Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

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ManiThePainter
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Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by ManiThePainter »

Hi,

So I recently moved back to the Pacific Northwest from Montreal and I got rid of my old Zen meditation cushion. The seat was quite low for me and not that comfortable to sit on.

Now I’m trying to find a new cushion (preferably ordering one online if possible), one that is more Tibetan and traditional (a higher seat and filled with buckwheat?).

However, I’m really struggling to find a place to buy it from. Ideally I would want to buy it from a dharma organization so that I can also support it, rather than finding something on Amazon.

Any tips on where I might find one?
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

The best place I found for nearly-authentic Tibetan meditation cushions was the hall closet. I folded a few old bath towels and carefully tucked them into a pillowcase. Fully adjustable. Soft on the butt. Easy to wash. Price fit my budget.
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Kim O'Hara
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by Kim O'Hara »

:good:

:twothumbsup:
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Hazel
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by Hazel »

PadmaVonSamba wrote: Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:04 pm The best place I found for nearly-authentic Tibetan meditation cushions was the hall closet. I folded a few old bath towels and carefully tucked them into a pillowcase. Fully adjustable. Soft on the butt. Easy to wash. Price fit my budget.
The couch is another good place to look.
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Malcolm
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by Malcolm »

ManiThePainter wrote: Fri Jul 02, 2021 6:22 pm Hi,

So I recently moved back to the Pacific Northwest from Montreal and I got rid of my old Zen meditation cushion. The seat was quite low for me and not that comfortable to sit on.

Now I’m trying to find a new cushion (preferably ordering one online if possible), one that is more Tibetan and traditional (a higher seat and filled with buckwheat?).

However, I’m really struggling to find a place to buy it from. Ideally I would want to buy it from a dharma organization so that I can also support it, rather than finding something on Amazon.

Any tips on where I might find one?

Hate to say it, but there is no such thing as a Tibetan meditation cushion. You might be thinking of a so-called gomden, which Chogyam Trungpa had invented for Westerners. Otheerwise, the cushions we use in nearly all western Dharma centers are variations on Japanese floor mats and pillows via the Zen tradition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabuton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zafu
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ManiThePainter
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by ManiThePainter »

Malcolm wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 3:00 am
ManiThePainter wrote: Fri Jul 02, 2021 6:22 pm Hi,

So I recently moved back to the Pacific Northwest from Montreal and I got rid of my old Zen meditation cushion. The seat was quite low for me and not that comfortable to sit on.

Now I’m trying to find a new cushion (preferably ordering one online if possible), one that is more Tibetan and traditional (a higher seat and filled with buckwheat?).

However, I’m really struggling to find a place to buy it from. Ideally I would want to buy it from a dharma organization so that I can also support it, rather than finding something on Amazon.

Any tips on where I might find one?

Hate to say it, but there is no such thing as a Tibetan meditation cushion. You might be thinking of a so-called gomden, which Chogyam Trungpa had invented for Westerners. Otheerwise, the cushions we use in nearly all western Dharma centers are variations on Japanese floor mats and pillows via the Zen tradition.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabuton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zafu
Good to know. Will look into some firmer ones then.

Thanks for the reply everyone.
"Don't mind me, just trying to find the nearest exit"
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justsit
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by justsit »

The zafu/zabuton sets sold by Dharma Crafts are nice quality and wear very well. The covers can be removed and washed, and come in a variety of colors and styles; mine is the basic studio set. I prefer the buckwheat hull zafu because it is more comfortable - more firm than the stuffed varieties and conforms better to anatomy. Pricey, but will last a long time.

https://dharmacrafts.com/collections/cu ... nd-benches
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Lobsang Chojor
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by Lobsang Chojor »

Malcolm wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 3:00 am Hate to say it, but there is no such thing as a Tibetan meditation cushion. You might be thinking of a so-called gomden, which Chogyam Trungpa had invented for Westerners.
Malcolm just out of interest what did Tibetans use to raise their hips for the Vairocana posture? Just folded up robes?
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

Lobsang Chojor wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 6:01 pm
Malcolm wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 3:00 am Hate to say it, but there is no such thing as a Tibetan meditation cushion. You might be thinking of a so-called gomden, which Chogyam Trungpa had invented for Westerners.
Malcolm just out of interest what did Tibetans use to raise their hips for the Vairocana posture? Just folded up robes?
All the Tibetans I have ever sat with just sat on a flat rug, with no raised cushion.
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Malcolm
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by Malcolm »

Lobsang Chojor wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 6:01 pm
Malcolm wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 3:00 am Hate to say it, but there is no such thing as a Tibetan meditation cushion. You might be thinking of a so-called gomden, which Chogyam Trungpa had invented for Westerners.
Malcolm just out of interest what did Tibetans use to raise their hips for the Vairocana posture? Just folded up robes?
Blankets, I imagine.
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Lobsang Chojor
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by Lobsang Chojor »

Thanks both, most the monks I know use their square mats that are used in debate but wasn't sure how this would be done over 20 years ago.
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ༀ་ཨ་ར་པ་ཙ་ན་དྷཱི༔ Oṃ A Ra Pa Ca Na Dhīḥ
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

Malcolm wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 7:56 pm
Lobsang Chojor wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 6:01 pm
Malcolm wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 3:00 am Hate to say it, but there is no such thing as a Tibetan meditation cushion. You might be thinking of a so-called gomden, which Chogyam Trungpa had invented for Westerners.
Malcolm just out of interest what did Tibetans use to raise their hips for the Vairocana posture? Just folded up robes?
Blankets, I imagine.
Very tiny yaks
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justsit
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by justsit »

Westerners typically grow up sitting on chairs rather than on the floor as in some other cultures. Our tendons and muscles, especially hip flexors, are not accustomed to hip-opening sitting positions, so we find tend to find meditation postures uncomfortable. The Tibetans I've known seem fine with just a flat pad, no elevation of hips needed.
muni
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by muni »

Hello,

You can, depending on your possibilities, support the people in Nepal making cushions:

https://www.creativehandnepal.com/categ ... s-274.html
Giovanni
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Re: Where can I buy a Tibetan meditation cushion?

Post by Giovanni »

justsit wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:31 pm Westerners typically grow up sitting on chairs rather than on the floor as in some other cultures. Our tendons and muscles, especially hip flexors, are not accustomed to hip-opening sitting positions, so we find tend to find meditation postures uncomfortable. The Tibetans I've known seem fine with just a flat pad, no elevation of hips needed.
A very good point. Westerners over a certain age can waste time and even harm themselves trying to sit like Asian people who are differently built and do it from childhood.🙂
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