Zen Meditation Lesson

[Leila Raven]

When somebody ask a Zen monk what do you do in meditation, he replies,

" I do nothing. I just sit empty and that's all I do."

Now I will describe a very interesting and simple meditation.

Zen Meditation

The 'Zen' is the word used in Eastern World (of Tibet, Japan and China) for 'Dhyan' or Meditation.

Many great mediators have said about meditation -

"Just be still and know"

This Zen meditation is the methods of Zen monks who just be still and know.

If you just sit still & empty, you will be doing Zen meditation.

I will tell you how lay person can do it.

The main thing is how to be still and empty from inside ?

Zen meditation is the technique which gradually takes us to the state of absolute stillness and emptiness.

However it takes some time and patience to master it.

Nevertheless, it is one of the most easiest and effective meditation technique.

Before starting Zen meditation it is essential to understand some important things about our mind. Our mind (whose physiological counterpart is Brain ) consists of two parts - left and right mind (brain). Both these two left and right parts give rise to different creative urges in us.

The left Brain takes care of logic, theology, philosophy, math and science etc.
All the thought process happens in this left Brain.

Where as the right mind give rise to music, art, painting, love & other emotions.
The right mind immensely facilitates the process of meditation.
Right mind does not think.
It is deeply related to the source of infinite creativity.
Here thoughts do not arise as a thinking process, rather happen as an instant flash of creativity.
This part does not think. This part feels.
In Zen meditation we'll use our right brain to make our mind free of thoughts

Sit in the lotus pose (cross legged) keeping your spine straight.

put your hands on each other in your lap.

(sitting in lotus pose with straight spine and touching your hands will ensure that you do not fall asleep)

Now look at your left hand. just look. Aware of the left part of your body. look at the left hand in an empty manner. Just look. Don't let any thought to pop up in your mind. look blankly on your left hand and try to feel the left portion of your body. …feel the left part….feel…

This very process will activate your right brain. When the right brain activates, it results in disappearance of thoughts. Your thought will start disappearing… (Slowly after a few session of practicing this meditation , you will be able to instantly achieve this state of disappearance of thoughts)

Now inhale deeply….count one.

Then exhale deeply…count two.

Inhale again…… deeply….. Count three….

exhale again…..deeply..…...count four.


Continue this deep breathing and count up to ten..

Now keep inhaling and exhaling after ten…11….12…13….but make your breathing normal (that is don't take deep breath. Just continue counting and breathing normally). Don't take deep breath. just breath in a normal way.

If in between the counting, you forget counting….start again.

Do these inhalation and exhalation for half an hour. Now again inhale and exhale one more time deeply. your meditation for this day is complete.

Complete ? yes for the first day it is enough. But keep in mind this is the first step…

Do the above meditation process for one week. just inhale and exhale for half an hour in lotus pose after activating your right mind by using the procedure described above. For one week just do this. ..

After one week…

Now make some modification in this meditation. The process will remain the same but now instead of counting both inhalation and exhalation, just count inhalation. It means first of all inhale and exhale deeply while counting up to ten. Then restore normal breathing and count only inhalation as 11, 12. .... so in. Do this for one week.

Next week……

Continue doing this meditation for half an hour daily. But now, stop counting. Just inhale and exhale …inhale…..Exhale . Just be aware of inhalation and exhalation. Do it for one week

Next week…..

Just sit . Just sit in the lotus pose. Neither count nor inhale or exhale. The breathing will go on itself. But don't be aware of the inhalation or exhalation. Sit silently. Be aware of the moment. Be still. You'll be in state of Zen. The state of absolute stillness. The state of just sitting.

[2ihae5zlwksn0]

IT IS VERY MUCH INTERESTING I WILL LIKE TO LEARN ZEN MEDITATION AND WANT TO BE PERFECT IN ZEN MEDITATION STARTED AT TIBBET

DEEPAK KUMAR SINHA

LUCKNOW , INDIA

[e-mail]

[Leila Raven]

sounds like a good plan... start sitting! *smile*

[0f4u9ydn80fzk]

Hi Leila don't you have like a recoding of the ZEN MEDITATION that i can follow because most of the time I am at work and cant really read but would like to listen to it.

[2k5m54jzywjff]

Thanks! I do meditate, but usually it is at night and I always fall asleep. I haven't ever researched on how to meditate, I just do what I feel, so this will help tremendously. I really don't think that sleeping counts as meditation. LOL  In Peace love and Light, Vicki

[Leila Raven]

A lot of people will fall asleep while meditating which is why they often do it sitting, etc, and in positions even that may cause some small discomforts.

Meditating yourself to sleep though isn't a bad thing per se, it just means you may be cutting your meditation time down. If you're so relaxed you fall asleep, that can't be a bad thing.

Even experienced meditators do it...

[rajesh arora]

me too feel myself in sleep doing meditation when I get tired after 10 or fifteen minutes. But that kind of relaxed, brain free sleep is very much interesting as it calm down all our senses. What you feel please share if you would like to

Friendly yours,
Rajesh Arora

[0i9nitg8uappr]

I need to put this on my calendar and complete it. Thank you!

[Leila Raven]

glad you found it helpful Pattie. :)