Q&A for How to Begin Zen Meditation (Zazen)

It helps a lot if you set aside some time every morning and evening to focus on your meditation.

Meditation promotes proper functioning of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is involved in helping your body calm down, digest foods, and sleep. When you meditate, you give this system a chance to do its job, which is to reset and clean the body.

Your mind will always naturally wander during meditation, even when you become very experienced. It is not so important to keep your mind from initially wandering; what matters more is being able to catch yourself and regain your focus.

TM is used in some prisons to help prisoners cope with being behind bars, so Zen Meditation could do the same.

Some major cities have Zen Centers. Check your local listings for such places, and visit them to see what they have to offer. Otherwise, it is perfectly fine to sit alone and meditate anywhere you find your mind can be most clear.

Get yourself some noise-cancelling headphones. Either wear them silently or play some zen type music or nature sounds like the sea through them. Close your eyes, and put an eye mask on, and focus on your breathing. You will hear nothing outside you and you will see nothing and you will be set to meditate.

You don't necessarily need music for Zen meditation, but you can find playlists online if you google something like "Music for meditating."

Yes, but you are more likely to fall asleep.

It's not required, but there is no "rule" against it. The point of meditation is to clear the mind of distracting thoughts -- if music helps you to do so there is no harm in it.

How often one meditates is based on preference, though at least once a day for any length of time is preferable. Eating before or after is fine so long as it doesn't interfere with your meditation.

Although it is said that you want to reach a thoughtless condition, it is much more a kind of peaceful serenity that appears after many hours of constant practice. But thoughts will continue to appear as it is the nature of mind to produce them. It's more important to get to know one's own being - and one's reactions, understanding what one's feelings are through reconnecting with the breath and getting more space in the mind.

Yes. But try to sit with your back straight. If a cushion on the floor is too difficult, then you can use a chair. It helps the mind to settle and keep awake and clear, and helps the breathing (which should be through the stomach in a relaxed manner). Leaning against a wall contracts the body, making the mind tend to become more heavy and cluttered.

Yes. Not everyone who meditates does so because they adhere to Buddhism. Many people meditate to cope with stress.

Yes, just be mindful of your posture and that your back is completely straight.

It might help as you are keeping your attention, and returning to a more subtle object. It enforces will of attention and helps in other areas of life as well.

Zen is a strange concept to understand, but this meditation should help with insomnia if done properly. Don't give up! It may be a month before you are able to clear your mind - and a clear mind is one at ease and peace, and is a great remedy for insomnia.

You should meditate in a calm, quite place. The best times are in the morning after waking, and at night before sleeping.

Imagine a heavy ball of iron pulling downward at the bottom of your throat. Allow this mental image to proceed by allowing the iron ball to drop and fill your belly. You must continue to imagine the ball dropping, focusing on its heaviness until your stomach is full and can fill no more. If done properly, you may have the sensation that you have breathed in effortlessly. Hold this for about three seconds and allow the pressure in your belly to naturally and effortlessly flow back up through your stomach, emptying your chest completely and then up your throat and out of your mouth -- slowly, like letting air out of a balloon.

Yes, because it brings peace of mind.

The difference is not really significant. Just sit there and clear out your mind!

Whatever you like. What matters is the state of your mind, and where you direct your awareness.

Yes, meditation could help bring someone peace in prison.

You can use a mantra to meditate, but then it is not really Zen meditation, in which you follow the breath instead of a mantra.

The point of zen is to clear the mind. Even though zen practitioners are not necessarily for or against astral projection, it would generally be discouraged as it does not help to clear the mind. This would include other psychic phenomena as well, such as lucid dreaming and meditations involving any kind of visualization. These would be considered distractions along the path and should be avoided or ignored (from a zen perspective).

Anybody can meditate; it is a way of relaxing.

Sure. Everyone is different. That's great that you were able to concentrate so well.

They mention different ways of apprehending your breath. Either it can be more concentrated in your nose, and your nostrils, or you can lower your attention to a point two fingers width below your navel and feel the breath as a whole. This is said to help the mind rest and settle and get more grounded. In either case, having a sense of "apprehending" rather than "concentrating" is often recommended.

Zen meditation is just calming your brain, heart, and body. There's not really a specific way to do it. If you feel more comfortable with plants around you, or if they have a specific smell that soothes you, that's great. Many people prefer meditating in natural surroundings.

Your mind will benefit from your sessions, but perhaps not to the point you desire. You may become frustrated with the practice if it's not consistent. The benefits of meditation compound over time and in direct correlation with your discipline.

It can help bring you peace of mind, making it easier for you to concentrate on your meditation.