Zen and Relaxation

I don’t know how many people I’ve encountered over the years who come to the Zen center looking for a way to relax. A worthy goal, absolutely. And, Zen really isn’t going to be the best place to go for relaxation. It can be hard explaining this to someone who has screwed up their courage to come to a strange place with hope for a real problem.

I think the absolute best addressing of this common occurrence, is a comment on a Zen group’s webpage. Straight forward, and with a couple of pointers at the Ralph Waldo Emerson Zen Sangha site:

If you are looking only for relaxation: You may find it more fruitful to explore a technique called Progressive Muscle Relaxation.  Zen practice may lead to relaxation—but then again, it may not. The Zen tradition regards relaxation as a potential side-effect, and not so much as the goal of practice. But if you are looking to learn a variety of techniques that might help you relax, a fabulous book you may enjoy is Meditation & Relaxation  in Plain English, by Bob Sharples.