This is the most important Zen practice.
It is the classroom for living a wise and kind life.
Sit anywhere and be quiet: on a couch, a bed, a bench, inside, outside, leaning against a tree, by a lake, at the ocean, in a garden, on an airplane, in your office chair, on the floor, in your car. Meditation cushions are okay too.
Sit at any time: morning, night, one minute, three years.
Wear what you’ve got on. Loosen your waist so your belly can move with your breath.
Sit as relaxed as possible. Relax your muscles when starting and during sitting.
Sit with your back straight but not stiff. Keep your head upright with your ears level.
Respect all medical conditions. Only take a posture you can. All postures are okay. Do what you can do.
Keep your eyes slightly opened and out of focus. Closing them will make you sleepy and sometimes busy. Opening them wide will keep you busy.
Breathe naturally through your nose. Enjoy breathing. Feel your breath. Watch your breath. Become your breath.
Be like a cat purring. Follow your breath like ocean waves coming in and out.
When you get distracted, come back to the simplest and most basic experience of being alive, your breathing.
That’s it. No belief. No program. No dogma. You do not have to be Buddhist. You can be of any faith, religion, race, nationality, gender, relationship status, or capacity.
Just sit quietly, connect with your breath, and pay attention to what happens. You will learn things. Do it when you want. You decide how much is enough for you. If you do it daily, it will get into your bones.
Please enjoy sitting quietly!
The only way to learn sitting quietly is to do it.