How to Do Zen Meditation

Zen meditation brings up images of robed Buddhist monks sitting on a verdant mountaintop and meditating until they reach enlightenment. But you don't have to travel to exotic countries or convert to Buddhism in order to practice a basic form of Zen meditation. Just commit to a daily meditation routine, and soon enough you'll develop compassion plus reduce daily stress, mood swings and anger issues.

Instructions

Method for Meditation

1. Commit to a regular meditation routine. Zen meditation works cumulatively over a period of time, so to really get the most out of this technique, commit to a daily routine (yes, even on the weekends!). Set a time (early morning or late night works best) and make sure you have a quiet and undisturbed environment.

2. Find an area large enough to sit cross-legged in without being too crowded by objects around you, and make sure it is near a wall.

3. Sit cross-legged facing a wall that is about 1 to 3 feet in front of you. Note that sitting postures are not that important in Zen meditation; what counts more is your state of mind. So if you have back problems or cannot sit in a full lotus position, by all means use a chair or sit kneeling down. You can also try the half lotus position or even just crossing your legs but without putting your feet on your thighs.

4. Keep your posture. Whatever method of sitting you choose, keep your back straight and your ears aligned with your shoulders. You head should be tilted slightly forward, chin pointing down just a bit, and your eyes should be open--but relaxed--and focused on the floor at a 45-degree angle from your body (do not look at the wall). Every time you feel yourself sag, imagine that there's a string tied to the crown of your head that is pulling you upward.

5. Place your hands in your lap (about 2 inches below the navel) with the palms facing upward and the fingers of the left hand resting on top of the right hand. Your thumbs should touch lightly--imagine holding a sheet of paper between your thumbs; the sheet shouldn't fall, but your thumbs shouldn't hold it so firmly that you wouldn't be able to yank the sheet away.

6. Breathe. There's no set way to breathe in Zen meditation, with the only requirement being that you breathe naturally and not force your breath by overexpanding your lungs or breathing rapidly.

7. Settle in and begin the meditation. The formal Japanese name for sitting meditation is Zazen. Here you'll have several options, but the key to remember is that you don't want to get caught up in your thoughts. You can do this by counting breaths: mentally say "1" for each cycle of inhalation and exhalation, up to the count of "10" and then back to "1" again. If you lose count because of chasing some worrying thought, just start at "1" again. Or you can "just sit," as the Zen Buddhist say. This is called Shikantaza, and is rather hard to do, since your mind has nothing to focus on. As thoughts come up--and hundreds of little thoughts will invariably invade your mind--simply observe them coolly, as if they were clouds passing by overhead or train cars zooming by in front of you. Just remember: do not get on that train and follow the thoughts! But if you do, remind yourself to get off the train and just pay attention to your posture and breath.Yet another method is to repeat a mantra--a short saying--in your mind and keep repeating it over and over. The mantra could be something like, "What am I?" or "Don't Know." So whenever you feel yourself drifting into a day dream while meditating, loudly (mentally) say your mantra to wake yourself up.

Tips & Warnings

• Start meditating for 5 minutes daily. As you get more proficient at taming your mind, increase slowly to 30 or 40 minutes. You can even meditate longer, but practice walking meditation between sittings in order to stretch your legs. Keep the same mantra, or whatever style you chose for your sitting meditation, while walking slowly back and forth in a room or backyard, keeping the same hand position and looking down at a 45-degree angle. Then return to your sitting posture and continue meditating.

• If you take to this type of meditations, seek out more guidance from a qualified teacher. They will be able to provide you with additional training in Zen meditation (see Resources below).

• Some disturbing thoughts may arise while you meditate. Do not give up, work through them using your mantra or counting breaths, and in time they will pass.

Resources

• More on Zen Buddhism
• Find a Zen Center Near You