Meditation within Zen Buddhism

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Meditation within Zen Buddhism

• The main aim is the sudden awakening of Buddha
  nature to enlightenment (satori)
• This happens in an instant
• It is the in depth understanding and insight
  into the emptiness (sunyata) of all phenomena

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Meditation within Zen Buddhism

• There are two main styles we need to concentrate
  on-
• 1. Rinzai
• 2. Soto

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Soto Meditation - intro

• First introduced into Japan from China by the
  monk Eisai (1141 1215) and was successful with
  Samurai
• Soto Zen had more popular appeal through Dogen
  who remains one of the greatest figures in
  Japanese Buddhism

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Soto Meditation - intro

• As a Tendai Monk Dogen confronted the problem
  that if people already have a buddha nature why
  do they need to exert themselves in religious
  practice to attain buddhahood
• He advocated a strict and simple life of monastic
  discipline and ZAZEN or sitting meditation

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Soto Meditation - intro

• He used the Mahayana sutras to support the
  practice but he emphasised practices rather then
  study
• He was impressed by the personal example of the
  historical Buddha and interestingly, under
  Dogens tradition, the Buddha became a more human
  like teacher again rather then a glorious
  heavenly figure

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Soto Meditation - intro

• Dogen advocated zazen sitting meditation as a
  return to the true Buddhism of the Buddha and he
  criticised the Rinzai schools reliance on the
  koan as too focussed on mental processes
• He encouraged a natural and straightforward
  method open to all and encompassing all other
  practices

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Soto Meditation How does it work?

• Posture is strictly defined
• Full lotus position
• Precise placing of all parts of the body
• Sit in zazen with constant awareness
• Have faith that you are already a buddha
• Engage in the process of self forgetting
• Mokusho or silent illumination is good because it
  uses the koan sparingly

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Rinzai Meditation Intro

• Rinzai ( birth date unknown died in 867)
• He was noted for his more audacious forms of Zen
  training e.g. shouting, howling and beating
  methods!
• Also for his dynamic exchanges between him as a
  master and his disciples centring on the koan

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Rinzai Meditation Intro

• Rinzai wanted the role of a master to bring about
  a crisis in a student called The Great Doubt so
  that in a moment of realisation or satori, the
  student makes a great breakthrough
• This enlightenment will then be evident in the
  students every activity whatever form it may take

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Rinzai Meditation How does it work?

• Rinzai emphasises seated meditation
• It focuses on a koan (unanswerable riddle)
• A student will then go through a first
  enlightenment experience known as kensho
• He or she will wrestle mentally with the enigma
  of a koan

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Rinzai Meditation How does it work?

• Hakuin (1685 1768) revitalised Rinzai Buddhism
• Haiku poems became part of the established focus
  for student whilst
• meditating
• Maybe even a mondo ( a recorded collection of
  dialogues between a pupil and a roshi or Zen
  Buddhist teacher) will be used as a technique