How to Continue Zazen?

This is a key issue for many practitioners, especially those who aren’t in monastic settings or practicing regularly at a Zen center. 

One way that most people try is discipline – when it’s time to get up in the morning and sit, just get up. From what I’ve seen, though, I’d say this approach doesn’t work very well. “Discipline” tends to get colonized with the nasty parent/harsh critic voice. Aroused from bed by that voice, what kind of zazen can one do? Probably harsh, critical zazen. 

Just as hatred never ceases by hatred…harsh, critical zazen does not usually lead to love and deep reflection. So how then can we keep going?

In my first meeting with Katagiri-roshi he instructed me to be like a long-distance train, not getting distracted by the scenery. He didn’t tell me much about how to do that – that’s been my problem.

A couple approaches that I’ve found helpful are intention and inquiry. I’ll talk about intention here and come back to inquiry later (after teaching in Omaha and seeing Nonin this weekend).

The basis of intention practice is to regularly return to the spirit of our first intention for practice. In my case, laying in bed as a little kid, I became vividly aware of my beating heart and I became aware that when it stopped, I’d be dead. That scared me and I went to my mother for comfort. After a warm hug she said, “Go back to bed and think about your electric train.” 

Distraction helped me get to sleep that night but didn’t deal with the underlying issue of immanent death. 

Keeping death close at hand is one way to just get up and sit.

What was your first intention? Comments welcome.