Zen Meditation, sometimes called Zen Mindfulness, is an ancient Buddhist discipline whose origins date back to the early 7th century Asian history. The word Zen in Japanese is also equivalent to the Indian Yoga and is related to the Buddhist religion. This is why most Zen Buddhists are known as Zen Buddhists.
Centered On The Mind
Zen Meditation benefits are usually centered on the mind. A Zen practitioner maintains awareness by focusing his or her attention away from external objects such as thoughts, anxiety and worries. While this may seem like simple meditation, in actual fact it is much more. It involves not only the mind but the whole body as well.
One of the most basic tenets of Zen meditation is that, like all things in existence, everything is connected. To achieve full self-awareness, you must learn to gain a better understanding of the interconnectedness of all things. The human body and mind are a part of one system that consists of the five elements – earth, water, fire, metal and air. According to traditional teachings, these five elements combine in order to create a physical being. By controlling one’s body and mind, one can understand the entire system and use it to bring about balance and harmony.
Practitioner Can Control His Or Her Mind And Focus Attention Inward
Zen practitioners believe that through meditation the practitioner can control his or her mind and focus attention inward. They refer to this process as Zen mediation. Because many of the world’s religions stress meditation as a way to control your mind and to achieve enlightenment, Zen practitioners feel their religion has some relevance with the science of mind control. In effect, they believe that true enlightenment is possible through control of the mind. Meditation benefits practitioners because it helps them to control the process of thought and reaction.
Another major component of the process of Zen meditation is called Dharana or Sitting. It refers to a state of complete relaxation. It requires nothing more than just sitting comfortably and allowing thoughts to come and go. When sitting properly, the meditator feels serenity and calmness. However, while sitting, there is usually some movement of the head and shoulders, or the whole body. The meditator sees this as a signal from the awakened mind that says that the effort of sitting is paying off.
Guided Imagery And Reconditioning
Guided Imagery and Reconditioning are two more important techniques. Guided imagery occurs when the mediator chooses an object, a landscape for instance, and focuses his or her mind on it. It is then possible to imagine taking that same object and imagining it moving in some manner. The object can be imagined to move in a circular motion, in a figure-ejected fashion or any other form of movement possible. Then the controlled imagination is coupled with the reconditioning of thought processes back to normal.
Zen meditation, despite being a very simple process, has tremendous benefits. These benefits include relieving stress, relaxing the body, and creating inner peace. Zen meditation, along with Yoga meditation, is able to reach much deeper levels of self-realization and healing than other practices. Because of its simplicity, Zen meditation has been utilized by practitioners of all different religions and cultures. In fact, you might even be surprised to learn that it is practiced by people of other religions as well!