Twelve Minutes of Zazen

[elfs]

Twelve minutes seems to be an odd place in the Zazen routine. As I meditate, I start to wonder when that damn doan chime (meditation alarm) is ever going to go off, and when it does I stop and think to myself, "Is that it?"

Next week, I'll up the rate to 15 minutes.

I don't think I'm doing it right. Yeah, I sit still and alternate between doing heavy visualizations and trying to do traditional zazen, but there's too much clutter in my head, too many characters and projects and tasks and distractions. Getting them to shut up is hard work.

Comments

[darrelx.livejournal.com]

sometimes, when I need to meditate at the end of a day, I throw some wood on the firepit in the backyard and stare at it for an hour or two, just letting my mind wander.

Nothing formal, just relaxing. (It's also a good way to rid myself of the scrap lumber from my woodshop)

Sometimes, though, I discover that I was sitting immobile for way too long and ache in strange places when I finally get up to stir the coals down. ;)

[mothball-07.livejournal.com]

Getting them to shut up is hard work.

Meditation and I have a rather limited history, but the one bit of advice I got that rang pure to me was this :

"Your mind will wander. When it does, bring it back gently, like a puppy to a training paper. Smacking it on the nose accomplishes nothing, with the puppy, or with your mind, but to distract from the task at hand."

[nbarnes.livejournal.com]

That echos the advice I was given. Also, I was told that it was surprisingly easy to remember everything that you thought of during meditation, so I didn't need to worry about filing all the ideas I had while meditating, I could just get back to the task at hand. Which has seemed to be the case so far.

Also, I'm beginning to think that I need to set aside time for both traditional meditation and some 'sit down in a quiet room and think' time.

[sirfox.livejournal.com]

totally off topic, but a friend pointed me at this article.
http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/06/the_gay_animal_kingdom.php?page=all&p=y

you might find it interesting, or may have heard about it a while back.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

So, I read it, and I don't understand it.

There are so many other conditions that also prevent breeding. These conditions are well understood and their persistence is easily explained by the economics models of evolutionary theory: milder expressions of the genes that cause these conditions, dispersed through a much wider collection of the population than those for whom it is a detriment, are a net benefit to the gene pool overall. Dawkins covered this thirty years ago.

I think shouting "mate selection can't handle homosexuality" is about as meaningful as shouting "mate selection can't handle sickle cell anemia." But it can handle the latter, and it can handle the former in the same way. People just don't want it to because, y'know, it's about icky sex.

[rarkrarkrark.livejournal.com]

Why is it that people act like homosexuality is the same as infertility? It really really really only takes once. Given how common having multiple partners is in the animal kingdom, why do people assume that just because an animal has or even prefers homosexual contact that it will *never* mate with another of the opposite sex?

I'm baffled, truely.

[amberleewriter.livejournal.com]

Hi Elf,

Don't often respond to your posts in spite of the fact I've been reading them for years (which might make me a total creepy internet lurker but, hey, there you have it). I have no idea if this will help you or not, but I'll do the unasked for and share. ^_^

I've been doing different forms of meditation off and on since childhood. Training the mind to be "blank" is hard (though helpful). Prior to actually participating in group zazen, I had a lot more trouble with emptying my mind. I would, instead of going for stillness, do a visualization or focus techniques (thinking about a blank piece of paper, watching a candle flame, listening to a specific noise in the room like a ticking clock or a piece of music and picking out only one instrument).

When I did group zazen there were two sets of seated meditation were broken up with kihin (walking meditation). This, along with the pure nearness of others, helped me to focus on my own body in a way I had not been forced to in the past. What I found is that the walking meditation -- focusing on things like being quiet, keeping myself mostly still, and the sensation of brushing my feet on the floor -- turned me toward the moment and helped me drop external thoughts much faster. There is a kind of energy in your body (and others) that you pick up on and don't even acknowledge in daily life most of the time. When in group zazen I ended up needing to block OUT other people and, thus, turned inward.

Once "in" breathing techniques have proven to be the most helpful for me. (Focusing on deep breathing; trying to breathe in, hold the breath, and exhale for the same amount of time each time; breathing in through my nose and feeling the air pass up through my sinus cavity, down into my lungs as they expand then back out as I exhale.) I've also had individuals suggest suggest focusing on a specific sense or body part (usually the body part is suggested for when you've got an itch or your leg is falling asleep). After a few months of sitting my body began to expect "turning off" and it became easier not to sit and mentally compose grocery lists, to do lists, or think about that next bit of dialogue for my story.

It might not be your speed (or perhaps you've already tried it) but going to a group session once or twice might give you a different perspective. Your mind and body will both go "I am her to DO this as an event" and that sometimes helps your mind create a different expectation level for your meditation. You can also get some interesting tips and suggestions from the people at the zen center. I would suggest looking for a soto or rinzai one in your area if possible. They usually have daily open sittings with an "introduction to zazen" session once a week and little or no religiousness inserted into the process (unless it is a day for a Dharma talk).

Though I used to go, "is that it?" at first, I found that I became MORE creative and purposeful after meditation. Enforced stillness of mind and body seems to give me the ability to regenerate and look at things differently. When I come back to an art project, writing project, or code after I leave it and "empty" I usually get the breakthrough moment and move past a block or rough patch.

Hope you find that meditation works for you. Again, no idea if any of this will be of help, but good luck to you!

[lisakit.livejournal.com]

Why do you set a time limit? Just curious. I've never done so myself, but then my main goal in meditating is relaxation.

Heh. It almost sounds like your working too hard on it. The more you try to focus on clearing your mind, the more things will intrude. I speak from experience here; it's almost impossible to shut my mind up. OK, I haven't managed it yet, but I have hopes.

One of the things my teacher keeps telling me about busy minds & meditation: "Whenever a thought pops up I just note 'Eh that's a thought' and ignore it. Don't focus on it, just let it go" (paraphrased).

Sometimes it helps me to focus on something else, like a candle or a bird singing or the wind patterns or the rain or something like that. Your mind actually gets quieter 'cause you're focusing on one thing instead of trying to capture all the million things that are running by. When you find you can relax with that then go on to trying to clear it entirely. Again, we'll note, I haven't managed it myself yet; but then I think it might be one of those journey vs. destination things.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

I set a time limit because I'm usually doing it at work on a break, and I only have so many minutes. I like the effects-- I can concentrate better afterward and am usually much less cranky on days when I do it at least once, although twice is better.

This is one of those "I'm not sure what to expect, but I've been told it's good for me by people I trust" kind of things. And it's cheaper than GNC Supplements.

[lisakit.livejournal.com]

Heh. Yah, I found out real fast here that I can't skip lunch. That's a wind-down time for me mid-day. I go away from my desk and read while I eat. Makes a huge difference over just eating at the desk.

Gotta say though, I've really been feeling it not having my supplements for over a month now. That's the first thing I'm buying with tomorrow's paycheck!

PocketDoan

[(Anonymous)]

Elf,

Glad you hear you find my little timer useful. :)

You might consider experimenting with the minder alerts which can play periodically throughout an interval. See the Session Preferences. I find that these alerts not only assure me that the program is running, but they also serve as a cue to get back on track when my mind is off in the weeds. I'm personally fond of the quarterly and random modes.

Good luck,

Joe Stadolnik

Re: PocketDoan

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Hi, Joe! I'm familiar with the minder alerts; I use them for other things. I have categories in PocketDoan with titles like "Hack Run!" and "Clean House!". The latter has minders with titles like "Kitchen", "Living Room", " Bathroom," and so on.

I might use the minder when my schedule exceeds 15 minutes, but for now one 12 minute long run seems long enough.

It's a great program, though. Thanks muchly.