Dogen Sangha Blog

  by Gudo NISHIJIMA

Japanese / German

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Master Gudo: Zazen and Joriki?

Master Gudo:

I've often heard in some text on Zen about the importance of developing "Joriki Power"(the power of concentration. I also know that Dogen said," Zazen is not learning concentration."

My question is this: When doing Zazen as you or Dogen instruct, is concentration developed even though that is not the goal?

Thank You


Dear Al Coleman San,

In Master Dogen's Buddhist theory, he does not use the words "Joriki Power", and so I think that such words mught be used in Rinzai Sect.

In Master Dogen's thoughts he insists that "Zazen is not learning concentration," and the meaning of his words are that Zazen is not any kind of efforts to become something, but if we keep the authentic posture of Zazen, our autonomic nervous system (ANS) becomes balanced, and so we can sit Zazen in the balanced situations. In other words in Zazen to keep the authentic posture is important, and if we keep the posture, we can experience the balanced state of ANS.

Therefore we can think that the balanced ANS is not the aim, but it is the natual situation when we are keeping the authentic posture.

With best wishes Gudo Wafu Nishijima

1 Comments:

Blogger Al said...

Thank You so much for the reply Master Gudo. This is what I was looking for.

8:28 AM, October 20, 2007  

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