Meditation: Just Do It!

By Jeff Brooks

The traditional descriptions of meditation in the Buddhist tradition are many and varied. But they all share some aspects. In our tradition, our practice of shikantaza, or “just sitting,” we withdraw our senses and allow our minds to settle down. We sit with legs folded, on a round cushion (zafu) which elevates the base of the spine slightly above the knees. We keep the spine tall, not leaning left or right, forward or back. The head is high, not tipping over. The tip of the tongue touches the back of the top teeth. Other alternatives for sitting are to kneel (seiza) with the aid of a short bench (seiza bench) to elevate the hips, or to use a chair for those with physical limitations.

There are esoteric explanations for all of these elements, but they all have ordinary practical functions. For example, the tongue position allows our swallow impulse to subside, so we can sit more peacefully.  The eyes are neither all the way open nor all the way closed, just half-open and cast down about 45 degrees, with a relaxed gaze.  The hands are cupped, left inside the right, the thumbs touching lightly to form a small circle, with the arms resting on the thighs.

Some people find it difficult at first, but after a while it becomes natural. This posture is very stable, allowing you to enter a relaxed physical state without tipping over. In our style we sit facing the wall, which minimizes visual distraction. In other styles people sit facing one another, or in rows facing a teacher or altar.

The environment in which we meditate ought to be without too much stimulation – it should be quiet, not too bright or too dark, not too hot and not too cold, without strong odors or perfumes, and without the likelihood of disturbance from people or animals. We should avoid moving – in order to scratch and itch or to relax a muscle – because the sound of us moving may distract others, and also because it stimulates our own sense of touch. If you let it, the urge to move will subside and you can sit very deeply.

We make an effort to withdraw the five senses of perception so that we let go of our habit of grasping at sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. We also withdraw our mental grasping at thought. That is: we just sit. If, when you are sitting, you notice that your mind is slack and you begin falling asleep, don’t yield to it, just sit strong and tall. If you notice you are agitated and fantasizing, planning, remembering and so on, let it go (“open the hand of thought”) and just sit. That’s it.

Members of the Northampton Zendo come together on Monday nights for group meditation. The room doubles as the Northampton Karate Dojo, and the important idea of “karate and Zen as one” is evident in the way Buddhist calligraphy and images shares wall space with photos and images related to karate.

This may sound too simple to be profound. Many meditation traditions teach other methods. These other methods are all different from “shikantaza” (Japanese for “just sitting”) in that they provide for an object of attention. That is, they give you something to think about (focus on) or something to do while meditating. A mantra (sacred phrase), a visualization, a sound, the breath (or counting breaths trying not to lose focus), various good ideas and so on for the object of attention during meditation practice. The mind focuses on one of these and in making an effort, the person’s attention becomes more stable, clearer and more enduring. In shikantaza there is no object of attention. This is especially disconcerting and it leads people to ask what we are supposed to “do?” Just sit. But what does that mean?

Don’t daydream, don’t fall asleep. That’s it. But what do you DO? Just sit. In shikantaza the emphasis in the explanation of the method of practice is placed on what you don’t do. To come face to face with the way our minds influence and distort our reality, we dispense altogether with objects. If you tell someone what to do, what to focus on, what to aim at, you simply give them a new object to hold onto. Many styles of meditation use objects of attention in practice. But in our style we do without them. This is difficult. But it is a direct path to the realization of the nature of reality.

This is a subject worthy of exploration, especially when we realize that almost everything else we do or have ever done contributed to anxiety, unhappiness, anger or confusion. A future article will explore the alternatives to the samsaric worldview more deeply. In that article we will look carefully at the idea of samsara: a mistaken view of reality which traps us in the endless pursuit of things which we believe will make us happy but which bring dissatisfaction and disappointment instead.

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank Christopher Caile for two of the photos that accompany this article.

Jeffrey M. Brooks

Jeff Brooks (9th dan), began martial arts training in 1978 and opened his first karate dojo in Northampton, MA (1988 through 2009), while also conducting self-defense seminars, professional programs in combative skills and served as a regular contributor on Zen and karate-related topics to FightingArts.com.

Jeff then moved to South Carolina  and started a career in law enforcement, serving as a police officer, then  detective, defensive tactics instructor, firearms instructor, PPCT instructor, Deputy US Marshal, and Deputy Sheriff. After retirement, he founded Mountain Karate in Saluda, NC.

In karate Brooks received his 5th degree Black Belt from the Nagamine honbu dojo, his 7th degree black belt in 2004, and his 9th degree black belt in 2022, in recognition of his formation and leadership of Yamabayashi Ryu. He studied with leading teachers in Okinawan, Japanese, and Chinese traditions, in the US and overseas, including Katsuhiko Shinzato (the translator of Shoshin Nagamine’s Essence of Okinawan Karate Do, and formerly a student of the Kishaba brothers’ karate and kobudo); Sogen Sakiyama, Roshi (direct student of Miyagi Chojun, and practitioner of Goju-ryu karate); and Shoshin Nagamine (Chief of the Motobu District Police, Mayor of Naha, and founder of Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu).

Jeff Brooks has written hundreds of published articles on martial arts, and Zen and has been cited widely online and in print. He wrote speeches and presentations for high profile public figures in politics, media, business and the arts.

He is author of several books including “True Karate Dō”, available on Amazon.com