Detailed Meditation Instructions

[MrBalthazar]

I am neither a Buddhist nor a zen practitioner but I really enjoy this channel because you are unpretentious and I find your topics always interesting and thought provoking.

[xlmoriarty]

This was probably the best zazen instruction I have heard from Brad. Just figure it out for yourself 😊

[ErikDornes]

For me personally, when I started reading about Dogen's shikan taza, it really made everything that I always felt was kinda "lacking" from meditation click and fall into place. I was always trying to "get into" 4th jhana, and was always comparing my current state with my expectations, and that inevitably caused a loop: "NOW Im finally not thinking, I must be on 4th Jhana... oh damn I just thought that, so Im not!" That and the whole deal about the "breath nimitta" always threw me off... Shikan taza and the Mahayana attitude of No-gain just cuts right though that particular confusion, and it felt like a breath of fresh air when I finally "got it". Also, Uchyiama's coined phrase "opening the hand of thought" made it even clearer

[dbuck]

Nisargadata may have summed it up best in simply saying to “leave the mind alone”.

In saying it this way, he is making it absolutely clear that you are not the mind and the mind is like an apparition that you need to just not get caught up in at all.

[WillMruzek]

I agree, ultimately you have to figure it out on your own.

But for those who want clear instructions, I find the following most instructive:
Open the hand of thought
Let go of thought
Just sit without expectation
Sit with beginners mind

Pick one that resonates

[KenCunkle]

Thanks, Brad. Frustrating, but true. It made me think of a parting remark my zen teacher once told me as I was leaving dokusan feeling extremely lost: "I hope this has been of no help." Which of course helped, though I didn't realize it until later. Another time a teacher told us that basically you can't have somebody else's enlightenment. I remember thinking that I would take whosever damn enlightenment I could get, second-hand or otherwise.

[richardsrensen]

it servers you to honour that you bring this letter up

[SaxonShore]

"The witness is the last refuge of the ego." Ken Wilber

[wthomas]

I find that the absence of thought, (withdrawal), accumulates the energy that is typically spent processing and reacting. An abundance of energy can be "rapturous", to say the least.

[chrishawkins]

Drawing more parallels between human (kid) and dog psychology...sounds like Ziggy has found a sure fire way to get you to consistently fuss over him every night...just a theory!

Great video. I like both the "hands-on" detailed instruction and the "hands-off", no-instruction approach depending on where I'm at in life. I like Shinzen Young's stuff, he has a super systematic approach to vipassana but then also has a technique called "Do Nothing", where the only instruction is "If you notice the intention to control your intention...drop that intention". And that's it. Michael Taft talks about simply "Dropping the ball" which is cool too. I don't know if either is really anything like Zazen but it's something I've found useful maybe a nice middle ground for anyone frustrated with the two ends of the "instruction-spectrum"

Peace 👽✌️

[Epmd]

Putting beginning instruction in a YouTube comment is literally insane 🤦🏽😂 Super happy for him that he has it figured out, though.

[joeg]

I prefer the minimal, "figure it out for yourself", involvement. I raised my kids that way, and they are doing well. If necessary, ask a question, but pay close attention to the answer. Most answers I received from competent teachers was, "Zazen. More zazen." Why? It's the only way to learn how to deal with all of the mental detritus we create consciously and subconsciously (dreams, etc.). So, zazen! Viva Ziggy!

[Waybyways]

Superhost yes! In recent years I attended a wedding and there 2 tables over was Lil’ John!

[Smoggyrob]

There's a guitar that you didn't buy?

[saraswati]

What about mantras does Zen Buddhism recommends any?

[rafaelecattonar]

I have been to a water park, but I have had fear of doing a water slide. I didn't have the courage to do it. How could I handle this irrational fear and irrational fears in general?

[AndrewYouTubehandle]

Thank you, that was helpful. I loved the dog analogy.

In standing qigong, zhan zhuang, longer isn't necessarily better, it's learning to let go. The mind and body go through all sorts of twists and turns. In the early stages doing standing qigong for too long can be counter productive as muscles and the body can develop in a way that makes it harder to be aware, harder to release, harder to be non governing.
Does Zazen have any similarity? That too much too soon can be problematic over the long term if the focus is on duration? Guess I'll have to try it and see:)

(And with zhan zhuang, position 2/metal, I find something changes at 20mins energetically and that after a hour there's a state where awarenes with the in breath and release with the out breath becomes the norm and the mind is still (and no not fallen asleep. I haven't yet gone beyond that).
Is standing qigong used in Zen practice?

[markpowers]

That is an interesting quirk Ziggy has. Maybe he wants to guard the doors from all the cats. Maybe its dark when you go up at night. Maybe he's just tired and likes to be spoiled.

[mttpgn]

Whenever I sit, my leg falls asleep and the pins and needles are quite painful afterwards. I can just barely manage the half-lotus position, and I haven't been flexible enough to sit in full-lotus since I was a teenager. Please discuss the right technique for half lotus/full lotus sitting.

[paulgitsham]

Ah so that’s what dokusan is for. Thank you 😅