| A publisher recently asked me to write a book | | | | energy going again. |
| about Zen meditation just forty or fifty pages | | | | Step Ten: This step is for advanced meditators. |
| long. | | | | You don't have to count your breaths. Just follow |
| "Perfect," I said. "You can spend a lifetime learning | | | | your breath as it goes in and out. |
| all the subtleties about Zen meditation, but a | | | | Put your awareness at the tip of your nose or on |
| beginner can learn how to do it in five minutes." | | | | your belly. Stay aware of your breathing. |
| Zen means simple and Zen meditation is the | | | | When we are aware that we are breathing, the |
| simplest form of meditation. Forest Zen is the | | | | mind and the body are one, and monkey mind |
| simplest path of all the paths to Zen and that is | | | | ends. We're not thinking about the future or the |
| the path of the Zen Forest. | | | | past - just the present moment. |
| "How do you meditate, here?" I asked on my | | | | If you are a very experienced meditator, focus |
| first visit to the Zen Forest. | | | | on your true nature. |
| The monk who created the Zen retreat gave me | | | | The Goal of Meditation |
| a blank look. | | | | The goal of meditation is to still the mind. The |
| "I've been taught different ways," I said. "Some | | | | mind is like a cup of water from the pond. We |
| say to sit like this, hold your hands like that, with | | | | are sitting in Muskoka chairs, on the new field |
| your fingertips touching and the tip of your | | | | stone patio in front of the dining hall attached to |
| tongue at the roof of your mouth." | | | | the zendo, looking at the creek the monk turned |
| He laughed very hard and said, "That's the way | | | | into a pond at the Zen Forest. |
| we teach beginners. It's like telling a little kid that | | | | "How many thoughts do we have each day?" |
| Santa Claus is real. Are you going to tell a very | | | | Thay asks me. |
| young person who believes in Santa Claus that | | | | "I studied with Deepak Chopra last summer and |
| Santa Claus isn't real?" | | | | he quoted Wayne Dyer saying we have sixty |
| "People new to meditation need to believe things | | | | thousand thoughts a day," I say. |
| like that will help them do it right," he said. | | | | "Sixty thousand, they say?" the monk laughs. "Oh |
| "People new to vegetarianism like vegetable | | | | really? We have monkey mind, with six hundred |
| dishes that look and taste like chicken, fish, | | | | thousand thoughts per day. Those are the big |
| hamburgers, steak.... You can make mock duck, | | | | ones. Who knows how many small ones we have. |
| mock goose, mock chicken, and so on. Later, it | | | | They are like waves and ripples on the ocean and |
| isn't necessary." | | | | on a pond. |
| A Step-By-Step Guide To Sitting Meditation | | | | "Imagine taking a glass of water from the pond," |
| The goal is to still. How still? As still as the dead. | | | | he says. "That glass of water from the pond may |
| Meditation has been described as practicing being | | | | be muddy and cloudy. |
| dead. | | | | "Let it settle." |
| Step One: Sit on the floor in the full lotus position. | | | | "The mud is heaviest and sinks to the bottom. |
| If you cannot sit in the full lotus position, don't | | | | Other impurities may settle on the mud. At the |
| worry. Sit in the half lotus position. | | | | top is the purest water." |
| If you cannot sit in the half lotus position, don't | | | | "If you're smart, you'll siphon off that water." |
| worry. Sit cross-legged. | | | | "That's your mind and those are your thoughts." |
| If you cannot sit cross-legged, don't worry. | | | | "Let the heavy thoughts sink to the bottom." |
| If you cannot sit on the floor, sit on a chair. | | | | "Siphon off the water at the top. That's wise." |
| Most people sit on a pillow, on a mat, and use | | | | "Meditation does for the mind what time and |
| cushions to prop up their legs. Some use a blanket | | | | gravity does for the pond water." |
| to hold their hands comfortably in their laps. | | | | "Show me the siphon," I say. |
| If you choose to sit on a chair, sit on the front | | | | The monk says, "I can show you by teaching you |
| edge, keeping your back straight. If you cannot | | | | Zen meditation." |
| sit on a chair without leaning back for support, try | | | | Frequently Asked Questions |
| meditating in a Muskoka chair. Use the cushions to | | | | Q. What is meditation? |
| get into a comfortable position so you don't have | | | | A. Medicine for the mind, body, and spirit. |
| to move for twenty minutes or so. | | | | Q. Where does meditation come from? |
| Step Two: Keep your eyes open and look at the | | | | A. The Far East. (I learned about Zen meditation in |
| floor about three feet in front of you. | | | | the far east of Ontario.) |
| Step Three: Try to keep your back straight. If | | | | Q. Will I need to make lifestyle changes in order |
| you cannot find a way to sit comfortably on the | | | | to meditate? |
| floor, try leaning against a wall. | | | | A. No. |
| Step Four: Your left hand should rest in the cup | | | | Q. Is Zen a religion? |
| of your right hand and your thumbs should touch | | | | A. No. |
| lightly. | | | | Q. Is Zen a branch of Buddhism? |
| Step Five: Focus on your breath. Pay attention to | | | | A. No. |
| your breathing. | | | | Q. Do I have to sit cross-legged? Do I have to sit |
| Step Six: Count breaths. Breathe in and count | | | | on the floor? Do I have to sit like a statue for an |
| "one" as you exhale. Breathe in and count "two" | | | | hour? |
| as you exhale. | | | | A. No, no, no. |
| Step Seven: Count to ten, breathing in and out, | | | | Q. Do I need a group or a guru? |
| and start over again. | | | | A. No, but it helps, at times. |
| Step Eight: Thoughts arise naturally during | | | | Q. Do I have to sit still for any period of time? |
| meditation. Try not to follow your thoughts. Let | | | | A. Yes, as still as a frog on a log. |
| them come and go. Focus on your breathing. | | | | Q. When should I meditate? |
| Don't engage with your thoughts. Watch them | | | | A. Sitting meditation in the morning and evening, |
| come and go as though you are watching a | | | | sleeping meditation at night, reclining meditation |
| movie. | | | | and walking meditation, whenever. |
| Step Nine: After meditating, massage your sore | | | | Q. Do I need a mantra? |
| muscles and then do some exercises to get your | | | | |