Zen Meditation-Not One Not Two

8/12/2019 Zen Meditation-Not One Not Two

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Zen Meditation: Not One, Not Two


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A Lecture Presented at Rowan University November 3, 2003

By Shigenori Nagatomo

I. Introduction

Professor Youru Wangkindly extended to me an invitation to ive a lecture an

d so ! would like to t"ank Professor Youru Wangand t"ose #eo#le w"o "ave ende

avored to make t"is occasion #ossible$ %"en ! acce#ted "is invitation, ! wanted to

talk aboutZen Meditation$ &"e title ! "ave c"osen for t"is mornin's lecture is (Ze

n Meditation: Not One, Not Two.(

) As t"is title consists of two #arts, let me ex#lain eac" #art to tell you w"at !

#lan to talk about t"is mornin$

) &"e first #art of t"e title, (Zen Meditation,( deals wit" w"atZen Meditationi

s #rimarily in reference to t"e t"ree*ste# #rocedure #rescribed by t"is tradition$

) &"e second #art of t"e title, (not one, not two,( desinates a #ractical ideal

Zenwould like to see everybody embodies, t"at is, a freedom of bot" mind and

body$

) ! would be "a##y if some of you "ere can see a merit of t"is

freedom, so t"at you can incor#orate it in your daily life$

) +efore ! #roceed to talk about Zenmeditation, let me first start wit" a

sc"eme w"ic" de#icts clearly "ow we are situated in our everyday life$

) &o do so, ! will em#loy a model #ro#osed by a wiss

#syc"oloist, C.G.Jung$

) Accordin toJung, we are situated between two iantic

s#"eres, wit" our eo*consciousness #ositioned in t"e tanential

#oint between t"em$

) &o #ortray t"is #icture, t"e followin diaram is "el#ful$

-iure ./ xternal %orld and !nternal %orld


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A/ &"in*!n*!tself

B:xternal %orld As ensible !mae

C:o*1onsciousness

D:Personal Unconscious

E:1ollective Unconscious

:Psyc"e itself

) %e can call t"e stand#oint w"ere eo*consciousness is situated in t"is

diaram, (everyday standpoint$(

) &"isstandpointis #rovisionally dualistic in nature, t"at is to say, it

reconies two t"ins and claims t"at t"ey are real$

) -or exam#le, t"ere are two iantic s#"eres one is outer an

d t"e ot"er is inner$

) 4nce we acce#t t"is outer*inner distinction, we also notice

t"at t"ere are many two t"ins t"at are affirmed to be real$

) &"ey may be mind and body, ! and ot"ers, ! and nature, and

ood and evil$

) !n t"e everyday standpoint, two t"ins arise, loically

s#eakin, by relyin on eit"er*or loic$

) %"en t"is loic is a##lied to t"e w"ole, it divides it

into two #arts$

) !t #riorities one of t"em as bein real or true$

) it"er*or loic t"inks it is reasonable to divide t"ew"ole in two$


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) -or exam#le, man is eit"er ood or evil$

) #istemoloically, two t"ins in t"e everyday stand#oint are t"e

sub5ect w"ic" knows and t"e ob5ect t"at is known$

) &ake an exam#le of t"e dualistic relations"i# a##lied in kn

owin ot"ers, for exam#le, my colleaue$) %"en ! attem#t to know "er, ! rely on t"e lanuae s"e

s#eaks and "er body lanuae$

) 6ere ! cannot know "er mind in toto, and so ! infer w"at

s"e "as in mind$

) Zent"inks t"at t"e situations created by assumin t"e dualistic stand#oint is

not ideal, or t"at t"ey are real$

) And "ence,Zensays (not two$(

) &"is is a recommendation for #ractically ac"ievin oneness byt"e #ractice of meditation$

) %"enZenmakes t"is recommendation, it is sayin t"at ! and ot

"ers, mind and body, ! and nature ou"t to be one, if one were to

"ave a correct understandin of t"e nature of t"ins$

) Accordinly, you will understand t"at t"e #"rase (not two(

a##earin in t"e title of t"is mornin talk is a denial of t"e dualisti

c stand#oint$

) Zent"inks one cannot ac"ieve t"is denial sim#ly by followin

eit"er*or loic, or sim#ly by followin an intellectual #rocess of

reasonin$

) &"is is because an intellectual #rocess of reasonin ive

s rise to t"e dualism between t"e t"inker and t"e t"ou"t$

) 7oreover, Zen tells us t"at it is abstract, t"at is, it

becomes divorced from t"e day*to*day actual reality$

) !nstead,Zen#refers a concrete, strai"tforward action$

) 6ow t"en doesZenrecommend to avoid dualism and to ac"ieve onenes

s8) &"is is w"ere an im#ortance ofZenmeditation lies$

) o, let me briefly ex#lain w"atZenmeditation is$

) &"e #ractice ofZenmeditation involves t

"ree consecutive ste#s/

) &"e first is the adjustent o! the "ody.

) &"e second is the adjustent o! the "reathing.

) &"e t"ird is the adjustent o! the ind.

II. !o"ture:


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) ! will now briefly ex#lain t"ese t"ree ste#s one by one$

) &"e first, the adjustent o! the "ody, means to #re#are one's ow

n body in suc" a way t"at it can yield an o#timum state of bein fr

ee$

) &o do so, you need to "ave a #ro#er diet and #"ysical exercise,and avoid formin a "abit contrary to nurturin a "ealt"y mind*

body condition$

) #ecifically, "owever, w"enZenmentions t"e ad5ustment of t"

e body, it "as in mind seated meditation #osture$

) &"ere are two #ostures w"ic"Zenreconies one is called t"e l

otus #osition and t"e ot"er, t"e "alf*lotus #osition$

) &"ese #ositions are known t"rou" a lonZentradition

to be effective for stillin t"e mind, alon wit" dissolvinvarious #syc"oloical conditions and #syc"osomatic disor

ders$

) &"is is w"ere one learns #ractical benefits of doin

meditation$

III. Breathing

) ince t"ese benefits "ave to do wit" t"e breat"in exercise, let me move on t

o t"e second ste#, namely, t"e ad5ustment of breat"in$

) 9enerally s#eakin, Zendoesn't recommend any com#licated

breat"in exercise as is recommended in yoa's breat"in

met"ods$

) Zen's breat"in exercise is called (o"servation o! "reath #ount$(

) !n t"is exercise, you 5ust breat"e in and out$

) %"en you breat"e in, you brin air all t"e way down to

t"e lower abdomen$

) And w"en you breat"e out, you brin all t"econtaminated air out of your body system$

) As you breat"e in, you count one$

) %"en you breat"e out, you also count one$

) :ou 5ust re#eat t"is #rocess$

) ! say t"at you 5ust breat"e in and out in, and in so doin, you

observe your incomin breat" and out*oin breat"$

) !f you actually try it, you will find t"at it is initially rat"

er difficult to (5ust breat"e in and out$() ! would recommend t"at you try it after t"is talk$


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) &"e reason t"at it is difficult is because you will be

entertainin all kinds of t"in, and conse;uently you will

not be 5ust breat"in$

) &"is is an instance of dualism Zen recommends one

must overcome$) !nZenterminoloy, you "ave not become one wit" t"e

act of breat"in$

) Now, let me briefly mention a #syc"o*#"ysioloical meanin

of breat"in$

) 4rdinarily, we breat"e sixteen to seventeen times a min

ute$

) And we do t"is unconsciously or involuntarily$

) &"is is because under normal circumstances, breat"inis controlled by autonomic nervous system$

) Neuro#"ysioloically, t"e center w"ere breat"in is

controlled is t"e reion called "y#ot"alamus in t"e mid*br

ain$

) As everyone knows, t"e autonomic nervous system

functions inde#endently of our will$

) Zen's breat"in is a s"ift from t"e unconscious, involuntary

breat"in to conscious, voluntary breat"in$

) &"is means t"atZenmeditation is a way of reulatin t

"e unconscious*autonomic order of our bein$

) +reat" count is a trainin on t"e unconscious mind and

t"e involuntary activity of t"e autonomic nerves w"ic" co

ntrol t"e function of t"e various visceral orans$

) &"is #oint, for exam#le, is very sinificant in learnin to

control emotion$

) 4rdinarily, you are told to control your emotion by exe

rcisin your will$) &"is is, for exam#le, t"e #"iloso#"er


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) +ut if one kee#s usin t"is met"od, t"e sie of

a ball becomes larer and larer$

) %"at t"is means is t"at one must exercises mor

e #syc"ic enery to su##ress one's emotion$

) &"ere comes a time t"en w"en one can noloner "old it down$

) 1onse;uently, one ends u# ex#lodin in

various ways, ranin from a fit to a social crime$

) !f you observe a #erson in an anry state, you will notic

e t"at suc" a #erson's breat"in #attern is s"allow and rou

"$

) 4n t"e ot"er "and, if you observe a #erson in a #eaceful

state, it is dee#, smoot", and r"yt"mical$) -rom t"ese exam#les, you will understand t"at t"ere is

a stron correlation between t"e #attern and t"e r"yt"m of

breat"in and a #erson's emotional state, or more enerall

y a state of mind$

) Zen breat"in "as a way of naturally "ei"tenin t"e

correlativity between t"e activity of t"e autonomic nervous syste

m and emotion$

) Neuro#"ysioloically, it 5ust so "a##ens t"at t"e center

w"ere breat"in is reulated and t"e reion w"ere

emotion is enerated coincide wit" eac" ot"er$

) &"is means t"at t"e conscious breat"in

#syc"oloically affects t"e #attern of "ow one enerates e

motion, and at t"e same time it also "as a neruo#"ysiolo

ical effect of "ow t"e autonomous activity of t"e unconsc

ious is reulated$

) &"ere are more t"ins ! can say about t"is correlation, but now

let us move on to t"e t"ird ste# involved in meditation$

I#. The Ad$u"tment o% the Mind

) &"e t"ird ste# is t"e ad5ustment of t"e mind$

) 4nce t"e bodily #osture, t"e breat"in are ad5usted, you next learn

to ad5ust t"e mind$

) &"is means t"at you consciously tell yourself t"at you are oin into

a meditation state$

) %"en you do so, you disenae yourself from t"e concerns you"ave of your daily life$


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) &"at is to say, you try to sto# t"e o#eration of conscious mind$

) 6owever, su##ose you try to sto# your mind by t"e mind, t

"e mind w"ic" is tryin to sto# t"e mind is still o#erative$

) &"is tells us t"at we cannot sto# our mind by t"e mind$

) Zenaccom#lis"es it by t"e immobile bodily #osture and t"ebreat"in exercise$

) Meditation is a trainin to sit face*to*face wit" your self, w"ile

creatin a #syc"oloical isolation from t"e external world$

) %it" t"is, you enter into your internal world of #syc"=$

) As you attem#t to enter t"e world of #syc"=, various t"ins start sur

facin in t"e field of your meditative awareness$

) &"ese are mostly t"ins of your concern t"at "ave occu#ied

you in t"e "istory of your life$) 4r t"ins you "ave consciously su##ressed from various

reasons$

) !nitially, you ex#erience a recent desire, a recent concern, a

recent idea, a recent imae you "ave in your daily$

) :our ex#erience of t"ese various t"ins are due in #art to t"e fact

t"at you "ave lowered a level of conscious activity, by assumin t"e

meditation #osture, and doin t"e breat"in exercise$

) &"is mec"anism is t"e same as w"en one "as a dream at ni"t$

) %"en t"e level of consciousness is lowered, t"e

su##ressive #ower of eo*consciousness becomes

weakened, and conse;uently t"e autonomous activity of

t"e unconscious starts surfacin$

) &"is is t"e reason you ex#erience various ideas, desires,

and imaes$

) 6owever, t"ese desires, imaes and ideas are distraction insofar

as meditation is concerned$

) &"is is because in meditation you must learn to focus your awareness on one t"in$

) 4ne must learn to 5ust observe t"em wit"out ettin

involved in t"em$

) &"at is, one must learn to dis*identify t"em wit"

oneself$

) As you re#eat t"is #rocess over a lon #eriod of time, you will

come to ex#erience a state in w"ic" no*t"in a##ears$

) Zenuses t"e #"rase (no$ind( to desinate t"is state$) No$ind does not mean a mindless state$


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) Nor does it mean t"at t"ere is no mind$

) !t means t"at t"ere is no conscious activity of t"e mind t

"at is associated wit" eo*consciousness in t"e everyday s

tand#oint$

) !n ot"er word, no$ind is a free mind t"at is notdelimited by ideas, desires, and imaes$

) No$ind is a state of mind in w"ic" t"ere is neit"er a su#erim#

osition of ideas nor a #syc"oloical #ro5ection$

) &"at is, no$indis a #ractical transcendence from t"e everyday

mind, wit"out de#artin from t"e everydayness of t"e world

Conc&u"ion:

) Alt"ou" ! need to say more about w"at t"is (no$ind( is, let me brinmy lecture to a closure$

) !n t"e state of no$ind, t"e meditator learns to become one wit"

anyt"in "e>s"e c"ooses$

) Let me illustrate it by usin an exam#le$

) u##ose t"ere is a mot"er and a baby, and t"e baby is b

ecomin difficult$

) &"e baby is cryin because s"e may need a dia#er

c"ane, s"e may be "unry, or s"e may need a slee#$

) &"e mot"er wants to "el# t"e baby$

) !n t"is case, if t"e mot"er can become t"e baby, s"e wil

l immediately know w"at it is t"at needs to be done$

) 6owever, if s"e becomes t"e baby, s"e ends u# cryin

like t"e baby, in w"ic" case, s"e will also need a "el#

from someone else$

) %"at solution doesZen#ro#oses to deal wit" t"is kind

of situation8

) Zen's res#onse is (not one, not two$() 6ere, (not two( is a neation of t"e dualistic state, t"at

is, it recommends #eo#le to become one wit" an ob5ect,

t"at is to ac"ieve a non*dualistic state$

) !n t"e exam#le used "ere,Zenrecommends t"a

t t"e mot"er becomes t"e baby$

) &"is is because w"en t"e mot"er becomes one

wit" t"e baby, s"e comes to know w"at t"e baby

wants$) 4n t"e ot"er "and, (not one( is t"e neation of t"is


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non*dualistic state$

) &"at is, if t"e mot"er remains one wit" t"e bab

y, s"e ends u# cryin like t"e baby$

) &"is will not "el# t"e situation$

) &"is (not one( is not sim#ly a loical neation, but is a#ractical neation one learns t"rou" meditation #ractice$

) P"iloso#"ically, one can say t"at t"is neation is a

neation w"ic" oes beyond t"e #olarity between dualism

and non*dualism$

) Zendesinates it as t"e ex#erience of em#tiness$

) &"e ex#erience of em#tiness is like becomin a #lace

in w"ic" t"e mot"er and t"e baby bot" a##ear as t"ey are$

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Zen Meditation-Not One Not Two