Once you have briefly taken a look at the posture section, or if you are already familiar with "How to Sit" in meditation, lets dig into the bone of practice! On this site it will be my mission to be as thorough about Buddhist subjects in general, not just Zen. But I am starting with Zen practice, because it is what I am most familiar with. I will start with going over shikantaza practice, or "just sitting", which is Dogen Zenji's (founder of Soto Zen's) concept of what zazen is. Shikantaza is a Japanese word ("Shikan" means nothing but, "Ta" means to hit, "Za" means to sit). Basically this means keeping a mind that is clear like space, only reflect what is before you, don't make anything. Siting down means simply that, siting down-with nothing to lose or gain, nothing special or unspecial-no states of mind. Just siting, quite simply. This type of meditation is very important because it allows your opposites thinking to dissipate and for a mind that is clear to come forward. when your mind is clear, that's called before thinking, at which point there is no mind/no mind-no you/not you-there is nothing without it being nothing-if that makes sense. None of these descriptions I am giving you are very accurate unless you the reader sit down and try to do this "mind clearing." This "before thinking style of meditation" where just siting down, with nothing to gain from it occurs. Nothing special happens-this is how you keep your practice productive-the more I pursue "nice" mind states and avoid "bad" mind states, the more and more delusional I become. The more and more I look to sit in a "nice spot" or "get such and such" out of meditation-the more and more confused and upset I will get;because such states are bound to at times not occur. Shikantaza means be mindful of the clear full moon behind the clouds of thought; sure clouds of thought come and go all day long, and throughout your siting process-but behinf them all the moon never wavers. Only the foolish one's become attached tot he coming and the going of the clouds, and forget about the moon. So thinking is not bad or good-thinking/not thinking does not matter when your mind is clear. But my pointing has become tiresome at this point-so go, go sit down! Deep bow to my friends in the Dharma:)
