Exercising the intuitive potential of the right brain
Mastery of physics gives us the boon of technology.
Mastery of metaphysics inspires original ideation
and the ethical consciousness to apply technology beneficially
Zazen is the crown jewel of metaphysical exercises
It is the magic formula
that releases the inspirational genius locked up inside the outer shell
and reveals the consciousness of The Supreme
that resides within
Zazen is seated meditation
The goal is No Mind a blissful state of Union (Nirvana)
Zen issues a simple challenge to the busy psyche
asking it to sit quietly for a short while
and see the matter-of-factness of Being
without the artificial affectations and desires of ego
Regular practice of seated meditation is designed
to see if one can suspend the noisy left-brain
from its interminable cycles of inquiry
long enough to hear a quieter voice inside
which seeks to transcend the material ambitions of self
see the all-encompassing essence of The Supreme
and for a moment or two experience the bliss
of becoming One with it
Once such a Divine moment is shared
it raises the self above the mundane machinations of life
and provides an overview
which enriches one’s perception of Existence
Any available place to sit is good enough
A quiet spot away from interruption is good for the beginner
Later one can sit undisturbed
in the middle of Time Square
The Buddha
who first uncovered the secret of No Mind
sat under a tree
Children should begin with twenty-minute sittings
Group sitting assists in the focus
of like-minded practice
Forty five minutes is the standard sitting period
for those at puberty and older
One meditation at dawn and another at dusk
are the best time slots
(That is when the pineal gland is most active)
Two rounds of sittings at dawn and two at dusk
with a fifteen-minute break between each
produces accelerated results
Take a complete break every fourth day
(Shikinitchi)
You can sit on a cushion in full or half lotus
Without encouragement
most adult beginners cannot break through
the initial pain -barrier of full lotus
Outraged tendons resist the stretch for a few minutes
before the heat dies down
Children with more flexible tendons
do not experience that much initial discomfort
Half lotus produces less initial discomfort
but ends up just as painful
Not much discomfort is felt
during the first twenty minutes or so
and the busy left-brain
never before tamed or instructed to shut down for a while
and give the right brain a chance to show its light
gallops around inside the head
churning over its eternal machinations
checking out its territorial boundaries
its endless ambitions
its accumulation of more furniture
reviewing its boundaries and defenses against invasions
and its endless schemes for annexing more power
Interspersed with these grand strategies
are all the petty little masturbations of material life
that the left brain masticates
regurgitates and chews over again
and again
and again
endlessly
with only merciful breaks for sleep
and this cycle goes on and on
from childhood to the deathbed
At around thirty minutes of sitting in zazen
the increasing discomfort
in the oxygen-starved muscles and tendons of the legs
begins to impinge on the endless thought process
The irritation gives some pause to the left brain
and the first real question arises
“Why am I suffering this discomfort?”
There is no rational answer of course
You initiated your first zazen out of curiosity
just to see what would happen
if the mind could be improved
and nothing has happened yet
except discomfort
The discomfort is not so bad yet
and the left brain
no longer galloping
reduces its gait to a canter
and goes over the whole inner boundary again
As each minute ticks by real pain begins to set in
The left brain is barely plodding now
The temptation to fidget and ease the pain is strong
“Is there any real reason for going on?
Time for a break
Let me get up and think this thing through
No!
I made a commitment
Others are watching
I was told that all this would happen
and that I would want to quit as soon the pain came
that I did not have enough personal power
to control the impulses of the left brain
I took the challenge I’m going to look like a fool if I quit
I can handle another fifteen minutes.”
So you manage to convince yourself
to hang on for a while longer
Time is relative
It goes by fast only when you’re having fun
Sitting in Lotus
cuts off much of the blood circulation to the legs
and consequently leads to a severe level
of oxygen starvation in both lower limbs
After thirty minutes of sitting
the lack of oxygen in the cells
produces a burn
and a gradual rise of the pain threshold
During the final fifteen minutes
the entire psyche gradually becomes submerged
in a burning sea of self-inflicted suffering
When only pain exists
all thought is gone except one
Why am I subjecting myself to such pain?
Pain for beginners is the Key to the inner self
everyone who has suffered severe pain questions its source
If severe pain is the result of some outer influence
say an accident or illness
one feels victimized by a force greater than the self
escape is sought in self-denial
and blame is placed else where
If the pain is severe and prolonged
with no control over when it will end
asking the for reason why soon becomes submerged
in a sea of misery and self pity
and if too intense
merciful oblivion
The self-inflicted pain of Zazen practice
produces exactly the opposite result
No escape is sought
There is no one to blame or question
higher than the self
As the pain intensifies
with one’s self in full control of when it will end
it is not oblivion that is sought
but total clarity
A full Zen sesshin encompasses
ten 45 minute sittings each day for seven days
Sesshin is major league zazen
Facing a full week of self-inflicted pain
forces a lot of adult psychological baggage to the surface
and usually requires a group effort with an accomplished Roshi present
to supervise such intensity of spiritual effort
and resolve the anguish of rising guilt during
This is done in doksan (private confession with the Roshi)
Classic Zen answers to distressed neophytes:
“Since you do not exist
who then is experiencing the suffering?“
Or more bluntly
“You are a shit machine
go place your mess on the compost heap
and grow good vegetables”
And one is sent back to the zendo to sit in pain again
The magic of a freed soul does not come easy
Zen is not the realm of dilettantes
No pain no gain
Self-inflicted pain focuses the psyche
forces it to keep questioning the self
and keeps the skittish mind from drifting away
When you are in pain seconds drag like minutes
Fifteen minutes can take an hour to drag by
If you hang in there and don’t allow the left brain
to convince you to give up
the last five minutes
may introduce you to your right brain
another part of the self that you barely know existed
Some have taken months
even years of zazen
and never had the pleasure of a formal meeting
of the two halves of the self
The first tiny introduction
is a major awakening event
It is a long lost meeting
with your feminine self (if you are male)
your masculine self (if you are female)
It is a meeting that if you have sat honorably
without fidgeting you will never forget
This may be the first time in your life
that you are actually doing something for yourself
not for material recognition or reward
but for an internal personal purpose
of self discovery
It is the compassion of the other half of yourself
that gets you through the last minutes of the exercise
You have met another dimension of yourself
someone quieter
more patient
more kinder
more understanding
more mature
with more fortitude
There are some first time sitters
who find tears unaccountably
streaming down their cheeks
when the first meeting takes place
Others chuckle with delightful recognition
Some feel deep personal shame
Others feel angry
betrayed by some vast conspiracy
that has screened them from their true self
We all are aware that something important
has taken place inside our psyche
important enough to try again
If you do not quit zazen after the fi rst try
and you keep at it
doing at least one sitting
three or four times a week
you will gradually discover some of
the supernatural powers that you have inherited
from 100,000 generations of genetic imprinting
You will feel
a compassionate sense of affection
for your fellow humanity
and their individual struggles in life
at a depth that you have never experienced before
You will find that you can draw
as elegantly as any artist
sing in perfect tune and dance to any rhythm
Your IQ will even jump up a few notches
You will feel sunlight
smell scents
hear sounds
taste delights
and see the world you live in with a depth of perception
that only two brains working in harmony can ever achieve
And the more you sit and exercise
your right brain muscles the more perceptive they will grow
After a while an inner policeman
begins a permanent patrol of your daily behavior
You realize
that the machinations and desires of the left brain
and the material rewards the world offers
are not the only things needed to keep motivating you
toward further effort
The full soul force of your whole Self
is all the encouragement you now need
to excel in whatever you do
The new consciousness polices your ethics
It reveals the simple logic
that it is up to you alone
to make the most of your life
To be as creative as you possibly can
to be a good neighbor
to die an honorable death
and go to the Heaven of your own choosing
