Zen encompasses a set of beliefs that originated in the 6th century AD. of The Shakyamuni Buddha Philosophy, these ideas have been transmitted from one disciple to another, to this present day, this transmission of ideas is what has been called the Zen line. that develops through the practice of zazen.
Its spread in the West did not occur until the early twentieth century, when it was introduced into our society by the popularization of martial arts or the decoration of Japanese-style gardens.
- Zazen is based on the practice of meditation in lotus posture.
- With crossed legs.
- Straight back and arms resting on the knees.
- With this practice we can achieve a great change in our minds.
- So that we can merge with the whole universe.
Although we believe that this philosophy can be something without much correspondence with reality, the precepts of zazen have been followed for many centuries, giving rise to countless customs between different peoples, and even to the birth of a religion: Buddhism.
This religion uses the basic concepts of zazen to develop a whole philosophy of life, centered on meditation and an extrasensory connection with the universe and all other forms of life.
This is why Buddhism is, in essence, a belief that arises from zazen and puts into practice its ideas. In zazen, there was already the idea that there were seven Buddhas before Shakyamuni Buddha, who developed this theory. This creates the idea that the practice of zazen is so momentous that it goes back some time before its own definition.
If we want to follow this interesting philosophy, which will provide us with many benefits that we could obtain through traditional meditation, it is good to take into account the following aspects.
Posture is one of the most important elements of zazen practice, it is best to sit on a round and comfortable cushion, then we have to cross the legs in lotus position, or simply placing the floors of the feet under the opposite thigh (in case the lotus posture is uncomfortable).
The back should be completely straight, the head up and look forward, we will also release your hands by placing them on your knees, palms up and thumbs touching.
Finally, we will release the shoulders with the tip of the tongue on the palate, and look somewhere on the ground, a metre from us, without observing anything in particular, with this posture we will achieve a balance that is both physical and mental, by being able to practice meditation comfortably.
Once the correct posture is taken to meditate, we will have to concentrate on how we breathe, deep and slow breathing is recommended so that our lungs are gradually filled with air.
The last thing to consider will be the work that we will do specifically on a mental level, paying attention to the thoughts that arise and how we handle them, in this sense the recommendation is to try to relax the mind, to release it. of all kinds of thoughts, plans or concerns that may arise.
This does not mean leaving the mind empty, but letting the flow of thoughts flow simply, without focusing attention on a specific and concrete thought.
To achieve this, we must focus on attention, what we are doing right now, Breathe, thus becomes a way to anchor yourself in the present while increasing body awareness, making an effort to maintain the posture we have described above.
As you can see, zazen is a very simple practice that requires little physical effort and constancy, this is precisely what the zazen preaches for life: this effort and repetition are the keys that will allow us to have good personal development and adequate progress in life. the search for any objective, being able to apply this philosophy to both the personal and professional aspects of our life and our day to day.