Zazen is Good for Nothing
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- Опубліковано 28 бер 2018
- This is a video explaining, how and why Zazen is good for nothing. The original of the video can be found here: vimeo.com/224988039 and it has burned-on English subtitles.
Ez a videó elmondha, hogy miért van az, hogy a Zazen semmire sem jó. Az eredeti videó itt található: vimeo.com/224988039 és beégetett angol felirata van, de ki lehet választani magyar feliratot is hozzá.
Acest video prezinta de ce Zazen nu este bun de nimic. Originalul poate fi gasit aici: vimeo.com/224988039 si are o subtitrare arasa pe vide in limba engleza, insa se poate alege si o subtitrare romana.
Dieses Video zeigt, warum Zazen zu nichts gut ist. Das Originalvideo findet sich hier: vimeo.com/224988039 und hat angebrannten englische Untertitel, aber man kann auch deutschsprachige Untertitel wählen.
Special thanks / Köszönet / Multumiri pentru / Vielen Dank an:
Yvon Myoken Bec, my Master / a Mesterem / Maestrul meu / mein Meister
Irina Myoshin Tofan, lector limba romana
Matyas Kufu Melinda, magyar lektor
I just realized that my cat practices Zazen. When he just sits and closes his eyes. He is just there in the moment, without any expectations.
Plus: himb's a good boi.
dogs are more zen than scheming cats.
I think a lot of animals are very Good at meditating. Humans would be to without training if our eviroment and life-styles were a lot more like what we are evolved for. Since that wont happen anytime soon meditation is a good way to "unnaturaly" " and in a planned way achieve a state of mind that spontanosley was triggered several times most days when we were hunter-gatherers.
@@eduardochavacano Scheming is what you do in packs to rise in the hierarchy. Dogs are pack-animals. Cats are not.
I have lived with several Zen masters -- all of them cats. -Eckhart Tolle
I always thought I was good for nothing, but now I see it as a compliment.
That's insightful, thnx
Haha
The master has explained a very helpful concept in a simple way. I have experienced it many times in my meditation. When I sit in meditation with a "goal", my meditation becomes tough. But when I "just sit" without any expectation, my mind become very calm and peaceful. Wonderfully explained :)
You're fooling yourself.
@@snowflakemelter1172 Heh, heh, according to a fool on the internet.
@@wthomas7955 no he has a point. OP is implying between the lines that he does it in order to get his mind very calm and peaceful. That means he is still striving and is still on the wheel. Think about it.
@@Kaspen82 ah makes sense. Not having a goal in order to be calm and peaceful when meditate is still a goal.
@@Kaspen82 We have a "goal" whenever we "do" anything at all. That's the nature of action. Including when we sit down to meditate. What the op is saying is that until the goal oriented activity stops, he cannot enjoy sitting there. Once he relaxes, and forgets about the goal, a state of meditation results. You can observe this for your self. There is no possibility of "fooling" one's self, as the first commenter seems to be claiming.
“Wisdom is knowing I am nothing,
Love is knowing I am everything,
and between the two my life moves.”
― Nisargadatta Maharaj
thats called “bs”
I always wonder why people quote Hindu gurus under videos about Buddhism. Those are two separate things.
Mirslaw Bogush you sound bitter and delusional....proving my point chief....
Bollocks!
@@krisjoy2 you sound much more bitter and delusional
'OK, I don't need to be a good boy - I can just sit.'
That was a very deep thought, even for a monk. That's why in Yoga we don't have sanga. Yoga Sutras 2:9: "The desire to be part of the (social, v.g.) body (abhinivesha, which is a klesha, disturbance, source of avidya, lack of wisdom) comes to existence by its own power even in the wise (wo)man."
His whole lesson is so coherent we can feel its weight in the air.
He explains: why it is good to "do nothing" (Dao De Jing) and expect nothing from it. And why we meditate looking for something and meditating is, too, letting go of this objective, and this is freedom. And there is a porpuse in not seeking one. Not even to be good. Because I am I, nothing else, but everything is connected, so there is nothing left to be, or anything else to be connected to, but myself. Even sound, I am.
Namastê from Brazil! Gashô!
Let's not waste time!
LokaH samastaH sukhino bhavantu!
Om shri guruhbhyo namaH hari Om!
Bad boys don't sit!
Boys don't sit!
Only men sit...hero's, warriors...that have the depth to face the TRUTH...
thou art that...
Are you a man, a god? Who are you?
Simply AWAKE!! 😌
Theres a dog food comercial there somewhere.
@@johnbishop9000 no, he is a very good bad boy
@@vogelvogeltje I am a night worker
Letting go is not difficult.
Letting go of letting go is not easy.
well said
Letting go of letting go of letting gone letting gone of letting go of letting gone letting gone of letting go is limited by Obama
Letting go of 'difficult' and 'easy' is automatic.
don't even give a second to the mind
throw yourself in to such-ness instantly
because the mind creates the things to let go of
and trying to let go of that
thus it is keep chasing it's own tail forever
and that's samsara
when in fact
there's nothing to let go of neither not to let go of
@@delbertclinton6639 thanks obama -.-
I struggled with zazen for years. One day while sitting I got so angry that I said, fuck this, I give up! Suddenly my mind got still and felt peace while sitting. Ha, too bad it didn’t last because then I desired more of that.
Found the problem, you desired more of it :P
The key word here is desire that is delusion once you get a taste of mind that is the truth that annihilates all illusion you are blessed by buddha ✌😊
Well it seems like giving up was the correct choice. You actually gave up. Now you need to continue giving up while sitting haha
@@huy211 Finding the problem is easy, now what do we do with it?
@@playertherapper You just sit with the problem, instead of trying to fix it. Naturally, the mind will wander off, trying to fix it. You return to just thusness, cultivating patience along the way.
Respect for this teacher
He's good for nothing
Good
I was having a real struggle with my meditation practice, and this video has really helped me get past it. I guess I was too attached to results. Thank you!
This is a true master. One of the most helpful teachings - detachment from being a good buddhist/master. Thank you. The more you seek, the less you find. Sometimes you just have to observe and listen. I suggest staring into fires. Breath and fire connect all times and places.
he sounds very candid and authentic.
what a wonderful way of explaining it - and I just love how much he enjoys this explanation 'good for nothing' - nothing, stillness, just _BEING_ is good
I keep returning to this teaching. Very profound. Wish I could spend time within his Sangha.🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Actually, this type of meditation is way more appealing to me! Since I have been putting too many expectations on myself all my life, all I want from meditation is a way to relax, find peace of mind and process life in a calmer, less impulsive way. I have found that just sitting in silence, with my own thoughts, whenever I can, not purposefully meditating, I derive many meaningful insights from just being, and I always come out calm and with a clear mind, that is able to focus on the moment instead of overthinking every single little thing. Also, science has shown that it is good for your memory and brain function in general, mainly because it relieves stress and aids grey matter. So I am going to start meditating soon, I can’t wait for it!
The master has explained the subject very clearly. My appreciation to him and his team.
Loved his explanation of sound at the end. Great teacher; he makes a lot of sense.
His explanation is good for nothing.
ありがとうございます Arigatou gozaimasu, deep thanks for this post. Explanations on Zazen are excellent for those who question sitting. This offers excellent insight. Many blessings. :)
This video was great. Thank you from England 🏴👍
Thank you. Really helpful. This teacher also seems like a good person.
No.. he said he is not a good boy.. 🙂
What a great man, and a good teacher. I felt very moved by his talk.
One day 3 monks and there teacher were sitting a field meditating.
A flag was flapping in the wind.
The first monk, newest to the order, said "the flag is flapping"
Second monk, also second in seniority, said "wind is flapping".
The third monk, longest student of the teacher, said "mind is flapping" .
Both the younger monks sighed in agreement and looked to the teacher for explanation.
After some time the teacher said "mouths are flapping".
Touche
And then a tree owned them all by saying nothing.
@@emilranfors4540 The tree trees, the human humans.
@@Bananananamann and the stone get stoned.
So it's basically a series of burns like that 70s show.. o.O
Thank you so much for uploading this beautiful video. 🙏😊
His smile is so beautiful ! ☘️
Its the same smile your mother gave me when i told here i am gonna make you another sibling.
@@kerbatonbaton8108 This is actually a "your grandma" joke if you read into it enough.
Simple, but not easy. So often in life this is the way. I loved this video so much. My very best sits have been when I had no expectations and no pressure to "gain" something from the session.
Simply beautiful teaching, thank you for sharing.
Student : Master, I want happiness : How can i reach that ?
Master : Just delete I , delete want , it stays Happiness.
My Taekwondo Sabom Meditates with me after class and is teaching me the same things he is talking about. He learned years ago in Korea from monks. Today he showed me a glass of water with ripples going through it and said you must have no goals or there will be ripples in the water 🌊 your brain is like the glass of water. When we can stop the waves he said we will move on. He is a great man I’m learning much from him.
Thank you for explaining the mentality behind.So easy and so diffucult at the same time.
Zazen is the simplest practice and because of that the mind finds it the most difficult. The mind always wants something complicated so it asks for techniques and complicated stuff but zazen just sitting boggles the mind and it makes up a million excuses to do other things to get out of it. Making it complicated. For me the desire for zazen came only after years of many other spiritual practices and eventually it led to the most simple one of all. Now I just sit and by the end of the sitting I feel so peaceful, my heart feels cleansed and open and free. Those are just the experiences or effects of it but there is no goal. Just sit- because that is the goal in itself. When we do different activities there seem to be some goal to attain, but this is doing the activity for its own sake. Just sitting is the joy and surrendering any fruits of this action
Zen ist ein langer und gefährlicher Weg, hör auf Dich zu betrügen und stell Dich Deinen schlimmsten Abgründen, alles darin muss aufgelöst werden!
@@hansburch3700 Entspann dich Hans 🙏
@@why_so_serious Die Entspannung kommt ganz automatisch nach dem Auflösen des Problems, aber nur bis zur nächsten Herausforderung.
This is an absolutely fantastic explanation of the *nongoal* of meditation.
Await it...
The wind chime analogy is great. What an interesting way to look at it.
It's called idealism in Western culture. ;)
If you notice you start having expectations or wanting to gain something. Then so be. Dont worry about it. Is important for me to add.
so accurate - Beautiful!
A little bit at a time...very helpful to my understanding..if I just let this perfectly simple simple idea sink in...should avoid a lot of trouble to my mind. It is most helpful to understand this idea before being confused by expectations.
I always viewed zazen as seeing the irony of live as it is. We search for the meaning of our life (enlightement) to refuse our everyday reality. Zazen teaches us that the meaning of life is the everyday reality. Probably doesn't sum it up accurately, but that stuff is so confusing by being that simple that you just can't get it right by thinking about it. So stop thinking. Just sit.
Q: How many zen masters are required to change a lightbulb? A: None. The lightbulb is ever-changing while the zen master just sits there.
Yeah that would be the definition of good for nothing
Beautiful video and explanation. Thank you! :-)
Maestro,en reverencia 🙇♀️ desde Buenos Aires.
True and genuin. No slogans or sticking to rituals. Thank you.
no me no you no we no us no other....just undivided life, infinity, empty fullness, unfathomable mystery, thank you for posting 🌼
New respect for Master Dogen.......thank you for posting :)
You explain it very well. Thank you
Wow. I'm so happy to come across this video ❤️
The art of Touche-ing in Zen tradition is extraordinary.
The Dao flows everywhere, both to the left and to the right.
this really helped me understand meditation, thanks!
Thank you for sharing this with us
And yet nothing is everything :) The beauty is that this oscillation is the source of life.
Zen is so strange because it is so wonderful and yet so extremely difficult to try to explain to others.
Those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know.
@Evil Deeds My reply was a quote from Lao Tzu, which is a humble sentence about the futility of explaining Tao, which also applies to Zen and the message from the OP. I fail to understand the point of your reply though.
@Channel Dark Blue who are you to tell me to shut up? and what exactly tiggered this rude and unnecessary response? This kind of attitude really surprises me under comments for a Zen related video...
@Evil Deeds Yes, you got it wrong I'm afraid. My comment was in reply to original post where the OP said ... so difficult to explain to others. Totally related, polite and harmless comment. I am not seeking a discussion or an argument.
Beautiful! 💝🙏
i appreciate your sense of humor
Great video, I've always enjoyed the concept of zen. Maybe my cats are actually zen masters!
We are blessed this teacher is among us. His translations and interpretations of Zen Buddhist teachings are impeccable.
I once met a Theravada monk in ATX who told me Okumura was his hero. That was pretty neat.
"A pitch black ball flies through the night." Keizan
For those interested, there are hundreds of videos of Shohaku Okumura giving talks on his temple's UA-cam channel. Check it out here: ua-cam.com/users/sanshinzencommunity
Wonderful. Thank you.
Highest respect and love for zen practice and it's wisdom
What a superb understanding
I just realized I made meditation a lot harder for my friends by telling them what I've learned from meditation.
Oops.
Probably the best explanation of zen so far
the jumpy editing and his voice box are pretty intense combination
Thank you, your english is very good, and your good for nothing is even better!!!!
This man is outstanding from one of the strongest lines Japanese teachers.
Great video. Thanks.
"Nichts übertrifft das, was gut für nichts ist."
-Kodo Sawaki
The subtitles at 7:43 should say, "There is no subject who listens" not "There's no subject for reason."
Thanks Brad
Reminds me a lot of Jason Siff's "thoughs are not the enemy"
well said... my most productive meditation is unplanned, spontaneous . For example after little lsd and going for a bike ride to the secret forest back to same pine tree for a meditation session , maybe it is cheating, really its most likely my undying curiosity for life. it certainly helped me go much deeper with my breathing I discovered we have lungs in our brain after this meditation method . I've only just started opening them up. Felt like I could breathe through the top of my head. Many days later I feel my ego or soul ? keep saying go back , go back. But I'm in no rush. Or is it my ego saying no rush ? . hahaha
Structured and planned meditation is supposed to be painful, to release karma. I once knew a guy who would stretch and yoga for hours in order to sit in full lotus. fk that i just go straight into it . If you struggle with meditation you will benefit from it the most ; I agree from book beginners mind.
Thanks for the video
7:20 The sign for crazy means the sign for “my mind is working” I liked that very much. Now I will feel less bad about myself when others say I’m crazy behind my back because I catch people with index fingers by their ears as they look at me and stop moving the finger.
Amazing🌱❤️
Thank you ❤️🙏🏼❤️
My mum always told me that I am good for nothing 😂 thanks mum, I am a natural Zazen😁⛩️
Greetings to the honourable teacher from France ✨
:)
"The very act of trying to explain Zen destroys it" - i forget the source.
Like trying to explain silence.
Having control of, being controlled by as apposed to simply being a part of.
When you are in a pitch dark room those using their eyes focus energy/thoughts on a useless tool. Close them use everything else.
You can look outside and take in or you can look within and bring out.
trying to explain Zen is like trying to empty the ocean with a fork
@@dr0979 No. It's easy to explain. It's just that you wouldn't understand.
@@ObakuZenCenter Some need it to be explained, some don't - better things to do, you obviously do.
Beautiful explanation! ;)
THANK YOU..
This is a rather an exceptional explanation but lacks the essential ingredient of 'transmission ' of self to self by a person that is identified with that which is awake to itself . Without this transmission from here to here , we still are identified with our mental and emotional story .
there is no conflict. the conflict is only in the mind
7:42 I think he actually meant 'listen', not 'reason' as it's in the subtitles. L/R sounds are often confused in Japanese.
Loved this
"While resting free of anything to imagine, like space, do not be distracted for even one instant. The one who trains like that can truly be called a ‘space yogi’. A yogi is an individual who connects with that which is naturally so. Space means that which always is. Remain without imagining anything at all, not meditating on anything. Once you start to meditate on space, it becomes an imitation. Simply allow the space to not wander. Remain undistracted. There is no impetus for any thoughts to reoccur. A thought is a mental way of formulating something - in other words, our attention formulates a thought. The thought doesn’t come from anywhere else. If we don’t think, where would a thought come from? In the basic space that is unimaginable, remain undistractedly. Let your indescribable awareness remain undistracted in the naked state of basic space. It doesn’t have to be imagined, because this basic space that is utterly naked is our own nature already. You don’t have to imagine that this is so"
.... Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
I just wanted to say something irrelevant. I have that glass. Thank you :>
That's is also good for nothing so you are meaningful.
No you don't.
Possessions are illusions.You are trapped in maya.
This man is THE.MOST.BEAUTIFUL.NATURAL.TEACHER.I.HAVE.EVER.SEEN. He extols the simplest truth of meditation -- that it is good for nothing (in the best sense).
in good-for-nothing sense ;)
Whenever Gutei Osho was asked about Zen, he simply raised his finger.
Once a visitor asked Gutei’s boy attendant, “What does your master teach?”
The boy too raised his finger.
Hearing of this, Gutei cut off the boy’s finger with a knife.
The boy, screaming with pain, began to run away.
Gutei called to him, and when he turned around, Gutei raised his finger.
The boy suddenly became enlightened.
i'm preferably the monk not the boy.
Wait, what
I don't care what the lesson was but I'm absolutely sure the boy's finger need not have been cut.
This is why I won't ever get into Zen really. This behaviour is psychotic and against the Precepts
mind recognised the hearing is happening and mind puting concept into the hearing as sounds by the bell and knowing the condition is by the wind
Sure is... love it.
I have a question: Re the wind and the bell and the sound and the mind, what does it mean that I can hear the sound of the bell in my mind, through my conscious will, even when there is no wind or bell present. Is that memory?
Who is there to hear the sound? You are the wind, the chime and the sound
Thank you very much!
Its like hide and seek but there is nothing to find and when you find nothing then you are enlighted.
No but nice try.
How do you know ?
Simple, true, very enlightening 😁
the "issue" imo here is the subconscious.
we can't really control if we have desires in the subconscious right?
Two points: 1. his English is better than any Japanese person I’ve ever seen online. English in Japan is taught as an entirely academic subject; you pass your grammar exams and that’s it- finished. The result is that the overwhelming majority of Japanese students cannot speak a single sentence of conversational English. So to see a Japanese person with this level of fluency is really impressive. 2. It’s fascinating to see the same reality over and over again with Zen Buddhism: western “teachers” of it seem to be austere and miserable, whereas native Japanese masters and ordinary monks of Zen have a natural warmth and peace about them. This isn’t unique to Zen though; converts to any religion are typically austere and intransigent- same reality with converts to Catholicism, Judaism, etc etc...like they feel they have to be more orthodox than anybody else. And, frankly, they normally end up being a pest. It’s very hard to get along with converts in my own faith (Catholic) because they often lack the ingrained and natural attitudes that come from simply being *born* into a faith background.
To those joining another faith I would offer this simple advice: calm down. It’s not a race and there’s no need to lecture others or wear special clothes or advertise your faith. Let it grow slowly. God/the universe (whichever you’re oriented toward) isn’t in a rush and you don’t need to be either. Breathe. Slow down. You don’t need to run after God- just sit in his presence...same thing with Zen meditation...just be.
Fantastic !
Thank you!
Simple and straight forward explainations made more sittings about ZEN!!
Good for nothing is so much deeper than i immediatley recognized
I didn't know ones life ought to be meaningful. I just live my Ife with my human attachments, desires and acceptance of limitations. To me, to strive for meaning, is to be not fine right here and now.
There is no person. The sound is an illusion. There is no separateness and we are all one thing actually.
Sound isn’t an illusion. In the hearing there is only the heard.
@@Kaspen82 What produces it is simply energy itself. In an absolute sense there is no referent that creates the sound because everything is ultimately nothing but energy and composed of absolutely the same thing. The sound isn’t actually there as a thing. Our mind relates the pattern of sound to something for its own protection or survival, to live you must be able to refer as a necessity, but actually there is nothing there.
I like how his voice makes sci fi computer like beeps in between
Very good thank you
To be good for nothing makes you become good for everything.