Question
Hello,
My legs hurt, and when I sit in half lotus or seiza, my legs
fall asleep and become painful and prickly, and my mind is disturbed
by the pain.
So I practice sitting on a chair, my back straight, a cushion raising
my buttocks, my head tilted slightly downward, the crown of my head pushing
the sky. I feel better, but is this right? Why don’t dojos
allow people to practice as they feel comfortable, and why do they
focus on a single posture?
Thank you.
Anonymous
Answer from Master Kosen
What you are doing has nothing to do with zazen. It is like wanting to adapt the Dharma to the limits of your ego. That is impossible. Your ego is too small, too fearful, too boring, too selfish, too stupid, too cowardly. It’s going to die so badly; it is worthless and uninteresting. You shouldn’t even throw it just anywhere, because it also pollutes, stinks, takes up other people’s space, and is useless, and its so-called suffering interests no one. Imagine doing any meditation with that thing?
Kosen