Just Sitting (Shikantaza)

Difficulty: Advanced | Duration: 20 Min
Origin: Soto Zen

Overview

"Just Sitting," known in Zen as Shikantaza, represents a profound and powerful meditation technique inviting practitioners to simply sit, free from agenda, expectation, or the conventional focus on a specific object. This fundamental mindfulness practice encourages an open, choiceless awareness, allowing thoughts, feelings, and sensations to arise and pass without engagement or judgment, fostering a deep understanding of the mind's natural movements. Through dedicated practice of Shikantaza, individuals cultivate profound mental clarity and develop an unwavering presence, observing the entirety of their experience from a place of spacious stillness. Embracing this authentic Zen meditation method can significantly reduce mental chatter and chronic stress, unlocking a powerful pathway to inner peace and emotional balance. For anyone seeking to deepen their mindfulness journey and achieve lasting well-being, integrating "Just Sitting" offers an invaluable approach to connect profoundly with the present moment.

Instructions

  1. Face wall.
  2. Drop all anchors.
  3. Just sit.
  4. Be the sky watching clouds.

Purpose

Pure presence.