Question
Nishijima Sensei:
Shikantaza: shikan means “just, only,” ta means “to do.”
Za can be either a verb or a noun. Thus taza means “to sit.” There is no particular intention other than “just sitting.” The energy involved in this action of “just sitting” is very natural: nothing forced, nothing slack. In any case, we should not concern ourselves—worry or think—about the amount of energy to put into an action. We should just do it, just sit. It means just sitting while simply keeping the spine straight.
So if we catch ourselves thinking, or even dreaming or sleeping during zazen, we simply immerse ourselves again in the action of straightening the spine, without worrying about how we return to it, how much energy to use, or even the result. Only one thing matters: acting. It is important not to “manage” our zazen, because as soon as we manage, at the very moment we assess how much effort to make, we are already no longer in the action of just sitting.
Zazen is a natural state. So everything we do during zazen should be natural. Breathing in particular should be natural. Nothing is controlled, no particular will, no intention. We do not try to obtain something special, enter a particular state, attain satori, or consciously prolong the breath. It is true that through repeated zazen practice, breathing becomes slower, but this happens naturally, without thinking about it, without forcing the breath to be what our mind wants it to be: slow. We should not have this prior intellectual knowledge and try at all costs to make our breathing slow in practice because we intellectually know it is “better.” One day, breathing will be slow and deep; it will come on its own…
Master Kosen’s first answer:
Yes, that is the description of a guy trying not to try.
Second question:
Yes, it is this man: http://www.dogensangha.org/gwn.htm. No, he is not trying not to try. Practicing without worry, we FORGET to seek… which is not the same thing.
We could use this phrase: “Forget about doing zazen and simply sit.”
Forgetting means many things.
Best regards,
Anonymous
Answer from Master Kosen
Having left to lead a summer camp in Argentina, I did not have time to explain my sarcastic response to Master Nishijima’s explanations of shikantaza practice.
With all due respect to this elder, and all my gratitude for his translations, which help us so much to better understand Master Dogen’s Zen, I must nevertheless point out that if Master Deshimaru had given me such an explanation of shikantaza, I would never have understood its true scope or meaning. I would have thought it restrictive, consisting of applying oneself to doing nothing or being natural.
Which, incidentally, would amount to doing something called:
applying oneself to doing nothing and being natural.
Although, in my view, nothing is excluded from shikantaza, even applying oneself to doing nothing and being natural, this is still not the true meaning of shikantaza transmitted to us by Master Deshimaru.
What is true calm?
The calm before the storm or after it?
Neither would exist without the storm.
Shikantaza is entirely free and includes everything. Even practicing deliberately is also shikantaza. Shikantaza includes everything from beginningless time. That is why we can only call it “just sitting,” shikantaza. Its dimension surpasses everything a human being can describe or imagine, but also includes everything a human being can describe or imagine.
For this reason, Master Nyojo says shikantaza is beyond dhyana but includes it as well.
Kosen