ZEN PRACTICE AND SELF-CONTROL
Professor Shoji Nakamura
Department of Psychology, Komazawa University, Tokyo, Japan.
Contents
1 Characteristics of SATORI (enlightenment) in Zen
2 Purpose of Zen Practice and Motivation
3 Active Zen (Daily Activities)
4 Static Zen (ZAZEN)
5 Physiological Studies on Zazen
6 Zen and Health
7 Summary
8 References
Characteristics of SATORI (enlightenment) in Zen
Zen consists of two main structures. SANSHI-MONBO (attending to the Law personally under a Zen master) and KUFU-ZAZEN (single-minded Zen meditation) in which a person uses self-effort to establish their personal ideal situation and then through trial and error tries to reach it step-by-step. KUFU-ZAZEN is considered to be one kind of self-control technique. Although different in character, both SANSHI-MONBO and KUFU-ZAZEN are both necessary for Zen to be holistically complete. The original purpose for practising Zen was to reach a spiritual enlightenment called SATORI. Thus, because the original purpose of Zen was a religious one. Zen practices do not always relate directly to psychological healing or psychotherapy as European self - control techniques tend to do. However. through the practice of Zen psychotherapeutic phenomena are brought about. The process of Zen practice results in an " altered state of consciousness " (ASC) or the " discovery of one”s real self " (reorganisation of self ) in which the "discovery of one”s real self" takes the place of the "accomplished boundary of self". Simply stated practitioners of Zen find that their personalities change in positive ways and the process of these changes brings Zen related closer to psychological healing or psychotherapy than it”s original exclusive purpose of religiousness.
Enlightenment in Zen is called "REIDANJICHI" (to feel cold and warm through one”s own experiences) or "FURYU-MONJI" (to free oneself from an attachment to the letters of a sutra.). What these terms fundamentally mean is that SATORI, or enlightenment is not something that can be caught, dissected. and understood through intellectual or analytical means analytical means like European psychotherapy but rather is an "intuitive awareness" that can only be experienced and understood through one”s own direct actions. We could say that many self-control techniques aim to get such direct "intuitive awareness".
The purpose of this treatise is to clarify the psychotherapeutic aspects which Zen practice has. In Japan there already is the Morita Therapy. which is said to be strongly influenced by Zen practice. This treatise may make up for insufficiencies that Morita Therapy has.
Purpose of Zen Practice and Motivation
The Purpose of practising Zen is not just to achieve health of body and mind. but also to aim for the spiritually highest way of life as a human being. Zen classics often describe the life styles of Zen priests who are not attached to anything, accepting everything as it is. and moreover, live every moment freely in fulfillment. This way of living epitomises Man”s ideal existence under Zen precepts. Zen practices consists of synergism of two functions : Physical functions like movements, respiration and posture; respiration and posture ; and psychological functions such as concentration and meditation. Simply stated. Zen is a practice in which the body and mind is united inpisibly as one. As previously stated. enlightenment attained from Zen is not an understanding obtained through intellectual analysis. but rather it is an "intuitive awareness" obtained through direct experience. This type of intuitive awareness does not only exist in Zen. It can be found in many other Asian arts as well and can be considered a common characteristic of the austere way of thinking that is represented in orien…
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