Reddit reviews Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy (Shambhala Classics)

This site has a bunch of information on how to do zazen: http://antaiji.org/en/新温泉町移住定住プロモーション-l-a-zenmonki-2/

And if you're looking for books with instructions on how to do zazen, there is:

https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Training-Philosophy-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1590302834/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=zen+training&qid=1549654890&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Zen-Love-Work-Plus/dp/0061285897/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=charlotte+joko+beck&qid=1549654919&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Special-Charlotte-J-Beck/dp/0062511173/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=charlotte+joko+beck&qid=1549654919&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/Path-Bodhidharma-Teachings-Library-Enlightenment/dp/0804832161/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=shodo+harada+roshi&qid=1549654938&sr=8-2

If you're doing zazen on your own, you don't have to necessarily do any kind of ritual before it, only if you choose to do so.

And just ignore the crazy people that compulsively post lies and bullshit on this subreddit.

You can go to a buddhist community that has meditation as a practice and learn there. Also, there are a bunch of books that teach different kinds of meditations, and some of them go into detail on how to meditate. For instance, these ones:

[zen training] (https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Training-Philosophy-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1590302834/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535777895&sr=8-1&keywords=zen+training) , [the path to bodhidharma] (https://www.amazon.com/Path-Bodhidharma-Teachings-Library-Enlightenment/dp/0804832161/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535777933&sr=8-1&keywords=the+path+to+bodhidharma) , [everyday zen] (https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Zen-Love-Work-Plus/dp/0061285897/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535828798&sr=8-1&keywords=everyday+zen) , [nothing special] (https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Special-Charlotte-J-Beck/dp/0062511173/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535778035&sr=8-1&keywords=nothing+special) , [the three pillars of zen] (https://www.amazon.com/Three-Pillars-Zen-Teaching-Enlightenment/dp/0385260938/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536631531&sr=8-1&keywords=the+three+pillars+of+zen) and these ones which are free : [the 7th world of chan buddhism] (http://zbohy.zatma.org/common/downloads/SeventhWorldOfChanBuddhism.pdf) and [Mindfulness in Plain English] (http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english.php) all have instructions on how to do one or more types of meditations.

You can also find information on the web, like here: https://zmm.org/teachings-and-training/meditation-instructions/ and http://antaiji.org/archives/eng/okumura-zazen.shtml

Or on youtube, like here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLwVt6Wlqeg , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk7JRHNX19A , and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGzE6BQb1xY .

There's also the topics of recommended links and books of this subreddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Meditation/comments/2ixjf6/meddits_online_recommendations/ ; https://www.reddit.com/r/Meditation/comments/2ixjq7/meddits_book_recommendations/

You are free to think that I am shallow. I believe that myself. I found two books that were meaningful to me.They appealed to my American mind:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0804831866/ref=sr_1_2_twi_pap_1_olp?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449117302&sr=1-2&keywords=101+zen+stories

There are enough stories that surely one or two will be meaningful to YOUR American. My own personal favorite was the one about "Attention"

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1590302834/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1_olp?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449117522&sr=1-1&keywords=zen+training+sekida

This book tells you how to sit. Be warned it is difficult (for me anyway) to read. But it DOES tell you how to sit. Suffice it to say that one can not write, talk or even think about Zen. It just does not work that way. I believe it is said in this book that there are 8000 books written about Zen but not one word has ever been uttered that is Zen. Sekida directs us to sit. Sekida knows what he is talking about. Sit. Now this is where the bad marketing slogan comes in: It is hard work and it hurts. The only way to train the mind is to train the mind. Training the mind is hard work and it hurts. Sit. I once read: The mind commands the body and it obeys; the mind commands itself and it meets resistance. One must sit and feel the resistance. It is real, it is difficult and it hurts. Read and talk and write all you want to but the mind is trained only once it has been quieted.

Try something other than a koan. Try counting to ten. Sekida explains that quite well. Since I am an American, I found that the alphabet helped my just about the most. But that is me. Just remember that only those things that you can touch and feel and smell and hear and taste really matter. That means that only YOU can do the hard work. You can't listen or read your way out of the hard work and pain of training your own mind. A master can only guide you. It is, in the end, you and you alone who can train your mind.

You should sit simply because those who came before you said that you should sit. I will not be easy and you will fail many times and there is not one person in this world who can help you. And in the event that you should see the smallest amount of something that glimmers you will feel a slip of the ropes that bind you. But, PLEASE!!keep your mouth shut about it!! People stink who would tell others about the WONDERS of Zen. They STINK! I know because I wallowed in it for a time. Just sit and sit some more and keep it to yourself because this most valuable thing in the world can never be given away. It doesn't work that way. Sit.

My favorite books about buddhism and meditation are:

[zen training] (https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Training-Philosophy-Shambhala-Classics/dp/1590302834/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=zen+training&qid=1565793019&s=gateway&sr=8-1) ,
nothing special
, everyday zen - love and work , [the path to bodhidharma] (https://www.amazon.com/Path-Bodhidharma-Teachings-Library-Enlightenment/dp/0804832161/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+path+to+bodhidharma&qid=1565793271&s=gateway&sr=8-1) , and this one is a free e-book : [the 7th world of chan buddhism] (https://zbohy.zatma.org/common/downloads/SeventhWorldOfChanBuddhism.pdf)

Also, if you're interested in buddhism, visiting a temple if there is one near you and learning there provided you find it worthwhile is another way to learn and practice buddhism.

I think it's about finding a balance. I just read Zen Training by Katsuki Sekida, and he spends an extraordinary amount of time speaking of proper posture and breathing in meditation.

But as the story goes, when asked about meditation, the Buddha said that your mind should be neither too focused, nor too slack.

There are reasons for sitting in the half/full lotus position. It's important not to forget about the physiological aspect of meditation. Proper posture and breathing go a long way in altering how the mind works. Meditation isn't just a mental exercise.

As you bring your spine into alignment and breathe properly, your mind will begin to quiet itself. Tension in the body is mirrored in the mind. You can't really fix one without fixing the other. It's easy to underestimate the power that our bodies hold over our minds, and it's important not to fall into the trap of thinking that meditation is just an exercise in relaxation.

Katsuki Sekida's book, Zen Training, has some interesting discussion on the physiological aspects of Zen.

EDIT: What do we do whenever we need to focus intently on something? We tighten our abdomen and hold our breath. Stress and anxiety--constant mental chatter--lead to chronic tension in the abdomen. The intercostal muscles tighten, shrinking the chest cavity and increasing pressure on the internal organs. Breathing is more shallow, and the brain receives less oxygen. The shoulders slump forward and the spine is pulled out of alignment. Pain in the body makes it more difficult for the mind to focus, making it that much more difficult to reach a calm, centered state.

Using the lotus positions allows one to bring the spine into alignment, and provide a good, sturdy foundation for sitting properly. Correcting these physical manifestations of stress go a long way towards quieting the mind. It's important not to underestimate how much of a difference proper posture and breathing make in fixing the mind.

The book I used to learn just the straight meditation technique (without the chanting, robes, weird parables and other bullshit found in a typical zen center) is Zen Training by Katsuki Sekida. There's still some Buddhist philosophy in there, but it's pretty hard to get completely away from that stuff.

Controlling your abdominal muscles is what disrupts your wakefulness cycle. There are two of these cycles: one between the thalamus, cortex, and "wakefulness center" of the brain, and one between the wakefulness center and your muscles. The abdominal area is the largest continually active group of muscle in the body. By controlling that group of muscles, you are disrupting the wakefulness cycle and allowing your mind to rest. That is why so many people are on a cardio exercise pump right now. Cardio causes control of the abdominal breathing. If you'd like to understand a bit more about your breathing, I encourage you to check out this book. I just finished reading the part about the wakefulness cycle.

When you said Seikida, did you meant this translation of mumonkan that gets posted on the forum every day?

Yes I've read that, as well as the Cleary and Blyth translations.

I thought you were referring to Zen Training which I haven't read and didn't know about until today.