Shikantaza

is Dogen's Japanese translation of the Chinese phrase ''zhǐguǎn dǎzuò'' (), "focus on meditative practice alone", although many modern Western practitioners have interpreted this very differently. The phrase was used by Dogen's teacher Rujing, a monk of the Caodong school of Chan Buddhism, to refer to the meditation-practice called "silent illumination" (), or "serene reflection", taught by the Caodong master Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091–1157). In Japan, it is associated with the Zen Soto school, Dogen's offshoot of Caodong. Some practitioners teach that ''shikantaza'' means that one should not focus attention on a specific object (such as the breath), instead "just sitting" in a state of conscious awareness. However, the 13th-century origin of the expression indicates a general emphasis on meditation in any form as sufficient for spiritual enlightenment. The original teaching was meant to criticize the complicated ceremony, abstruse study, endless tracing of spiritual lineage, and other aspects of Buddhism that even by the 12th century had been identified as excessive.

According to Buswell and Lopez, the Sōtō school presents ''shikantaza'' as a radical simplification of practice which is necessary in the degenerate age of the Dharma, or '' mappō''. That is, rather than try to master a range of concentration techniques, such as breath counting or the investigation of koans, by simply adopting the posture of the buddhas and ancestors, the practitioner becomes identical to them in body and mind, thus becoming stabilized in "a state of full clarity and alertness, free from any specific content," which is also described as the state of body and mind dropping off.

Etymology and meaning

The term ''shikantaza'' is the Sino-Japanese reading of ''Zhǐguǎn dǎzuò'' (只管打坐 / 祇管打坐) "just sitting", "nothing but sitting", "meditation of just sitting", "just mind ourselfsitting". ''Zhǐguǎn dǎzuò'' () translates as follows:
* ''zhǐguǎn'' (, J. ''shikan''; or , with hǐserving as a variant of hǐref group=web name="Muller"/>), "by all means; merely, simply; only concerned with", "to focus exclusively on";
* ''dǎzuò'' , " uddhism/Daoismsit in meditation", "to squat, sit down cross-legged", which corresponds with Sanskrit ''utkuṭuka-stha'';

The inspiration for this teaching derives from a pivotal episode reportedly occurring sometime in the early 1220s (Song dynasty), at Tiantong Mountain Monastery (, also known as Jingde Monastery , east of modern-day Ningbo). An exchange took place between the eminent Chinese Caodong teacher Rujing and his disciples. In particular, it focuses on an inspiration by one of Rujing's Japanese disciples, Dōgen, who would later found the Sōtō Zen sect:

While T.G. Foulk's translation here reads only "sit", he and other interpreters clarify that the meaning of is generally broad, meaning more than simply sitting. The original exchange between Rujing and his disciples indicates a clear meaning of the teaching: that high-flung ceremony and study are unnecessary and irrelevant, that zazen, dhyana, and similar meditation practice of whatever kind (whether sitting, resting, breathing, gazing at a scene, walking, or simply engaging in silence) should be sufficiently effective.

James Ishmael Ford states that "some trace the root of this word 'shikantaza''to the Japanese pronunciation of Sanskrit vipassana, though this is far from certain." This etymological error about (''shikan'', "only", "just") is rooted in the fact that Japanese has many homophones pronounced ''shikan''. It stems from a more commonly used Japanese word, namely (''shikan'', "concentration and observation") (as practiced by the Tendai sect) that translates the Sanskrit "'' śamatha'' and '' vipaśyanā''," the two basic forms of Buddhist meditation.

The phrase ''zhǐguǎn dǎzuò'' ("just sitting") was used by Dōgen's teacher Tiantong Rujing (1162–1228) for silent illumination (Chinese ''mòzhào'' 默照; Japanese ). According to Koten Benson, in ''mochao''

Practice

Classical sources

"Silent illumination" or "silent reflection" was the hallmark of the Chinese Caodong school of Chan.Muller, A. Charles, ed.: The Digital Dictionary of Buddhism, ed. of 04/03/2008, Chinese Readings Index (Pinyin System

/ref> The first Chan teacher to articulate silent illumination was the Caodong master Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091—1157), who wrote an inscription entitled "silent illumination meditation" (''Mokushō zen'' 默照禅 or ''Mòzhào chán'' 默照禪). Sheng-yen explains that

With the phrase ''shikantaza'' Dōgen means "doing only zazen whole-heartedly" or "single-minded sitting." According to Merv Fowler, shikantaza is described best as "quiet sitting in open awareness, reflecting directly the reality of life." According to Austin, ''shikantaza'' is "an alert condition, performed erect, with no trace of sluggishness or drowsiness." Fred Reinhard Dallmayr writes,

Modern sources

Zen master John Daido Loori describes ''shikantaza'' as a challenging practice in spite of its name's simplicity. Mental strength (''joriki'') is not achieved through sustained concentration as in breath meditation, but through awareness of the flow of mind, without actively attempting to let go of a thought. The user must watch its thoughts, "without analyzing them, judging them, attempting to understand or categorize them," being only aware of them. According to him, this helps mental activity move on and produce samadhi.

Commenting on Loori's words, meditation expert Eric Harrison likens ''shikantaza'' to a psychological process of extinction, in which repeated reduction of a behavioral response eventually leads to no response.

Loori describes awareness as the one thing necessary to the practice of shikantaza. This requires a heightened state of mental alertness, which he warns cannot be maintained for too long periods of time. He recommends to practice ''shikantaza'' half an hour to an hour, then stand up and practice ''kinhin'' in order to relax the mind before sitting down and continuing.

Shunryū Suzuki states about ''shikantaza'', "do not try to stop your mind, but leave everything as it is. Then things will not stay in your mind for so long. Things will come as they come and go as they go. Eventually your clear, empty mind will last fairly long." For his part, describing the practice's goal as being simply aware of thoughts without getting caught by them, Sean Murphy cites Taizan Maezumi as advising to "regard our thoughts as if they were clouds, watching them as they drift from one end of the mind to the other, but making no attempt to hold onto them - and when they pass over the horizon, as they inevitably will, making no attempt to grasp after them.

Jundo Cohen warns that its meaning of "just sitting" must not be taken too literally, and underlines the importance of awareness. When faced against strong emotions or anxious thoughts, Cohen instructs to simply observe them with equanimity, "treating them like passing weather clouds". At the same time, he stresses not to play with and be pulled in by thoughts. He compares ''shikantaza'' to "the children's puzzle of Chinese finger cuffs, which are escaped not by forceful effort, but by non-resistance". Only by dropping the hunt for enlightenment, accepting everything without grasping or avoiding, can enlightenment be found.

Similar techniques

A modern technique described as similar to ''shikantaza'' is called "Do Nothing Meditation" by Shinzen Young. The user is instructed to let go of all mental intentions, without trying to meditate or concentrate in any way. Any distraction or thought is allowed, unless the user feels they are intentionally thinking or doing something, in which case they must stop this intention and let it go, including any possible struggle at it. As a result, "eventually the mind feels very spacious, open, and relaxed, but also bright, clear, and vivid".

Another similar description comes from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, in ''I Am That'', where he recommends "letting thoughts flow and watching them and to keep the mind quiet. "The state of freedom from all thoughts will happen suddenly and by the bliss of it you shall recognize it."Nisargadatta Maharaj, ''I Am That'', p.224-225

See also

* Buddha-nature
* Abhāvanā
* Dzogchen
* Turiya

Notes

References

Sources

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Further reading

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External links

* Taigen Dan Leighton
Hongzhi, Dogen and the Background of Shikantaza

{{Meditation

Buddhist meditation
Zen
Nonduality
Zazen
Silence