Zazen Notes

I’ve been studying a couple of illustrations Apech turned me onto–from the temples in Egypt, a long time ago. You might find this useful, with regard to the sacrum and L5:

I would suggest that the reed that the god is holding on either side of the pillar represents the horizontal ilio-lumbar ligaments, ...  read more

I’m writing lately about proprioception and sitting the lotus; I write for myself, first and foremost, but I’m hoping this approach will also serve for Westerners who want to learn to sit the lotus. I don’t sit many sesshins, and I don’t care if my sitting is ten minutes or 50; maybe I average about 30. It’s about stretch, ...  read more

Trance as I am sure you understand is anathema to Zen teachers. The notion of someone on a cushion entering into a state where they might be suggestible, vulnerable to someone like Bela Lugosi in a kimono and fright wig is bound to be repudiated in any zendo.

The really odd thing is that in the earliest records we have of the teachings of Gautama ...  read more