From: garym@ie.utoronto.ca (Gary Murphy)
Subject: not Meditation (was Re: more questions about meditation)
Organization: University of Toronto, Department of Industrial Engineering
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 03:03:23 GMT

5546yuj@vms.csd.mu.edu writes:
>In article <Jan.25.22.23.55.1993.12097@ruhets.rutgers.edu>, farris@ruhets.rutgers.edu (Lorenzo Farris) writes:
>>
>>I very strongly recommend finding a teacher for meditation.
>>
>Can I find a teacher here in Milwaukee (with 1 million population)?

May I propose a much cheaper alternative, and save you all a lot of
bother in trying to sift the good teachers from the shysters?  What
follows are the instructions for Shinjin sitting, given to me by the
master of practice of the Ottawa Zen center with express instructions
to give them out over the net to whomever wishes to try --- if you are
not interested, you can skip the rest of this message.

In the spirit of Zen's fondness for double-blind style scientific
discovery, I will not tell you what the effect of Shinjin will be, but
only ask that you tell me what happens after you've tried 90 minutes
per week in three sittings over a few weeks.

Of all the mind-development methods (if that is not a misleading term)
I found Shinjin Mindybody sitting to be the most general (requires the
least mystical beliefs) and also the most simple --- I tend to be most
skeptical of any system of growth that cannot be accomplished by the
most disadvantaged person, and on asking my teacher, I was told the
posture is largely irrelevant, but if a person _can_ do this as
prescribed, the ritual of it will help them to anchor a habit of it.
This makes sense to me, but don't ask me why ;-)

To answer another question, I would place my teacher's New Mountain
Order with the Soto school but with the following qualification: Dogen
maintained there were no schools, because every school was unique, but
each had the essential ingredients.  What I think Dogen sought was the
minimum ingredients.  Since this is the position of the Soto school,
you could call NMO a Soto.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++cut here++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

                  Every moment of MINDFULNESS,
                     whatever the object is:
                           the breath
                           sensations
                             sounds
                            thoughts
                            emotions,
                 every moment of simply noting
                          and noticing
                       without reactivity
                       without judgement
                        without clinging
    every moment of accepting awareness of what's happening
                  every moment of mindfulness
                       helps to establish
                       your inner balance
                           and rhythm.

MINDFULNESS: Noticing the Activity of Mind

* Notice thoughts as they come. If a thought comes with
content you would like to pursue later you could note it in
your notebook.

* If feelings arise, notice them.

* Sensations may arise in the body: muscular tensions,
restlessness, discomfort.  Notice them and also notice your
reaction to them: "Pain in the shoulder, I've got to stretch!"
BUT try and keep your posture for the length of your sitting.

* If you find that mind is wandering bring your attention to
your breath and notice the details of each breath.  What does
it really feel like to breathe?  Is it hot or cold to the
inside of the nose? What bones and muscles move with each
breath? Does the breath stay in the upper chest? What does it
feel like to breathe with the belly?

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SIT. ONCE YOU'VE DONE THAT EACH DAY YOU
ARE SUCCESSFUL.  Whatever your mind does is right.  Your only
job is to sit and watch it move.

SHINJIN/MINDBODY SITTING

* Find a quiet place.

* Set a clock for the length of your sitting and place it some
distance away so it will not distract you.

* Place your chair 3 feet from a blank wall.

* Sit up straight with a small cushion under your buttocks,
hands in your lap.

* Feel your feet on the floor.

* Move attention from the feet, up the legs to the hips.  Feel
the spine, the shoulders, the neck, the skull. Notice any
muscular tension and let the breath and gravity take care of
them.

* Rock forward and backward, side to side, very gently,
allowing yourself to notice your balance point.

* When you are balanced, lean forward and allow your breath to
leave your body.

* Lift up and allow your body to fill with breath and to
stabilize at the balance point.

* Allow shoulders to drop and breath to leave as you settle in
balanced posture.

* Let your eyelids drop until eyes are about 2/3 closed and in
soft-focus.

* For the next 20 minutes allow yourself to notice the ACTIVITY
of the mind as opposed to the content.  This is MINDFULNESS.
MINDUFLNESS is traing your attention to notice your everyday
experiences of seeing hearing, tasting, touching, feeling,
thinking. MINDFULNESS is that quality of attention which
notices without judging, without choosing, without preferences.
MINDFULNESS is a journey of exploration into the activity of
our mind, a journey into ourselves through every aspect of our
experience.

MINDFULNESS takes effort but the effort to be MINDFUL in every
moment teaches us to see things clearly, to understand
ourselves and our life, and through understanding to be free.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

           Planning is with the many, decision is done alone


-- 
Gary Lawrence Murphy ---------------- garym@virtual.rose.utoronto.ca
University of Toronto, Industrial Eng Dept    fax:    (416) 971-1373
4 Taddle Creek Rd, Toronto, Ont M5S 1A4       voice:  (416) 978-3776
The true destination is always just here, now ----------------------