I've heard it a lot... that when you practice zazen you must have a teacher. Nishijima and Brad Warner are my teachers... Well not in a personal way, I've only attended two whole zazen sittings in my life and both of them were with Brad, about four years ago. But I do my best to glean what I can from whatever materials they publish online and in books.
The video is of Nishijima, demonstrating zazen. I know his dictation is a bit hard to follow (at least it was for me at first), so I'll make an attempt here to transcibe what he's saying:
(indiscernible) ...when we practice zazen, we bow down to our own seat. And this salutation means the salutation for two men, on the right side and on the left side. And then turn around and bow down again. And the second salutation means the salutations for all members in the room. Then we'll sit on the cushion [the zafu] at the center, like this. And if we wear socks or such things, take them off.
First, there is the two postures of legs. The one is half-lotus posture and the other is the full lotus posture. And in the half-lotus posture we place our right leg like this and (indiscernible) this part of foot [the heel] should we touch to the cushion [the zafu]. And then, put the left leg like this. And in this case, both knees should be touched on the floor or the zabuton. This cushion is called zabuton, and both knees should be touched on the zabuton.
In the full lotus posture we (indiscernible) like this. First place the left leg like this. Then put the right leg like this. And then put the left leg like this. And this is called full lotus posture. And both the half-lotus posture and the full lotus posture are traditional. So if people are not so accustomed to the full lotus posture, to have the half lotus posture is also permissible.
The most important matter in zazen is to keep the spine straight vertically. Therefore first we straighten our lower spine, straight vertically. It is a very important point. Then, the back bones and neck bones should be also kept straight vertically. This is a very important point. Therefore, master Dogen said in Fukan-Zazen-Gi (which looks kinda like Fuckin Zazen G!), the spine should not be reclined forward or backward, or right side or left side. Keeping the spine straight vertically is the most important matter in zazen. And if we identify our spine with the line of gravity, we can identify ourselves with the universe. And in such a situation we can know what the universe is by keeping our spine straight vertically. Therefore in such meaning, the most important matter in zazen is to keep the spine straight vertically and identify our spine with the line of gravity.
The hands should be kept also in the traditional method. And, in the case of half-lotus posture and full lotus posture, the left leg is the upper. Therefore, first we put the right hand like this in front of our body. Then put the left hand on the right hand, and put the top of thumbs like this. And because of such posture, we can make the shoulders relax. So, keeping the elbow away from... seperate from the body, and to keep the arms like this is the posture of the arms.
The mouth should be closed. And the eyes should be open, naturally. In some sects they insist that the eyes should be half-closed, but according to master Dogen's instructions, he said, the eyes should be open naturally, not too wide, not too narrow. So that this is the criteria of eyes.
Our shoulders should be kept on the horizontal line, and two ears also on the horizontal line. Therefore our shoulders should not be like this (tilted left), should not be like this (tilted right) and ears should not be like this (left), should not be like this (right). To keep the shoulders in the horizontal line, and ears in the horizontal line, is a very important point.
Master Kodo Sawaki, who taught me (Nishijima) Buddhism so well, instructed that our spine should be pierced through the ceiling. So it is just the (indiscernible) expression that during zazen we should straighten the spine straight vertically, upward as if the spine pierced the ceiling.
When we degrade our posture we have a deep response, then swing the body right and left and stop the spine at the center and begin zazen.
During zazen, we need not think about anything. We need not feel anything. Just to keep the spine straight vertically is zazen. Therefore, zazen is not thinking. Zazen is not feeling. Just keeping the spine straight vertically is zazen. Therefore we can think that zazen is a kind of gymnastics without motion. And such attitude can be called act. Not thought. Not perception. But zazen is action. And Buddhist philosophy is based on the philosophy of action. Therefore, when we want to study Buddhism, first we should practice zazen. By practicing zazen we can experience the universe itself in our body and mind. We can study what the universe is. We can study what reality is. We can study what this world is. We can study what our life is. Those studies are not intellectual but practical (indiscernible). And the reason why Buddhism needs such practice comes from that Buddhism is a philosophy of act, philosophy of reality. Buddhism is just reality. And this idea is very important to study Buddhism.
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