Complementary Meditative Practices

Discussion of meditation in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.
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Tennyson
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Complementary Meditative Practices

Post by Tennyson »

Do any of you practice multiple forms of meditation (i.e., sitting meditation or zazen plus the nianfo/nembutsu or mantra recitation)? If so, do you find that they are complementary? For example, when I practice, I find that chanting and bowing help me settle my thoughts and body, allowing me to get into sitting meditation more easily (I find it difficult to just sit a lot of the time).

(I hope I posted this in the right subforum. Wasn't sure if this belonged in the "Discovering Mahayana Buddhism" section or the "Meditation" section, so I apologize if this isn't the right place.)
narhwal90
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Re: Complementary Meditative Practices

Post by narhwal90 »

I do zazen when doing Soto practices, daimoku when doing Nichiren but I don't mix them. I have found the zen work makes me appreciate what Nichiren was trying to do, and the elements of practice he set up. The Nichiren practice lends a degree of determination to practice- and for my part, chanting daimoku is the right tool for the job when the monkey mind is very strong.

But perhaps more important than all that, I find engaging with the respective communities; showing up for the meetings, reading the study material, talking to others is the strongest support for the practices.
Tennyson
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Re: Complementary Meditative Practices

Post by Tennyson »

narhwal90 wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 7:29 pm I do zazen when doing Soto practices, daimoku when doing Nichiren but I don't mix them. I have found the zen work makes me appreciate what Nichiren was trying to do, and the elements of practice he set up. The Nichiren practice lends a degree of determination to practice- and for my part, chanting daimoku is the right tool for the job when the monkey mind is very strong.

But perhaps more important than all that, I find engaging with the respective communities; showing up for the meetings, reading the study material, talking to others is the strongest support for the practices.
You combine Soto Zen and Nichiren practice? Is there any sort of conflict between those two? From my understanding, Nichiren practice is exclusively Lotus Sutra-based, right?
narhwal90
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Re: Complementary Meditative Practices

Post by narhwal90 »

Tennyson wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 8:19 pm
narhwal90 wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 7:29 pm I do zazen when doing Soto practices, daimoku when doing Nichiren but I don't mix them. I have found the zen work makes me appreciate what Nichiren was trying to do, and the elements of practice he set up. The Nichiren practice lends a degree of determination to practice- and for my part, chanting daimoku is the right tool for the job when the monkey mind is very strong.

But perhaps more important than all that, I find engaging with the respective communities; showing up for the meetings, reading the study material, talking to others is the strongest support for the practices.
You combine Soto Zen and Nichiren practice? Is there any sort of conflict between those two? From my understanding, Nichiren practice is exclusively Lotus Sutra-based, right?

I practice both but I don't combine them. The only conflict I can see is what I bring to the question. I don't criticize one with the other- they both scratch the samsara itch in their own way. Nichiren practice is very much about the Lotus Sutra, though there is a strong element of it in Soto also. That could be viewed as complementary, though Nichiren and Dogen have differing views on the sutra.

It seems useful to be careful about circumscribing what a practice is and is not on the basis of what you read in a sutra book or commentary. The pointing finger is important but it is not the moon.
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: Complementary Meditative Practices

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

A big lotus pond would be pretty dismal if you went there and you could only see one lotus.
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Kim O'Hara
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Re: Complementary Meditative Practices

Post by Kim O'Hara »

Tennyson wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 6:16 pm Do any of you practice multiple forms of meditation (i.e., sitting meditation or zazen plus the nianfo/nembutsu or mantra recitation)? If so, do you find that they are complementary? For example, when I practice, I find that chanting and bowing help me settle my thoughts and body, allowing me to get into sitting meditation more easily (I find it difficult to just sit a lot of the time).

(I hope I posted this in the right subforum. Wasn't sure if this belonged in the "Discovering Mahayana Buddhism" section or the "Meditation" section, so I apologize if this isn't the right place.)
:focus:

Going straight from busy-busy everyday life to sitting meditation can be difficult in two ways - settling the body, and settling the mind.
Chanting and bowing, as you mentioned, will help settle the mind. So will the constant use of a particular physical space, especially if it can be set up with appropriate visual aids. You don't have to go as far as having an altar, but that's the same idea. After a while, the surroundings tell your mind, "Hey, we're here to meditate!" Always doing your practice at the same time of day will help, too, and for the same reason.
A few preliminary yoga or tai chi stretches will help in settling the body. Beginning with walking meditation or a simple breath meditation could be other alternatives, depending on what's possible in the space you've got.

:namaste:
Kim
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Aemilius
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Re: Complementary Meditative Practices

Post by Aemilius »

In Buddha's time the day and night was divided into two times three or six periods (this is found in the sutras). Each of these periods would thus be about four hours long. I have noticed that the different time periods have a different character or nature. If you read the same passage form a sutra at these six different times of the day and night, you will notice how amazingly different the meaning of this passage is (at the different times of the day and night). Same is naturally true of meditation. It is really effective and useful to meditate at the different times of the day and night, when you can and have an opportunity to do so.


Ancient Units of Time in India

18 nimesas (winks) equals 1 kashta (3.2 seconds)
30 kashtas equal 1 kala (1.6 minutes)
15 kalas equal 1 nadika or 1 nalika
30 kalas or 2 nadikas equal 1 muhurta or kshana (48 minutes?)
30 muhurtas equal 1 aho-ratra (1 cycle of day and night, 24 hours)

(from Kamat's Potpourri)
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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