{"id":4319,"date":"2011-12-03T08:03:19","date_gmt":"2011-12-03T13:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/?p=4319"},"modified":"2011-12-03T08:07:14","modified_gmt":"2011-12-03T13:07:14","slug":"where-to-put-your-mind-while-doing-zen-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2011\/12\/where-to-put-your-mind-while-doing-zen-meditation.html","title":{"rendered":"Where to Put Your Mind While Doing Zen Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>At my Facebook account an old and dear friend forwarded me a cartoon that\u2019s been floating around for a while now. It\u2019s called \u201cGeek Meditation System.\u201d The single panel has people sitting together in various meditation postures. The leader is saying, first, \u201cIn your mind\u2019s browser, clear your cache\u2026\u201d Then, \u201cNow delete your history\u2026\u201d and finally, \u201cNow navigate to a blank web page\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Cute.<\/p>\n

And, it points to something people do. No doubt, it actually more or less describes what many people hope for as they \u201cmeditate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course that word meditation has become one of the garbage words of our times, forced to do way too much work, to stand for what many different people are trying to do when they sit down in a formal posture, or sit on a chair, or walk around. Meditation these days pretty much means doing something with your mind.<\/p>\n

In the Zen world there are those who think (pardon) that Zen meditation is navigating to a blank web page.<\/p>\n

And, there are states of deep concentration where it can be hard to discern the motions of the mind.<\/p>\n

But, here\u2019s a small truth. The mind doesn\u2019t stop. Well, it does, but that means you\u2019re dead.<\/p>\n

Zen meditation isn\u2019t about chasing spiritual chimeras.<\/p>\n

Today is the feast of the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier<\/a>. For me he is most interesting as one of the first sources of Zen\u2019s encounter with Westerners. In the middle of the sixteenth century he became close friends with the Zen master and abbot of Fukusoji in Kagoshima. The (Jesuit) historian Heinrich Dumoulin records how the two men were walking together when they encountered monks sitting in zazen. \u201cDeeply impressed by the modesty, the concentration, and the repose they displayed, Xavier asked the abbot, \u2018What are these monks doing?\u2019 The abbot laughed and said, \u2018Some are calculating the contributions received from their followers during the past months. Others are thinking about how they might get better clothing and personal care. Still others are thinking of vacation and pastimes. In short, no one is thinking of anything important.'\u201d<\/p>\n

Now the good Christian priest just didn\u2019t get what the abbot was pointing to.<\/p>\n

Lots of people don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the deal.<\/p>\n

Our Zen practice is one of presence.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t about following the mind road. Ideas come, ideas go. Feelings come, feelings go.<\/p>\n

We think. But if we don\u2019t cling to the thoughts, well\u2026<\/p>\n

Then we witness\u2026<\/p>\n

The practice is ally ally oxen free.<\/p>\n

Come out, come out, wherever you are.<\/p>\n

Or, a pretty good pointer from another tradition<\/p>\n

Come, come, whoever you are.
\nWanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving \u2014 it doesn\u2019t matter,
\nOurs is not a caravan of despair.
\nCome, even if you have broken your vow a hundred times,
\nCome, come again, come.<\/em><\/p>\n

Try it.<\/p>\n

Just notice. Just keep coming back.<\/p>\n

You may be quite surprised where it can lead\u2026<\/p>\n