Natural
Way of Meditation
People
are inherently enlightened.
People
are happy as they are.
You
cannot pass the truth of existence to people by teaching them, nor can you see
it by being taught.
You can realize
the truth of existence only through your own real experience.
I have
repeated this many times in this blog.
I have
also talked about some ways to realize it.
This
time, I’ll explain its very essence, the “Natural Way of Meditation.”
I gave it
that name myself.
There
might be other meditation methods with the same name. They’re probably
different, although I wouldn’t mind if they were the same.
The Natural
Way of Meditation I propose is a method of doing nothing that requires no
effort. I think it is the most natural method.
First,
switch off your mobile. Turn off your home phone, or put the answering machine
on.
Sit on a
soft floor cushion, a sofa, or an armchair.
Sit in a
comfortable position that doesn’t create tension.
Seating
in the seiza position (with your legs
under you) or in the fold-legged zazen
posture is fine, but if you feel your knees or legs tense, then sitting
cross-legged is better.
Don’t
lower your head too much, or you will have clouded thoughts and also become
sleepy.
If your
head touches a wall or the back of a chair, you will be concerned about the
area, so keep your head apart from surfaces.
Close
your eyes. You may practice meditation with your eyes open once you are fully used
to it.
Just be here and now, as you are, without doing
anything.
Simply observe
sounds that reach your ears, thoughts that come into your head, emotions, and
sensations of the body, as they are, without analyzing or criticizing them.
When it
comes to “observing,” you may think that you have to concentrate. Just relax
however, because concentrating means tensing up.
If an analytical
or critical thought appears following an emotion or thought that comes to your
mind, do nothing but watch the thought as well, just the way it is.
Our
brains are always divided by conflicts that arise between facts and thoughts, such
as “it’s supposed to be this way” or “is this OK?”
The
conflict is very subtle, but causes tension and a feeling of uneasiness.
The
conflict itself prevents us from seeing the bare fact.
The
thought that “it’s supposed to be this way” or “is this OK?” is also a fact
happening here and now all the same;
accordingly, watch the thought as it stands.
Thinking
that it should be removed adds another thought: “it’s supposed to be this way.”
You
therefore only need to observe everything happening here and now, as is.
This is
exactly the truth of here and now, the
one and only truth; there are no other truths.
Realizing
this fact will bring you great peace of mind and sheer bliss.
You will
then find complete silence.
Moreover,
you will know that this silence is your true self.
Everything
is simply happening in complete and utter silence.
You will
see everything—the sound of a
refrigerator, a voice, the sound of a car, a thought in the head, an emotion,
and sensations of the body—happening in complete silence.
And you
will realize it is everything happening that is silence.
Everything
is one.
There is
no inside or outside.
There
are no boundaries.
There is
no self; there are no others.
Here and now lacks nothing.
Everything
is just happening.
Everything
is perfect.
