Sit quietly.
This is the most important Zen practice.
It is the classroom for living
a wise and kind life.
Sit anywhere and be quiet:
on a couch, a bench, inside, outside, leaning against
a tree, by a lake, at the ocean, in a garden, on an airplane,
in your office chair, on the floor, in your car.
Meditation cushions are okay too.
Sit at anytime; morning, night,
one minute, three years.
Wear what you’ve got on.
Loosen your waist so that
your belly can move with your breath.
Sit as relaxed as possible.
Relax your muscles when
starting and during sitting.
Sit with your back straight but not stiff.
Keep your head upright and your ears level.
Respect all medical conditions.
Only take a posture you can.
All postures are okay.
Do what you can do.
Keep your eyes slightly opend and out of focus. Closing
them will make you sleepy and sometimes busy. Opening
them wide will keep you busy.
Breathe naturally through your nose.
Enjoy breathing.
Feel your breath.
Watch your breath.
Become your breath.
Be like a cat purring.
Follow your breathe like ocean waves
coming in and out.
When you get distracted,
come back to the simplest
and most basic experience
of being alive,
your breathing.
That’s it.
No belief.
No program.
No dogma.
You do not have to be Buddhist
You can be of any faith, religion,
race, nationality, gender,
relationship status, or capacity.
Just sit quietly,
connect with your breath,
and pay attention
to what happens.
You will learn things.
Do it when you want.
You decide how much
is enough for you.
If you do it daily
it will get into your bones.
~An excerpt from “Buddha in Blue Jeans”
