ning highlights the distinction between true meditation- “You are That”- and concentration practice. In a nutshell, true meditation is being aware of being aware
What is Buddha Nature? A partially used can of WD-40. The bike chain is neither rusty nor not rusty. The bike chain is both rusty and not rusty. There is no bike chain and only the bike chain. Seriously, Brad. Thanks for all you do. My kid and I have been listening to your podcast on the way to work.
I think I may have to explore Nisargadatta. It took me many years to get to the “still center.” However, I still get distracted. It happens. Keep it going, Ziggy!
Five Sages Teaching the Direct Path Discerning the Essential from the Inessential "Not all spiritual paths lead to the Harmonious Oneness. Indeed, most are detours and distractions, nothing more." - Lao Tzu from the Hua Hu Ching Awareness watching awareness was taught by: Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Muruganar, Sri Sadhu Om, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Sri Annamalai Swami.
There was a technique(?) that Maezumi Roshi offered (in Appreciate Your Life) which I have been calling “breathing the universe.” When you breathe in, you breathe in everything that you can see / hear / feel & think. Likewise when breathing out, you exhale everything. The more I did this, the more I could observe thinking without getting caught up in it; maybe that was getting closer to the center of the wheel? My sitting has been all over the map for the last few years, but I would appreciate any feedback you might have.
Hey Brad. First thanks for your hard work on the videos. I was wondering if you could make a video about Zen in the East vs Western Zen. For example, before finding a school to practice with I encountered "schools/centers" that were saying "Hey come stay with us for a year and we'll make you certified in yoga and zen for $500 a month for each month you stay". Also in the West I'm not sure why we mix yoga and zen together. Anyway thanks Brad.
I could try. I've addressed this topic here and there in blogs, videos, and books. What's funny to me is that it seems like in Japan these days Western style mindfulness courses are becoming popular. That wasn't really a "thing" when I lived there. Also, in Japan there is the phenomenon of what they call "new religions." Many of these are what we'd call "cults" while some are somewhat similar to Western religions like Mormonism or the Jehovah's Witnesses - sort of revised versions of traditional Shintoism and Buddhism. A traditional Asian Buddhist temple would not charge for meditation courses (although they encourage donations), nor would they teach yoga. I started offering yoga at some retreats I lead because one of the long term attendees of my retreats was a yoga teacher (who I took classes from) and I found that the stretching exercises provided some relief during long spans of zazen, and they also help make zazen a little easier for most people.
@@HardcoreZen Yeah I think yoga is good after long sittings. I just feel that paying a large monthly price for 6 months to a year and then given a certificate saying you can teach zen to others is a little sketchy. Thanks again Brad.
I have been curious, did Mr. Maharaj give meditation instructions? I think I've read some of his stuff and it was something like "ask continuously 'what am I?'" Is that what Advaita people do instead of stare at the wall?
The quotation I used in this video is about as close as I've seen him get to giving meditation instructions. There are a few other instructions peppered throughout his dialogues, and they are usually quite similar. He never gives posture or breathing instructions as far as I have seen.
When you read the book of this man (Nisar...Mah...), I felt no good energy. Like fever in my head and body. My teacher said: many people speaks well, but they are like poison inside a beautiful cake.
one thing I still don't quite understand: When zazen is supposedly the "real method" of buddha, and zazen is not about concentration and only about mindfulness - than why is one piece of the eightfold path wise concentration? In the Theravada tradition this is clearly explained: Concentration is a tool to help you stay focused while using mindfulness or as preparation to settle the mind so that mindfulness can work more effectively. Like 5 min of concentration on the breath, followed by 25 min of mindfulness of the body. They say concentration alone will not lead to insight. Only mindfulness can. But concentration seemed important enough for the Buddha to include it into his eightfold path. So why is Soto Zen excluding it then as a method or at least never really talks about it?
The question of whether Buddha sat still or the philosophy comes later feels more so akin to the chicken and the egg. The earnest pursuit of Sanskrit, concepts in the Bhagavad Gita, we have Buddhi, Dharma, Karma.... We have the tradition of Buddha denying the Vedas; we have the notable Buddhist precepts against replying to Metaphysics; there are to the West the lesser known of Jianists from an earlier tradition with also a Siddharta. Would you be able to place the Gita or such originations in this context?
I could concentrate really well when I started doing zen... doesn't help in the shikantaza style. Maybe if you're doing very strict vipassana or intense koan work... But I was too heavy handed, I couldn't relax!
Thanks for this, Brad. By the way, do you have a video post on Obaku Zen or can you also please touch in one of your next videos? What is your take on Obaku Zen and it's original practise of mixing Nembutsu chant as koan and Zen meditation before Obaku Zen was absorbed under the Rinzai umbrella?
Hi Brad, thanks so much for these videos, I really get a lot out of them. I'm not so much worried about concentration, but I want to be able to eliminate the welling up of annoyance. For me, the 'being annoyed' feeling sits on the ground in between two trash piles and accumulates like Pee Wee's foil ball. I've been wanting to ask... Is there something in Buddhist thought that addresses trust in other people? The story that initially comes to mind is the one about the farmer that who has both good and bad things happen but holds the 'we'll see' attitude. That perspective is indeed applicable, but I'm wondering, does the concept of faith come up anywhere in Buddhism?
@@HardcoreZen Sorry, I can't see Gamera or hear his name without singing the Gamera song from MST3K, despite my unironic love of (most of) the Gamera films.
@@HardcoreZen Sorry, I thought You mentioned them now and then. a) Well, the teaching(s) of the "three bodies of the Buddha" seem(s) to imply one of them, that is, that one, which directly manifests in vital time-space (or Samsara), it seems, could also be interpreted as "Karma-Body". b) The "Unmoveable Mysterious King" is on of the (five?) protecting gods/spirits/acalas of the Buddhist "pantheon" and is mentioned in Dôgens "Uji" (something like: "three-headed, eight-armed", in the opening Gatha) -- there is also often a separate altar dedicated to him in Chán/Zen-Temples. c) The "Five Positions" somehow layout a "mental map", poetically "invoking" five basic "positions" (partly "spiritual"/epistemological, partly "material"/ontological, in complex twists of "interbeing") of the Zen-World, which follow, basically, a special dialectic movement (i.e., not strictly in the Hegelian sense) in the vein of the classic Chinese Yìjing-Learning (including the "Five aggregates"-theory), spanning between "extreme delusion" (1) and "extreme enlightenment" (5) (where the "archetypical" Fudômyôô stands unmoved in fire and ashes). These are quite powerful symbolisms, I would say. So I wondered, if You could extemporate some more on them on occasion. Best regards
@@gunterappoldt3037 Dongshan's teachings in this regard are usually termed, in English, the Five Ranks, which is how they are most often known at least in the US and English speaking countries. The TriKaya teachings are general to Mahayana, but are often emphasized in Vajrayana/Shingon in particular, along with schools such as Tendai and the Pure Land schools. They are present in Zen but often aren't much discussed, partly because they can be somewhat too 'theoretical' rather than practical. The Sandokai (Identity of Relative And Absolute) is a pretty good standard for how such teachings are pointed at/used (for want of a better term) in the Zen tradition, at least Soto Zen in my experience.
@@ZenAndPsychedelicHealingCenter Interesting, thanks. Translating such old texts is really a task. In the case of the "wû wèi" of the "五位颂"-Gatha, "rank" may submit a too static impression, because of the associated "icons", which show five yin-yáng-ish time-phases, which suggest an analogy with the phases of the moon, which again leaves two epistemo-ontological options open: a) "rank" would rather hint at an ultimate telos, that is, an end-point of (self-)development, resp. revelation, whereas b) the signifier "phases" alludes more to an "eternal circling" in the Daoist vein (which may also be labelled "transcendental immanentism" or "immanent transcendentalism"). PS.: The Trikaya-teachings can get quite complicated, if one takes a deeper dive into them (e.g., Steve Odin, in: "Process-Metaphysics and Hua-yen Buddhism..."). But in a simplified, concise form, they may be illustrative of the "organical" principle, which shows, i.m.o., among other things, in the attempt of Zen-people to actually ("here and now") identify with the (universal) Buddha-Body nearly in a magical way by taking themselves the "most noble" meditation-position that is associated with the historical Buddha (as documented in the oldest Buddhist art-works), to do their formal, "real-symbolic" Zazen-practice. -- Like that are my current interpretations of these aspects of Chán/Zen from a phenomenological perspective.
@@gunterappoldt3037 Thank you, I agree about the TriKaya teachings seeming complicated. I'm not an authority on them but, from my experience with teachers from various traditions and my own practice, they are often used to point to the non differentiation between absolute and relative in a more simple and direct manner. There are different translations, as you mention and I find some of them just unnecessarily complicated and clunky. The problem with ranks too is that we naturally tend to think of things in terms of progression, that somehow what is perceived as 'lower' is unnecessary, or of lesser value, when in fact they are not something separate from all the other 'ranks.' They can also be seen as arising together, not necessarily as a path where one has to go from step one to step two and so on but that all parts of the path are present when we engage with practice. Also, as Dogen put it, 'A high thing goes in a high place. A low thing in a low place,' and that's not denigrating the 'low thing.' but pointing out that relative reality isn't to be dismissed or treated as unimportant but as integral, as itself a manifestation of Buddha Nature, if you want to use that term.
People who get upset by this are people who identify as Buddhist but don't mediate, and there is a lot of such people, probably more than those that do meditate. Sometimes they are called Lite Buddhists. Also, I really think that joriki is very important in Zen.
I would suggest being careful about labeling those who don't meditate as 'Lite Buddhists.' Bear in mind that some Buddhist traditions, such as the Pure Land ones for example, don't necessarily have meditation as a central practice, if done at all, in the same way that Zen, Theravada and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions do, and even among these traditions, many don't necessarily do much, if any formal meditation, particularly lay people practicing outside of monasteries and centers. That doesn't necessarily make them less Buddhist than those practicing in a center or monastery and doing a lot of formal sitting meditation.
@@ZenAndPsychedelicHealingCenter I know but meditation is the main component of Buddhism. There is nothing more important than meditation. Many people hold the view that you cannot be Buddhist if you don't meditate, so I think calling such people "Lite Buddhist" is actually in their favor. Without meditation there would be no Buddha or Buddhism.
@@enterthevoidIi Meditation is one component of Buddhism and I would agree is vital, but I wouldn't say that it's necessarily the main component at all times. There is an Eightfold Path, rather than a Onefold path for good reason.
@@ZenAndPsychedelicHealingCenter And where do these things come from? How did this one guy siddharta come up with all this things? Through meditation. Buddhism is a product of meditation. Buddhism without meditation is like trying to win Olympic gold in swimming without actually swimming. You can't be a swimmer if you stay out of the water.
This is so confusing. Every instruction I've read on zazen says to concentrate on here and now and following the breath. When thoughts come you just let them go and get back following your breath. Soto teachers like Shunryu Suzuki also give this instructions so I always thought they were part of zazen/shikantaza. If you don't have the attention on something you will just be daydreaming.
Giving attention to can be done with a lighter touch than what is often thought of as concentration, which is kind of a gritted teeth approach. Just be as still as possible and don't put energy, for want of a better term, into following thoughts and you may find that Shikantaza is already there so to speak.
opinion/marketing feedback: on second thought people might take you more seriously if you didn't have playing (good) music/jumping around at the beginning of your teachings. just sayin 🙃.
![NLE Choppa - Or What ft. 41 (Orchestra Mix) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/biOFASEgSOM/mqdefault.jpg)
French philosopher Blaise Pascal, "All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." 😁 there ya go Brad, thanks for staying committed to teaching us all these wonderful insights, especially through these troubling times!! Hope your wall staring goes well 🧎
That's the one! Thanks!
Also he of the famous "wager" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_wager
@@HardcoreZen Here's one of my playlists Zen ruclips.net/p/PL706FC616623F176D
I have always understood the idea of Soto Zen is that Soto Zen Shikantaza is always exactly as hard as it needs to be, in every moment of practice. Clouds passing, grass growing, snow falling from trees.
You are the coolest dude. I don't say that lightly. Keep on keeping on, brother. ❤
Hey Brad. The quote is Pascal’s and is my email signature:) “All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone. ...”
Thank you!
@@HardcoreZen Some adherents of Ajaan Tong Sirimangalo describe two main forms of mediation within their Theravada traditions and I'm sure you are well aware, Samatha, the concentration meditation associated with tranquility and on the other hand Vipassana, insight meditation. . The Zen meditation of the type you describe falls under Vipassana and in a way the two types of meditations are opposite one another, these two in additiona to walking mediation with the Theravada .
In Vipassana one sits still and without intention to react notices each thought, feeling, ache of the body, faint sound. In other words being aware of everything going on during it and in not reacting letting each event, internal or external, noticing and noting all of these things
rise and fall away like dead leaves.
However in Samatha all of these things are shut out and instead one concentrates on a single point. And for this you need and object to focus on, like the breath or a mantra.
One form is aware of everything the other shuts everything out except that single point.
But you described a sesshin at which you intent was to make you mind "free of random thoughts" for 50 seconds. But this is not Samatha because you are trying to not do something. That is not a single point.
For concentration mediation you must select an object and stay focused on it to the best of your ability. So because you have 40 years of zazen you are perhaps unpracticed in this concentration form of meditation.
Some may claim all forms are contained within sitting only but it is not so. The claim is just a preference.
The mind itself is a random thought generator. Instead of trying to be free of random thoughts try concentrating on one point. You can call that a "thought" if you like but with some practice this will allow you to easily achieve 50 seconds "freedom" from of the random.
In Zen one does not need to be ultra orthodox because each person is different. Insight awareness meditation has it's place but concentration meditation also has it's place. If you do your zazen for the day there is also the rest of the day. Therefore one cannot rank cleaning a toilet or playing a bass worth doing and practicing concentration not worth doing.
One does not even have to label it "meditation" and place it as a threat to one's zazen.
Focusing on a single point is just as good as playing a bass. I would hope you would try it more as opposed to looking at as competition to your zazen. It's an addition
So look, sit in front of a wall. and on the wall just slightly lower than straight ahead place a mark or select a detail on the wall if it has a detail and stay focused on that point to the best of your ability for 15 minutes. Or will sitting still strum one note on the bass over and over for 15 minutes and make each note sound the same to the best of your ability that will begin to integrate two things you thought were one thing.
And if after this you do your zazen it's contrast to the zazen will clarify the zazen and wipe some of the mist from your lens, this mist will all have as sentient beings
@@sat1241 in my experience, samatha meditation is insanely powerful, and It has been the sole driver for my ability to do insight effectively. Without prácticing the absorptions, my vipassana would have been extremely unproductive. i know this because I tried.
Sadly now a days not enough people know about the benefits of practicing the jhanas. And its often not mentioned that the buddha himself before practicing insight, he first learned to enter the jhanas and became a master in doing so.
It is even mentioned in Hakuin's biography that he learned one form of samatha meditation to "cure" his unwell body after incredibly rigurous insight meditation practice over the course of the years. Im pretty sure this is all figure of speech, however when one of the father figures of Zen places that ammount of importance on "calming" strands of meditation, one would not be wise to undervalue the lesson that is being taught. So yes, i completely agree with you.
@@Oi-mj6dv thanks for the comment. Open eyed gazing at a single point is also one of the best concentration practices. If after it one goes into a closed eye vipassana, that point weather it be a point on the wall or a flame carries over into the minds eye for a wall and then dissipates like it all
Excellent advice at the end, about not worrying about concentrating! You're still doing zazen! I will send you a PayPal donation soon! Love your work! (Loved the talks to Ziggy the dog!)
This was great Brad! A.) I love it when “different traditions” reinforce each other, and B.) Useful metaphors and C.) All those stores (Ross, Marshall’s, etc) usually have tons of Buddhist stuff, especially home and garden decor. :-)
that quote was from pascal.
Hey Brad, I’ve not checked in for awhile. I hope all is well with you. An analogy that I’ve often used for that central place during zazen is thinking about being in the eye of a hurricane, where it’s peaceful and serene, whilst the storm rages all around you; aka, our crazy monkey minds and the chaos of the human condition.
I’m so glad to see you’re still out here sharing knowledge and wisdom. All the best to you and yours…even Ziggy! 😎
Love the reference to Nisargadatta. Reminds me of Kosho Uchiyama's "Zazen practice is the scenery of life".
I dont know what one might say is "The point" of sitting still like the Buddha. But in my thinking, one valuable part of it, is being able to consciously do it at all for a little while, regularly. So that you dont go for days without stillness, get swept up in thinking, ego, stress, and cause damage to the world. Also its not good for the body to get too wrapped up in mind-stuff for too long. So its a bit like an internal hot-spring that you return to, to regenerate regularly. -Thats what I think.
The parable of Hui Ning highlights the distinction between true meditation- “You are That”- and concentration practice. In a nutshell, true meditation is being aware of being aware
It got a lot easier when I started 'just sitting' instead of trying to focus only on my breath
Pascal was the philosopher with the sitting alone quote.
8:13. ekagrata 🙃 (smarty pants).
Thanks Brad. That was helpful!
What is Buddha Nature? A partially used can of WD-40. The bike chain is neither rusty nor not rusty. The bike chain is both rusty and not rusty. There is no bike chain and only the bike chain.
Seriously, Brad. Thanks for all you do. My kid and I have been listening to your podcast on the way to work.
I just started reading his book, "I Am Not the Body: Discovering the Truth Beyond Bondage" since it's free on kindle unlimited.
I think I may have to explore Nisargadatta. It took me many years to get to the “still center.” However, I still get distracted. It happens. Keep it going, Ziggy!
Five Sages Teaching the Direct Path
Discerning the Essential from the Inessential
"Not all spiritual paths lead to the Harmonious Oneness. Indeed, most are detours and distractions, nothing more."
- Lao Tzu from the Hua Hu Ching
Awareness watching awareness was taught by:
Sri Ramana Maharshi,
Sri Muruganar,
Sri Sadhu Om,
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj,
Sri Annamalai Swami.
There was a technique(?) that Maezumi Roshi offered (in Appreciate Your Life) which I have been calling “breathing the universe.” When you breathe in, you breathe in everything that you can see / hear / feel & think. Likewise when breathing out, you exhale everything. The more I did this, the more I could observe thinking without getting caught up in it; maybe that was getting closer to the center of the wheel? My sitting has been all over the map for the last few years, but I would appreciate any feedback you might have.
If you approach Nisargadatta with an earnest heart for truth you will indeed find something.
Hey Brad. First thanks for your hard work on the videos. I was wondering if you could make a video about Zen in the East vs Western Zen. For example, before finding a school to practice with I encountered "schools/centers" that were saying "Hey come stay with us for a year and we'll make you certified in yoga and zen for $500 a month for each month you stay". Also in the West I'm not sure why we mix yoga and zen together. Anyway thanks Brad.
I could try. I've addressed this topic here and there in blogs, videos, and books. What's funny to me is that it seems like in Japan these days Western style mindfulness courses are becoming popular. That wasn't really a "thing" when I lived there. Also, in Japan there is the phenomenon of what they call "new religions." Many of these are what we'd call "cults" while some are somewhat similar to Western religions like Mormonism or the Jehovah's Witnesses - sort of revised versions of traditional Shintoism and Buddhism.
A traditional Asian Buddhist temple would not charge for meditation courses (although they encourage donations), nor would they teach yoga. I started offering yoga at some retreats I lead because one of the long term attendees of my retreats was a yoga teacher (who I took classes from) and I found that the stretching exercises provided some relief during long spans of zazen, and they also help make zazen a little easier for most people.
@@HardcoreZen Yeah I think yoga is good after long sittings. I just feel that paying a large monthly price for 6 months to a year and then given a certificate saying you can teach zen to others is a little sketchy. Thanks again Brad.
I have been curious, did Mr. Maharaj give meditation instructions? I think I've read some of his stuff and it was something like "ask continuously 'what am I?'" Is that what Advaita people do instead of stare at the wall?
The quotation I used in this video is about as close as I've seen him get to giving meditation instructions. There are a few other instructions peppered throughout his dialogues, and they are usually quite similar. He never gives posture or breathing instructions as far as I have seen.
Sri Ramana Maharshi encouraged the method of Self Inquiry the Nan Yar or Who Am I?
When you read the book of this man (Nisar...Mah...), I felt no good energy. Like fever in my head and body.
My teacher said: many people speaks well, but they are like poison inside a beautiful cake.
one thing I still don't quite understand: When zazen is supposedly the "real method" of buddha, and zazen is not about concentration and only about mindfulness - than why is one piece of the eightfold path wise concentration? In the Theravada tradition this is clearly explained: Concentration is a tool to help you stay focused while using mindfulness or as preparation to settle the mind so that mindfulness can work more effectively. Like 5 min of concentration on the breath, followed by 25 min of mindfulness of the body. They say concentration alone will not lead to insight. Only mindfulness can. But concentration seemed important enough for the Buddha to include it into his eightfold path. So why is Soto Zen excluding it then as a method or at least never really talks about it?
The real question I want to ask is “Does Ziggy have Buddha Nature?
He does have one pointed concentration barking at Brad’s father in law.
Mu!
Vau vau!
The question of whether Buddha sat still or the philosophy comes later feels more so akin to the chicken and the egg.
The earnest pursuit of Sanskrit, concepts in the Bhagavad Gita, we have Buddhi, Dharma, Karma.... We have the tradition of Buddha denying the Vedas; we have the notable Buddhist precepts against replying to Metaphysics; there are to the West the lesser known of Jianists from an earlier tradition with also a Siddharta.
Would you be able to place the Gita or such originations in this context?
I could concentrate really well when I started doing zen... doesn't help in the shikantaza style. Maybe if you're doing very strict vipassana or intense koan work... But I was too heavy handed, I couldn't relax!
Casual determinism
Thanks for this, Brad.
By the way, do you have a video post on Obaku Zen or can you also please touch in one of your next videos? What is your take on Obaku Zen and it's original practise of mixing Nembutsu chant as koan and Zen meditation before Obaku Zen was absorbed under the Rinzai umbrella?
I don't know much about Obaku Zen.
Half my altar came from Ross, they got some good stuff
That's great!
Does shuuzen mean the jhanas discussed in the Pali sutras?
Hi Brad, thanks so much for these videos, I really get a lot out of them. I'm not so much worried about concentration, but I want to be able to eliminate the welling up of annoyance. For me, the 'being annoyed' feeling sits on the ground in between two trash piles and accumulates like Pee Wee's foil ball.
I've been wanting to ask... Is there something in Buddhist thought that addresses trust in other people? The story that initially comes to mind is the one about the farmer that who has both good and bad things happen but holds the 'we'll see' attitude. That perspective is indeed applicable, but I'm wondering, does the concept of faith come up anywhere in Buddhism?
I wrote about faith in my book There is No God and He is Always With You. Here's a video about what I said. ruclips.net/video/sUouuriBex0/видео.html
@@HardcoreZen Nice, thanks
nice shirt, but whats the t-shirt underneath?!
Gamera is really neat!
He is made of turtle meat!
We've been eating Gam-er-a!
OH!
@@HardcoreZen Sorry, I can't see Gamera or hear his name without singing the Gamera
song from MST3K, despite my unironic love of (most of) the Gamera films.
What about the Trikaya-teachings, the Fudômyôô, and Dongshan Liangjie´s "Five Positions"? They seem to point in the same direction.
I don't know those teachings.
@@HardcoreZen Sorry, I thought You mentioned them now and then.
a) Well, the teaching(s) of the "three bodies of the Buddha" seem(s) to imply one of them, that is, that one, which directly manifests in vital time-space (or Samsara), it seems, could also be interpreted as "Karma-Body".
b) The "Unmoveable Mysterious King" is on of the (five?) protecting gods/spirits/acalas of the Buddhist "pantheon" and is mentioned in Dôgens "Uji" (something like: "three-headed, eight-armed", in the opening Gatha) -- there is also often a separate altar dedicated to him in Chán/Zen-Temples.
c) The "Five Positions" somehow layout a "mental map", poetically "invoking" five basic "positions" (partly "spiritual"/epistemological, partly "material"/ontological, in complex twists of "interbeing") of the Zen-World, which follow, basically, a special dialectic movement (i.e., not strictly in the Hegelian sense) in the vein of the classic Chinese Yìjing-Learning (including the "Five aggregates"-theory), spanning between "extreme delusion" (1) and "extreme enlightenment" (5) (where the "archetypical" Fudômyôô stands unmoved in fire and ashes). These are quite powerful symbolisms, I would say. So I wondered, if You could extemporate some more on them on occasion.
Best regards
@@gunterappoldt3037 Dongshan's teachings in this regard are usually termed, in English, the Five Ranks, which is how they are most often known at least in the US and English speaking countries. The TriKaya teachings are general to Mahayana, but are often emphasized in Vajrayana/Shingon in particular, along with schools such as Tendai and the Pure Land schools. They are present in Zen but often aren't much discussed, partly because they can be somewhat too 'theoretical' rather than practical. The Sandokai (Identity of Relative And Absolute) is a pretty good standard for how such teachings are pointed at/used (for want of a better term) in the Zen tradition, at least Soto Zen in my experience.
@@ZenAndPsychedelicHealingCenter Interesting, thanks.
Translating such old texts is really a task. In the case of the "wû wèi" of the "五位颂"-Gatha, "rank" may submit a too static impression, because of the associated "icons", which show five yin-yáng-ish time-phases, which suggest an analogy with the phases of the moon, which again leaves two epistemo-ontological options open: a) "rank" would rather hint at an ultimate telos, that is, an end-point of (self-)development, resp. revelation, whereas b) the signifier "phases" alludes more to an "eternal circling" in the Daoist vein (which may also be labelled "transcendental immanentism" or "immanent transcendentalism").
PS.: The Trikaya-teachings can get quite complicated, if one takes a deeper dive into them (e.g., Steve Odin, in: "Process-Metaphysics and Hua-yen Buddhism..."). But in a simplified, concise form, they may be illustrative of the "organical" principle, which shows, i.m.o., among other things, in the attempt of Zen-people to actually ("here and now") identify with the (universal) Buddha-Body nearly in a magical way by taking themselves the "most noble" meditation-position that is associated with the historical Buddha (as documented in the oldest Buddhist art-works), to do their formal, "real-symbolic" Zazen-practice. -- Like that are my current interpretations of these aspects of Chán/Zen from a phenomenological perspective.
@@gunterappoldt3037 Thank you,
I agree about the TriKaya teachings seeming complicated. I'm not an authority on them but, from my experience with teachers from various traditions and my own practice, they are often used to point to the non differentiation between absolute and relative in a more simple and direct manner. There are different translations, as you mention and I find some of them just unnecessarily complicated and clunky. The problem with ranks too is that we naturally tend to think of things in terms of progression, that somehow what is perceived as 'lower' is unnecessary, or of lesser value, when in fact they are not something separate from all the other 'ranks.' They can also be seen as arising together, not necessarily as a path where one has to go from step one to step two and so on but that all parts of the path are present when we engage with practice. Also, as Dogen put it, 'A high thing goes in a high place. A low thing in a low place,' and that's not denigrating the 'low thing.' but pointing out that relative reality isn't to be dismissed or treated as unimportant but as integral, as itself a manifestation of Buddha Nature, if you want to use that term.
Referring to the coincidence in the beginning of the video: it doesn't mean anything because nothing means anything. I see you Maya!
Just sit, don't grasp
Maybe today (for me it's tonight) is the first time, when my comment is first.
Congratulations! Acclaim of no gain
People who get upset by this are people who identify as Buddhist but don't mediate, and there is a lot of such people, probably more than those that do meditate. Sometimes they are called Lite Buddhists.
Also, I really think that joriki is very important in Zen.
I would suggest being careful about labeling those who don't meditate as 'Lite Buddhists.' Bear in mind that some Buddhist traditions, such as the Pure Land ones for example, don't necessarily have meditation as a central practice, if done at all, in the same way that Zen, Theravada and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions do, and even among these traditions, many don't necessarily do much, if any formal meditation, particularly lay people practicing outside of monasteries and centers. That doesn't necessarily make them less Buddhist than those practicing in a center or monastery and doing a lot of formal sitting meditation.
@@ZenAndPsychedelicHealingCenter I know but meditation is the main component of Buddhism. There is nothing more important than meditation. Many people hold the view that you cannot be Buddhist if you don't meditate, so I think calling such people "Lite Buddhist" is actually in their favor. Without meditation there would be no Buddha or Buddhism.
@@enterthevoidIi Meditation is one component of Buddhism and I would agree is vital, but I wouldn't say that it's necessarily the main component at all times. There is an Eightfold Path, rather than a Onefold path for good reason.
@@ZenAndPsychedelicHealingCenter And where do these things come from? How did this one guy siddharta come up with all this things? Through meditation.
Buddhism is a product of meditation. Buddhism without meditation is like trying to win Olympic gold in swimming without actually swimming. You can't be a swimmer if you stay out of the water.
This is so confusing. Every instruction I've read on zazen says to concentrate on here and now and following the breath. When thoughts come you just let them go and get back following your breath. Soto teachers like Shunryu Suzuki also give this instructions so I always thought they were part of zazen/shikantaza. If you don't have the attention on something you will just be daydreaming.
Giving attention to can be done with a lighter touch than what is often thought of as concentration, which is kind of a gritted teeth approach. Just be as still as possible and don't put energy, for want of a better term, into following thoughts and you may find that Shikantaza is already there so to speak.
Pascal
opinion/marketing feedback: on second thought people might take you more seriously if you didn't have playing (good) music/jumping around at the beginning of your teachings. just sayin 🙃.