Are you a beginner looking to find out what is Zen
or maybe you've got a bit of knowledge about Zen
and you just want to deepen this knowledge, either way
continue watching and find out how this book can help you
I've included timestamps below so that you can get to
exactly the part of the video you wish to watch
the first one is for the review section which just gives my opinion
if this book is worth reading and what benefits you'll gain from it
and the second time stamp is the summary which is all the main concepts of this book
let's start with the review of this book, I would definitely recommend reading
this book as it's gives you all the essential knowledge you need of Zen in a
very simple manner and also focusing more on the practical aspects of Zen so
that you can start practicing after reading only a few pages of the book
and even though my summary can give you all the core concepts of this book
there are many more beautiful examples which you'll miss out on and some of these
examples might help you get a better understanding as everyone is different
and different examples resonate with different people,
okay so now let's move on to the summary of this book
Zen mind beginner's mind consists of a collection
of notes taken by students during Shunryu Suzuki's lectures
and the essence of this book is found in this quote from the Zen master
"the practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind the innocence of first inquiry, what am I?
Is needed throughout the Zen practice, the mind of a beginner is empty
free from habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt and open to all possibilities
it is the mind which sees things as they are, which step-by-step and in a flash
can realize original nature of everything"
this shows the essence of the book which is simplicity and being open
this book is then split into three different aspects
which can help one reach this beginner's mind
firstly right practice,
the practice of Zen involves sitting in a seated position
and meditating which they call Zazen
here we are going to look at key aspects of your posture
so the most important thing is to keep back straight
then you can try and fold your legs into lotus position
this involves having the right foot on the left thigh and the left foot on the right thigh
if you can't do this because you're not flexible enough
you can also do half Lotus or just cross legs works well
and then we make sure that our ears and our shoulders are in a line
by relaxing the shoulders back and down
hands are in your lap with the left hand on top of the right hand
so that the middle fingers touch one another
and then the thumbs are brought to touch
together to form an oval inside their hand this is known as the cosmic mudra
hands are holed up against the body in the lap with the thumbs at the level of
the navel with the arms just slightly away from the body
once your posture is correct then you focus on your breathing
Here, he says to focus on the breath
as if it was a door opening and closing you just watch it open and close
without trying to close or open the door yourself
my favorite example to use is imagining your breaths as waves in the ocean
and the inhales are the waves crashing
and the exhales are the waves drawing back
and you're just watching it like you're doing when you're at the sea
without trying to control it
and while you're watching your breath you will notice
that your thoughts keep coming and distracting you from your focus
the point here is just to watch your thoughts as they come
and you don't need to restrict them or try to control them
just watch them form and let them pass
and then return back to your breathing
finally, he talks about bowing nine times
at the end of each practice and this is done to remove the ego
and surrender oneself to the universe
next, let's look at having the right attitude when practicing zazen
firstly, focus is on being present in each and every moment
during your zazen practice, here, he gives the example of how fire completely burns
up wood leaving no memories of the past
and nothing else added such as emotions or pride to one's practice
and you start by focusing on just being present
during your practice and then you try and bring it into your whole life
secondly, Acceptance... this involves accepting each moment as it is
and seeing all feelings and disturbances without any judgment
just as weeds grow and flowers die this is all the cycle of life and as the
weeds die they will then become fertilizer for new flowers to grow
and thus the cycle continues
next, do not add anything to your practice such as pride,
desire or goals as these hinder your progress to reaching your true nature
and finally Naturalness... this is like a seed following its path to become a tree
they do not think they just be exactly what they are
and finally we will look at having the right understanding here there are eight core principles from the book
and these are all gems of wisdom which one can use to help improve their practice
the first one is that the true purpose of Zen is to see things as they really are
next is that we exist not for the sake of something else we exist for the sake of ourselves
focus on experience not philosophy
Zen is about returning to your original nature through Zazen and
not about understanding or learning philosophy
and this is part of the reason why there's not much philosophy in this book
do not focus too much on your teachings or what
your teacher says Zazen is all about you the teacher gives you the understanding
but only you can find your true nature
and next he recommends that practice
should be done daily and consistently to achieve good results
and that the practice should be done according to the individual little by little
so that you don't fizzle out if you try to do too much too quickly
next practicing emptiness this is about hearing all information as if it's the first time you've heard it
and do not add your own preconceived ideas towards it
you just listen completely openly and then afterwards you can decide
whether this information is useful or not
and finally, true Buddhism is that Buddha's in everyone, everything
and every action, so this makes all actions and things equally important
so in summary the main concepts of the book are
first, right posture
secondly, right attitude
and thirdly, right understanding
thanks for watching
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