The back has to be kept perfectly straight, with the hands touching the abdomen with their internal edge, with the left hand lying on the right. It is also possible to sit in the half-lotus position, with the right foot on the left thigh, or vice versa, trying however to recreate the stability of such a tripod. In this fashion a tripod is formed, which provides stability and vigor to the whole posture, and allows the back to remain naturally straight, without too much effort. One has to care to sit on the edge of the cushion, and to let the knees touch well the ground. On the other hand, the lotus position is extremely practical, as it is firm, stable. Orange is the color of the rising sun and spiritual renaissance. Indeed, on one hand it symbolizes the lotus, the flower that, even sinking its roots in the mud, raises to the sky with its orange petals. This position presents both symbolic and practical valences. The right position for Zazen is the complete lotus: the right foot lies on the left thigh, and the left foot on the right thigh. It is however possible to sit for a shorter time at the beginning of the practice. Then one has to wear roomy, soft and possibly black clothes, and then sit cross-legged on a solid cushion, for about forty minutes. Then, what is Zazen practice, or better sitting (za) meditation (zen)?įirst of all, a place to sit in tranquility needs to be found, which is neither too hot nor too cold. The Zen tradition is called in such a way right because it strongly emphasizes the sitting practice, having understood the importance of it. ![]() It is in light of this fact that in the Zen tradition it is even asserted that Zazen is satori, meaning that meditation practice is enlightenment in itself: in other words, if being enlightened means being completely immersed in the present moment, and meditating means being fully here and now, then the two terms coincide. In other words, it is about being completely aware or mindful of ourselves, our body, our thoughts, what surrounds us.īuddha, the enlightened one, is the being who is completely awakened, absolutely immersed in the unrepeatable beauty of the present moment. Thus, the contemplative Buddhist practice should not refer to an ongoing cogitating, but rather to being completely immersed in the present moment. Therefore, bhavana can be translated as to be there, to be there more, now. However, in the Buddhist approach the Sanscrit term standing for such practices in general is bhavana: it derives from the verbal root bhu, which means "to be". At the sunrise of the confluence with Eastern doctrines, Western scholars defined "meditation" as the whole set of ascetical/concentrative practices that were typical of Eastern philosophies. It derives from the Chinese term chan, which in turn derives from the Sanscrit word dhyana, used to indicate meditation practice in India.Īt this point it is useful to remember that in the West with the term meditation, or meditatio, one usually means the choice of a passage from the Gospel, to reflect or think about to reach an increased and deeper understanding of Christ's message. Now, the term Zen, which stands to indicate one of the forms of Buddhism in Japan, means meditation. Actually, they are meditating, they are practicizing Zazen. What are these people doing? Nothing - could be the answer - they are simply sitting. ![]() The austere and vigorous silence is only broken off by a deep voice that from time to time, with a severe compassion, reminds the beauty of the present moment. In front of the wall still characters sit, in a perfect alignment, wearing black, roomy, soft clothes. The light of a candle just lightens an almost empty room. Zen is the way connecting us to the Universe
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