Zen meditation, also known as zazen, means sitting meditation. It originates from Zen Buddhism in East Asia and is particularly widespread in Japan. The aim is to come into the present moment through meditation. The main focus is on posture and breathing. These are tools to calm the mind and bring body and mind into unity in the here and now.
In everyday life, body and mind are often separated. Thoughts are in the future or the past, while the body can only be in the present. But only in the unity of body and mind do we become whole, alive and able to perceive what is happening right now.
If we perceive ourselves, the environment and other living beings in this state, we come into pure experience through the senses. The mind remains connected to the body and stops interpreting, judging or getting caught up in emotions. Body and mind are awake and alert and at the same time calm. This is a completely new experience for many people, which is why it is difficult or feels unfamiliar at first.
Zen meditation can be used to practise this state and later perhaps also evoke it in everyday life. In this way, experiences are perceived more consciously. In stressful situations, you can step out of automatism, re-evaluate and decide to react or act differently. Resting the body and mind also calms the nervous system, which has a beneficial effect on our recovery.
Last but not least, our surroundings perceive the atmosphere we create during meditation. Some long-term meditators carry this atmosphere with them for some time after meditating and thus enrich their environment without doing anything.
In Zen meditation, we achieve a harmonious balance. This is the goal and practice of zazen.
Anyone can learn it. It requires instruction and then regular practice, which should be part of our daily routine like brushing our teeth. Because the mind should also be cleansed regularly.
Regular Zen meditation has a long-term healing effect on body and mind.
Insights or a sense of what is important at any given moment arise intuitively and individually. The answers we seek and what we are looking for are not understood intellectually but through experience.
And sometimes we realize how much we don't know.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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