Mind Full to Mindful: Zen Wisdom From a Monk's Bowl

by Om Swami

In Zen, you sit cross-legged: half or fully cross-legged. That’s the first element. Your back is straight, not stiff, and your neck slightly bent. Your gaze is normal and straight. You keep your eyes open; at the most your eyelids may be halfclosed. In fact, in most of Buddha’s paintings or sculptures, his eyes are half open and half closed – as if you don’t know if he is about to close his eyes or he has just opened them. That is the mystical gaze of a Zen meditator. Your teeth are slightly parted, barely touching each other. Your tongue is touching your palate and your lips are gently joined. Hold a soft smile. The idea is that your body should be so comfortable that you forget about it like a musician who has become one with their instrument. Your body should be resting in its natural state because Zen or meditation should be your most natural state. A comfortable but good posture allows you not to be distracted and to simply maintain your centre of awareness. Your elbows should be in their natural posture, each forming an ‘L’. If you meditate with your arms outstretched, they will begin hurting within the first thirty to forty-five minutes.