Zazen Notes

I thought my experience would translate into progress at the lotus, but after a lot of years, I decided I would have to figure it out, instead.

So here’s the story: as Carl Bielefeldt translated a master’s words in the first edition of Dogen’s Meditation Manuals, “seated meditation is not holding still”. The fascia and ligaments of the body ...  read more

The Tai-Chi teacher Cheng Man-Ching mentioned an ancient Chinese description of meditation in one of his books: straighten the clothes and sit precariously.

When I sit, I remind myself that the two respirations (pulmonary and cranial-sacral) utilize the occurrence of consciousness to coordinate the activity of posture, and that relaxation and calm ...  read more

(Response to the thread “What is so special about full lotus?” posted by effilang, in the Discussion Forum on Tao Bums)

This morning a second question has occurred to me, and that is: why do they sit 40-50 minutes in the lotus, when most hatha yoga postures are only assumed briefly?

My answer would be, because we work loose, first the sacrospinous ...  read more