Shikantaza is a core central practice in Zen Buddhism and is translated as just sitting.

Often described as a more advanced form of meditation or an advanced form of doing nothing as opposed to focusing on the breath or counting numbers or visualizing.

Shikantaza is very difficult for the complete beginner therefore breath return is often the choice for those new to Zen Buddhism.

Shikantaza emphasizes complete presence in the here and now without striving or making any effort for any particular state of mind or aiming for any specific outcome.

In Shikantaza there is no object to return to, there is just observing and when you’re just observing the only thing that will happen is your attention will wander and for those who practice, this has got to be one of the most difficult things a human being can do, to keep the mind in the here and now just observing and watching the passing thoughts.

This practice is so simple in description and beyond profound in practice.

Inexperienced beginners will fail instantly and often return to the breath instead of Shikantaza clean observing.

This form of meditation is specifically associated to the school of Soto Zen Buddhism and originated in Japan hundreds of years ago and is now practiced all over the world.

Shikantaza is considered to be a direct way to experience the mind fully or eventually through years of practice whereby you allow your thoughts and sensations along with your awareness to arise and pass without attachment or any interference.

Educational Disclaimer: This article discusses sensitive educational concepts and training topics. It is provided by Open College UK Limited for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical or psychological advice.

Noninterference, just observation is key.

Shikantaza is ideally suited to those who have some experience in meditative practice although you can try it as a complete beginner. I must say that the occasional practitioner does take to it like a duck to water but most do not.

To begin find a quiet space where you can sit comfortably and remain undisturbed.

This article is not about how to tutor you into the correct sitting position moreover it an article that introduces you to the actual process of where you put your mind or your awareness attention as opposed to returning to each time you wander.

Eyes are always kept open either half open or quarter open gazing on the floor one to two meters in front of you, whatever feels comfortable.

Keeping the eyes open is essential because it helps to maintain wakefulness and avoids the usual inward collapse that closing the eyes entirely will bring for many.

Closing the eyes will result in a practice called quiet-ism which will lead to drifting and hypnogogic engagement.

And here is the thing that confuses a lot of beginners.

There is an expectation of something great and something big will happen. Shikantaza brings absolutely nothing. And practicing it will result in you drifting and then thinking about the drifting and then thinking about that you’re not supposed to be thinking about the drifting and then thinking about that as well and so on.

The main instruction in Shikantaza is to simply sit.

Just sit.

Just be.

Do nothing.

Be nothing.

Expect nothing.

Want nothing.

Just be with what presents itself.

Just sit.

There is no visualization, no counting of breaths, no monitoring of breath, no focus on any objects, no effort in anything, no attempt to clear the mind of thoughts, no attempt to return to observing, just observing and when you drift which you will, just notice you drifted and continue to notice to allow the thoughts to appear and how the thoughts pass.

And this is exactly what will happen.

The mind will start spinning all sorts of stories and thoughts and feelings and distractions.

And Shikantaza is to observe this – only.

Allow all experiences, whatever them experiences may be, thoughts, feelings, sensations, all to naturally appear.

And that includes all the horrible things whatever them things may be in you, just let them be, let them appear and let them disappear all on their own.

The key is non-interference.

And when you forget remind yourself that the key is noninterference and just observation.

Literally at all costs, you keep your awareness into just observation and non-interference within that observational practice.

When a thought arises, you do not follow it, judge it or push it away.

You just observe it.

But you will follow it, you won’t be able to stop following it, but it’s the noticing that, that just happened.

And that’s when you’ll get it. And you’ll start to see the observer. That or whom which is observing.

It’s not the self, the I, the me or the you.

Some people take decades to see it.

Others can see in a relatively short time.

That which is observing.

Our mind is conditioned to respond and react and engage with everything that appears.

And this is what will happen. And it’s the observing of this each time you drift, each time you wander and get pulled into the thought you realize this just happened and then you continue to observe.

And at this point you just continue to observe, whereas in other practices you would return to the breath, or you would return to the object or the focal point.

Whereas in Shikantaza you don’t return to anything because returning is doing. It’s doing something on top of observing.

You will either get it or you won’t get it.

You will either understand it or you won’t understand.

Layers of thoughts building on top of layers of thoughts and people get lost in this.

Or you will understand it straight away until you realise the struggle can be reduced and minimised by realising no matter what is happening you just observe, observe, and keep observing, and every single intrusive appearing thought you just observe it, you don’t engage in it, you just observe it.

This open presence in the here and now will slowly and gradually open and reveal deeper levels of supple movements of thought and feeling and over time the awareness expands a sense of spaciousness and clarity appears within the awareness.

The mind becomes less reactive, less involved and more balanced.

After a period of time, you will start to see the apparatus and the mechanisms of inner thoughts between conscious and unconscious at work.

Whatever appears in the meditation state just observe it without engaging. And if strong emotion or feeling or anxiety or sadness or anger appears then just allow it to appear for as long as it feels comfortable and safe otherwise stop the meditation, acknowledge and confirm.

You did 5 minutes you did 15 minutes and the next time you’ll do 5 minutes more if such and such appears again.

But whatever appears, do not engage with it, just acknowledge it and allow it to be and don’t push or pull it away and that includes pleasurable and enjoyable things.

Don’t pull towards you and don’t push away from you.

Don’t engage in that mechanism which every human being does.

This does not mean emotions and feelings are to be ignored or denied. Definitely not. Do not suppress or push anything away.

Under no circumstances do that.

All these things are to be viewed directly as part of the present moment and all these things that appear are coming from your experiences in your memory banks, your subconscious.

Some of these things may include unhealed wounds from your past.

A very crucial and critical aspect of Shikantaza is allowing a balance to appear between effort and non-effort to remain present in the here and now without drifting off into the thought or the feeling.

If you drift off and you engage in that thought you are not in the here and now, you are not in the present, the present moment is now.

The present moment now is just observing what’s happening. It’s not engaging.

And when people get this understanding. They often say out loud. Ah’ I get it now!

Practicing all this will lead to more letting go. Less grasping. Just letting go. Non engagement.

This practice is about being with what is, fully and without any expectation.

Just be in the now with what is. And that includes the negative and the positive.

Over time, Shikantaza can profoundly affect how a person engages within the social life and the world around us. The non striving, the non-seeking, the acceptance of what appears into awareness in everyday life is cultivated on the on the Zen cushion and this gets carried over into everyday interactions so that thoughts are less compulsive, less impulsive, less reactive and emotions become more stable and that habitual rush to judge and control situations or people diminishes and you will start to see it was see subconscious fear that was controlling the show all of your life.

Educational Disclaimer: This article discusses sensitive educational concepts and training topics. It is provided by Open College UK Limited for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical or psychological advice.

Additional note: Disclaimer:

For those interested in starting meditation or Shikantaza it is highly recommended to seek guidance from an experienced teacher or visit a Zen center.

Please do not alter your lifestyle, medication, or physical or mental treatments you may be receiving in any shape or without consulting a medical practitioner or your GP first.

This article is for information purposes only.

Shikantaza offers a profound life improving way to explore the nature of the human mind and our awareness.

It asks for nothing more than presence in the here now, attention and openness and in honesty to be real an authentic.

By sitting with what is in the here and now without manipulation, judgment or any effort to achieve or do anything. Practitioners cultivate insight and equanimity and will directly observe reality.

After many years of training and sitting, possibly 30 years. Nothing or nothingness including awareness is no longer seen the way it used to be seen and the mind opens to reveal itself. This is as far as any Zen Buddhist practitioner can take explanations because from here on everything is outside of the language structure. Once this is developed the mind/awareness will open and reveal itself.

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