Effort in Zen Meditation Practice, and in Life
Three questions from Mondos at Bristol Zen Dojo
Simply Sitting with What Is
Q: The approach to Zen meditation we practice in this dojo is called Shikantaza - ‘Just Sitting’. Is Shikantaza an attitude we bring to our sitting, or something else?
A: I would say that in the end, it's using technique to let go of technique.
We bring our attention to our posture, we bring our attention to our breath. We bring our attention to the whole moment. When attention wanders, then some effort is needed to come back. But when one is present, then that effort falls away. Then one falls off again, and then one comes back, and so on and so on.
In the end, when one is present, one is just sitting. One is letting go of all ‘doing’, including the ‘doing’ that's going on in the mind. We're not trying to achieve something. That's the key point. We're not trying to achieve a special state - we are simply sitting with what ‘is’. That is all.
But nonetheless, when we are distracted, we bring our attention back. And that act of bringing attention back is the Relative Self exerting will, very gently. It needs to be gentle, rather than a heroic effort. So Shikantaza is to be present in the moment with what is. But also when we fall off, we do come back.
Incredibly Subtle Effort
Q: Would you describe Zen practice as effort? And how would you describe the effort of concentrating on letting go and observing?
A: It's a really difficult question - or rather, it's a really good question, and it's difficult to give an answer. One of the classical images used is that of a stringed musical instrument. If it is too taut, then sounds harsh. If it's too loose, it vibrates loosely and doesn't give a good sound. But I would say: Our will places us on the zafu; Places us here and allows us to engage and be present. When we sit, the effort needs to be there, but it needs to be incredibly subtle. And it's an effort simply to notice when one has become distracted. That's really all, apart from the effort to get us into the posture and then, ideally, to come to a balance so that one can remain there relatively effortlessly.
The effort is simply to notice when we are distracted, and that is all, and then to let go of that. And so it's an effort to let go. And in the act of letting go, it’s wrong to use the word ‘effort’, if you see what I mean. In some way, letting go is stopping making an effort. Jean Shogen Baby, one of the founders of our dojo, used to use the phrase ‘stop holding on’. If you're holding on, letting go is stopping the effort. And so there is a certain sense of effort to notice when our mind gets caught up in a story, but then at that moment, it is letting go. They use the phrase ‘effortless effort’ for this - it's a typical Zen kind of non-answer…
Natural Thinking
Q: I was wondering if there's a certain kind of quality of thinking we're going for. Like, not necessarily negative thinking or positive thinking… What quality of thinking?
A: Are you talking about during zazen, or what we are trying to cultivate through Zazen? In Zazen, we are letting go of thinking.
Q: As a result of zazen, in everyday life.
A: I think that the only answer I can give is natural thinking. It's not trying to be something that it's not. It might be sad thoughts, it might be happy thoughts, it might be angry thoughts, it might be positive thoughts. It's allowing those things to express themselves naturally in our lives, but not letting them become ego dominant; us not becoming puppets to that thinking.
So it's not stopping us being angry or sad or happy, it’s not stopping us being those things. But it's allowing those things not to be all of us, all of ourselves. I would say is that if you notice when these thinkings cause suffering for you or for others, then naturally, unconsciously and automatically, it does change without you necessarily trying to force it to be different. So we can stop bumping into each other so much.
It's a slow thing, though sometimes it can be very sudden. There are other techniques which can help, such as psychotherapy. And there's nothing wrong with using those other techniques. But from a Zen point of view, it's allowing the thoughts to ferment over time and change without trying to change them. It goes back to the question of effort. See that the effort is to let go, the effort is not to change the thoughts, and that way they can become more harmonious. They would still be Me-thoughts or You-thoughts, but they can be more harmonious and fitting in with with other people around you and your life. But in many ways, it's best to not try, not to try to get something out of it. Zen is to let go of the trying to get something out of it. Something emerges, and we don't question what that is.
Thank you.