Meditation within Zen Buddhism

• The main aim is the sudden awakening of Buddha nature to enlightenment (satori)

• This happens in an instant

• It is the in – depth understanding and insight into the emptiness (sunyata) of all phenomena

Meditation within Zen Buddhism

• There are two main styles we need to concentrate on:-

• 1. Rinzai

• 2. Soto

Soto Meditation - intro

• First introduced into Japan from China by the monk Eisai (1141 – 1215) and was successful with Samurai

• Soto Zen had more popular appeal through Dogen who remains one of the greatest figures in Japanese Buddhism

Soto Meditation - intro

• As a Tendai Monk Dogen confronted the problem that if people already have a buddha nature why do they need to exert themselves in religious practice to attain buddhahood

• He advocated a strict and simple life of monastic discipline and ZAZEN or sitting meditation

Soto Meditation - intro

• He used the Mahayana sutras to support the practice but he emphasised practices rather then study

• He was impressed by the personal example of the historical Buddha and interestingly, under Dogen’s tradition, the Buddha became a more human like teacher again rather then a glorious heavenly figure

Soto Meditation - intro

• Dogen advocated zazen sitting meditation as a return to the true Buddhism of the Buddha and he criticised the Rinzai schools reliance on the koan as too focussed on mental processes

• He encouraged a natural and straightforward method open to all and encompassing all other practices

Soto Meditation – How does it work?

• Posture is strictly defined

• Full lotus position• Precise placing of all

parts of the body• Sit in zazen with

constant awareness• Have faith that you are

already a buddha• Engage in the process

of ‘self forgetting’• Mokusho or silent

illumination is good because it uses the koan sparingly

Rinzai Meditation – Intro

• Rinzai ( birth date unknown – died in 867)

• He was noted for his more audacious forms of Zen training e.g. shouting, howling and beating methods!

• Also for his dynamic exchanges between him as a master and his disciples centring on the koan

Rinzai Meditation – Intro

• Rinzai wanted the role of a master to bring about a crisis in a student called ‘The Great Doubt’ so that in a moment of realisation or ‘satori’, the student makes a great breakthrough

• This enlightenment will then be evident in the students every activity whatever form it may take

Rinzai Meditation – How does it work?

• Rinzai emphasises seated meditation

• It focuses on a koan (unanswerable riddle)

• A student will then go through a first enlightenment experience known as kensho

• He or she will wrestle mentally with the enigma of a koan

Rinzai Meditation – How does it work?

• Hakuin (1685 – 1768) revitalised Rinzai Buddhism

• Haiku poems became part of the established focus for students whilst

meditating• Maybe even a mondo

( a recorded collection of dialogues between a pupil and a rōshi or Zen Buddhist teacher) will be used as a technique

So…is meditation essential to Buddhism or not?

• Yes it is! – the focus is on the nature of consciousness as the ultimate source of truth and knowledge

• The most powerful way of understanding consciousness and change is through meditation

So…is meditation essential to Buddhism or not?

• Meditation also gives clear understanding of one’s own nature and the ability to cultivate higher levels of consciousness and knowledge

• Without meditation, one could argue that wisdom could not develop

So…is meditation essential to Buddhism or not?

• No it isn’t ! – The Buddhist path has many forms and aspects and for some traditions, the bodhisattvas are essential as well as rituals and chanting

So…is meditation essential to Buddhism or not?

• For all forms of Buddhism, morality is the essential basis of the faith

• Without morality, human nature cannot develop in a positive way so this is clearly more essential to Buddhism than meditation.