Zen meditation is a Japanese technique of focusing on a specific thing or thought. The tradition has been passing on from one generation to the other for almost many centuries now. Buddhists used to practice this unique type of meditation. In fact, Zen Buddhists are often referred to as ‘Meditation Buddhists’.

The amount of time devoted by Zen mediators varies widely. Experts recommend a minimum period of about five minutes on a daily basis. This is sufficient for householders to benefit from the immense benefits of Zen meditation.

The main thing one needs to focus on is daily practice. Daily practice of Zen meditation for a small period of time is more than enough to benefit from its effects than spending about half an hour once in a week.

Zen meditation has evolved as a boon to people across the globe who are really stressed out due to the irregularity, chaos and tensions existing in their daily life.

Zen meditation involves sitting in a prescribed position, closing your mind to the thoughts and images for a certain period of time. Here, your heart rate will gradually decrease and breathing becomes shallow. Slowly, you will get in to a state of deep reflective meditation.

With the help of Zen meditation, you can easily create a synergy that would further assist you in connecting to all aspects of your existence such as the body, the soul and the mind. The energy that’s required to strengthen the synergy that you have collected comes from practicing Zen meditation.

When practicing Zen meditation, your mind will only be involved. You will not be engrossing your thoughts in to what happened in the past or what will happen in the future.

You will reach a moment where you will only be reacting to what is happening to you at the present.

Zen meditation is a technique that helps you to awaken your true nature. Here, you don’t need to subscribe any of the religious teaching. You just need to realize that there is a ‘Buddha’ inside you. Awaken the Buddha inside you and you will be able get a deep insight of yourself.

Zen meditation was actually meant to awaken the real person inside you.

A) Here are some of the benefits followed in Zen meditation:

1. Zen meditation lets the practitioner to relax

2. It helps you to keep one stress free.

3. It helps you to find the real you.

B) Nine steps to achieve Zen meditation:

a) Name your breaths: for instance; in and out.

b) Pay close attention to when your breath gets deep and you feel more at peace.

c) Think of your body when you breathe in and when you breathe out try to relax each part of your body. You need to focus on one part at a time. Initiate with the shoulders.

d) Calm your body parts when you breathe in feel the compassion when you breathe out.

e) Relax your facial muscles one by one and send a half smile to all parts of the body.

f) Relax all the muscles that are still tense.

g) Think of joy when you breathe in.

h) Get back to your breathe in and breathe out position.

i) Sit in the position relax.

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Meditation thoughts are a bit of an oxymoron. Meditation is actually about getting beyond thoughts, depending on the tradition.

The strongest meditation traditions are from the East, India, China, and Japan, for example, and are associated with Eastern religions.

I have been a student of the 11th step in AA, Transcendental Meditation, and Chi Gong.

I do not know anything about Buddhist or Hindu or Zen meditation thoughts.

My first experience with meditation thoughts was in Transcendental Meditation, which became popular in the West during the 1960’s when the Beatles studied with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India.

I was struggling a bit then, so I read a book, and since it did not appear too hard, I was initiated in that tradition and given a mantra.

The mantra, or meditation thought for this tradition, was a nonsense syllable which I was to repeat in my twice daily practices.

I really enjoyed the meditation process, but at that time I was living with a number of Viet Nam veterans and we partied heavily, and whenever they thought I was indulging in my meditative discipline, they would pelt me with beer cans.

I gave the practice up over time, but the thought or mantra was designed to occupy what I now know to be my beta brain wave or working brain so that other parts of my experience could take over.

The 11th step of AA calls for daily prayer and meditation to know your higher power’s will for you today.

It involves seeking an answer, and being attentive to hearing the still small voice on which the answer will come.

For those reading this who are new to AA or meditation, you can be listening all the time.

I like to call it swithching the figure and the ground. The necker cube graphic at the top of this page is an example. If I look at that for a moment or two, I will appear to see two different boxes, and if I focus on one, then the other seems to disappear, but actually it has simply moved to my perceptual background.

Meditation thoughts function very similarly, when I concentrate on a mantra or a thought, other thoughts recede to the background until I remove my focus from my seed thought or mantra. Then they come back.

Chi Gong has been a different kind of discipline with different kinds of meditative thoughts mixed with physical movements, still designed to keep my focus inward to achieve a long and healthy life.

Like all meditative practices, it is a practice which demands a commitment, and regular long term practices.

Now there are some technological tools which can inform your meditative thoughts.

EEG biofeedback and heart rate variability biofeedback and mind fullness practices using Open Focus language are tools I have used personally and professionally.

The two most pleasant feeling experiences result from using Open Focus, which stipulates that my meditative thought be about space, like the space inside my hand, and the HeartMath tools ask me to focus my thoughts on the area around my heart.

HeartMath is a computerized program and I can see how fast I switch from calm to excited when I switch my meditative thoughts away from my heart.

When I keep my thoughts focused on the space inside my chest and around my heart I feel calm and content, and with a bit of practice I can repeat that feeling on demand. My heart has learned how to do it.

Want to try?

Meditation thoughts are a bit of an oxymoron. Meditation is actually about getting beyond thoughts, depending on the tradition.

The strongest meditation traditions are from the East, India, China, and Japan, for example, and are associated with Eastern religions.

I have been a student of the 11th step in AA, Transcendental Meditation, and Chi Gong.

I do not know anything about Buddhist or Hindu or Zen meditation thoughts.

My first experience with meditation thoughts was in Transcendental Meditation, which became popular in the West during the 1960’s when the Beatles studied with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India.

I was struggling a bit then, so I read a book, and since it did not appear too hard, I was initiated in that tradition and given a mantra.

The mantra, or meditation thought for this tradition, was a nonsense syllable which I was to repeat in my twice daily practices.

I really enjoyed the meditation process, but at that time I was living with a number of Viet Nam veterans and we partied heavily, and whenever they thought I was indulging in my meditative discipline, they would pelt me with beer cans.

I gave the practice up over time, but the thought or mantra was designed to occupy what I now know to be my beta brain wave or working brain so that other parts of my experience could take over.

The 11th step of AA calls for daily prayer and meditation to know your higher power’s will for you today.

It involves seeking an answer, and being attentive to hearing the still small voice on which the answer will come.

For those reading this who are new to AA or meditation, you can be listening all the time.

I like to call it swithching the figure and the ground. The necker cube graphic at the top of this page is an example. If I look at that for a moment or two, I will appear to see two different boxes, and if I focus on one, then the other seems to disappear, but actually it has simply moved to my perceptual background.

Meditation thoughts function very similarly, when I concentrate on a mantra or a thought, other thoughts recede to the background until I remove my focus from my seed thought or mantra. Then they come back.

Chi Gong has been a different kind of discipline with different kinds of meditative thoughts mixed with physical movements, still designed to keep my focus inward to achieve a long and healthy life.

Like all meditative practices, it is a practice which demands a commitment, and regular long term practices.

Now there are some technological tools which can inform your meditative thoughts.

EEG biofeedback and heart rate variability biofeedback and mind fullness practices using Open Focus language are tools I have used personally and professionally.

The two most pleasant feeling experiences result from using Open Focus, which stipulates that my meditative thought be about space, like the space inside my hand, and the HeartMath tools ask me to focus my thoughts on the area around my heart.

HeartMath is a computerized program and I can see how fast I switch from calm to excited when I switch my meditative thoughts away from my heart.

When I keep my thoughts focused on the space inside my chest and around my heart I feel calm and content, and with a bit of practice I can repeat that feeling on demand. My heart has learned how to do it.

Want to try?

Article Source: http://www.articlewarehouse.com

Michael S. Logan is a brain fitness expert, a counselor, a student of Chi Gong, and licensed one on one HeartMath provider. I enjoy the spiritual, the mythological, and psychological, and I am a late life father to Shane, 10, and Hannah Marie, 4, whose brains are so amazing. www.askmikethecounselor2.com

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Zen meditation is probably best experienced by joining a local group. But you can do it alone. Zen meditation is normally practiced sitting on a cushion on the floor. There are two main items used for Zen Meditation, called zafu and zabuton. Between them, they can take the edge off sitting on a hard floor surface.

Uses of zabuton and Zafu:

The zabuton is a mat placed on the floor.
The zafu is a cushion that is placed on top of the zabuton.
They can help to take the pressure off your legs whilst you meditate.

Why you use cushions for meditation?

The idea of using cushions is to help you focus your mind on the meditation itself, rather than any aches or pains that you could experience whilst sitting on a hard wooden floor.

How to do the zen meditation?

The aim of Zen Meditation is to simply sit and open the “hand” of thought.
Traditionally, it is practiced in a sitting position, with folded legs and hands.
Your spine is kept upright during the meditation.

Sitting Positions:

There are several different sitting positions that you can take whilst practicing Zen Meditation. Select one which is comfortable for you. You can learn the sitting positions at http://cosmichealing.blogspot.com

Once you have reached your desired sitting position, half lower your eyelids so that your eyes are neither fully open nor fully closed. This will allow you to stay awake whilst not being distracted by outside objects.

Focus on Breathing:

When you start to practice Zen meditation, you will begin by concentrating. This usually involves focusing on your breath, often whilst counting. Over time, you will find that you can concentrate your mind easier each time you start to meditate.

Group Meditation:

Zen meditation is probably best experienced by joining a local group so that you can get the most out of the various teachings associated with it, together with the support that a practice group offers.

Spend some time regularly for zen meditation.

To know more about meditation and meditation techniques Bendz (M.S.Benz), Visit zen meditation for meditation and various meditation techniques.
For more info on meditation visit this site.

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